Packing List Review

Posted on February 27, 2012 by debbie

I have added items to the “Before Leaving” list that we had added for this trip.  They are:

  • Flights – confirm flights and print boarding passes
  • Ride to Airport – arrange for a ride or taxi to/from airport or use airport parking

Depending where you are flying, boarding passes may or may not be printable. As we were flying through the US, we were not able to print our boarding passes.  We went through the check-in screens anyway to confirm our seat locations.

We often ask family or friends to deliver us to the airport and pick us up.  Our flights on this trip were leaving early in the morning and arriving late at night, so we opted to use a taxi. We sort of forgot about the “park and fly” option, but I am glad we did not do that as it would have made an early morning even earlier and we would have been clearing 15 cm of snow off a vehicle in sandals and socks.

I have added Tank Banger to the “Scuba Diving” packing list. This is a stretchy ring with a hard plastic nob that is pulled and banged on a scuba tank to get your buddy’s attention.

Those are the only changes we made to the lists.  The lists are ready for our next trip. mmmm …… Where to next?

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From the Sea to the Snow

Posted on February 26, 2012 by debbie

We experience Honduran punctuality. We leave Deep Blue at 7:30 for the boat ride into town.  Our bags had gone at 6:30. The truck and van taxis were supposed to meet us at the Deep Blue Dive Shop to take us to the airport in time for our 8:40 flight to San Pedro Sula. We arrive at the dive shop and Shirley phones the taxi fellow. He is making another trip so he will be there as soon as he can. At least 30 minutes pass while we wait. He finally shows up and 7 of us pile into the van, leaving four behind. The truck is no where to be found and the van driver cannot locate the pick-up driver. We arrive at the airport, drive right onto the tarmac, unload and walk over to the airplane. As our group of 11 is over half the passengers, the plane will wait for the rest of our group. We hide in the shade of the wing until our final four arrive, load up the plane and take off about 30 minutes late. Mañana mañana.

CM Airlines

CM Airlines

Murray and I have become more conscientious about airplane safety. We read the seat pocket card, sit close to the exits and pay attention to the safety briefing. The baggage compartment on the turbo prop is full so suitcases are packed right inside the door of the plane in a webbed compartment. When the co-pilot goes to close the door the handle won’t move past a suitcase and also gets caught in the webbing. He pulls the suitcase out, manages to get the door closed and stacks the suitcase, along with the airplane steps and a miscellaneous metal stand, in front of the door.  Mur and I chose the seats right across from the door so we are watching all this transpire and we shake our heads. If we had to get out of the plane quickly, the suitcase, stair and stand would have to be pushed out of the way. How safe is this??  Standards of safety are not quite the same around the world.

As we take off, I look out the window at the water and say goodbye to the fish and the whale sharks (hiding from us), the balmy weather and azure water.

We fly north into the snow. Into a 15 cm (6 inch) accumulation for the day. Winter is finally here and Murray has to dig out his cross country gear that he put away before we left.

New fallen snow

New fallen snow

We unpack, rinse scuba gear, do laundry and phone family.  Murray will spend the next few weeks processing our pictures.  Our trip will extend a bit longer while we do some post trip ruminations, but we are home.

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Last Dives in Utila

Posted on February 24, 2012 by debbie

The last day of diving is always poignant. It is all coming to an end. No more frolicking with the fish in the water. No more relaxing and rocking with the surge. No more sharing fish tales with fellow divers.

Juvenile Blue Tang

Juvenile Blue Tang

We dive Paradisio for our first dive.  The water feels cold as I back roll off the boat.  I have the camera on the dive.  As soon as we descend we spot a Honeycomb Cowfish. We slowly zig-zag along the wall taking pictures, pausing to look at unusual formations, just enjoying the scenery. Two eagle rays are spotted but they are too far away to get pictures. Later a turtle is spotted and I kick hard to the front of the group. Our dive master from Grand Turk taught us to swim at the same level or below turtles. They will not view us as a threat as long as we are not above them. I swim low and parallel to the turtle to take pictures.

