Don't Hold Your Breath - Traveling the Bay Islands of Honduras
I sat in La Ceiba Dream Ferry Station at 7:00 a.m., nearly delirious from a day filled with three flights and a three hour car ride through the night from San Pedro Sula. The ferry station did not open until 9:00 a.m. so I kicked back in a chair and tried to get some shuteye. Next thing I knew a bus full of what looked like American tourists from the Midwest pulled up (the key giveaway here was the ubiquitous Nebraska Cornhuskers t-shirt). One of the women hopped into line to buy her ticket. As I pulled myself out of my post-nap fog, I noticed that she had a canvas bag with the word “Minneapolis” plastered on the front. Next thing I knew I found myself surrounded by teachers from a home that was two thousand miles away.
The ship in port is the safer one…but that’s not the reason it was made.
Together we boarded the ferry. As the powerful engines started up and pushed us away from shore, the ocean breeze drove away the persistent sweat that gathered in the equatorial heat and the mountains came into view. I enjoyed the first of many Salva Vida’s (local Honduran beer that translates into “Life Saver” in English) and enjoyed the hour ferry ride to Utila.
As I pulled up to Utila I spotted Sarah waiting for me on the dock. We had not seen each other in a month and were ecstatic to spend two and a half weeks together. I was absolutely beat and ready to pass out on the nearest bed like surface; she had just finished her Scuba Instructor Development Course and had done some celebrating the night before so luckily she was in the same boat. We stopped at a small oceanside cafe for some much needed food and headed home for some even more badly needed sleep.
We woke around dinner time and set out to get me a partial tour of the island. Utila is a very small island; with a population of about 4,000 and a land area of only 17.5 square miles it is easy to explore from one end of the island to the other in a day or two. Utila was like no place I had been before; the heat, while slightly oppressive at times, was a nice change of pace from the November weather I was used to in the Midwest. Travelers, both long and short term, clearly stood out amongst the locals; all of them dressed in tank tops, swimming trunks, flip flops, and toting a back pack. Scooters, tuk-tuks, and motorcycles zoomed past, weaving in and out of the pedestrian traffic. The constant noise of people, machines, and work filled the narrow street (there is one main street on Utila). To the Midwestern mind it was a shock, an assault on the senses, but at the same time it was an amazing, lively feeling.
We stopped at the dive shop that Sarah did her IDC at and that I would complete my Open Water Certification at, Utila Dive Center (UDC). After some time spent socializing we both agreed that it was high time to head to bed.
The next two days were spent relaxing on the beach, imbibing local drinks (I thought I got over my rum phase in high school…turns out when you’re in the Caribbean, you’re always in a rum phase), and exploring the island’s attractions and establishments.
From left to right - Ron con naranja, Monkey Lala, Salva Vida
The local beach on Utila. Beautiful umbrella, am I right?
We woke late on Saturday morning and passed the time productively by laying in bed and doing nothing. As the afternoon rolled around I strolled to UDC for my first day of the Open Water Certification course. I had never been scuba diving before in my life, and a small bubble of apprehension and nervousness floated beneath my excitement for the course. Day one was bookwork and videos, so that feeling quickly faded to the familiar feeling that comes with time spent in classrooms and listening to lectures. I met my course-mates and instructors, who over the next five days would become close friends and start to feel a bit like a special kind of family.
Saturday night wound down as all Saturday’s should - a delightfully buzzed midnight walk home with the ocean breeze blowing on our faces and the stars shining up above.
Class the next day began at 0800 sharp. We spent the morning learning the skills and information we would need to know to avoid various undesired outcomes of scuba diving, then hopped in the water for the afternoon. Taking that first breath underwater is a feeling I will never forget - every instinct you have tells you “don’t breathe in, don’t breathe in, don’t breathe in”…then you take a breath, and while your subconscious is still trying to tell you no, your brain slowly realizes that this is alright. We can do this.
Open water classmates, instructors, and dive masters in training.
The remainder of Saturday and all of Sunday were spent practicing different skills in a confined water setting and reviewing pertinent information in the classroom with our instructors. Each of us started out as flailing scuba students, waving our arms around in futile attempts to control ourselves, struggling to acclimate to an environment we had previously been completely barred from thanks to the human physiology. By the end of the day Sunday, however, we had all satisfied the requirements to advance to our first open water diving experience. We had a long ways to go, but thanks to our amazing instructors we were all ready to take the next step towards our certification.
