Utopia Dive Village Utila, The Bay Islands

2010-11-23T09:34:00.000-06:00

Whale sharks are spotted on Utila year round, they are deep divers up to thousands of feet and come to the surface to feed. Utila's geological make up is perfect for this. The Northside borders the Cayman trench dropping into the abyss and the fringing reef, inland lagoons and mangrove are host to many different types of snapper and grouper that spawn dureing the FULL MOON and LAST QUARTER MOON. Check out the lunar calendar for the best dates to vist Utila and see whale sharks!! http://lunaf.com/english/moon-phases/lunar-calendar-2011/http://lunaf.com/english/moon-phases/lunar-calendar-2011/

2010-10-14T12:19:00.000-05:00

Utopia Village, Bay Islands, Western Caribbean

announces their best DEMA Deal to date. The 2010 Las Vegas DEMA dive deal is a “Buy One Get One Half Off Package” good during Utila’s peak whale shark season 2011 if booked by February 15. This is a $225 savings per person over last years special! Contact Utopia reservations or your travel specialist for availability and DEMA Deal details. reservations@utopiautila.com

Insider tip –there is an extra bonus PADI Whale Shark Awareness Course - if interested sign up at “Enter To Win a Free Week Stay” on their website and get the course info and a chance to win a week dive package at Utopia Dive Village. www.utopiautila.com

The purpose of the Whale Shark Awareness Specialty course is to introduce divers and snorkelers to whale sharks and familiarize them with proper recreational diving techniques for responsible interaction. The course includes the latest research information including biology, behavior, monitoring activities and worldwide conservation projects. Utopia Village is offering this complimentary course to preferred customers including 2010 DEMA attendees and participants. (some processing fees apply)

2010-10-03T14:20:00.002-05:00

A few more photos from the week spent with our new Texas friends from Arlington Scuba. A pleasant reminder of home for us Texan Utopians. We're running some great specials right now. Contact reservations@utopiautila.com for details. We're holding a hammock for you!

2010-08-01T09:59:00.003-05:00

July is such a festive month on the island. As true to it's colorful reputation, Utila hosts a week long celebration of Carnival. I appreciate old and young alike "making parties" in the streets. It's a wonderful time where the community comes together and shares in the activites. From the crowning of the Queen and Mr. Utila to parades to dancing in the streets, it's truly an island experience. Come visit us at Utopia, we're holding a hammock for you.

2010-07-09T14:36:00.002-05:00

Big Al Audet and his wife Tamsey returned to Utopia this week. He keeps us just as entertained as he did two years ago. Al has taken some amazing photos, both below and above water. Follow the link to see some photos by our friend Al.

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=6239029&l=21080d56af&id=659759195

For those that are on Facebook, Utopia Village' page can be found by searching groups "Utopia Dive Village". Please join the group and follow all the things going on in our little slice of Caribbean Heaven. Happy day all.

2010-06-22T15:05:00.003-05:00

The Utopian Texans had a wonderful week socializing with ALL Texans at Utopia last week. We had divers from both the Dallas and Houston areas and were thrilled to have new friends from "home". The East winds were blowing unusually strong for June which dampered shore diving just a bit, but the breezes were welcomed by all for hanging out time at the Champa bar. Juan Carlos (Juca), our manager of dive operations, brought latin culture to the week with his Honduran music and latin flare. We're offering some "sizzling" summer specials. Please contact me for details (kyle@utopiautila.com). We're holding a hammock for you.

2010-05-31T12:02:00.003-05:00

Three of our Nebraska Fire Fighters who stayed with us in Mid May. As you can see, another tough day at Utopia!

2010-05-13T12:16:00.004-05:00

For those that have visited Utopia, you've had the entertaining experience of getting to Know Juan Carlos Molina "Juca", our manager of dive operations. Not only is Juca one of the most energetic and knowledgeable divers, he also has a secret weapon that swoons most women .......... his guitar. At least once during the week, Juca brings out his guitar for a jam night by the sea. An added bonus, he writes his own lyrics and most are performed in Spanish. One guest summed up Juca perfectly, "the Ricky Ricardo of Honduras". Tid bit of information, Honduras never aired the "I Love Lucy" show, so Juca was clueless about Ricky Ricardo. We hopped on the internet so I could introduce Juca to some American pop culture. Juca now walks around saying "Luuuuuucy". Gotta love the guy. Come see us at Utopia, we're holding a hammock for you.

2010-04-25T12:13:00.002-05:00

2010-04-25T11:39:00.003-05:00

This spring has found very little whale shark activity in Utila's waters ............ until last Sunday. Our guests from Ohio (Just Add Water dive shop out of Cleveland), Texas and Arizona were handed a week of diving perfection. They had whale shark encounters on 3 separate days and the days where our gentle giants did not appear, pods of dolphins entertained. I've attached a video taken by our repeat guest and new friend, Silvia Sucz from Arizone. I wish I could freeze last week to share with all our guests. Happy day from the island. p.s. Im am just now overhearing VHF chatter, whale sharks again today! woo woo

2010-04-10T10:54:00.004-05:00

Over the past month Utopia has welcomed new faces and many new friends. Our guests have come from a wide variety of backgrounds and locations. Canada, Poland, UK, Switzerland, Texas, Ohio, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Tennessee, Minnesota, California, New York, Chicago, Maryland, D.C., Oregon amd Washington just to name a few. We've enjoyed hearing stories from our new friends and sharing in their experiences. We look forward to the many yet to arrive. Come join us at Utopia, the weather has been splendid. We're holding a hammock for you.