Sea Pearl

Sea Pearl

Our second dive is at Diamond Caye. There is a French Angelfish who likes divers at the location. The fish swims in amongst the group hovering over the sand floor of the ocean.  I discover more Sea Pearls on this dive. They look like metallic balls, or ball bearings, hiding in the coral. Every dive brings new sights. I see Bulb Tunicates and get Murray to take a picture. We check the “Reef Creature” book to identify it. Murray and I drift around under the boat not wanting to end the dive. We are the last ones in the boat.

Bulb Tunicates

Bulb Tunicates

As we motor back to the dock, everyone is reminiscing about all the sea life they have spotted this week. We are sad to go home and leave this magical world of under the water.

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Crabs, Hummingbirds, Bats and Sand Flies

Posted on February 24, 2012 by debbie

We are communing with the water faunae on Utila and also the land and air creatures. As Murray mentioned previously, we tread delicately going to supper each evening so as not to step on hermit crabs wandering on the sand pathway. Twice we have to sidestep a moving bottle cap, which on closer inspection proves to be a temporary home for a hermit crab.

 

Hermit Crab

Hermit Crab

Susan hangs feeders with sugared water on the balcony outside the dining room. During the day the hummingbirds enjoy a treat. We cannot tell how many there are but by the number of visits there has to be 20 different birds at any one time. They flit and hover and sip and flit away.

Hummingbird

Hummingbird

After dark, the fruit bats replace the hummingbirds at the feeders. They swoop in, hover, sip and swoop away. They only hover for a second or two. Sometimes there are at least 30 bats taking turns at the feeders.

Fruit Bat

Fruit Bat

And then there are the sand flies.  These critters do not bite the locals, just the tourists.  Fresh blood.  All 11 of us have numerous bites on our legs and arms. Those of us who like to scratch, have spots that are much redder than the others. Although it is disruptive to our diving we pray for wind in the mornings and evenings to keep the sand flies away.

There are hundreds of geckos running around eating as many sandflies as they can possible. They are mostly outside but yesterday C discovered one in L’s bed. That didn’t go over so good because L isn’t too crazy about lizards.

We are told there are salt water crocs around and the word is there are a few snakes. We cannot confirm either but I think we will believe the rumours and leave it at that. Some animals are best not to commune with.

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Liveboard on Land

Posted on February 22, 2012 by debbie

Deep Blue (www.deepblueutila.com) is like a liveaboard on land. Its sole purpose is to cater to divers. If you don’t dive I have no idea how you would survive here. No pool, good with me, but if you are not diving a pool is a place to hang out. There is a beach??? if you want to call it that. There is sand to the water but there are so many coral heads in the water I do not think you could successfully navigate them to get deep enough in the water to swim. There is no TV, hooray. The internet is slow. So, it is maybe read a book, or DIVE.

Several years ago Debbie and I went on a dive trip aboard The Wind Dancer. We circumdove Tobago. We dove and ate. We lived by a bell. The bell rang it was time for breakfast. 2nd bell was ‘get on the dive boat.’ We then went back to the mother ship for a snack, usually a hot, just out of the oven brownie. 3rd bell get back on the dive boat. 4th lunch. The 5th bell was to get back on the dive boat. Return to the Wind Dancer and bell 6 was, you guessed it, back on the skiff. The dinner bell was next, then to bed. There was no bell for bedtime; we got to choose the time we retired, which was usually soon after dinner.  Repeat every day for a week.

Scrawled Cowfish

Scrawled Cowfish

Life at Deep Blue is similar. We get up eat, meet at the boat, do 2 morning dives, back to the lodge for lunch, reconvene at the boat for an afternoon dive. We thankfully get a bit of chill time in the afternoon before supper is served and bedtime is quick to follow.

The food here is the responsibility of Susan. She makes sure it is on time and made to perfection. We eat a full breakfast, a hot lunch and choose from a daily changed four item menu for dinner. The food is made to order and I personally have not been disappointed, not even once.

The dive portion of the operation is top notch. The boat is in good repair and is very easy to dive from. You can use either stride entry or back roll off the side. The gear is easily accessible between dives or when it is time to get in the water. The ladder has proper hand holds and is deep enough in the water that you can get your feet on it. The captain is super-efficient and treats the boat as if it is his own and the dive masters are there to take care of all of your whims. Bel’s (one of the dive masters) favorite line is “ it is your vacation let us do that for you.”

