Day 24 - Honduras (Utila)

I've not got an awful lot of news today so it's a bit all over the place.

Today has been another diving day and I think I'm beginning to get the hang of it. My instructors and buddies no longer drag me around on a bit of string worrying over whether I've remembered to breathe at some point in the last minute or so. So that's encouraging. I seem to be able to stay in roughly the same place without flapping my arms as if trying to fly and my ears appear to be acclimatising much better than they were. The only minor mishap today was when someone made me laugh, ruining the face to mask seal that I'd carefully suctioned together, letting in several gallons of water. Still, my training paid off and I recovered the situation while muttering, 'must not laugh too much when diving' over and over in my head. 

The celebrity appearances today included;

Two sea turtles, one of whom I followed in his slipstream for a bit (he's a much better swimmer than me). They were both utterly utterly brilliant. Some puffer fish, a couple of very large lobsters, a lion fish, a stunning trunk fish, needle fish and a very nice flappy stingray. I don't have to highlight that these were just the ones that stick out do I? The sea is blummin teeming with all sorts, the above are just the ones I remember. 

Because I'm generally a quiet chappie and tend to keep my mouth shut in new social circumstances and because my skin tone has darkened a tiny smidge since arriving in Central America, people have begun to make some interesting assumptions about my origin. I've been variously asked if I am Australian, South African, Italian (by an Italian guy), Argentinian (by a German woman) and Greek by someone who was obviously visually impaired. I've found it all rather amusing really. Once formal introductions are made I am generally quite sociable although that can get quite draining after long periods. At least everyone knows I'm British by then and accepts any late night reserve without question. ...Unless it's a bender night, in which case I get all excited and talkative and moan at everyone wanting to go to bed so early. 

As a special favour to a cheeky young scamp to whom I am related because he asked for them and because I don't have any other new pictures from today, here are a couple of extra fishy/coraly pics. 

Possibly a porcupine fish but there's some debate in the bar over that one.

Needle fish.

Day 23 - Honduras (Utila)

This post is entitled, 'Me'. For reasons that I am unable to explain fully, I feel strangely uninhibited and unchained in my approach to posting at the moment. So I will reveal a little more about myself than usual.

I do wonder from time to time if people get bored of these blogs. I try to change things around, tone, subject, information (or mis-information), to keep them fresh. Sometimes it feels like it works, sometimes less so. I hope they are not too samey. That would certainly be boring wouldn't it? Anyway, if anyone has any feedback or suggestions on what works and what doesn't, shout (a few people close to me have offered some... perhaps I ought to say, 'thoughts' on on bits that don't hit the mark - and some that do to be fair - which is always interesting to hear. 

Wasn't it Jean Paul Sartre who said, 'I am what I am'? Or was it Gloria Gaynor? It doesn't matter, the point is, I make no apology for using my own words to describe my journey but I hope there's something for everyone thrown into the mix. 

I've been listening to West Coast Hair Metal almost constantly since arriving in Utila. If you're looking for a reference point on that, Aerosmith is a reasonable proxy. For anyone more music savvy, there's been more than a small dose of Poison, Mötley Crüe, Van Halen, L.A. Guns and Guns & Roses have contributed a couple of classics. I appreciate it's not to everyone's liking, Urm.... anyone's liking if you're from the UK, but it fits the mood of this place so damn perfectly and I'm in no mood to apologise for my taste in American Rock. Nobody does brainless, trashy Rock like they do. 

In fact, If I've found myself in a bar on my own and there's some Melodic Rock going on, I've been known to mumble along at as low a volume as my state will permit and try to control my urge to be physically exuberant with a spot of foot tapping. I've been caught in my muffled croonings and modest physicality more than once (I do know the sub-genre more than passingly well).

I moved into different accommodation today. The digs were perfectly fine but I thought a man of my means could afford hot water and wifi, so I decided to upgrade. Interestingly, even with the new plush surroundings, I calculated that I could reside here for about 135 years without suffering any terrible financial hardship. Worth more than a passing thought. What with the diving, the right music and abundance of beer, it does make one think. Actually, the way I'm hoovering up Salva Vida at the moment, funds would probably run out in less than a decade - and that's if my liver held out that long. 

Oh, and I'm missing toast and marmite. Quite a lot. 

And toilets with seats that don't shift about like they've been greased with baby oil and toilet door locks that aren't bent nails. 

And mattresses. I mean mattresses with springs in them, not straw. 

Me on boat

Sunset yesterday evening

Day 22 - Honduras (Utila)

I'm in a bit of a rut at the moment. Days just seem to be an endless stream of early starts, morning coffee, sunbathing on the boat, dive to see wonderous things, water melon to cleanse the palet, sunny boat ride, dive again, lunch on a small island, whale shark spotting, back to the shop, beer, divers tales, dinner and bed. It's getting very monotonous. If anyone has any ideas about how to end this depressing cycle, please keep them to yourselves.

At last, I have some action shots to share. These are all of me and what I saw. I didn't google image any of them, they were right in front of my face. I have a bunch more photos but this is a selection of the best. I won't add a sarky commentary, they don't deserve it. 

Day 20 - Honduras (Utila)

PADI open water qualification, tick. I am now a newly qualified PADI diver and I feel quite good about it I must admit. My left ear now refuses to clear and is very annoying but what an incredible experience.