2010-04-08T14:14:00.002-05:00

Hello from sunny Utila. Today I received the below You Tube video from our past guest Henry Aschner. Henry and his wife Judy stayed with us for a week in March and put together a wonderful video of their trip to Utila. We need to add Henry to our marketing team! He really captured the feel of Utopia and Utila. Happy day from the island.

2010-03-30T18:07:00.004-05:00

Utopia Village and Utila have been very busy this spring. Tourism is back in full swing which explains my lack of blogging. I do want to share some amazing photos taken by one of our guests who traveled with Duggan's Dive Shop out of San Antonio. Rob truly captured the essence of diving Utila and the many inhabitants he encountered, along with the richness of our reef. Happy day from the island.

2010-03-17T12:25:00.004-05:00

I'm taking you under water today to wet your whistle. These photos were taken by one of our Canadian guests last week (Jamie Robinson). Happy Day to all!

2010-03-12T07:42:00.004-06:00

Hello from sunny Utila. laura Bly, USA Today reporter, stayed at Utopia for one night several weeks ago during her trip through The Bay Islands and mainland Honduras. While her article below focuses primarily on Roatan, the unstable political environment and drop in tourism in 2009, Utopia did get mentioned with a direct link to our website! We're all hoping 2010 proves to be a time of rebuilding onfidence that Honduras is safe and still an affordable destination. Happy Friday!

Honduras back on the Travel Map- USA Today

2010-03-05T13:04:00.001-06:00

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Thursday the Obama administration will resume aid to Honduras that was suspended after a coup last year and urged Latin American nations to recognize the new Honduran government.
Clinton said the Honduran government that took office in January was democratically elected, was reconciling the population split by last June's coup and deserved normal relations with countries that cut ties after the ouster of the former president.

"We think that Honduras has taken important and necessary steps that deserve the recognition and the normalization of relations," she told a news conference on the sidelines of a meeting of regional officials in Costa Rica.

Clinton praised steps taken by new Honduran President Porfirio Lobo, whose election in November began the resolution of the political crisis caused by the ouster of his predecessor, Manuel Zelaya. Zelaya, a leftist populist, was toppled while pushing a constitutional amendment that would have allowed him to run for re-election.

Clinton said she had notified Congress that more than $31 million in U.S. assistance suspended after the coup would be restored. She also said it was time for Honduras to be readmitted to the Organization of American States.

Clinton will attend a meeting of Central American leaders, including Lobo, in Guatemala on Friday at which Honduras will the main topic. Clinton has been making the case for Honduras at each stop on her current six-nation tour of Latin America.

Some countries she has visited — notably Argentina and Brazil — are balking at restoring ties with Honduras. They wanted Zelaya restored to power and believe recognition would reward the coup leaders who ran an interim government until January.

Clinton said she disagreed with such delays.

"I don't know what they are waiting for, but that is their right to wait," she said. "We believe that President Lobo and his administration have taken the steps necessary to restore democracy."

"We share the condemnation of the coup that occurred, but we think it is time to move forward and ensure that such disruptions of democracy do not and cannot happen in the future."

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

2010-03-01T09:50:00.002-06:00

Almost forgot to mention that we received a phone call early in the week from a representative from USA Today. They had a travel writer on Roatan and wanted to know if we had availability for her to stay one night with us. Of course Utopia welcomed the opportunity to host Laura and her husband. They dined with us Tuesday night and dove early Wednesday morning before departing for Pico Bonito on mainland Honduras. We're not sure what angle her article will take, but we were very pleased they chose Utopia during their Utila visit and thoroughly enjoyed their stay with us, albeit brief. The article is to be out this month and I'll post it here once it's been published. Happy day from Utopia.

2010-03-01T09:16:00.003-06:00

So close and yet so far ........ our elusive whale sharks made their appearance this week, long enough to taunt our divers. Our gentle giants surfaced briefly and descended just as quickly. I suppose this is what makes the encounters so special. Not only are they mammoth in size, but their elusiveness keeps divers coming back on their quests. We had a nice week of a mixture of guests, coming from Canada (again .... Hail Canada), California and Kansas (my home stomping ground). One of our avid divers, Kim(1000+ dives) took over 1500 photos and will be sharing them with us to post on our website. Keep watching for website updates. Our IT-Marketing team has done wonders in reconfiguring and adding new information and photos. If you haven't checked it out lately, go to the photos section, it looks amazing. Some of Kim's photos included great shots of "Ophelia", our 10 foot resident octopus. They "met" Ophelia several times during their night shore dives. These photos should be up on our site very soon. We have a break this week for maintenance and to give our employees a rest. 2010 thus far has been very good for Utopia (and the island as a whole). We're back in gear, full force, on Saturday when we have a new round of divers arriving. The weather is glorious today, Im sending some of our warmth to you folks in the Midwest and Upper East. Looks as if old mom nature is continuing to pound you with snow. Take a break from the cold, we're holding a hammock for you.

