Page 99 - Central America

There is always the chance of seeing dolphins, manta rays and many of
the other large pelagic creatures that inhabit the Caribbean, including
of course, the largest of them all, the whale shark. With the extensive
macro life including seahorse and frog fish, it is a photographer and
videographers dream.
The south side of Utila consists mainly of shallow fringing reefs, the
top of the reef at around 5 meters (15 feet) dropping down to be-
tween 30-40 meters (100-120 feet). The reefs here are a mix of small
walls with good overhangs and many sites with really pretty spur and
groove formations. There are also four sea mounds approximately 1-3
miles from the Utila coastline. The tops begin at around 10 meters
(33ft) and they drop to the ocean floor. The reefs are stunning with
lots of soft coral and the chance of seeing the larger pelagic species.
Dive trips include a wreck dive, drift dives and of course, the ever
popular night dives. Unlimited shore diving is also available from
the beach on some of the best south side dive sites. Roatan and Utila
are only a few miles apart geographically but a world of difference.
The diving is similar but everything else is different. There are lots of travel in pods, are usually solitary. It is not uncommon for 5 or more
Americans on Roatan, the cruise ships dock two times per week and
everything gets a little crazy during that time. Lodging, food, diving
are all more expensive, yet not any better than Utila. Utila is the over- Honduran shelf and unlike the other Bay Islands which are separated
all best value for your diving dollar. In Roatan, your best value is the
all-inclusive dive operations.
CURRENCY - In Utila (as with most of Honduras) U.S. Dollar bank-
notes can be used in place of the Lempira, with the local stores and
businesses usually giving exchange rates at the same (or sometimes
better) than the local Honduran banks, and without charging ex-
change commissions. Hendersons Supermarket still exchanges US
Dollars into Lempiras and vice-versa at about the same rate as the
local banks, but without the long wait in the queue. Some of the Scuba
Diving Resorts may accept/cash travelers checks. It is very difficult to
cash Travelers checks in currencies other than US Dollars.
CREDIT CARDS - An increasing number of Utila businesses accept
credits cards, VISA being the most widely accepted, followed by Mas-
terCard. Generally speaking American Express is only accepted by
some of the Resorts, but it is a ‘fluid’ situation. Nearly all the Scuba
Dive Shops and Resorts plus the larger Supermarkets and Stores ac-
cept VISA credit cards. Be warned, that in Honduras VISA is the most
widely accepted card, followed by MasterCard, with some establish-
ments (typically Hotels) also accepting American Express. The best
and most widely used card is VISA.
ATM MACHINES - The first ATM in Utila went into operation on
19-Jul-2005. As at 15-May-2010, there are now 2 ATM machines in
Utila, One at Banco Atlantida and another near the Medical Store.
These machines accept a variety of major credit and debit cards.
Although more frequent in the months March-April and August-
September, the Whale Shark is regularly sighted around the Island
of Utila and unlike dolphins or other fish which tend to school or
singular Whale Sharks to be sighted in a single day along the northern
shores of Utila. Being located on the extreme northern margin of the
from the shelf area by a deep, fault controlled trench, the tropical is-
land has shallow banks to the south and a very large bank to the north
(between Utila and Glovers Reef off the coast of Belize). Kingfish,
dolphin, and several species of swordfish are common in northern
offshore waters, and commercial fishermen indicate that the larg-
est concentrations of bonito and albacore are to be found within the
southern circular eddy, where they periodically pass within a short
distance of Utila while pursuing shoals of baitfish.