Getting Back to Life as a Scuba Bum

My brief foray back into my old life was difficult. I think it always is difficult when someone you know dies unexpectedly, and obviously way too soon. But I was thousands of miles away from it all, living in Utila and expecting a friend to arrive on the 25th.

It was probably just what I needed, to keep me from  getting lost in the misery of Mike's death and everything that goes with a line of duty death in law enforcement. My Facebook feed was filled with it.

Greg was scheduled to arrive on the 25th, a Saturday. He is in the process of buying a house here and this trip was originally scheduled in hopes the house would be his. Doesn't really work that way here, there could be a thousand things that slow up the process including the speed of the government to do much of anything. So instead it appeared this would be mostly a vacation for him and a chance for me to dive and hang out with one of my best friends.

I had told him I'd get a Tuk-Tuk to the airport to pick him up, he was scheduled to arrive at about 3:30 p.m. Weather had come in, keeping the ferry from coming in and word was the airport in La Ceiba was closed. But I knew he had a flight directly to the island from San Pedro Sula and it was looking better. Greg and I both have US phones that neither of us uses as a regular phone when in Honduras, that just gets way too expensive. We also both have Honduran phones so that we can at the very least text each other.

I went to the airport but when I got there almost everything was shut down. A woman who works there told me that no more planes would be coming in, that the airport in Ceiba was closed. I said he was coming direct from San Pedro Sula and she told me that flight was scheduled to come in the next morning.

As I've probably mentioned in several of my other posts about getting to and from the island, there are not daily flights here so her saying a flight would arrive Sunday morning sounded unlikely to me, they don't fly here on Sundays. I was concerned because I had received word from Greg that he had gotten to San Pedro Sula but no text or anything saying he was not getting to Utila on Saturday. I returned to the hotel and finally got a message that indeed the airline had agreed to make the flight on Sunday morning. I reminded Greg that I never seem to get anywhere in one day. Clearly there would be no diving on Sunday morning and we'd have to see if there was an afternoon boat.

Early Sunday morning I got to the airport and the Tuk Tuk driver and I waited. I'm not very patient. As the minutes ticked by past the time he was scheduled to arrive, I wondered if he had yet again had a flight cancelled. When you only plan a week for vacation getting a day or two taken off your vacation can be really annoying. He finally arrived about 30 minutes later than scheduled.

We chose to skip any dive on Sunday and instead made plans for diving Monday morning. Besides his own recreational diving, Greg had agreed to teach Laurent, one of the instructors at Captain Morgan's, side mount diving.

It was a lovely week, diving four days, Greg taught side mount, we killed several lion fish which we then cooked up right there at the restaurant/bar at the hotel and shared with anyone who wanted to try some. I killed my first lion fish during this week, and my second kill was pretty cool, came close to breaking the record for size. But alas, close only counts in what horseshoes? But it was fun none-the-less.

First the diving ...

Greg with one of his lion fish kills.

Spotted Moray Eel

Crab .... a huge crab.

Queen Trigger Fish

Toadfish

And then the side mount training ...

Laurent sharing air with Greg

Greg sharing air with Laurent

Getting through some smaller spaces

Lots of options for getting through difficult spaces.

Thursday night of his stay was Greg's birthday. I think it made him feel pretty great to be greeted by so many good wishes and a cake especially for him.

All in all a great week. Good friends, good diving, good food and good drink. Greg left Saturday the 1st to head back to Nashville. He was returning for the Thanksgiving holiday with our friend Sandra. I would be gone as I was visiting the US for the holiday.

Note: I'm certain I mentioned my bad luck (or stupidity) when I had flooded both of my strobes. I was lucky, Greg delivered to me a new strobe so at least I had one. But it is still a challenge to get things right with either none or only one strobe. But I won't complain because I at least had the one.

So now it is a bit more diving then preparing for another trip to the states. Wonder how this one will go? That is in the next post.

YIKES! Where did two months go???

Wow, I knew I had been slacking on the blog, and I have lots of good excuses for it (not), but two months, really?

So where have I been? Right here, living the good life in Utila.

I actually have fallen into a routine, which is nice for me in my everyday living, not so nice for wonderful adventures to write about.

After returning to the island in late August, I was diving a couple days a week. I also took on the responsibility of keeping the Facebook page for Captain Morgan's Dive Centre and Pirates Bay Inn updated with fresh pictures and posts. (Hint, hint, you should go like those pages if you don't already).