Conch

Conch

The routine and rigour is the same as diving on a liveaboard but we don’t have the bell. Saints be praised for that. For months after our trip to Tobago I drooled every time I heard a bell. I’m hoping that with the lack of such stimuli I will not have the same conditioned response I had that many years ago.

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Utila

Posted on February 21, 2012 by debbie

In one hour we are heading out for a night dive. We take the afternoon off from diving and head into the town, which involves a 15 minute boat ride through the lagoon and across the bay. The main road parallels the water and is bordered by small shops, eateries, houses and accommodations painted either white or bright Caribbean colours. Most of the buildings are built up off the ground on pylons. The main road is concrete rather than asphalt. ATVs, scooters, dirt bikes, bicycles and small trucks and vans ply the road, some traveling at speeds disregarding the safety of pedestrians.

We mosey along popping into shops looking for a fish for our “fish wall”. See some possibilities but want to survey it all before making a decision. One of the shops was called the “Fancy Fish“ which sold artwork and handcrafts created by people on the island.  We enjoy these shops and try to purchase locally crafted fish to support the local economy.

One of the dive masters tells us to visit the Jade Seahorse Hotel which is down a cross street to the main street. The owner and artist has decorated the lot with walkways, patios, walls and steps with glass pieces, shells, tile in an array of fabulous colours. It is like walking through a magical wonderland. There are little cabins at the back of the lot available to stay in and a little shop on site.

We walk further down and see a sign for a gallery just off the street.  We hunt it down and enter a yard full of wood and paint and debris.  Climb steps up, pass by boots and paint and buckets and more debris and enter the gallery that looks like someone’s kitchen.  There are wood sculptures and paintings on display and while Mur chats with the once Austrian turned US ski instructor turned artist now in resident in Utila, I find a fish painted on a rough board and decide it is perfect for our wall.  It says Utila – rough around the edges but a promise of fish. We buy it.

It is now after our night dive. This is the first night dive that I feel like I have seen alot of wildlife. We see a Cryptic Teardrop Crab, a Toad Fish, Shrimp, Lobsters, an eel and many sleeping fish.  Did you know that fish sleep on their sides?

It is time for bed as there is more diving to come and our 7:00 am breakfast is approaching.

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Spotted Drum Fish

Posted on February 21, 2012 by debbie

One of our favorite fish is the spotted drum fish. We are always on the hunt for drums of all ages, from juveniles to adults. We are not disappointed today as we see a juvenile about 2 cm in size, a 10 cm teenager and a 18 cm young adult. The juveniles are very distinctive as they have a long front dorsal fin and tail.

Juvenile Spotted Drum Fish

Juvenile Spotted Drum Fish

They are black and white striped when young. As they mature, the dorsal fin and tail shrink, change shape and spots appear on their back.

Young Adult Spotted Drum Fish

Young Adult Spotted Drum Fish

They are found under ledges or close to openings of small caves. They are not afraid of divers and continue their circular swim path even when approached.

Mur comes across a Peacock Flounder on our second dive. He is found on the sand bottom. They are hard to see as they can change colour to match the bottom. This one moves as Murray spies him but then stops and blends in with the surroundings.

I have equipment issues for the third day. Today, the BCD I wear keeps self-inflating, probably caused by a leaky valve. I purge the air from the BCD every few minutes.  By the time we get to 15 feet, I cannot stay down in the surge and pop up.  I just swim to the boat as I have had enough.  Of course, a turtle and the flounder are spotted the one time I am on the surface early! AAARRRGGGGG!

We are looking forward to another delicious supper tonight. Susan, partner in business and life of the owner, Steve, and chief cook, is taking outstanding care of the hungry divers.  She is accommodating my food issues with humour and great gusto. I had chocolate cake last night and hope to have more today! We have a buffet breakfast of eggs, bacon, toast, hash browns, pancakes, cereal and fruit. Lunch is hamburgers, tacos, chicken fingers, salad. We choose our supper each day from a list of four entrees. There are a couple of chicken dishes, a fish dish and a beef dish to choose from. The entrees are tasty and we leave the table satiated.

The sun is heading to the horizon now and supper is in an hour.  Soon, like us, the spotted drum fish will also be feeding.