2010-02-21T16:50:00.003-06:00

Hail Canada and Hail tall Canadians. Last week was the first week since we've opened Utopia where we had all Canadian guests. Must be mighty cold up North as we have more of our “friendly neighbors to the North” staying with us again this week. Quebec, Ontario and Alberta were represented and let me tell you, they grow em' tall in Ontario. We had some rough weather mid week, but their diving was book ended with sunny days and calm seas. They had a day with a large pod of dolphins who playfully stuck around during their dives. Dolphins bring good luck so this may be the week for our elusive whale sharks to make their presence known. Happy day from Utopia, we’re holding a hammock for you.

2010-02-14T18:33:00.002-06:00

Just another day in Paradise. Enfield Scuba, Enfield, CT. We loved this group!

2010-02-14T15:59:00.003-06:00

We aim to please at Utopia. You want romance for Valentine's Day, we provide. I don't about you, but this does it for me (am i that simple!). Happy Valentine's Day from Utopia. We're holding a hammock for you.

2010-02-09T08:50:00.003-06:00

Super Bowl sunday, island style. Go Saints! We were able to pick up the game on our satellite, so all were happy post dives and post sun!

2010-02-07T13:22:00.003-06:00

Quite an adventurous week with a resort full of divers from Enfield Scuba, Enfield CT, one token couple from Oregon and Honeymooners from Toronto who wed on Roatan last week. The Enfield group was large enough that they booked back to back weeks to accommodate all their divers for this Honduran excursion. The second half arrived yesterday for a week, leaving snow packed streets in their rear view mirrors. They were happily greeted with sunshine and 85 degrees yesterday (we always aim to please, although Mom Nature had a hand in that one). Really delightful group, with much entertainment from several "colorful"
Enfield characters at the champa bar in the evenings. No whale shark sightings yet, although we're holding high hopes for this week as the seas are calm. Step away from the cold, come see us at Utopia!

2010-01-31T15:32:00.002-06:00

View of the full "wolf" moon last night at Utopia. SPECTACULAR! We're holding a hammock for you!

2010-01-29T13:31:00.001-06:00

Hello everyone. Check out our newest Utopia Video by Liquid Assets TV.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPv_eJX-tAE

2010-01-29T08:37:00.004-06:00

2010 seems to have brought new light to the Honduran tourism industry. Our little island is flourishing once again. The past 6 months have been tough economically on many businesses, but this week everyone has noticed many new faces in town and a surge of flights and a full daily ferry from the Mainland. The good times are back for our country. I, personally, am very proud that Honduras held strong to their democratic values and have weathered the political storm and world scrutiny over the past year. We are stronger and better than before! We've had an enjoyable week with new diving friends from Alaska, Wisconsin and Oregon. Many of our "neighbors" are also back on the island and have joined us for happy hours and dinners at our Dulce Vida restaurant. Underwater visibility has been excellent this week with many happy divers and a wide variety of underwater sightings. Our Alaskan couple was thrilled with the Octopus encounter during their night, shore dive . The whale sharks have been elusive thus far, perhaps they are waiting on YOU to get here. Attached are some photos from this week. All you snowbirds out there, we're holding a hammock for you. 85 and sunny today!

2010-01-25T14:29:00.002-06:00

Utila Voted One Of Best

Wall Dives In The Caribbean

By Scuba Divers Magazine 2009 Top 100

Readers Choice Survey

Off the southern shore of Utila, an underwater mountain rises from the seafloor, stopping just 35 feet short of breaking the surface and becoming an island. Drop down deep over the side of the seamount at Black Hills to start your dive and then work your way around and back toward the top. Another recommended site is Duppy Waters on the eastern edge of Turtle Harbor, where enormous barrel sponges sprout from the beautiful reef. Utila is still at the top of the list of Caribbean whale shark hot spots. The biggest fish in the sea congregate around the banks north of the island and may be encountered year-round, though the sightings occur most dependably March through May, and August through October.

-Excerpt from above link from Scuba Diving Magazine online January 2010

Read more at http: //www.scubadiving.com/travel/

caribbean-atlantic/bay-islands-honduras

2010-01-25T11:04:00.002-06:00

Texas Dive Show Specials

2010 Whale Shark

High Season Special

Selected Weeks Available in February, March & April

“Dang! Thats bigger than a long horn”

$1380 + tax

• Utopia’s boat captain is very versed in spotting Whale Sharks

in Utila waters. Although we cannot guarantee a sighting,

chances during this time of year have been most favorable!

• Includes Whale Shark lecture by knowledgeable research

scientist.