I was also helping a couple of the DMTs (Dive Master Trainees) with finishing up some of their skills they needed to do to complete their Dive Master.

I was really beginning to feel "in the groove" in my photography. Got a few shots that I am particularly proud of.

And then ... disaster struck. I went on a dive, came up put my camera in the rinse tank and when I got back to land could see the o-ring for one of the strobes had been pinched in the cap. It was completely my own fault, I was trying to hurry and had not prepared my equipment at home the night before as I try to always do. Strobe flooded.

But, I'm resourceful, I can shoot with only one strobe and in the meantime I ordered another online. It was delivered to my friend Greg's home and he had a trip here planned for late October and would deliver it to me. I could make it 6 weeks or so with only one strobe.

I can shoot with one strobe but it isn't easy and I really had to work to get the right lighting. And it didn't always work to my satisfaction.

I looked forward to having a second one again.

All the while I was posting pictures on my own Facebook page as well as the page for Captain Morgan's. I was now diving about 3 days a week and my life was good.

Now for my excuse for no blog .... I began to feel that just reposting those same pictures on the blog, that I had already posted online was boring for the reader. Most of you who read the blog also are friends on Facebook and I had little to add about the dives themselves or the pictures. At least that was my thinking. So I let the blog sit (and sit, and sit, and sit.)

About 4 weeks after my strobe disaster, disaster struck again. I went on a dive, came up, put my camera in the rinse tank and went about my business. I took the card from the camera, uploaded pictures, edited and posted as I usually do. Then I went home. I wasn't diving for a few more days and I got lazy and just let things sit. When I went back for my next dive I opened my one strobe to change the batteries. The batteries I had left in there were corroded and leaking. Clearly I had experienced another leak. This time I was shocked. The strobe had worked throughout the dive and I had not noticed anything when I took the camera from the rinse tank.

I am no assuming that it was a tiny leak, maybe a hair on the o-ring, or a little piece of dust? Who knows but either way I now had two strobes ruined and nothing for the camera.

I contacted Sea and Sea and they gave me the name of their Central America representative. He put me in touch with a shop owner on Roatan who didn't have a strobe in stock but said he would see about getting me one. As it turned out, he would be ordering from the states, the same as I would, his price was a little higher than what I could find it for and I still would have to pay shipping and he wanted me to come to Roatan to pick it up. All in all it seemed not cost effective.

I must say though, the rep from Sea and Sea was great and still says he'll try and help me get a deal on a strobe even if I get it in the states.

And if I thought it was tough to shoot with one, trying to shoot natural light only was really hard for me ... depressing is the word that comes to mind. But I just tried to keep plugging along and getting a photo here and there.

Greg came at the end of October and brought me one new strobe. So it was a great week, a visit from a friend, celebrating his birthday on the island, and at least having a little bit of light for photos ... all in the next post.

I'll Make that Trip to Utila-US-Utila Work ... or Die Trying

When last I left you I had checked in to Pirates Bay Inn for a week-long stay, while I worked to find a more permanent residence and settle in to life in Utila. That, and did some diving.

My reasons for wanting so badly to be in Utila the first week in August were two-fold. One, I had been told that the first week in August has historically been one of the best for whaleshark sightings. And two, the baby turtles from the nest I had guarded on the beach in June were due to hatch and if I could swing it I wanted to be a witness.

First things first, I signed up to dive most of the week I was there. See. I already feel better. Then I made arrangements to look at an apartment to rent. The apartment is close to town but not on the main road so it is relatively quiet, in a complex with four apartments and a fenced yard. It is two bedroom (hey a room for a visitor -- hint, hint), included cable and internet. It has air conditioning in one of the bedrooms but I don't need it. There are floor fans in each of the rooms and I'm actually fine just using a fan. The only thing not included int he rent is electricity which can be a bit pricy but it appears I can likely get by on about $100 US per month. It is "pay-as-you-go" electricity which is actually kind of nice, because i left the island for a couple weeks I emptied my already almost empty refrigerator and just shut off the breaker to it. Therefore there was no electricity being use dint he house while I was gone.

I dove every day. It was absolutely beautiful diving, as seems to be the norm, but alas, no whalesharks. But that was okay. As everyone told me, "you're here now all the time, you'll see them". Good point.

I was a little bummed, Chris, a dive master I've come to love diving with, had recently had an emergency appendectomy so he was not able to be in the water at all. Good part was he then worked as our boat captain. I did however get to dive with Imke a lovely German dive master. Unfortunately she was planning on leaving the island to do some traveling alone in Central America. But it was great to dive with her before she left.

