So, the place we are living at at the moment, and for about a month now, is called Cross Creek Dive Centre (sorry been a bit slack with the blog updates….). It is in Utila, the cheapest of the three bay islands of Honduras. Utila is famous for being the cheapest place in the world to do your dive ceritifcation. One of the shops on the island certifies the most divers in the world each year, we have chosen a slightly smaller and more laid back shop than that one. Soon after arriving in Utila we decided to do our Divemasters. The course seemed like a relatively cheap way to stay on the island for a month or so and dive as much as we like. The course includes accommodation and free diving for life, and will enable us to work if we feel the need.
The island itself is quite big, however the majority is covered by mangrove swamps. The town of Utila is quite small, consisting of one main road, and a second small road that intersects it. There aren’t really that many shops other than dive shops, especially any that sell fresh fruits and vegies. The boat comes in with fresh stuff once a week or so, but it is quite expensive and consists of about 5 different dodgy looking vegetables. It actually works out cheaper to eat out for everything except breakfast, enter good ole cereal. One of our favourite places to eat is just across the road from Cross Creek, called Big Mama’s. Quite convenient for the hour between boats, and really cheap….It is a small place run by a lady and her daughters who are all really friendly. Hew goes in most days for a ‘super baleada’, kind of like a burrito bread folded in half full of tasty things like refried beans, pickled onions, meat, cheese (not for hew obviously), salad, and a little hot sauce. They are huge and only cost 45 Limps, which is about $2.20 back home. Yum (they also make a good popcorn chicken which I am a little partial to…)
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| Laurence the resident Cross Creek dog |
The Cross creek “hotel” consists of shared rooms, private rooms, cabanas, a Dive Master house, and Laurence the resident pet. We are in a private room, with a shower (handy but cold water, it took a week or so to adjust again but after diving it is really nice to cool down!). The people here range from late teens to early 30’s. It is pretty funny, bit like being back at Uni living on campus. A lot of drinking and fornicating…. (drama unfolds just like my own personal episode of neighbours… he he he). There are soo many Australians here, it is weird. We haven’t met that many anywhere else.
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| Rommell our captain, and the "Tristan" |
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| Grey Angelfish |
So, what do we do here, well, let’s see, DIVE, DIVE, DIVE, DIVE and DIVE! We are most of the way through our DM course now. It involves lots of diving as well as completing theory, exams, and plenty of water skills. We also had to assist instructors on courses - two open water courses and an advanced course. All were really fun. At one point a whole group of young Danish girls came through. Twenty two of them… mostly around 20ish or so. It was crazy! Apparently it happens every month or so and is referred to as the “Danish Invasion”. We also have to work (well kind of), helping pack and unpack the boats, run the equipment room, tieing off at dive sites, leading dives, and helping out at social events - bar tending/cokking etc.
We basically have only one more test to pass before we are Divemasters– the “Snorkel Test”. Enter a mask and snorkel with funnel attached and a couple of our instructors pouring a combination of beer, rum, coke and various other alcohols into the snorkel until the ‘victim’ spills out the snorkel and the contents to the rapturous applause of the bar or party where the skill is held.
The reefs around Utila are all pretty tropical reefs. The water is warm, about 27 degrees, so you don’t really need a wetsuit at all. There is plenty of sea life including all the old reef favourites – we have seen sharks, turtles, eaglerays, stingrays, dolphins, heaps of weird and wonderful fish, a nudi branch, WHHHHHHHALLLLLLLLLEEEE SHHHHHHHHHHHHARRRRRRKKKKKKKK and a bright orange sea horse….