* 7 to 1 comp policy for groups:

Book 7 dive packages and get one absolutely free!

Summer S.M.A.S.H.

(Send Me on A

Special Holiday)

$799 + tax Non-Diver Package

$999 + tax Diver Package

• Valid May-Sept 2010

• Must book by April 30, 2010

* 9 to 1 comp policy for groups:

Book 9 dive packages and get one absolutely free!

All Packages include seven-nights ocean-view accommodations and three gourmet meals daily. Dive package includes five days of two-tank boat dives, one night dive and unlimited complimentary shore diving on our amazing house reef.

Conditions for all specials:

Based per person-double occupancy; Based on availability; Fully commissionable to travel agents; Does not apply to previous bookings; Deposit and balance per Utopia booking policies; Does not include airfare; Get travel info, inclusions, exclusions and booking policies on our website.

2010-01-25T10:54:00.001-06:00

The Utopia Marketing team will be attending the Texas Dive Show in Allen Texas February 13th. Come on down and say hello to Pete, Phil, Cathy and Angelika. Angelika recently moved back from Utila to get to know our clients in person. She is looking forward to sharing the island experiences and answering dive questions at the show.

Utila has over 99% of the marine life found in the Caribbean. From delicate bluebell tunicates to the world’s largest fish, the Whale Shark, the diverse underwater terrain around Utila is spectacular!

Check out our show specials and hopefully we will see you there!

2010-01-19T12:36:00.002-06:00

Hello from Utopia on Utila. I've spent the psst month visiting friends and family in Texas and Kansas, arriving back on the island yesterday. I left Kansas with snow still on the ground, today nothing but sunshine and warmth. The weather is gorgeous. Our rainy season on the island is behind us, the attached photo taken this morning is what you can expect for months to come on Utila. Spring is a glorious time to be here in Honduras. Take a break from the cold and join us for some diving and relazation. We're holding a hammock for you.

2009-12-27T12:03:00.002-06:00

Christmas came a day early for our divers. On the eve of Christmas, Utopia divers were given a gift, whale sharks! Although the gentle giants reside in our waters year round, it is not every day that our guests get to a chance to swim with whale sharks. They estimated the sharks to be approximately 35 feet in length. It was an amazing day for all. Happy Holidays and may 2010 bring global peace and a world without war. Happy New Year, we're holding a hammock for you.

2009-12-09T14:47:00.001-06:00

12/8/09 Representatives for Honduras tourism announced this morning that the U.S. canceled all pending travel alerts to Honduras yesterday. The Department of State issued a travel alert in July, stating “The Department of State alerts U.S. citizens to the current unstable political and security situation in Honduras, and recommends that American citizens defer all non-essential travel to Honduras until further notice.”

The alert was issued shortly after Honduran military ousted President Manuel Zelaya and sent him out of the country. However, on November 29, the Honduran people peacefully elected their new president – Porfirio “Pepe” Lobo, who will take office on January 27. The United States and other countries have already expressed their recognition of President-Elect Lobo. Wholesalers have looked to the elections as a positive sign and are once again aggressively selling the destination.

2009-12-05T09:15:00.002-06:00

It's a new dawn for Honduras. Last Sunday, Hondurans elected their new leader, President Porfirio Lobo of the National Party. We all look forward to a new beginning and emerging as a stronger, unified nation. Viva Honduras, viva Democracy.

2009-11-25T10:11:00.002-06:00

Our multi-talented dive staff below, week of November 7, 2009.

Juan Carlos "JUCA" Utopia's manager of dive operations and latin rock star. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jiqS7ZEzEFA

Roi Krispin, Utopia DM.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2mInuOhMZU

2009-11-24T18:21:00.002-06:00

We'd love to host you and a friend at Utopia Village in 2010. Enter to win a week for 2 at the website below. Happy day.

http://intothedrink.tv/utopia/

2009-11-18T16:12:00.007-06:00

Thank you Hurricane Ida for fizzling out and turning NE just in time for our dive group from the Boston area "Mass Diving" (and one token Texan's) safe and dry arrival. We had a great week of diving, waters were calm and visibility surprizingly good following Miss Ida's appearance earlier in the week. Our divers ranged in age from 13 to 75 yrs. I tell you, I'd be perfectly satisfied in life with half the energy of our wonderful new friend Pam who is 75 years young. Her positive spirit and youthfulness was contagious. We had some night time entertainment from some of our own. To the delight of our guests, Roi (DM) fire danced several evenings and our one and only "Juca" aka Elvis, strummed his guitar to his latin beat ....... and threw in a Presley medley for good measure and in step with his reputation. Juca is Elvis! Truly enjoyable week. The Honduran political mess seems to be finally behind us ....... we're holding a hammock for you!

Utopia Free trip Winner September 2009

2009-10-06T12:51:00.001-05:00

The Utopia Team wants congratulate Cathy Whitlock from Houston, Texas our September FREE DIVE TRIP winner!
Thanks to everyone that entered the first "Free Trip" contest on www.utopiautila.com.