So, we may not have seen whalesharks but we did have some amazing dives!

Really the best part being the turtles and spotted eagle rays which I think we saw one or both on every dive that week.

Of course there is all the other marine life as well ...

I did go out to guard the beach one night but the baby turtles from the nest I had guarded had already hatched and made their way to the ocean (we hope). As it turns out, the eggs seem to hatch during the day not at night. But I was lucky enough to witness a huge loggerhead turtle come up on the beach twice during the middle of the night to look for the perfect nesting spot. She did not lay eggs, checked out couple spots, I think likely came back the next night to dig her nest and lay her eggs. I'm still hopeful that maybe I will get to see some eggs hatch this month.

After a perfect week at Pirates Bay Inn/Captain Morgan's Dive Center I finally had to leave and make the move to my apartment. A quick TukTuk (taxi) ride and I was there with all my worldly possessions (3 suitcases). I unpacked my bags, visited the grocery store, the power company and the store to get a Honduran sim card for a phone. Then I began the process of re-packing for my planned trip back to the states to go with Jim Abernethy's Scuba Adventures from West Palm Beach to Tiger Beach in the Bahamas to dive with the big sharks. That is for the next post.

Before I go though I want to reiterate how great the people are at Pirates Bay Inn and Captain Morgan's Dive Center. I know I raved about them in June when we visited but I don't know that I've ever felt so welcomed anywhere I've visited. When I arrived on August 2nd and showed up at Pirates Bay Inn, almost every instructor and dive master I had met in June and all the office staff immediately came up and welcomed me back, by name, asked how I was, asked if i was there permanently, asked how Greg and the rest of our group from June was. As usual, the room was clean and comfortable, the food was excellent from Christina and Adith, the beers were cold  ... couldn't find a thing to complain about. And for every concern I might have had about what I needed to do to get permanently settled, almost every one of them offered help and support. I truly felt like I had arrived home, where I was meant to be.

So now it was time to get back to the US. As usual I made my reservations later rather than earlier but still tried to go as cheaply as possible. The trip to the US wasn't too bad. I took a flight from Utila to Roatan using World Wide Travel (they don't seem to have a website) here on the island. Then I caught a United flight from Roatan to Houston to Nashville where United promptly lost my luggage. I watched them scan the barcoded luggage tag as I went through customs in Houston but somehow it went to El Paso. Really? El Paso? The worst part was when I checked with the lost luggage office at the airport in Nashville the woman there looked it up on the computer and saw that it went to El Paso. Then throughout the night and the next day I  got text messages from United saying they were still trying to locate my luggage. I called the number given to me, because I could help them locate it, "IT IS IN EL PASO!!!!!", but you only get a computer recorded message, no human to talk to.

I arrived in Nashville the night of the 13th and was leaving on a plane at 6 a.m. on the morning of the 15th to go to West Palm Beach. I was beginning to get a little nervous. I had my regulator and dive computer and camera equipment with me, but I still needed fins, mask, wetsuit, booties, hood and my other clothing etc..

Finally on the afternoon of the 14th, they delivered my bag to my hotel in Nashville.

I took Delta to Florida and back to Nashville without incident. I'll write about the fun of getting back to Utila  -- on United again -- in my next post.

Yes, that was a big sigh you heard.

On the bright side, if you do a fair amount of international travel I can't recommend the Global Entry and trusted traveler program enough. When you have a fairly quick layover in your port of entry (for me Houston) it is wonderful to be able to quickly get through customs and on to your next flight. There is always the possibility that I will still get stopped and have my luggage searched etc., but so far that has not happened. It has also given me TSA pre-check on every domestic flight I've taken since I got it. It truly makes international travel so much easier, and well worth the $100 it cost.

You almost can't get there from here ...

100 miles, as the crow flies.

That is how far Utila is from Placencia, Belize. So one would think getting there should not be that big a problem. One would be wrong.

When I met my friends in Honduras in June for our trip to Utila, I posted about my ferry/taxi/plane/ferry/bus/taxi/ferry/bus ride from Placencia to Utila and back again.  I made the trip that way partly for the adventure and partly to save a little money. I didn't save that much  money, but whatever.

Here I am, less than a week away from moving to Utila permanently and again I have to figure out how to get there. Add in that two weeks after I arrive I'm  heading to the U.S. for a shark diving trip that leaves out of West Palm Beach, Florida.

