Under the Sea

Winter in the Caribbean, in general, and the Bay Islands, specifically, can be terrible. Relentless rain covers the islands for days on end making it impossible to stay dry. My time in Utila has proven typical of January and, with the exception of 2 sunny days, it has been cloudy and rainy all week. I keep expecting to see fish swimming in the deep puddles.

It seems that the best solution to avoiding the rain is to get in the water! Utila is the perfect place for this as there's not much other reason to be on this island unless you plan to scuba. Despite very rough seas, which have stranded many on the island as the ferry cannot travel, I was able to complete 7 dives over 3 days. What I saw was spectacular! (Pictured is one of my favorite dive sites from land, Lighthouse Reef.)

Getting under the water was challenging as waves crashed over our heads, tossing the boat unpredictably around, making it nearly impossible to hold onto the guide line attached to the boat for our safety. However, once we descended into the depths of the ocean, things calmed considerably and opened up a whole new world to explore. With few exceptions, visibility was great at 30 meters and I marveled at this wonderland. Diving is so peaceful...a group sport though you feel largely isolated, hearing only the sound of air rushing through the hoses into your mouth and the bubbles as you exhale.

Hand signals between buddies provide communication and we all marveled at beautiful fish and reefs together. My efforts were rewarded with two sightings of Hawkbill turtles, which are so graceful. It was nearly a spiritual experience to watch them effortlessly glide through the water, turning to watch us with mild curiosity. I saw small rays, lobster, horseshoe crabs, jellyfish *OUCH!* and more fish than I can name.

My favorite dive was, surprisingly, the night dive. Boarding the boat at 5 PM, I was anxious about diving in pitch black. I tend to be a little uneasy in familiar surroundings when it's dark, so my apprehension was heightened. Once you descend, it's amazing how the collective lights of the group's torches illuminate life not present in the day time. Vivid reds gleamed in our lights and we saw not one but two octopus, octopi?. We all turned off our torches at the end and were able to see bioluminescent plankton glowing blue and white through our masks. The dive was over all too soon and we surfaced to torrential rain that made us all wish we could sink back down into the inky blackness.

The only disappointment was the lack of whale sharks. They have been spotted regularly on the north side of the island. But, the seas were too rough for the captains to pilot boats to that side, so searches were impossible. I leave this beautiful island tomorrow, already making plans for a return trip and more underwater exploration.