Taking your first breath underwater cracks opens the door in your mind to the world of scuba diving; descending on your first open water dive blows the door right off the hinges and allows that world to come flooding in. Within seconds of descending to our sandy patch where we would be practicing our skills we saw huge reefs, schools of fish, and a stingray. On our next open water training dive we came within two meters of a pair of stingrays. Safe to say by this point I was hooked.
My classmates and I finished up our open water certification without trouble and wasted no time starting our celebration. On Utila there is not much to do besides dive and drink; now that we were done diving, we all figured it was time to start the latter activity. Surprisingly few people from the United States were on the island, and in retrospect that was one of the unexpected bonuses my time spent there. I made new friends from all over the world that broadened my perspective and gave me great ideas for new places to visit in the future.
We spent the rest of our time on Utila eating, diving, and relaxing. Before I knew it a week and a half had passed and it was time for us to leave. After spending three or four days on the island I had thought to myself, “There is no way I could stay here for more than a week”; but once the moment came to depart I found myself wishing I could stay for just a bit longer.
Sunset at Blue Bayou.
First dive together!
We hopped on the ferry back to La Ceiba and were picked up at the dock by a driver from the Eco Lodge we were headed to. After a 30 minute drive down dirt roads and a military checkpoint we arrived at Omega Tours and Eco Lodge. I cannot say enough about our time here. Nestled in the mountains and forests of the Pico Bonito National Park we enjoyed a relaxing time away from the noise of the cramped island. The food was the overwhelming surprise of the stay - when the owners offered us an extra night at the lodge for free, we were quick to jump at the opportunity to stay and eat more amazing, locally sourced fare.
Another highlight of our stay near Ceiba was the chance to do some hiking. As I mentioned the lodge was located in the Pico Bonito National Forest. It was also situated right on the idyllic Rio Cangrejal (crab in Spanish). As we walked into the National Park, we stopped at the “ranger station” to pay the park entry fee. The gentleman that assisted us also wanted to show us the map so we could ensure we did not get lost. In the States we are very privileged to have the National Parks infrastructure that we do, and many times I believe we take it for granted. This became all too clear when we saw the map (right) of the park’s trails. For everything the map lacked in detail, it made up for it in straightforwardness. We spent the day hiking through the jungle, stopping at the two beautiful waterfalls exactly where our guide and his map said they would be.
Waterfall #1. Sarah for scale.
Waterfall #2. Sarah for scale again (bottom left).
In addition to the Pico Bonito the Eco Lodge had a nice hiking trail on the property. Throughout the trail groves of orange trees grow, offering hot, thirsty hikers like ourselves a refreshing break from the jungle heat. Neither Sarah nor I had ever picked our own oranges and eaten them right off the tree, and we made the mistake of picking the biggest, orangest, juiciest looking orange that we could find. We tore it open, took our first bites…and both made a face like we had just eaten a warhead. We quickly learned our lesson when it comes to choosing the best oranges, and you will be glad to hear that we were able to find many a refreshing fruit on our hike after that.
We spent the afternoon of our final day cooling off in the Rio Cangrejal. We were joined by a large family and got the lowdown on the wildlife of the area as well as some insider tips from the locals.
Our time at Omega finally had to come to an end, as all things do. We hopped back on the ferry for the final destination of my trip and Sarah’s ultimate destination - the island of Roatan. The days in Roatan seemed to blend together and pass by faster than we had thought possible. Five short days later it was time for me to head back to Minnesota. While I had some things to take care of back home, leaving Sarah at the airport was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. Sarah and I and some of our new friends spent my final night there staying up till the sunrise and celebrating many things; but I think a part of both of us felt like we needed to preserve and enjoy each possible remaining moment together as we were not sure when we would see each other again. In my eyes that is how we should all live each and every second. Appreciate those around you, tell them you love them, and make sure that whatever you do when you wake up the next morning you are able to tell yourself that you made the most of your precious time.
In the open water certification course you are told that the first and most important rule of scuba diving is to never hold your breath. As I learn more about life and what I want from it I feel as if that is a great rule for life and relationships as well. You should never hold your breath. Say what you think. Tell someone special how you feel. Take a chance.