This time, I am still hoping to not spend too much money, but more importantly is trying to avoid overnights in places like San Pedro Sula (apologies to Hondurans who love their city).

Let me add that I have to take into account that I'm schlepping everything I own, once again, to another country. I really wanted to pare 4 suitcases down to two but that just isn't happening. Now I'm trying to be happy with three bags.

This is how it feels ...

So let's consider the options ....

Flying: There are no direct flights to Utila, so I have to fly either to Roatan or San Pedro Sula. But there are no direct flights from Placencia either place, that means first flying to Belize City then taking a flight from there to one of the Honduran cities. Because I'm moving  to Utila each of these flights would be one way, adding to the cost.

The other thing that I have to consider is baggage. Remember, these planes are like 12 seaters. The baggage regulations will allow two checked bags, the third bag they won't promise you can take, depends on if they have room,and then you pay extra baggage fees. If the plane went to my final destination that might be okay, I could just have my extra bag arrive on a later flight. But since the flight goes somewhere else, that means I either stay and wait for it or have to make a return trip to wherever to pick up my bags.

So we are back at the ferry idea. I can take the D-Express Ferry from Placencia to Puerto Cortes, Honduras. It only runs that route on Friday mornings. Then I could take a taxi to San Pedro Sula to the International Airport and fly to Utila. But they only fly on Saturdays .... we're back at an overnight in San Pedro Sula.

Okay, I can take the ferry from Placencia to Puerto Cortes and take a bus to La Ceiba then the ferry from La Ceiba to Utila. But wait, the bus would not get me to La Ceiba in time for the late afternoon ferry so that means an overnight in La Ceiba.

Again, I could suck it up and do an overnight but one, it adds cost, and two, I am dragging three huge suitcases and my backpack around.

So maybe it isn't quite this bad but ....

Am I sounding grumpy?

So here is what I've decided, the D-Express Ferry on Friday the 1st to Puerto Cortes, a taxi from Puerto Cortes to La Ceiba (about a 3.5-4 hour drive), and the afternoon ferry from La Ceiba to Utila. The taxi ride will be pricey but no more so I don't think than an airplane ride and I skip the overnight.

I finally felt like I had it figured out, but then I started trying to make reservations for my trip to the U.S. I had originally planned on a "multi-city" trip, Utila  to San Pedro Sula to West Palm Beach to Nashville to San Pedro Sula to Utila. When I need to be in West Palm Beach and when I can get to San Pedro Sula .... that just doesn't work without a couple of overnights. I've split it into two distinct trips ... and I'm leaving out of Roatan. Cheaper out of San Pedro Sula but my time and sanity are worth something. So it will be Roatan to Nashville, round trip. And then a separate trip Nashville to West Palm Beach round trip.

I'm exhausted just thinking about it.

It seems that with my plans finalized everything should be perfect. But Murphy's Law is always there, and there has been a tiny wrench thrown in for fun. The deal for Greg's house fell through last week. I've been trying to secure another rental and I have some promising leads which I'll  have to finalize when I arrive in Utila. I have set up staying at Pirates Bay Inn again for the first week I am there. My birthday gift to myself, a week of diving ... Welcome to Utila. Hopefully Greg will be able to find the perfect house, either the original deal can be tweaked and revived or a more perfect house will come on the market. My fingers and toes are crossed that he finds the perfect retirement home in Utila. Please send positive vibes, good thoughts, prayers, whatever it is you do for Greg to find the house he really wants and wants me to rent! (The last part was me being greedy, really let's just hope for Greg to find exactly what he really wants so he can retire and live the good life in the Caribbean.)

Ready for a change, the adventure continues ....

Two weeks from yesterday I will be on a ferry on my way to Utila, my new home. Some may ask why I'm already leaving Placencia. The easy answer would be that my friend Greg bought a house in Utila and I am fortunate enough to get to rent it while he slaves away at his job in the U.S. preparing for retirement. But in reality, there are several reasons.

With the upcoming move I have been reflecting, and planning. And so I've decided to give my nickels worth of advice about moving somewhere tropical. Remember, it is only a nickels worth and only my opinion.

First I would say, moving to the caribbean ... Best. Idea. Ever.

But here are my words of warning:

1. Think seriously about what you want out of your life. Do you want to live somewhere near an ocean where it is warm and they serve lots of fruity rum drinks? The Caribbean has all of that and more!

