Page 98 - Central America

The Caribbean island of Utila is made up of mangroves, forestry and
dry lands which cover approximately 90% of this tropical island. It is
rich with indigenous wild life and beautiful mangrove orchids. The
mangrove Swamper iguana is only found on Utila and nowhere else in
the world. The only town is built around a natural harbor on the south
east end of the island.
Although there is evidence that Columbus was not the first Euro-
pean to visit the Bay Islands, he did pass through the islands on his
fourth voyage (1502-1504) and provided the first known accounts of
the area. He sent his brother Bartholomew ashore; his only recorded
comment was “very robust people who live mostly from a certain
white grain, from which they make fine bread and the most perfect
beer”. When you arrive you will notice the influence of the British,
the surnames of the islanders e.g. Morgan, Cooper, Rose, Jackson and
Thompson, these were British settlers who came to the islands during
the 1800’s. Over the years there has appeared a wonderful mix of peo-
ple and cultures here on Utila. These include people that arrived here
from the Cayman Islands and of course people from Honduras. The
best words to describe Utila are the words of Richard H. Rose who
wrote the book Utila Past and Present, “Indeed Utila is rich in fanciful August. Most of the population, which averages around 3,500 people,
name. Someone not very long ago christened it ‘A lazy mans paradise’
It seems that some peoples idea or vision of earthly bliss is to be in a taurants and many of the Hotels are located on the main street which
place where one may live a dreamy inactive life only smoking a pipe
and swinging in a hammock and be as happy as the day is long.”
Sitting at the edge of the largest barrier reef in the Western Hemi-
sphere, Utila’s crystal blue waters are teeming with colorful marine
life. Utila has over 100 charted dive sites which include sea mounts,
shallow fringing reefs and plunging walls that circumnavigate the
Cayman Trench. The North side of Utila is best known for its drop-
offs, which are considered deep dives. The upper edge of the wall be-
gins anywhere from 20-30 feet, with each dive site having a different
topography and its own personality and marine growth. Inshore from
the drop-offs, excellent medium to shallow coral reefs can be found
with diving depths ranging from 20-55 feet which allows both novice
and expert divers to enjoy the sites. With water temperatures averag-
ing 80 degrees or warmer, gentle currents and 100 feet of underwater
visibility.
To the west of the island are a small set of cayes, many of which are
inhabited. A visit to Pigeon Cay for a fish burger at Susan’s Cafe is
highly recommended. To the east is Roatan Island, 30 kilometers dis-
tant. Directly south of Utila is the port city of La Ceiba. Most of the
other Cays are privately owned but several are open to visitors, es-
pecially Water Cay, the definitive deserted tropical island, which is
uninhabited and has no buildings or construction on it. It is possible
to hire a water taxi for the 30 minute journey from the town centre to
Water Cay and spend the day enjoying the isolation and the fabulous
snorkeling that can be found there.
Water Cay is also home to the famous Sun Jam, a 2 day music and
dancing fiesta held at Water Cay every year during the 1st weekend of
lives on and around Eastern Harbor. The Scuba Dive shops, Bars, Res-
runs around the Harbor from “The Point” where the old airport was
once located to the start of Chepes Beach, just past Sandy Bay. It takes
approximately 20-30 minutes to walk from the beach at one end of
the main street, to the beach at the other end. The extensive reefs of
Utila include over 130 buoyed sites around the island to choose from.
Diving on the north side of Utila is awe inspiring with sheer walls
dropping to over 1000 meters (3000 feet) with amazing coral growth
on top of the wall.