Utila Aggressor June 16-23, 2007:
by Shannon:

June 16th we arrived at the San Pedro Sula Airport in Honduras. It was a bit hectic and disconcerting! After picking up our luggage off the carousels, the local airport personnel immediately came up to us, picked up our bags and started escorting through the airport. They were a bit forward and in a hurry as they wanted their tips so they could get back to other people’s baggage. I couldn’t find my matching luggage tags immediately and they wouldn’t stop for just a second to allow me to gather my things. It was a bit nuts! Finally I found my tags. Then we had to make sure the way some new strangers were leading us was to our appropriate bus so we could head to our Aggressor. Finally after a couple of phone calls all was squared away and we were in a very comfortable air conditioned bus for the ride through Honduran countryside to make it to our departure area.

It took an hour longer than it was supposed to reach our ship as we got stuck in Honduran traffic as a wreck was blocking the road. We didn’t mind, though, as the ride gave us a chance to observe the countryside. It was very beautiful, although you could see from the housing accommodations it was a very poor nation. We all would have liked to spend some more time in the country to get the ‘lay of the land’, but the boat charter would keep us busy all week. Next time we will have to save extra days to explore some land destinations.

Finally, we arrived at the dock! Hooray! We were ushered onboard and introduced to the crew. Sasha, Jodie, and Nester were are all extremely friendly and accommodating from day one. They were so laid back and did a great job of attending to our needs. It was a very relaxing week. The Live Aboards have always been my favorite dive trips, as you get so much diving with so little work. And I love to be rocked to sleep by the boat every night! The weather that week was a little rough. We encountered rough waters and some current closer to Utila, but the Captain did a great job of rushing us over to Roatan where the reefs were spectacular. We saw eagle ray, blennies, HUGE groupers, eels, turtles, stingray, damsel fish, angels of all types, spotted drum, lobster, tunicates, squid, wrass, and so much more! We didn’t get to see the whale shark we were all hoping to get a glimpse of, but there’s always next year. The food wasn’t as exquisite as the other liveaboards I’ve experienced. It was basic, decent food (although there were a few of us who missed a dive or two because of G.I. problems mid week), but nothing like the more upscale meals served on the Turks & Caicos Aggressor or the AquaCat.

Oh, and the final night on the Aggressor, the owner of our boat water taxied us over to his Laguna Beach Resort for a free meal, and an introduction to his Resort. Our only frustration was that it was dark outside and difficult to see the grounds, but the set up looked great. The whale shark shaped pool was very cool. The food that evening was wonderful. It was a very quaint little place with 13 bungalows, a restaurant, and easy to access dive and fishing boats. It looked like a great place for a land based trip. The owner was very accommodating, and it looked like a very promising place to visit. For more information Google Laguna Beach Resort and see what you think for yourself. I just might have to try it one of these days.

Exiting Honduras the next day was much less pressured. We were a little perturbed that the exit tax however was not just $33 even… it was $33.19. Thing was they would accept American dollars, but not the change. They also gave no change unless it was Honduran currency, so basically you had to give them $34 in American to leave their country. Nice little way to make extra money for Honduras, eh? They have published that in the information they send you from the Aggressor now. I’m not sure if it was there and I missed it before, or they’ve begun adding it to the information. Either way…. Be sure to bring your $34 and your leftover Honduran money to pay the exit toll to get yourself home!

Despite the airport stress, overall I'd recommend the dive destination. I was pleased with the diving, the accommodations and the service. I will definitely keep Honduras in the back of my mind for future vacations, and will continue to pursue live aboards as one of my favorite diving destinations.

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