2. Do you want to continue to enjoy all the comforts of home, high speed internet, cable tv with a million channels, air conditioning the minute you walk inside, a hermetically sealed house? That is all available, for a price. don't expect  to live in the Caribbean or anywhere else on the cheap if you aren't willing to give up a few comforts of your American lifestyle.

3. Do you think that because you have money, U.S. dollars, that people should be thrilled you're  moving there and should jump at your command? Stay home. You only give other ex-pats a bad name. I only mention this one because I've seen it first hand.

4. Do you want to continue to work? Do some research about where you think you want to live and figure out if you legally can work, and what it takes to be able to, i.e., work permits, residency, opening a business, investing in  the country you're moving to?

5. Do you already speak another language? If you do you're already ahead (Spanish is a good one if you want to move somewhere Caribbean). If you don't already, think about learning it, show some respect for the language of the locals.  English is a great language despite how often we mangle it, but if the primary language is Spanish at least make an effort to speak and understand, and don't expect everyone where you move to be able to speak perfect english.

So now for some more optimistic advice.

Let it go. Nothing is really that urgent. Slow down. Unplug. Sit and just watch the ocean, watch for dolphins, or flying fish or pelicans feeding. Or just look at the absolute natural beauty of the ocean, the different colors, the gentle lapping of the waves on  the shore, the cool breeze. Recognize how amazing mother nature is, the incredible colors of the birds, the different types of animals right around you; fish, amphibians, reptiles, mammals. Realize how interconnected it all is. Every animal is important in the grand scheme and have their place and their job to do. No need to get baited into an argument about politics or religion. My favorite response these days? "There is a reason I'm laying in a hammock in Belize with no television or regular news service." Be grateful. Show compassion. Breathe.

So why you might ask would I want to leave this paradise and move again?

When I first moved I knew I wanted to live somewhere tropical The things I am most passionate about are more readily available here. I truly jumped and hoped for the net. I did a little bit of research, Belize was an easy choice, not too expensive, English speaking for the most part. I had a few momentary thoughts of moving to San Pedro on , Ambergris Caye. But I realized what attracted me to that place was the safety. The safety of being able to live much like I lived in the U.S. But the down side was it would cost me almost as much as living in the U.S. And what was the point of that. Also, truth be told, I had this romantic notion of traveling through the caribbean, learning about the culture, seeing countries I had only visited to dive.

My romanticism brought me to Placencia, a small village, with all the basic necessities but a slower pace, and still not completely "Americanized". And it has been lovely. The people here, both locals and ex-pats are wonderful. There is good food, both traditional  Belizean and a more international fare as well. You can, if you are willing to be a little adventurous and give up a few creature comforts, live fairly cheaply here. For me the real downside was that I didn't get to dive a  lot here. The reef, some of the most pristine of the Mesoamerican Reef System is 20+ miles off shore. That makes for long, expensive boat rides for the best diving.

And that romantic notion of exploring on my own? Well, yeah, not so much. I am only adventurous to a point. I didn't go anywhere much since I've lived here, I really didn't want to wander around alone. I would tell myself I would sign up for a tour but then the idea of spending a chunk of money to ride a bus or a boat and have no one to share it with just didn't appeal. So I really saw very little of the country. I never went on the chocolate factory tour, I didn't go see the crocodiles, manatees or monkeys of the Monkey River Tour. I didn't see any Jaguars. I know, bad tourist.

The most wildlife I saw was the insect variety inside my various homes. I seem to have gotten past the cockroach problem and have now moved on to a scorpion problem. Yes, that was me screaming like a little girl when I saw my first inside my house. And for all my desires to be kind to mother nature and the earth, you can't hand me the poison spray fast enough to get rid of  bugs in my house. Sorry.

Sorry for the terrible picture but really, I'm only willing to get so close, even when they are dead.

Now I'm ready for a change. Why not? So what do I expect to be different in Utila? For one, I can dive there relatively inexpensively. I can easily budget in likely two days of two tank dives every week. And that is assuming I don't work and/or don't have a chance to get some type of relationship with a dive operation there, maybe trade some teaching for some free diving. Who knows?

Opportunities. I am already excited about the opportunities I know of to volunteer for issues that are important to me. There is a Whale Shark and Oceanic Research Center on the Island, the Bay Islands Conservation Association, and Sea Shepherd. One or more of these may give me the opportunity to do some worthwhile work and maybe include diving in it too.