Enter below to win a free trip to be announced February 2010.
http://www.utopiadivevillage.com/contact/free-trip-9-01-09.php

--
Angelika C. Lukacsy
President & Director of Business Development
Utopia Village
Calle de Suenos
The Bay Islands, Utila
Honduras, C.A.
Www.utopiautila.com
Honduras cell: 504-3-310-5224

Rated #1 Hotel on Utila by Trip Advisor!!
“Only resort on Utila to be the Recipient of the Honduran Environmental Permit”

2009-09-04T14:17:00.004-05:00

While The Bay Islands are certainly feeling the drop in tourism due to the Honduran political "situation", Utopia hosted guests in July and August from a nice geographical mix. We had guests from England, Canada, Florida, Tennessee, Oregon, Mass., Texas, Illinois and D.C., to name a few. I've attached several photos of our new friends. Please continue to pass the word that Honduras is safe to travel, particularly The Bay Islands. Our country is struggling financially due to the termination of international aid and the loss of tourism. Please help support democracy by visiting Honduras and think of us for your next dive getaway. We are running some great specials. Happy day!

Tourism In The Bay Islands And The Current Political Situation

2009-07-08T18:32:00.000-05:00

Dear friends, family, business associates and partners,

We felt the need to send this letter to all of you in hopes that it would clear up any confusion regarding the current political status in Honduras and the atmosphere in The Bay Islands of Honduras. Since this situation began two weeks ago, there have been only peace marches on Utila with absolutely no incidents on our island. The islands are insulated from any protests taking place on the mainland. I have spoken with our attorney on Roatan and it is business as usual there as well. Our travel agents have reported that all flights, both International and inter-island, have been running as usual, except Taca, who temporarily postponed their regular route to San Pedro Sula Airport.

We hope that you will all help support us in this difficult time. The economy has hit everyone this year, but the inconsistent reporting of Honduras’ current political situation has deeply affected the tourism business in The Bay Islands. Below, I have summarized what occurred on June 28th in Honduras as seen by its’ people. We hope that you will help our cause by taking advantage of the great deals most businesses are currently offering in order to keep tourism afloat in The Bay Islands.

We wish for peace and prosperity for all!

Angelika C. Lukacsy

A BREIF SYNOPSIS OF THE HONDURAN POLITICAL SITUATION:
We realize that the world media, especially CNN has been incorrectly reporting what happened here in Honduras. As people living here we have known for sometime what has been transpiring between Mel Zelaya and the Venezuelan President, Hugo Chavez. Talk of the threat of Communism was a real and scary thing here in Honduras for a time. On June 28, the events that transpired brought new hope to the majority of people in this Country. The little country of Honduras, for the first time, stood up for what they believe in: Democracy and freedom! People from every social class, economic level, political party and ethnic background combined their beliefs and have stood behind the removal of Zelaya from office.

On June 28, 2009 there was no forced Imposition of an unelected leader on Honduran people. What transpired in
Congress, resulting in the naming of Roberto Micheletti (being the next elected official in the order of succession)
as the new President of Honduras was a legal and Constitutional succession of powers and involved the unanimous vote of all congressmen, which included members of four of Honduras’ political parties, including Manuel Zelaya’s.

On Sunday June 28, 2009 the Honduran Constitution and Democracy, were in DANGER due to Manuel Zelaya’s illegal actions,
knowingly undermining our judicial system, in order to pursue his personal ambitions to remain in power (he only
had 6 months left in government). His goal was to change the Constitution so that he could be elected for more terms than the Honduran Constitution currently allows. Thus opening the doors to a Dictatorship.

--
Angelika C. Lukacsy
President & Director of Business Development
Utopia Village
Calle de Suenos
The Bay Islands, Utila
Honduras, C.A.
Www.utopiautila.com
Honduras cell: 504-3-310-5224

Rated #1 Hotel on Utila by Trip Advisor!!
“Only resort on Utila to be the Recipient of the Honduran Environmental Permit”

2009-07-08T12:13:00.003-05:00

Hello from sunny Utila. Wanted to provide a quick update on our political situation in Honduras. Talks are underway between Mr. Zelaya and current President Micheletti, led by several mediators. We are all praying for a peaceful resolution. A mandatory curfew is in effect (which includes the Bay Islands), although it appears that this will be lifted soon. A march for peace was held yesterday on Utila, which absolutely coincides with the feeling on the island. The Bay Islands tend to be insulated from any turmoil, so we continue with business as usual. We are offering great summer specials, please see our website for further details. We're holding a hammock for you! Have a happy day.

2009-06-20T13:28:00.002-05:00

There's been a whole lot of shakin going on! Most of you probably read that The Bay Islands experienced a 7.3 magnitude earthquake in late May. I personally have never felt anything like it, something I will never forget. A few broken items from shelves, but no structural damage or serious injuries, for that we are grateful. We continue to feel tremors, one as large at 5.2 last week, but I am assured by a geophysicist friend that a 7.3 will never happen again in our lifetime. Below I thought I'd share some of his comments.

