Diving in Utila

Saturday 8th October 2016 – I awoke covered once again in bites! I was really getting fed up with being fodder for tiny, ruthless, biting creatures…it was so starting to get me down. Months of itching is like a tap dripping on your forehead…drives you crazy in the end! We packed our bags and headed for Altons Dive Centre where our Open Water Dive Course started at 1pm. We were shown to literally, ‘A Room With a View’. It was stunning. The window and balcony looking right onto the inviting ocean. After breakfast we sunbathed and swam in the sea off the jetty. At 1pm our PADI course began with four videos, followed by questionnaires about diving, safety, equipment, pressure…you name it, we were learning about it. Tomorrow our course would continue and we would meet Thomas, our Italian instructor for the first time…I just hoped he would be sympathetic towards my apprehension about diving…we would see tomorrow…

Sunday 9th October 2016 – At 9am we were back in the classroom once again enduring more videos and paper quizzes…it really felt like being back at school. After tasty fish and chips for lunch we returned to Altons to begin our confined water training…the practical side of things this time. Initially we had to check and get our equipment ready five times in order that it became second nature to us. BWRAF was the code for this. B for BCD…buoyancy control device jacket, W for weights, R for releases and straps, A for air regulators and F for final check…face mask and snorkel. Then came crunch time…how would I feel laden up with my diving outfit and ready to jump in? I didn’t know but I was extremely nervous and that’s an understatement. Years ago I had had a bad experience diving in the Red Sea and had vowed never to do it again. However, we were in Utila, one of the best places in the world to learn to dive due to factors such as low prices, clear water and abundant marine life…so I figured I had at least to give it a go!? With all the paraphernalia on I felt so weighed down and cumbersome, it was ridiculous…I could hardly stand up! Ryan went first, then Aaron…then…a tightness in my throat…it was my go. Sounding like Darth Vader with the air regulator you have to take a big step off the jetty into the ocean…one small step for man and one giant step for me…I was in! As soon as I hit the water the BCD jacket buoys you up. I hated the feeling instantly…uncomfortable, trapped, stifled…like a prisoner in a ridiculous wet suit. We swam to our confined water area to practice breathing skills. You have to take your mask off and use the regulator to breathe. I disliked it with a vengeance…such an unnatural feeling…laboured breaths and the noise…so loud and eerie. You mustn’t hold your breath at all costs…that is drummed into you from day one…it could literally cost you your life when diving. I just couldn’t relax, my breathing was laboured and my equilibrium in turmoil. Ryan and Aaron on the other hand were like ducks taking to water. Breathing from a cylinder just felt like all kinds of wrong to me. Putting my trust into it felt like suicide! After an hour of trying to breathe from the cylinder I knew it was time to hang my flippers up. I felt sorry for Thomas, our instructor, when he asked me what I didn’t like about it. I replied…everything…I absolutely hated it! I couldn’t wait to get out. The feeling of releasing my BCD from my body was like being reborn again…I was free! I had made the right decision, I was a snorkelling girl and not a a scuba diver…I knew that with certainty now. Aaron and Ryan continued their training all afternoon while I sunbathed, snorkelled and watched with mounting relief as I realised I would never have felt comfortable with the skills…instinct told me my decision was a good one. The silver lining that day was seeing a baby lemon stingray swimming right by our jetty…it was searching for food and disturbing the bottom bed of sand with its rippling movements…it was beautiful. Dinner was also fantastic, a Marlin fish super at the restaurant just over the road and a lovely chat with Texan Ryan, Aaron’s new diving buddy. What a convoluted day it had been!

Monday 10th October 2016 – Aaron was up at the crack of dawn…7am…he’s taking his diving course very seriously and really enjoying it. He was looking forward to two open water dives down to 12 metres today and was relishing the thought. He even looked pretty good in his wetsuit…a little reminiscent of James Bond in Octopussy comes to mind! At 8am I had a quiet breakfast and decided to visit Utila Iguana Station, a breeding centre for endangered Utila Spiny Tailed Iguanas, found only on the island and facing extinction. I walked inland, it was humid and hot, mosquitos attacking from all angles. I covered myself in bug spray and gallantly continued on. On arrival at the sanctuary I found it was closed but the kind manager said I could look around anyway for free…such a nice gesture. The male iguanas have spectacular spines on their backs of a bluey-green colour like the ocean touching a moss covered rock. Small turtles also shared their space as well as separate areas for the babies of the species. By this time the mosquitos were getting serious about their blood sucking so I beat a hasty retreat and returned to camp to swim and snorkel a little. Aaron returned back at lunch and had spotted two lovely turtles on his dives. He had the right temperament for diving…calm, thoughtful and analytic in his approach to any emergency…he was in his element. After a huge shared vegetarian pizza for dinner we watched South Park on the communal TV and returned to our room, the waves lapping in our sleep.

Tuesday 11th October 2016 – Up at 6.45am, Aaron had two 18 metre dives today in open water and I needed to wait to see if the captain of our boat, Eric, was looking for whale sharks. It would all depend on the weather and the direction of the wind. The day was overcast and a bit choppy but eventually the decision was made…’yes’…I would go on the boat today. I really could have stayed in bed as I felt tired and lethargic however, the possibility of seeing a whale shark was too great to resist. I collected my fins, wetsuit and face mask then joined the boat. I would snorkel over the reefs and not dive. The first coral reef we stopped at was lovely. Down went the divers for 50 minutes or so and off I went snorkelling over the beautiful reef. Fish of all kinds appeared through my goggles. I loved watching their behaviour of heirachy from high above. The second site we visited was a little different. Once the divers were on their way down a thunderstorm ensued and as a snorkeler I knew it was unsafe to go into the water. Eric, the captain, agreed so we chatted the hour away and I learnt how he had grown up on Utila, all about his family, island life and where he had travelled as a captain of a ship. We also talked about the dreaded sand flies that had made mincemeat of my flesh. No whale sharks in the vicinity today but Aaron and his group had seen a spotted eagle ray. The rain and cold wind followed our path as we returned to shore. I slept for three hours in the afternoon…a grand siesta. That evening we booked two dorm beds in Hostel 1877…situated right next to the mall. The last thing we wanted to do when we reached the mainland tomorrow was to risk another night in seedy downtown La Ceida.