I really like the vibe there and I can't tell you exactly why. It seems that the backpacker lifestyle, people from all over the world living there for six months to a year appeals to me. Making friends from all over the world is just such a wonderful way to spend your time. And I have a hope that I will vastly improve my underwater photography skills as well as my above water photography. And it can be pretty inexpensive to live there.

Oh, and then there is that thing that one of my best friends now owns a house there, and that means that I likely will get to see my friends a little more often.

Next post: Getting from here to there ... harder than you'd think.

We did more than just diving in Utila

While one of the main reasons to visit Utila was to dive, we also did some other things as well. One thing we did plenty of was eat. And there are some good choices for food and I found them all to be reasonable in price. In fact a couple of the places that were recommended to us people commented were a little "pricey". I didn't find any restaurant I would consider pricey.

Of course I've already raved (and will continue to do so) about Christina, the cook at Pirates Bay Inn, she is wonderful. We also visited several bars and restaurants around the island including Foo King Wok, a great chinese restaurant. The portions are large so between four of us we shared two entrees and rice and i think someone ordered an appetizer. I think the entire dinner cost each person about 250 lempiras .. about $12.50, it may have been as much as $15.00 but still I considered it reasonable for the quality and quantity of food.

The chef at Foo King Wok also does Sushi Tuesday, where at Pirates Bay we were able to put our name on the list for sushi Tuesday evening. Choices were shrimp, tuna or vegetarian. I had vegetarian  and thought it was great! The others in our group tried both the tuna and the shrimp and were equally as happy.

We also went to Driftwood (some went twice), they had great food, we sat near the water and the special the night I went was Filet Mignon which I think cost about $15 USD. Really good food, again averaging about 250 to 300 lempiras per person including tip.

A couple of our group went to La Piccola, an Italian restaurant, and then we also visited Rehab a bar and restaurant and Skid Row Bar and Restaurant.

Overall I would say all of our experiences in bars and restaurants around the island were great and reasonably priced.

So, the other reason for Utila?

I have finally convinced some people that retirement is the way to go. Greg has seriously started to plan for 4-5 years down the road and decided he'd like to live somewhere tropical, hence Utila. The first few days we were there, Sandra and I tagged along with Greg and his realtor Brad to look at possible properties. Greg originally had his heart and mind set on a property known as Eco House which in the pictures looked lovely. After looking around though Greg finally decided on a house known as Bambu house, and put in an offer. His offer has been accepted and things are in the works, hopefully he'll be closing around the end of July.

I am fortunate enough to have Greg as one of my best friends and he has offered to let me rent his home in Utila, at least until he moves there permanently when he retires. I am so excited about what now will be the next chapter in my adventure, moving to Utila. As opposed to Placencia where the diving is very expensive and I've only really gotten in the water twice and cannot work, the diving in Utila is very reasonable and I may have the opportunity to teach there. At least I will get  many more opportunities to dive and to improve on my photo skills.

Here are a few shots of the house:

Front view of the house

Another view from the front

Large covered porch - lots of plans for this area

The living room, taken from the landing between the two bedrooms

The kitchen, outside that doorway is the dining area on an outdoor deck.

The house is lovely as is but Greg already has a few things he will be doing during his visits to improve the house and make it more his own. It is a 2 bedroom, one bath home with a small loft which will be an office area. It also comes with a detached studio apartment and the outside is lush with different trees and flowers. I think Greg plans to plant a banana and a lime tree. I'm excited to help him do those few projects and I will get to see him several times a year when he comes down to his house.

A very eventful and fun week came to a close. On Saturday the four of us took the 2:00 ferry from Utila to La Ceiba.

A comfortable and easy hour long ferry ride from the island back to the mainland. Once in La Ceiba we headed for the bus terminal to head back to San Pedro Sula. Kevin, the owner of Pirates Bay Inn had recommended a place to stay in San Pedro Sula, small apartments which he and his family considered safe with a restaurant on the property.

The bus was large and comfortable for the 3 hour ride, until about an hour into the ride when the driver turned on the air and the temperature in the bus was like a freezer. It probably was about 60 degrees or so, but after what has been months in tropical weather for me, it might as well have been -60 degrees. I froze. But we finally arrived in San Pedro Sula, the place we were staying had sent a car to pick us up.

The place we stayed was comfortable and easy. Our reservation included breakfast on Sunday morning, then we got a taxi for Sandra and Paula to head to the airport for their flight  home. Greg and I decided we certainly weren't going out and about in San Pedro Sula so it was a day of relaxing by the pool and taking it easy. Our relaxation was slightly disturbed when I was out on the porch of our room (to get the best internet signal) and I heard two gunshots.