I've seen a dozen different types of crab including a very spiky one, barracuda, green moray, three types of Ray, sea cucumber, sand eels, more fish than you can shack a speargun at including, jacks, groupers, gruntfish, parrotfish, batfish, frog fish, little electic blue ones by the swarm, hi-viz yellow ones swimming right upto your nose, blue and yellow zigzag stiped ones, big fish with scales the size of your thumbnail, coraly stuff that disappears into itself in a flash when you stick your finger near it, flatfish that look like sand until you get within an inch of them and then they scuttle off, fish with great big lanterns protruding from the end of their noses on droopy prongs, fish that had four swipy rear fins that operate in four different directions at once that resemble.. well I don't know what, but they're mental, great big emerald tubes poking out of the bottom of the sea - don't know what that was but they were beautiful. Leaf coral swaying with the current and the stingrays that waft gracefully just above the sand, minding their own business were THE most incredible sight. Oh! Actually, they got trumped by the cowfish that change their colour from brown to electic blue when you get near them. God must have been tripping when he made them up. Phenomenal. I even had a bunch of fish that nipped me. I think they were attracted by my horse riding wounds. In fact I know they were, as they were feeding off my poor old legs like they hadn't had a decent scab lunch in forever. 

Apologies for not providing the Latin names for any of the above but it's still early days for me. 

I have no reference point but according to the owner of the dive shop, a Canadian, the visibility below the surface is, 'insane' at the moment. I certainly didn't have a problem seeing stuff - for seemingly miles. 

It's funny isn't it? I'm becoming blasé about things like Seahorses and exotic fish. Having never set eyes on a seahorse until 48hrs ago, I'm now seemingly surrounded by the things and regard them much like I'd've regarded seaweed last week. 

Boiled down version, I'm basically Sean Connery in Thunderball. Except without SPECTRE chasing me with motorised speargun shizzle. 'Another cold bottle of Salva Vida Mr. Bond?' 'Don't mind if I do old man. And crank up the Aerosmith would you? I love this one.'

I won't be going on about this for the next week but these things will stay with me forever I'm sure. 

Long nosed batfish from the dock.

Day 19 - Honduras (Utila)

So today was the first bit of scuba diving practical for myself and the other student on the course. I won't go into the detail of what we saw. This blog will just end up being days and days of fish photos otherwise. I'll save it all up and do that in a single post maybe.

Anyway, sticking your head underwater and breathing through your mouth for long periods is a bit weirder than you might imagine at first. Once you get the hang of it, you spend a bit more time looking around. For those that have never done it, I recommend it. For those that have done it, you'll know what I mean. It's simply incredible to be a part of the world underwater and here at least, there isn't an inch of space where something isn't happening or where there's something to see. I feel strangely privileged to have all that in my brain now. 

Just out of the water from a training session

A particularly happy bunny after day 1

Day 18 - Honduras (Utila)

I thought I'd write a few words about Utila today. As previously mentioned, it is part of Honduran Bay Islands group and is the second largest behind Roatan. Roatan tends to attract the more affluent tourist interested in hotels boat tours and recreational diving. Utila is a dive spot for backpackers pure and simple (with reputedly better dive sites) and accommodation and facilities tend towards the lower end. The cost of the basic 'Open Water' PADI qualification is $269 and that includes accommodation, theory papers, dive equipment and two free dives at the end of the course. It takes 3-4 days all told, so added up, it's a pretty cheap place to learn how to dive.

There is one Main Street in the only town of consequence in Utila and it's about wide enough for one car in some places, generally narrower though. It's basically a concrete path for Tuk-tuks and bikes. There are a bunch of hostels, cheap hotels, bars and restaurants along the path so the evening can get pretty lively. 

I've been staying adjacent to 'Skid Row Bar & Grill' which is pretty much as it sounds. Bandanas and tattoos essential. Actually, it's a pretty hostile place and I consider myself something of a specialist when it comes to rough bars. It's not all fighty but if you're not smoking weed, playing pool and into Death Metal, the regulars are pretty unfriendly. Still, there are plenty of other options close by. The road runs out just beyond the dive shop and then you're onto boat only access. It pretty rural but actually perfect for the circumstances and the locals fit the mold to a tee. One bar owner I saw was sporting a pair of suit trousers tailored into shorts complete with ancient beer/food stains rubbed concienscously onto the rear. I rather liked the look and may adopt upon my return to the real world. 

You don't have to travel very far to see some cool stuff. Just sitting on the edge of the dock Pelicans swoop for food and I've seen Seahorses, Stingrays, a thousand different fishes and an Eagle Ray. 

If you choose to stick your head under the water, it just goes crazy. I haven't done my fish recongnition stuff yet but the colours are incredible and the sort of stuff flashing by is the stuff of David Attenborough documentaries. I'll cover that in another post.

Oh, and just one more gruesome story to tell, apparently a couple of Canadians got their chips on a boat boarded by pirates last year off Utila. No information is on flintlocks, parrots, number of limbs, or eyepatches, but I have produced my own mental image of the affair. 

Trunk fish in the confined pool

Seahorse on the ropes

Stingray by the dock

Day 17 - Honduras (Utila)

This post is entitled, 'Death in Paradise'.

A body was discovered by a bunch of tourist divers this morning immersed in the big briny at one of the more popular dive sites on the island. The victim had apparently gone for an underwater stroll with a backpack stuffed full of rocks, only to discover that his buoyancy had been rather seriously and negatively affected by his baggage. He presumably paused to consider this dilemma only to recall that he required oxygen to continue his journey. His final discovery, belatedly, was that he was in considerable deficit of said oxygen and expired in situ.

I saw the pics from the guy who hauled him out. It looked exactly like that bit in Jaws. You know, one eye hanging out, face half eaten by crabs etc. Incredibly gruesome. Anyway, speculation is that he is a tourist, not a local and his misfortune may have been given an assist by a third party. 

I started my PADI diving course today. Theory only to begin with. Tomorrow I get wet. 

My enclosed water training pool 

The water is pretty clear!

Late afernoon view across the water