Dive Deep Blue Utila, Bay Islands, Honduras 2005

By Bronya Jackson (DM)

Utila - a small island off the coast of Honduras - has earned itself the reputation of being the whale shark capital of the Caribbean. Whale sharks are sighted here year-round, with peaks of activity in March and April - the time I chose to make my trip.

How to get there

Utila airport is in truth a runway surrounded by scrubland. Twice a day three local airlines (Islena, Sosa and Atlantic Airlines) make the 10 minute flight to Utila (UTI) from La Ceiba (LCE) on the mainland of Honduras. Apparently Islena has the best safety record, Sosa is the next best option and Atlantic is less popular with international visitors. I flew with them all and none complained how much luggage I had (it was a lot) and all got me there safely.

Each airline leaves LCE for UTI at a similar time - first thing in the morning and then mid-afternoon. When I flew the airlines didn't keep to the timetables posted on their internet sites; I was also told that the planes needed a minimum number of passengers to fly. If you are traveling with a group then chartering a plane may be a better option and this can be arranged at the airport in La Ceiba. Also if there are enough of you, then flying direct to Utila from San Pedro Sula (SAP) may be a possibility.

Rain in La Ceiba or Utila can throw a spanner in the works as local planes seem not to run if this is the case - as it was for me when I went. I ended up missing my flight and stayed the night in La Ceiba in La Quinta hotel. The hotel was only 10-15 minutes away from the airport by taxi and was clean and comfortable with its own pool, bar and restaurant.

When you fly back from Utila remember to call to confirm your flight - they are quite serious about this; I never call to reconfirm my flight and when I arrived at the "airport" I was told there was no room for me on the flight - did I not call to confirm?

For the 18 people that flew in for the whale shark research project 15 arrived without incident, one had their flight delayed but still made it and two traveling independently missed their connecting flights and made it to the resort the following day. It's a good idea to have a back-up plan in case you get stranded.

There is a ferry that runs twice a day from La Ceiba to Utila but the ferry dock is not very near the airport and it leaves La Ceiba around 9am and again at 4pm. The ferry journey takes about an hour and takes you into Utila town.

Utila town

Utila town is about 10 minutes taxi drive from the airport and it will appeal more to budget-conscious travelers. It isn't the prettiest of places but there are several places to stay here and a good choice of bars and restaurants none of which are high-end. The dive shops along the two main roads compete for backpackers' dollars and prices for open water courses rival even Thailand's Koh Toa.

My backpacker days are pretty much over so I opted for the out-of-town Deep Blue Resort, a reputable PADI Gold Palm facility. The resort is accessible by boat through a brackish lagoon; taxis are pretty non-existant so you have to rely on the resort to get in and out of town. I was happy enough staying put relaxing at the resort and so this was never a concern to me, but if you'd like to get into town at night this may not be the perfect spot for you.


The resort

The resort is divided into three wooden lodges nestled between palm trees at the water's edge. Every room has its own private balcony, bathroom, hot water, fridge and aircon. The fridge is even stocked with local beer!! The main lodge has a bar, pool table, darts, reading material, fish books & DVDs and free access to the internet. The beach is on your doorstep and the sea is a stone's-throw away. Watch out for the sand flies but smearing baby lotion on seems to be an effective deterent.

Home-cooked meals are served in the main lodge and are of a high standard. Guests are given a menu at the beginning of the trip and for every evening meal you have a choice of one of four main courses.

The diving

Unlimited shore diving is offered by the resort, however the dive outfit seems more geared to boat diving. Shore diving has to be pre-arranged and you have to cart your gear from the dive shop to the shore (not that far but you don't just put your gear on and walk down the jetty and get in). I snorkeled the house reef and was impressed: it seemed to be very pretty and in good nick.

The thing that really sets DBU apart is its whale shark research project: a five-year project that tourists and scientists alike can get involved with. Whale sharks are most frequently spotted around eastertime and this is when the dive boats really go out of their way to find them. Deep Blue are also using a spotter plane to give a better chance of locating the sharks, although for the week I was there the logistical constraints of operating in a developing country meant the plane was only used for one hour one morning - and without success.