I've had some experience hearing gunfire but I waited to see if I had mistaken the sound. A few minutes later there were two more. Over the next half our or so we heard a total of about 15 shots. The place we were staying is surrounded by a 10 foot concrete wall that is topped with four strands of electric wire and armed guards at the entrance gate. I saw staff members of the property while I heard gunshots and no one even blinked. It clearly was not concerning to any of them and they obviously felt safe inside the "compound".

It was just another reminder that for me and for anyone coming to visit, the safest thing to do is to fly into the international airport in San Pedro Sula and get a flight to the island. The ferry idea I used didn't really save me any money and forced me to have overnights in San Pedro Sula at both ends, not what I'd recommend. The island of Utila itself felt completely safe and I've spoken to several people who live there (expats from around the world) and everyone agrees it is a safe place to live and work.

While living there, it will be necessary to get some things from the mainland and from all that I've learned so far, anything I need can be gotten in La Ceiba and I can make it a day trip to there for whatever is needed.

So, the plan is I'm giving my 30 day notice at my current place and the first week of August I'm headed to Utila. I'm told the first week of August is one of the very best for Whalesharks in Utila, and I still have those baby turtles to see hatch around the 8th. Then I have a shark trip in the Bahamas the 15 through the 21st of August and a visit to Nashville after that. I should be back in Utila for the long hall at the end of August.

If you see Greg around be sure to congratulate him on his new home. My next job is to convince Greg that he should retire in closer to 2-3 years and make Utila his full time home.

Monday Greg and I took a taxi back to Puerto Cortes to take the D-Express ferry back to Placencia. And as is the way things happen the D-Express was not running, an engine had gone out and they could not make the trip on two engines. I at first thought we might get stuck in Honduras but as it happens there is another ferry that goes to Belize called the Starla. Problem is the Starla takes us to Dangriga, on the coast north of Placencia. It is a 3-3.5 hour ferry ride and then a 1-1.5 hour bus ride from Dangriga to Placencia.

Next post: Greg's visit to Placencia and Lobsterfest

Now That's What I'm Talking About

It doesn't take long for the four of us to settle in and relax a bit at Pirates Bay Inn. Within a couple hours our names are already on the boards for the two morning dives for the next six days. Boat arrives at the dock there at 7:00 a.m. and we are on our way to a dive site by 7:30.

The vibe in Utila is a great one. The island is 7 miles long by 2 miles wide and has about 17 different dive shops on it. It is a mixture of Hondurans, ex-pats from the US and Canada and a wide range of people from all over the world. Utila does a lot of dive training, people getting certified and at least as many becoming divemasters and dive instructors. Because it is cheap to live and dive in Utila it is a "backpackers" paradise.

For example, Pirates Bay Inn also owns Captain Morgan's Dive Centre. If you sign up to get  open water certified with Captain Morgan's you can get free lodging at Pirates Bay Inn. They have private rooms that when you're doing dive training are $29 USD per night, clean and safe and comfortable (add $10 per night if you insist on having air conditioning). They also have some dorm style rooms that you can stay in for free if training, if not training you can stay there for $7 per night.

7:00 a.m. on Sunday morning we get up and go to the bar/restaurant at the resort. Its really more of a bar, there are no dining tables and wait staff, but there are plenty of chairs around, bar stools at the bar and a couple picnic tables close by, and really good food.

Christina does the majority of the cooking and boy is she good at it. You can get the usual, eggs, bacon, toast type breakfast, or baleadas (a thick flour tortilla folded over some mashed black beans and other ingredients like eggs and bacon or sausage, cheese), but you could also get crepes, fresh fruit, homemade yogurt, french toast, cereal, and of course coffee, iced or hot even a latte or espresso drink, and fruit juices. I usually had either a baleada or scrambled eggs, bacon and a tortilla (homemade right there) and coffee and a bottle of water to take on the dive boat and it cost about 70 lempiras. Yep that is just over $3 US.

The dive boat was filled  every morning with about 14 divers, usually about 6 of us "fun divers" already certified, and the rest in various stages of training, either open water or advanced open water students and an instructor for each of those classes a divemaster or two to lead the fun divers and usually at least one if not two or three dive masters in training.

We regularly went north for the first dive site of the day and south for the second. It all had to do with the wind and the waves. Most of our dives consisted of the boat mooring in about 25-40 feet of water at the top of a wall. The wall often dropped off to close to 100 feet.

