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DIVING |
| The
Bay Islands: Guanaja,
Utila
and Roatán
are one of the undisputed
top diving destinations
in the Caribbean. Year
after year they are
placed on the top positions
of divers surveys on
scuba diving magazines.
The special appeal of
the islands comes from
offering almost everything
a diver would expect:
walls, swim-throughs,
pinnacles, seamounts,
wrecks, spectacular
formations of healthy
coral and a wide variety
of sea creatures and
Caribbean fish. The
water is crystal clear
and the diving is close
and convenient.
Although at a short
distance, each of the
islands have its own
particular attractions,
like the dramatic coral
formations of Guanaja,
the seamounts and the
whales sharks in Utila
and the diving with
dolphins in Roatan,
to name a few.
All this, combined with
very convenient prices,
make the Bay Islands
one of the favourite
destinations for divers
throughout the world.
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Guanaja |
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| Located
east of Roatan across from Trujillo and
Punta Castilla. Christopher Columbus discovered
it on his last trip to the Americas in
1502. After reaching the coast of Guanaja,
Columbus amazed by the clear waters and
the abundance of pine trees, he named
it "the island of the Pine Trees".
It became a refuge for pirates. It was
also host to the historic battles between
the Spanish and the Buccaneers. The first
habitants of these islands were the Caribes
Negros, which were later removed by the
British to San Vicente.
Today Guanaja contains
an important population of Caribbean pines
trees that give this island a different
look than most in this region. It is the
second largest of the Bay Island archipelago.
It also has taller mountains that reach
heights of 500 meters. (1650 ft)
Most of the 10,000
people that live in this island live in
the tiny town of Bonacca. Bonacca is unique,
there are no automobiles, and the only
way to move around is by boat. Other smaller
towns include Savana Bight and Mangrove
Bight.
The islands dimensions
are 19 by 6.4 Km. (12 by 4 miles). It
is completely surrounded by beautiful
coral reefs. Guanaja has remained intact
for those looking for the treasures of
the tropics. There are tropical forests
and communities of beach plants.
Guanaja has many
hotels and restaurants. Some include trips
to different interesting points of this
magnificent island. |
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Some Famous Sites |
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| The
Jado Trader Wreck
The Jado Trader
was sunk in 1997 to become a diving
attraction. The ship is 70 meters
long (230 ft), and is 33 meters
(110 ft) from the surface.
This wreck possesses exterior and
interior beauty. Angelfish, blue
surgeonfish, and other species look
for food around this sunken vessel.
At 10 meters (33 ft) it is possible
to enjoy huge red gorgonians.
Before reaching the wreck, there's
a big green moray and some groupers
that await the food that the dive
guides bring.
The moray itself is a spectacle
that deserves one full dive. Beware
if you are short of time for a second
dive here! The moray is almost in
the bottom and remaining too long
won't leave you enough time to enjoy
the wreck. |
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| Jim's
Silver Lode
The reef is
located some 15 meters (50 ft) deep
and the wall of the reef slopes
down more than 1000 meters (3300
ft). This section of the reef is
home to huge fish, sea rays, and
fat barracudas. The site has very
rich vegetation. Some 30 meters
down there is all kind of corals.
There is also an opening where divers
can find fish of silver coloring. |
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| Black
Rocks-Volcano Caves
These rocks
are covered by solid lava from the
volcano. The ocean floor is made
up of volcanic material. The spectacular
views have very peculiar caves.
This region is about 2 km (1,25
miles) in length and 800 meters
(2650 ft) of many canyons, and opening
to different caves. The water is
crystal clear.
The geological ocean floor allows
the growth of interior coral among
the rocks.
Divers can also enjoy the company
of some sharks that make this place
their home. The reef is filled with
numerous canyons that offer the
divers an infinite amount of choices. |
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Utila |
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| This
is the smallest of all the islands of the
bay. It is located less than 30 km (18 miles)
from the coast of Honduras, and north of
La Ceiba. Its habitants moved from England
to the island at the beginning of the XIX
century. Young travelers flop to this island
every year to enjoy the cheap prices of
lodging, dining, and diving. The
reefs are correctly called tropical ocean
forest. There are over 4,000 different
kinds of fish and thousands of different
kind of plant species. Two percent of
all marine life depends on the reef for
survival. The flora and fauna from the
reef provide numerous forms of chemical
use for medicine and the reef itself protects
the beach and the coast from erosion.