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Hermit Crabs and Scuba Diving

Posted on February 19, 2012 by debbie

It’s evening and as we walk across the yard to dinner the ground is moving. We have to watch were we step. Hermit crabs.  Hundreds of them. I’ve seen some before, but not this many. They come in a variety of sizes. Miniature ¼” ones up to about 3” across. From starter homes to mansion shell houses. The ground ebbs and flows like the water.  In my pocket is a flashlight because the return trip is in the dark and we don’t want to harm any of these tiny little fellows.

We arrive back in the room from our 3rd dive today and in a couple of hours we will run the hermit crab gauntlet again.

The first dive day at any resort is practice day. Practice for all the divers that have not been in the water for a number of months and observation day for the dive masters to see if any of the new group of divers may need special attention. Today, our second day, we went farther afield. Our first time on the north side of the island. It looks like we should be able to dive around the entire island in a week. That is something we have only done on a liveaboard.

Coral Banded Shrimp

Coral Banded Shrimp

Three dives and we’re tired again. Utila is a worthwhile place to come diving. The reef is in good shape and the terrain is spectacular. There aren’t as many fish here as other places we have been but the fish are diverse. Have picked up on a few different animals – hog fish, decorator crab, flamingo tongue that we have not seen recently.

Utila 's Underwater Terrain

Utila 's Underwater Terrain

Our entire group dives together. Not our usual style. Debbie and I try to pick dive operators that cater to a maximum of 8 divers in a group, we are 12, but the divers in our group are proficient so there is turmoil.

Elkhorn Coral

Elkhorn Coral

Today P,K,S, Debbie and I get split off from the rest. We are all experienced and with a little bit of analysis we know which way to the boat. We find a plume of rising bubbles in the distance and we know our prey is close at hand.

The new camera with the strobe attachment is something that requires a whole lot of learning.  Day one is pretty much a write off for pictures.  Day two is only slightly better. Hopefully by tomorrow we should have a few more things figured out and we can get more reliable shots.

Supper again is gourmet quality and I think we are going to put on weight here. Oh well, such is our lot in life and we shall have to accept it.

We cross the moving earth twice more and again manage to navigate our way without inflicting any harm to our shell covered friends.

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Diving into the Deep Blue

Posted on February 18, 2012 by debbie

We go into the deep blue today.  We stay on the south side of the island for all three dives. The dives are easy, shallow and no current. In between scouring for banded coral shrimp, sea horses and fascinating fish we scan the blue looking for rays, turtles and the ever elusive whale shark.

A school of Grunts

Grunts

A crop of Garden eels are sticking out of their holes in the sand waving like tiny reeds in the wind. As we approach they retreat back into their lairs.

Yellow Ray

Yellow Stingray

One of the dive masters spears a lion fish. Further along a moray eel gets an unexpected treat when the dive master offers it the catch of the day. The unfortunate lion fish is not quite dead and manages to swim away twice before it is devoured.

Social Tunicates

Socal Tunicates

A lemon ray is snoozing under a coral head, a grandpa size trumpet fish is cavorting with its friends, a juvenile drum fish is patrolling its bench and a male parrot fish is happily chasing a female. This is life in the deep blue.

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Houston to Utila

Posted on February 18, 2012 by debbie

The people of the US sometimes have a bad rap about how friendly they are.  While in Houston, we meet many Americans and not one of them is ill-disposed.  The bus drivers help us with our bus fare and let us off in between stops. The folks at the museums are full of information and are eager to answer our questions. While waiting for the bus we watch a young man, who had to get on his bus, pass a mostly unsmoked cigarette to another young man.  The waiter at Natatchee’s  is not pushy and kibitzes with Murray.  We are refreshed that the stereo typical image is not widespread across the country.

We meet up with our New York friends in San Pedro Sula’s airport. P&V and S&K have brought along T&C and C, H and L. Everyone is delighted to be in Honduras heading towards the water and the fish. We load into a 20 seat turbo prop for the 30 minute flight to the island of Utila. Shirley, from the Deep Blue Resort, is waiting to welcome us. After a short drive and boat ride we arrive at the resort. A paradise catering to divers.

Supper is at 6:30, we sit down to a yummy meal of roast chicken, potatoes and veggies and dessert. The chatter is about diving and getting to know one another.  We turn in early as everyone has been up too long.

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