"You're sitting on the northern edge of the Caribbean Plate, which is moving to the east. Just north of Utila is the North American Plate, which is moving to the west. They are moving past one another at about 2 centimeters per year. Some faults move up to 10 cm per year,or even more. The fault is nearly vertical, as if you took a knife and sliced straight into the earth. The direction of motion was "left lateral", meaning that the other side of the fault moved to the left relative to you. So you moved to the east, the North American side moved to the west. This is all very normal for the kind of fault you're on, but unusually large. Maps show that there have been other earthquakes near you since 1900, but none as big as last month. The entire Pacific coast of Central America gets many more earthquakes than Utila. You're much safer than, say, the Pacific coast of Costa Rica."

"the short version is that Utila is in a relatively safe area, especially for being smack dab on a Plate Boundary. In fact, I wouldn't expect another magnitude 7 near you in our lifetimes. The good news about that earthquake is that it released a lot of built-up stress. So, although you may still get some little aftershocks for awhile, the major stresses in your little neck of the woods have been released. The same fault may rupture (earthquake) in other places far away from you, but that was likely your "big one".

So, now everyone can feel safe! Come see us on the island, we're holding a hammock for you!

2009-05-11T11:18:00.004-05:00

This past week was quite an exciting one, not only at Utopia Village, but on Utila as a whole. Utopia hosted a t.v. film crew who were shooting an episode for a new series "Into the Drink" which has been picked up by the Travel Channell for 2010. The crew is traveling the world and filming on location where diving is spectacular (7 different dive destinations). Utila was their second stop, they made quite a stir on our little island. In addition to the film crew and and full house of divers, we also hosted Daniel D'Neuville who facilitates a workshop entitled "Being Unstoppable". Daniel's objective is to teach one how to tap into and experience personal transformation. "Transformation is a total new way of being that gives rise to change in behaviors where activities and choice flow naturally and powerfully from a fresh mindset and elevated level of self-expression.". The final ceremony after the workshop was a Fire Walk and Island Style Cook Out. Everyone had the opportunity and choice to walk across a bed of 1200-degree coals (which, by the way I did, it was very empowering and frightening, but I made it). The firewalk creates the distinctions of personal power, courage and unstoppable confidence. The participants learned how to tap into their reserve of mental toughness and focus their mind in powerful new ways to maximize their potential. The t.v. crew got all this in their shoot, quite an unusual event for their new show. The week was crazy, as the crew filmed everything from our chef, to shore dives, to boat dives, to bar activities, to Juca (our manager of dive operations) cranking out Latin songs on his guitar, to the fire walk ceremony, to indepth interviews with us (the owners). Keep an eye out in 2010 for the show, featured on the travel channel. Happy day to all.

photos above, some of the film crew, Daniel leading his workshop, and fire!!

2009-04-14T10:55:00.004-05:00

A day in the life of Paco (are further words necessary?). Pacocito is one of our four legged, residents at Utopia. Adopted from a shelter in Kansas a little over a year ago, he now leads the swank life. You too can indulge yourself in the lifestyle of Paco, come visit us at Utopia Village!

2009-04-13T15:01:00.001-05:00

Below is video taken by one of our guests last week, Pedro Padilla, visiting from Puerto Rico. ooh la la, every visitors dream. Happy Monday!

http://www.facebook.com/inbox/readmessage.php?t=1069499290998

2009-04-09T09:53:00.002-05:00

Big seaside horseshoe matches yesterday at Utopia, Texas vs. the rest of the world. I'll let you figure out who won. Little hint, it wasn't the rest of the world.

2009-04-01T08:34:00.002-05:00

Texas came to us last week and we were delighted to have little taste of home for us Texan Utopians. Duggan's Dive Shop, located in San Antonio, brought 19 divers from their shop. The whale sharks did not disappoint as our guests had two days of snorkeling with our friendly giants. Leonard, Miss U's boat captain, is a local man, born and raised around our waters and is expertise in finding the whale sharks, as well as timing the "go, go, go, goes" for our guests to jump. Above are several photos taken by the group leader John Duggan. We miss our Texans!

2009-03-22T08:39:00.002-05:00

Tis the season on the island. Although whale sharks are present year round in our waters off Utila, the frequency of sightings are higher during the calmer months. Our guests this past week (Las Vegas, Boston, Florida, Texas, Canada) were treated to epic diving, compliments of the whale sharks. They swam with our gentle giants on two separate days, sizes varying from 15 ft. to 35 ft in length. We're hoping to have their videos up on our website very soon. Happy Sunday.

2009-03-15T11:21:00.005-05:00

Utopia's motto is "you come as guests ........ and leave as friends", this week proved exactly that. We hosted a truly gracious group of doctors (podiatrists, hence "Dive Pods"). They come from all over the U.S. and gather once a year for their seminar training and diving. Most afternoons were spent in lecture, but mornings were devoted to finding the elusive whale sharks. The last day of diving, they were found, but descended before the docs could get in the water. So close and yet so far. The winds were unusually forceful during their stay, our dock was not accessible most days, so in came the jungle bus for transport to a calmer dock west of Utopia. The jungle bus became a staple of their trip and they insisted on being photographed with "her" on the last day. For those of you unfamiliar with our notorious bus, it's a well, "broken in", converted truck for guest transport. She's seen better days, but keeps on ticking and adds to the adventures of staying in a remote area.