The water is crystal clear and the flora
and fauna are simply amazing. Utila is
also one of the best places in the world
to see whale sharks almost all year round.
Practically anyone
can learn how to dive. Here divers can
enjoy this activity at a fraction of the
cost. The equipment is safe and has the
best quality. Diving tours can be arranged
at any of the many dive shops in town.
Diving classes can
be taken in many languages and in all
of the islands. A lot of people have gotten
their certification here. For the more
experienced divers, there are underwater
photography courses and diving in caves.
Because most of the
dive shops are in town, the majority of
the dives are done in the south end of
the island. It is worth finding a shop
that makes trips to the north side, where
the reef forms a wall of some 3000 meters
deep in the Cayman Trench. Among the most
popular places to dive are Duppy Waters,
Jack Neil Point, Sting Ray Point, Pretty
Bush, Willie's Hole and Airport Caves.
The biggest difference
between Utila and the other islands is
that it has fewer beaches. A beautiful
stretch is Sandy Bay, at the west end
of the main road of town. It you have
time, check out Water Cay, a Caribbean
gem, a deserted island west from the main
island.
The adventured travelers
that want to take a break from diving
can find many places to explore around
Utila. Maybe some kayaking through the
canal towards the deserted north coast.
Or for horse lovers there is a four-hour
trip through Aladdin's Cave. This place
has a beautiful pool. There is another
cave in Brandon's Hill, near the north
side.
Practically all of
the population of Utila lives in East
Harbor, the main town in the southeast
part of the island. The town is rather
big; a good way to see all is to rent
a bike. Another town is Cayo Pigeon a
few kilometers from East Harbor. |
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Some Famous Sites |
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Stingray
Point
The
previous to last buoy on the south
west end of the island offers an
extraordinary dive. The mooring
line sits at some 7 meters (20 feet)
at the angle of a huge V-shaped
sand patch. Swimming to the east
the sand patch starts to slope down
gently, revealing a garden of eels
at 18 meters (60 ft) For good observers
this is the place to find seahorses
and pipefish wrapped on the pine
cone algae. Reaching about 21 meters
(70 ft), turn to your right to find
the wall that runs perpendicular
to the coast.
Along this wall it is common to
find huge lobsters, green morays
and spotted drum fish.
On the way back it is a good option
to dive the top of the reef at 9
meters (30 ft), to see amazing formations
of pillar coral. Just be bear in
mind that the wall part of this
dive lies under a boat traffic area,
so stay always at least at 8 meters
(25 ft) deep. New divers must be
extra careful for this same reason. |
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| Black
Hills
One
of the very best dives in Utila,
this is the most popular of the
many seamounts.
Located off the southeast coast,
there is no buoy here, so it is
important that all divers jump from
the boat without any delays, otherwise
some might miss the top of the seamount.
The top part sits between 10 and
12 meters (33 and 40 ft) It is possible
to go around the whole seamount
at least once. The dive can be done
either as a deep or shallow one.
If you chose to go deep, at 32 meters
(106 ft) you will find huge barrel
sponges and groupers. The view is
amazing, but you need to be cautious
about possible downcurrents. Choosing
a shallower profile gives you more
time to spend close to the top of
the seamount where you will find
spotted and golden tail moray eels,
queen triggerfish, white spotted
filefish and a hawksbill turtle
that lives on the area. The soft
coral is amazing as well as the
colorful hard coral. On the side
of the seamount where there is more
current, you invariably find large
schools of horse eye jacks and Atlantic
spadefish swirling together. Surface
conditions should be favourable
to make this dive possible. |
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| Duppy
Waters
On
the North side, on Turtle Bay, where
the steep walls fall further than
we can see, we find one of Utila´s
most treasured dives. The top of the
reef is at 12 meters (40 ft), and
the steep wall forms an L shape, with
the mooring line at its angle. If
you chose to dive with the wall to
your right shoulder, you will find
the largest barrel sponges in the
whole island, surrounded by black
coral and visited by hundreds of small
Creolle wrasse. Going deeper, at 40
meters (130 ft) the wall becomes even
more dramatic with long azure vase
sponges growing away from the wall.