Instead we relied upon our captain, Swin, an experienced local fisherman, who was accustomed to seeing whale sharks off the north side of Utila when they come to the surface to feed. He explained how he finds the whale sharks by looking for birds circling and diving, and the shine of tuna jumping out the water. These are good indicators of a 'boil' or bait ball - a mass of tiny 'fry fish' or bait fish herded together by the bigger guys. The whale sharks, sensing out these boils, come up from below and hang out vertically in the water column, sucking in their food.

Our day typically started with a buffet style breakfast (plenty of food available). The dive boat - a slow, sturdy number with plenty of room for all 18 of us - would leave the dock around 9am. Weather permitting we'd headed off to the north windward side of the island where most whale shark sightings occur, but where the sea can get a bit swelly. It would be at least an hour ride which was spent desperately searching for these surface 'boils'. We did find a pod of dolphins one morning and were dropped in their midst and just that almost made the trip worthwhile. Be prepared to spend a long time out at sea looking for the whale sharks.

The north side is also good for wall dives. Viz is pretty good - about 50 feet when I was there - and this only improves at the seamounts off the southern side. Coral is in near perfect shape on the seamounts and northern walls. Closer to shore there is some damage (storm or otherwise). Highlights included sightings of squid, seahorses, eagle rays, and turtles. Some saw mantas but I couldn't tell you if they were lying or not as I didn't see them.

We'd return to the lodge for lunch after our second dive and then spend the afternoon either looking for sharks or diving on the shallower southern sites.

The dive staff were faultless - very professional and helpful. They set up the dive gear and rinsed it down every day. Swin the captain knew the island like the back of his hand, but unfortunately, though I visited in whale shark peak season, the sharks were nowhere to be seen - and believe me we were looking.

When the owners aren't absorbed with the whale sharks, they turn to Tech diving. The deep walls of Utila's northern side offer a staggering opportunity for deep diving. Apparently there is a great cave system some 200 feet down.

The whale shark research project

I didn't think there was that much emphasis on presentations about the whale sharks or the whale shark research project at the resort - perhaps this will change as the project goes on.

I did however meet an interesting guy called Jason Holmberg from Ecocean, who was one of the visitors invited to stay at the resort for the whale shark research project. He'd come to DBU to photograph the whale sharks and set up a photolibrary station at the resort.

Alongside satellite tagging, DBU are commendably adopting a non-invasive method of tagging whale sharks that doesn't physically interfere with them, but instead uses the whale sharks' natural skin patterning as a way to recognize the animal. The whale shark is photographed by visitors to the resort, submitted to the photolibrary and then compared to sharks that already on the database.

If a match is confirmed, factors such as the shark's rate of appearance and movement patterns can be determined. The Library will be used to estimate population figures and survival rates and help establish credible data for lobbying for whale sharks' protection.

Maybe in the future more effort will be put into doing visual displays and talks on the whale sharks as I did think this was missing on my trip.

To put it in a nutshell, DBU offer the opportunity for tourists to become more actively involved in research that may assist in protecting the whale shark. Whale sharks are seen here year-round with peaks in March to April, but sightings are not guaranteed. The accommodation is of a high standard, the home-cooked food is tasty and the diving is good by Caribbean standards.

To learn more, click on the web at Deep Blue Utila and Eco Ocean.

Cost: 1 week's diving and full-board accomodation during the whale shark research project: S1795 (maybe a bit expensive, but the cost also goes towards satellite tags for the project and the extra gas the boat uses on our day-long expeditions searching for the whale sharks)
February, May & June: $1200
Rest of the year: $1000
Cost of my flight with American from Miami to Tegucigalpa (TEG) and return flight San Pedro Sula (SAP) to Miami: $420 (it is cheaper if you book well in advance)
Cost of flight TEG to LCE with Islena: $66 (its now advertised at $57)
Cost of flight LCE to UTI with Atlantic Airlines: approx. $25
Cost of flight Utila to SAP with SOSA: $85
Cost of one night at La Quinta Hotel, La Ceiba: $41

Tipping was encouraged at the resort.

Websites

Deep Blue Utila
Shepherd Project (to submit a photo of a whale shark)
La Ceiba
Atlantic Airlines
Fly Islena


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