Life on Utila, Honduras
I have been living and spending my summer on Utila, Honduras for about the past 3 weeks and will continue to do so for a couple more. Utila is a volcanic island that is part of The Bay Islands chain. There are about 3000–4000 inhabitants and most people get around on mopeds, tuk-tuks, bicycles, or by walking. It is well known for the surrounding Caribbean reef and therefore attracts many scuba divers from all over the world.
The people are a mixture of individuals from mainland Honduras, Afro-Caribbean people that originate from the island of St. Vincent, backpackers passing through and ex-pats that have found a new home in this part of Central America. Generally, people are very nice and easy going, which is usually the case when you live on an island. If you were to walk up and down the main street of the island you would hear English, Spanish, and an interesting creole mixture of the two. You would also hear a lot of reggaeton and reggae blasting from peoples’ front porches. Island time does exist in that you cannot expect anybody to be punctual or to follow any type of normal schedule.
As is customary for an island in the Caribbean, the weather is hot and sunny for the majority of the year, with seasonal rain and hurricanes. There are iguanas that roam the island and a plethora of marine life that live amongst the reefs. Common species you might see on a dive include squirrel fish, parrot fish, grunts, drum fish, barracuda, jacks, trigger fish, lobsters, crabs, shrimp, spinner and rough toothed dolphins, the occasional whale shark, rays, turtles and much more.
Due to the amount of foreigners on the island you can find most types of food in combination with local cuisine such as Baleadas, which are large flour tortillas covered with a layer of beans and filled with various ingredients to your liking.
A typical day on the island consists of most people working or roaming about and running into the same people multiple times per day. There are about 8–10 dive shops on the island that are usually busy from 6–18:00 taking divers out throughout the bay and to the north side of the island. Life moves slow and there is still a simplicity to it.
I have been enjoying my time on the island as it has been a nice break from the hustle and bustle of Mexico City and from teaching at my school. Aside from living and breathing diving 7 days a week, some of my favorite mornings include the early sunsets and lying on the bow of the boat in between dives soaking up the sunshine. I am currently doing a Dive Master Course and have been challenged in many ways (more on this when I finish in a couple weeks).
Apart from the challenges of the course, I have also faced personal challenges in not having a lot of time for myself. When I am in the thick of an academic year, my schedule is incredibly precise and structured which allows me to plan more time for myself. Throughout the summer and the course I have been spending the majority of my time at the dive shop, studying, and hanging out with dive friends. While I value personal and alone time, I am allowing myself to step away from that to see how I feel. It has been a great experience and I am learning a lot from it. Update on the Dive Master program coming soon!