One doc was missing from their dive group this year. Joe lost his battle to cancer in 2008 and was to be on this Utopia trip. They wanted to do something is his memory, so we picked some colorful flowers to use for his memorial. They chose our dock and the day before their departure they held a quiet service, each speaking a few words, then tossing a flower into the sea in memory. I didn't want to intrude, so sat back and took a couple of photos (above). I was touched, a really beautiful place and signficant tribute to a man I did not know, but was clearly loved and missed very much. I hope this group returns to Utopia, they truly are our new friends.

2009-03-08T13:17:00.000-05:00

Not a bad day to be us! We're holding a hammock for you.

2009-03-04T15:01:00.002-06:00

Utopia hosted its first "Bring Utilatown to Utopia" Friday night. This will become a monthly event where friends, business owners, dive shop employees and island residents who live in town place advanced reservations for a night of cocktails and fine dining at our on-site restaurant, Dulce Vida. Our 40 ft. dive boat, the "Miss U" picked up our local guests at Morgan's dock at 5P and brought them out to our remote location. It was a magical night of mingling with old friends and sharing our little slice of paradise. Many have not had the opportunity to visit Utopia due to our location, we are boat access only. Above are a few photos of our island folk enjoying their evening. Buen provecho!

2009-03-01T09:05:00.002-06:00

More Virtual Tours

2009-02-27T13:43:00.004-06:00

Utopia Virtual Tour. Check out these videos

John Langford

2009-02-26T15:29:00.000-06:00

We had a professional photographer from Austin diving with us this week. John Langford snapped some incredible shots, both above and below water (www.johnlangford.com). See above for a sample of his work. Sunny and warm days here on the island. Step away from winter, come join us at Utopia.

Kyle

Guest Chef at Utopia

2009-02-22T15:10:00.000-06:00

Chef Hugh took a well deserved vacation back to the states in Feb. For those of you that keep up with Trip Advisor, you know well the notoriously positive feedback we receive regarding Chef Hugh's menu. In his absence, we invited Chef John Souza out to Utopia to fill big shoes left by Hugh. John owned a catering company in Houston until last year. Like many of us, he decided to trade in the fast paced city life for the tranquil island. He's in the process of building a home and is now a permanent member of our small Utila community. Let me say, both guests and staff alike were wowed by the different creations John put together. One guest made a habit out of bringing his camera to meals so he could memorialize all the grand entrées prepared. I know we'll soon be reading about Chef John in travel reviews. Utopia now has two spectacular chef's available at Dulce Vida as John has agreed to come out once a week and tantalize us on Chef Hugh's day off. Disfrute de su comida!

Commentary by Kyle Heath

2009-02-14T19:04:00.004-06:00

Hello from sunny Utila. I am convinced that rainy season is nothing but a foggy memory now. It was a long one this year, but nothing but blue skies and star filled nights this week.

I've attached a link to an article in the Washington Post's travel inset tomorrow (Sunday 2/15). The reporter, Richard Morin, was a guest at Utopia in August 08 and writes, colorfully, of his experiences on Utila and at Utopia Village. Come visit, we have a hammock waiting!

Fisherman's Paradise? Washington Post

Commentary by Kyle Heath

Taking a breather

2009-02-07T10:43:00.000-06:00

I am just now resting up from an active week hosting 20 divers from the Quad Cities (Iowa/Illinois border) and two bonus guests from Maine and Ohio. They were from a wide variety of backgrounds and all full of character. We had a cardiologist, several nurses (which came in very handy when our four legged house resident needed stitches removed), a psychiatrist (we all need analyzed from time to time), Vietnam fighter pilot, IT man (which was also very convenient when he jumped with our pc problems), a social worker, scuba instructor, a painter and several hippies straight from the 60's, which I LOVED! Mom Nature played some tricks on us several days with roaring seas, but all in all, we had a great time. The visibility was not 100% each day, but all were grateful to be in the water, working on their tans and away from their snowy homes back in the Midwest. I've attached several photos of our new friends.

Commentary by Kyle Heath

sunny Utila

2009-01-29T14:24:00.000-06:00

Hello from sunny Utila. I am just back from 6 weeks in the good ole U.S. of A, Kansas to be precise. Littleman Paco (my well traveled Dachshund) was in tow and not terribly fond of ice and snow. How quickly he forgets his roots, he was rescued from a shelter in the Midwest. He's full blown island dog now and happy today to report that we've exchanged snow covered streets and 11 degree temps for beautiful sunshine, calm waters and warmth. I've attached several photos taken today to entice all you to rid your winter garb, dig out that dive or snorkel gear, oil up and come see us at Utopia.