Keep an eye on the blue for hawksbill
turtles or spotted eagle rays. Going
back on the sand patch that runs parallel
behind the wall you can find yellow
head jawfish and an occasional barracuda
or trunkfish. Choosing to dive with
the wall to your left is also recommended. |
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Roatan |
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| Roatan
is the largest of all the island of the
bay. It is approximately 70 km (44 miles)
long and 2 km (1,25 miles) wide. This island
has very mountainous terrain (300 meters
- 990 ft). It has beautiful waterfalls that
descend down to the white sandy beaches.
Palm trees cover the island along its coast.
The majority
of the local population is concentrated
in three places: Coxen Hole, the capital;
French Harbor, the local port; and Oak
Ridge. Although part of Honduras, most
people speak English because this island
changed hands between the British and
the Spanish many time along its history.
The diving is done
along its coast, although it is concentrated
in two zones due to the climate. A beautiful
stretch is Sandy Bay, at the west end
of the main road of town. The other area
is the south part of the island that faces
the continent. It is the best place to
dive during the months of November to
December. Both coast offer interesting
and fascinating diving sites.
Divers will get a
chance to see such things as: coral gardens,
sponges, black corals and much more.
Although the chances of suffering from
decompression are extremely remote, Roatan
has a recompression chamber certified
by NOAA.
Instead of decompression
it is more probable that the divers ears
will hurt. Sometimes it is hard to adapt
to the pressure of the ear to the deep-water
pressure. |
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Some Famous Sites |
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| West
End (North) is located in
the north of Roatan. This site consists
of two point of submersion. One
is less deep than the other one.
The shallower one is near the shore
beginning at 5 meters (15 ft) and
ending at about 36 meters (119 ft)
deep. The other is farther from
the shore in the open sea and starts
out at 20 meters (66 ft) and ends
at 45 meters (149 ft) deep. Because
of the strong currents divers will
likely get a chance to see sharks,
sea turtles, and many other kinds
of species. |
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| Eel
Garden is located on the
barrier coral in front of West Bay.
It is a reef that starts out shallow
and slowly slopes down to depths
of 30 meters (99 ft). The dive starts
out at depths of 5 meters (15 ft)
in the middle of a pool of multicolored
fish. The most striking part of
the dive is the rays at 15 meters
deep (50 ft).
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| Lighthouse
Reef is the most popular
spot for experience and beginners
divers. It is located near the Half
Moon Bay. The dive is not very deep
but it has a great activity of marine
life. The superior part of the reef
is some 5 meters (15 ft) from the
surface. The dive continues until
the diver will reach a wall at a
maximum depth of 45 meters deep
(149 ft). The currents are very
weak. The marine life varies, all
kind of creatures hide between the
rocks and the sand. |
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| Hole
in the Wall is a great dive
for experience divers that love
deep depths. Is located east of
the Lighthouse Reef. The dive begins
at 5 meters (15 ft) from the surface
at underwater canyons that can reach
depths of 150 meters (495 ft). It
is not a dive that has a lot of
marine life, but it does have coral
formations, huge canyons, and dark
caves that reach unthinkable depths. |
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| Mary's
Place (Suoth) is the best
dive in the south region of Roatan.
Because of Roatan volcanic history
huge openings and cracks in the
walls are covered with hard coral,
black coral, and many other growths.
The dive start out at 6 meters (20
ft) deep and can reach 30 meters
(99 ft). The light from the sun
provides amazing views in the cracks
of the wall. |
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| Prince
Albert Wreck is an interesting
wreck to visit. The Prince Albert
was a cargo ship that sunk in 1987
and in all those years since, corals
have covered most of the ship. The
wreck is located in the canal southeast
of Roatan. It is 25 meters deep
(83 ft) and flashlights are needed
to enter this wreck from one of
its many openings. Near the wreck
there is colony of rays. |
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| Enchanted
Forest is a recent discovery.
It is located near French Harbor.
The superior part of the reef is
located 18 meters deep (60 ft).
The wall slopes down to the abyss
some 1,500 meters (5000 ft). The
reef is covered by all kind of coral
formations. |
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| Roatan
Oceanography Center is the
only place in the world where divers
can swim with dolphins in the freedom
of the open sea some 18 meters down
(60 ft). It also possible to do
some snorkeling with the dolphins.
For more information contact Anthony's
Key Resort. |
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