The dives were beautiful, we were fortunate to see a lot of see life including turtles, spotted eagle rays, lots of green moray eels and the usual cast of caribbean sea life. Surprisingly we saw no sharks  during the entire week. I'm not sure why the lack of sharks in this area.

Green Moray Eel in for a cleaning by Coral Banded Shrimp

Beautiful coral

Queen Angelfish

The Halliburton Wreck

Sea Turtle

Tarpon

Blue Tang

Of course my desire was to take photos. I assembled my camera gear, put fresh rechargable batteries in my strobes and checked to make niether my strobes or housing leaked. I jumped in the water on the first day and my strobes would not fire. I took a few pictures but was really frustrated as once I got past about 30 feet I got none of the beautiful colors of the reef or the sea life.

I thought maybe there was a problem with the batteries and left my camera on the boat for the second dive. When we returned to the resort I borrowed a charger from Sandra and charged more batteries. Second day I jumped in the water and got about 2 shots where one of the strobes fired then they both failed again. I was afraid my hopes of lots of photography opportunities were going to be dashed completely. That afternoon we checked out strobes and batteries, testing different batteries in each strobe. Finally, after a bit of futzing with the connectors on the cap of the battery compartment of the strobes I got them to work. May need to buy new caps (although I'm secretly hoping to find a way to upgrade my entire system actually but don't think my sparkling personality is paying for one and doubt I could find enough people who would want to donate to a "Go Fund Me" request).

I did try on the second day to change my attitude and rather than giving up and being upset about the equipment failure to try and work on my ability to take some good shots with just the ambient light. It is tough and I hate to lose the color, but just the change in attitude just made the diving better anyway. Overall I wasn't particularly happy with many of my photos from this trip but it serves as just a reminder that I have to just keep working on learning photography more, and taking lots of pictures .. only way I'll get better.

Chris a native Utilian from Pidgeon Cay, our divemaster, carried a spear with him on most dives and did his best to reduce the lionfish population, and Eitan an Israeli instructor on the boat with us on a majority of the days we dove also speared lots of lionfish. Greg finally got his chance to carry a spear and after a few misses early on he and Chris got a beautiful bunch of lionfish. On Sunday they brought their catch back to the Pirates Bay, cleaned the lionfish then lightly breaded them and fried them up for lunch and after a great haul on Thursday by Chris and Greg they brought them back cleaned them and Christina made Lionfish Ceviche.

Greg's first Utila lionfish kill.

Chris Howell, our divemaster with his and Greg's lionfish haul destined for ceviche.

On Wednesday we got the biggest treat. On  our way to the dive site we came upon a large pod of dolphins. Our Captain, Whitney stopped and we got to get in the water with snorkel gear and swim with them. It was so great to be in the water so close to these beautiful creatures. Then after getting back on the boat when we took of several of pod surfed the bow wake of our boat. I lay on the bow of the boat and took the video, when they would breach  I could have probably reached out and touched them they were so close. It just made my week perfect. I had hoped to upload the video here but that seems beyond my capabilities.

Also on Wednesday night Paula and I volunteered with Sea Shepherd to help in guarding the beach and the nests of turtle eggs and any turtles coming up on the beach to lay their eggs. Unfortunately there are still those who would come out and steal the turtle eggs to sell on the black market. At 7 p.m. we went to the BICA (Bay Islands Conservation Association) office, which also houses the new Sea Shepherd office and met with  Fernando, the coordinator of this program and Chel who would be the person actually logging research information about nests and eggs etc., as well as Haley, a visitor from Wales who like us just wanted to volunteer. We rode out on ATV's to a secluded beach set up a tarp with some sleeping bags laid out on it and started our watch. It consisted of every hour walking one half or the other of about 600 meters of beach, watching for signs of turtles coming up on the beach, signs of poachers, or signs of turtles returning to the sea.Then we returned to the base camp and slept until the next patrol, from 7 p.m. til about 4:30 a.m. We didn't get to see any new nests laid or turtles but Chel was kind enough to show us a nest of eggs which had been laid two nights before. We saw two or three eggs of what is likely about 200 eggs in the nest. The eggs stay in the nest for 52 days so my plan is to be there on August 8th to see those babies hatch and hopefully make their way back to the ocean.

Turtle Eggs in their nest.

All in all a great week of diving with great friends.

My dive buddies, L  to R: Greg, Paula, Sandra

Next post: The other part of the trip to Utila and returning to Placencia.