PADI Project Aware Clean Up Day At Utopia

2008-09-22T12:32:00.000-05:00

PROJECT AWARE UTOPIA VILLAGE CLEAN UP DAY 2008

The Project Aware Clean Up Day at Utopia Village in UTILA, HONDURAS was a
huge success. This year we had 35 enthusiastic multi-cultural volunteers
from Honduras, Spain, Germany, The United States and El Salvador, just to
name a few. Utila has 18 dive shops where students from all over the world
come to get certified, some going on to become Dive Masters and Instructors.
The majority of the clean up crew came from these shops to help make this
event a fun filled responsible Earth-giving day.

The Project Aware recruits were divided into two teams: divers and beach
clean up crew.
The divers cleaned up a site near the Utila Cays using mesh bags donated by
Project Aware. Some commented that as they tried to pick up what looked
like garbage, it had already become a permanent part of the reef with too
much growth to collect. Therefore, they gently sifted through what could be
stashed into the bags for removal.

The beach crew cleaned both East and West of Utopia¹s beach filling bag upon
bag of mostly plastic items such as toothbrushes, forks, straws, bottle
caps, and plastic bottles. Many of the crew asked how so much trash could
wash up on Utila¹s shores. The answer is that during rainy season the
Mainland Rivers swell running down from the mountains, washing the debris
into the ocean. Whatever floats easily finds it¹s way to Utila¹s beaches.
It is a never-ending task to keep the shoreline clean.

Once the divers returned to Utopia, the BBQ and fun began. Some volunteers
were so inspired they ate their lunch and headed back out to clean the other
end of the beach, others played volleyball and billiards while others caught
a nap in a hammock or lounged on the beach. The waters were calm and
inviting so later in the day many went out snorkeling bringing back any
trash they could find. Awards were given for ³Best Dive Cleanup² to Marcos
our youngest diver who enthusiastically collected the most underwater trash
and ³Best Beach Clean Up² was presented to Mira also one of our youngest
volunteers who filled the most bags in the quickest time period.

All in all it was a great day, both responsible to our Earth¹s environment
and full of enjoyment. The task of cleaning our little corner of the World
spurred ideas such as having a weekly clean up. The volunteers that were so
inspired have in turn inspired the owners of Utopia. We have decided that
our dive shops new motto will be ³Make A Dent - Make a Difference². As a
resort shop, U Dive offers fun dives to paying customers that come to us
every week to relax and enjoy their vacation. Seeing a group of fun folks
having a great time making a difference has presented us with a new
opportunity. U Dive will now be offering a weekly cleanup fun dive on a
volunteer basis only to our customers. We also challenge the many dive
shops on Utila to do the same, in hopes that our guests and Utila¹s Dive
Shops will jump on the bandwagon and help make a sizeable dent on Utila in
2009!

*Many thanks to all the volunteers, staff and the individuals and businesses
that provided donations for The 2008 Project Aware Clean Up Day at Utopia
Village.

--
Angelika C. Lukacsy
President & Director of Business Development
Utopia Village
Calle de Suenos
The Bay Islands, Utila
Honduras, C.A.
Www.utopiautila.com
Honduras cell: 504-3-310-5224

Rated #1 Hotel on Utila by Trip Advisor!!
³Only resort on Utila to be the Recipient of the Honduran Environmental
Permit²

Week of May 10-17

2008-05-19T16:23:00.000-05:00

Diver Dick here! We had a great time last week with guests from Texas, Colorado, and Canada. I don't know about you.....but what beats great shore diving and a cold one at the dive bar! Richard and Trisha Urban from Del Rio Divers have taken me on dive trips all over the world. I guess they had such a great time and could clearly see how much I loved my time at Utopia that they decided to leave me here on an extended visit.

We spotted Dolphin's and huge Tarpon at Tarpon Hole. Oh, and if you haven't noticed, I am hanging out with two gorgeous chicks at the bar.

I will be here for a while updating you guys regularly on what’s up at Utopia on Utila. Just let me know if you have any questions.

This is DIVER DICK signing off for now.

2008-05-12T09:51:00.003-05:00

Felix, our resident turtle, was spotted yesterday off Utopia's shore. Felix
was first discovered just before Hurricane Felix and shortly afterward we saw him again. We were all happy to see he made it through the storm.

2006-07-31T21:05:00.000-05:00

From Kyle:

Hi all, the attached photos were taken last week (just two weeks into construction!). Things are moving fast and furious. The “bungalowview” was taken from the bungalow in which I will be living …… we sit up 8 ft. off the ground, views from the large balcony will be amazing. The champabar is in its initial stages. The front of the champa bar will be covered with the beautiful coral that’s washed up on our shores. We’ve confirmed our first group booking for late April, everything is unfolding as planned. We are very excited and sometimes a bit overwhelmed, altho every ounce of sweat is well worth the return, we are living our dream. We look forward to your visits in 2007!

The view from one of the Bungalows.

The Champabar.

The view of the Hotel.

The Hotel.

2006-07-30T23:28:00.000-05:00

From Angelika some photos on progress: