Darryl Leniuk for The Globe and Mail

Swim with a whale shark in Honduras

darryl leniuk

From Thursday's Globe and Mail

Published Wednesday, Dec. 07, 2011 4:07PM EST

Last updated Wednesday, Dec. 07, 2011 4:25PM EST

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/travel/vacations/adventure/swim-with-a-whale-shark-in-honduras/article2263571/print/

INTERESTING ARTICLE ABOUT WORLDS BEST DIVE DESTINATIONS....GUESS WHICH ISLAND WAS NAMED #3 ??

http://opentravel.com/blogs/10-best-scuba-diving-destinations/

THE UTILA CAYS

Pigeon (Suc-Suc) and Jewel Cays are two small islands about half a mile from Treasure Beach.
These are the only two permanently inhabited cays of Utila (several more are uninhabited), these cays are a fishing village and were the original settlements on Utila. Easily accessible by motor boat or kayak from Treasure Beach, the cays have several bars/restaurants, small grocery stores and Captain Morgans dive center.
Treasure Beach is shown the upper right corner of the photo. Look at that water & those coral reefs!!!
Great photo Brad, i've tried to get this shot several times when coming in to land on Utila but never with such good results.

SEAHORSES, SOUTH SHORE, UTILA

TREASURE BEACH AUGUST 2011, CAY FEST ON PIGEON CAY, WHALE SHARKS & DOLPHINS

yikes

What a beautiful month at Treasure Beach. The weather has been wonderful, low 90's with a refreshing sea breeze and the water has been a balmy 85f. Lots of whale shark sightings this month and there has been a large pod of spinner dolphins around the island for weeks, I think everyone has swum with them at least once.

There was a lovely day called "Cay Fest" on Pigeon Cay (5 mins by boat from Treasure Beach), lots of fun for the kids with games, races and contests and at night musical performances. 

Treasure Beach looks lovely with all the flowering and fruiting trees coming into bloom at the same time (there is a continuous cycle of blooming but once a year everything coincides), so there is lots of fruit to eat.

There has been lots of whale shark sightings this month and a large pod of spinner dolphins has been all around the island for three weeks. They've been seen at Treasure Beach, Raggedy Cay, Northside, in front of Deep Blue Resort, even in town. Its hard to meet anyone on Utila at the moment who hasn't swum with them! 

old fashioned egg & spoon race's

go oliver go

THE BRAVE LITTLE RAY

this little chap has been hanging around treasure beach for the last couple of weeks. i've seen adult southern stingrays feeding like this before but never juveniles. there must be something pretty tasty under the sand at high tide !

RECOGNITION FOR THE PINEAPPLE HOUSE.

Find Utila Vacation Rentals on FlipKey

WONDERFUL GUEST REVIEWS OF THE PINEAPPLE HOUSE ON TRIPADVISOR.COM

http://www.tripadvisor.com/VacationRentalReview-g292020-d1451060-The_Pineapple_House_on_Treasure_Beach-Utila_Bay_Islands.html

GOOD NEWS FOR HONDURAN SHARKS

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2011/06/honduras-creates-permanent-shark-sanctuary-covering-92664-miles.php

UTILA 1ST LIONFISH RODEO AND COOKOUT

It was Utila' first Lionfish rodeo on Friday, organized by Bay Islands Conservation Association (BICA). Eleven dive boats participated and almost five hundred Lionfish were killed in a single day.
On Sunday there was a cookout at Chepes Beach, half a dozen of the top chefs on the island showed their stuff and all the fish were eaten.
We enjoyed sushi, soups, curries, ceviche, pan fried and potato cakes all made with lionfish, they're tasty little things.
Prizes were awarded to the people who caught the most, biggest and smallest Lionfish.
The event was very well attended and a good time was had by all, I think it was the social event of the season on Utila.

NIGHT SNORKELING AT TREASURE BEACH

              

                    I snorkeled off of the pier last night, here are a few seconds of "Fridays Nightlife".

GREAT ARTICLE IN NEW YORK MAGAZINE ABOUT UTILA

http://nymag.com/travel/weekends/utila/index2.html

NICE ARTICLE FROM THIS MONTHS AMERICAN AIRLINES MAGAZINE

http://www.americanwaymag.com/joe-darling-whale-shark-oceanic-research-center-caribbean-sea

THIRTY SECONDS OF ZEN

GETTING TO UTILA JUST GOT A LOT EASIER

New Airline Service in Utila: CM Airlines!

New Airline Service in Utila: CM Airlines! 

March 2011: CM Airlines now has a direct flight from San Pedro Sula to Utila on Saturday’s, departs at 3:00pm to arrive at 3:35pm and return on Saturday’s from Utila  to San Pedro Sula at 8:40am to arrive at 9:15am.

$220.00 usd round trip, per person.

This schedule connects with AA-Continental and Delta Airlines which fly in and out of San Pedro Sula. 

The Let-aircraft is operated in this route, has a capacity of 19 passengers and 1100 pounds of luggage.

 Charter flights are also available from Tegucigalpa-San Pedro Sula, Roatan and Utila.

 Bookings are being handled through Alice of Worldwide Travel Agency Email: alicewwtravel@yahoo.comor cellular: 9-891-1960.
for more info go to  www.UtilaGuide.com

TODAYS MOMENT OF ZEN

My friend Coonie arriving for dinner. Thai curried shrimp and rice noodles by yours truly.

SUNSET UNDER THE WATER AT TREASURE BEACH

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9PlBmoJ42M

My latest effort at documenting the underwater world around Treasure Beach, best watched full screen!

GOOD WORD OF MOUTH FOR THE PINEAPPLE HOUSE

We're really happy that The Pineapple House has seen some return guests and friends of previous guests recently. We've had a lovely group from Italy that returned after only a six month absence, return guests from Canada and another group from England who's friends were with us last September.

This is only the second year of renting out the house but it looks like we're going to be a lot busier than last year. We are almost completely booked in March and have confirmed bookings eight months out into August. With enquires already coming in for next Christmas, it would seem the word is out about the Pineapple House on Treasure Beach, good news!

MORE INTERNATIONAL PRESS FOR UTILA

A nice little mention in Britain's Telegraph Newspaper about where in the world to see whale sharks.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/picturegalleries/8266633/Diving-Giants-of-the-deep-and-where-to-find-them.html

WHY I CHOOSE UTILA AND NOT ROATAN

People often ask me why I chose Utila and not Roatan?
Roatan is easier to get to, Roatan has more restaurants etc. etc.
With carnival cruise lines new Mahogany Bay terminal completed, Roatan now has an addition two cruise ship berths and now can accommodate up to four cruise ships and their 15,000 passengers per day.

Sounds exactly like what I was trying to avoid when hunting for caribbean property. It's getting harder and harder to find beaches, let alone islands, that aren't over run with these hoards everyday.
Look at these pictures of Roatan.

Why did I choose Utila and not Roatan? Isn't it obvious.

GOOD MORNING 2011, YOU LOOK BRILLIANT.

FAREWELL 2010, YOU WERE A GREAT YEAR.