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Trip Report |
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After many trips to CocoView, Roatan with our local dive shop, we decided to venture out on our own for this year's Mardi Gras trip. Seeing whale sharks while diving the waters of Utila, Roatan's sister island, was our goal. Utila Dive Lodge had been recommended to us by some members of our local group, but the resort was fully booked as early as July 2002 when we were making our reservations for the March 2003 trip. We somewhat reluctantly made reservations at Laguna Beach Resort. In retrospect, the line from Robert Frost about two roads diverging in a wood comes to mind. We took the "one less traveled" and that made all the difference. Although Utila Dive Lodge certainly has an established reputation for providing good diving, Laguna Beach is a far more appealing resort with an equally satisfying dive operation. Of particular appeal to us were the 36 foot Newton Dive Boats made in Morgan City, Louisiana. From previous experience, we knew that these boats are exceptionally well-suited to diving. At Laguna Beach, the boats have secure centrally located camera tanks, adequate space for dry gear and, best of all, an on-board flushable toilet. Unlike conditions which we noticed at UDL, the boats were never overloaded and had plenty of shade space for us non-sunbather types. The staff at Laguna Beach made our visit truly special. Managers and dive crew are from Argentina. Luciano and his wife were particularly charming hosts. In the morning, the dining area was open with coffee, toast and cereal with Andrea Bocelli playing in the background. At 7 a.m. the hot food was served -- sunnyside-up or scrambled eggs pre-prepared to perfection, hot breads, meat and fresh fruit. Lunchtime fare always included hot soup and a meal, never sandwiches as we had received at other resorts. Fresh baked cookies and fruit rounded out the menu. Dinners included Coconut shrimp, Pasta, Various fish and chicken dishes and a special barbecue of Caribbean lobster. With Key Lime pie and Conch chowder, we may actually have gained weight for the first time on a dive trip. From the moment of arrival, we knew we had stumbled on a hidden jewel. The grounds are meticulously landscaped with tropical vegetation. Single and double cabanas built out over the water have been constructed by an on-site carpenter with a penchant for special ceiling work. We stayed in Cabin J (for Jackfish) and our travel companion Suzanne McKinney was next door in Cabin I (for Iguana). Right now the Cabanas run from a to q with the letters at the end of the alphabet located farther from the main dining area but closer to the fishing pier where a few residents dropped a fishing line nightly. The dive crew was beyond reproach. Marcela and Arturo were our dive masters. On each dive they each took half of our group down the reef. At first, we thought this method would be confining since we were used to the freedom of CocoView, but when we spoke with our leaders and told them that we preferred to venture off on our own explorations, they assured us that we could dive our own profile. Nearly all of our dives were in excess of one hour. We dove Nitrox, using our usual conservative oxygen computers. The dive masters changed tanks for us after every dive and cleaned the BC's in the evening. Dockside rinse tanks for wetsuits and cameras were the cleanest I have ever seen. The hanging area was perfectly arranged for safe evening storage so we could head back to the cabanas unencumbred. A particularly nice feature of the dive week is the inclusion of two night dives. We did three boat dives a day on Sunday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. On Monday and Thursday, we were able to do a fourth night dive at around 6 p.m. Dinner was served AFTER the dive around 8 p.m., a schedule which allowed me to do more night diving than ever before. After the night dive, Wagner greeted us with hot chocolate and hot towels. Wagner is the BEST boat captain in all of Utila, and he drives the fastest boat on the island. We even heard that from the staff at Utila Dive Lodge when we went into town to scout out their facility. Wagner's best talent is that he has a nose for whale sharks. Every day, between the two morning dives, Wagner went on the prowl for the huge graceful fish. At first, the process seemed scary to me. We geared up with fins, masks and snorkels, then hung perched on the sides and back of the boat with our feet in the air racing through the open sea in pursuit of whale sharks. When the surface tuna and bubbles which are the telltale signs appeared, we heard Waggy's command -- IN THE WATER NOW. Off we went, a jumble of fins and elbows. When the underwater bubbles cleared, we witnessed something most people will only see on NOVA or National Geographic, a 20-36 foot whale shark. During our week at Laguna, we swam with the lovely creatures four times. Each experience was more overwhelming than the next. The first time Suzanne dropped into the water, she found herself face to face with the largest fish in the sea. Another time, the whale shark delayed his normally quick descent and swam with us across the surface for what seemed like a lifetime. Apart from the whale shark experiences which are unique to Utila, we found the diving at Utila similar in many ways to that of Roatan. It is primarily wall diving, but Utila appears to have more sloping reefs and more labyrinthine swimthroughs. The seamounts are also impressive. We found the fish life considerably more plentiful than Roatan. On one dive we saw whole schools of scrawled filefish, a species we have rarely noticed in groups larger than two. Angelfish as well were everywhere. On one dive we came upon a Jewfish more than 4 feet in length which we estimated to be over 300 pounds. We also had an extended photo op with an Octopus in the daytime and a particularly cooperative green moray. Utila is not paradise. Like Roatan and Belize is still host to no-seeums but when the tradewinds are active, they are not a problem. We found that an ordinary repellant was sufficient but mandatory, especially before the night dives. Furthermore, travel to this part of the Caribbean is not easy, but for once, we arrived with all of our luggage and returned home with it as well. And so, for the final question. Will we go back to CocoView? Some day, probably, but not before we have made several return trips to Laguna Beach Resort, the hidden jewel of Utila. |
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