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Dive Review of Deep Blue Utila Resort in
Honduras/Utila

Deep Blue Utila Resort, Apr, 2009,

by Deb , ME, USA (Reviewer Reviewer 3 reports). Report 4808.

No photos available at this time

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Accommodations 5 stars Food 5 stars
Service and Attitude 1 stars Environmental Sensitivity 5 stars
Dive Operation 1 stars Shore Diving 5 stars
Snorkeling 5 stars
Value for $$ 3 stars
Beginners 4 stars
Advanced 5 stars
Comments We recently made a trip to Utila and stayed at Deep Blue Utila Resort. First, let us say that the resort, itself, was great. Clean rooms, groomed grounds, and great food. Beautiful beach, free shore diving and being with friends we haven't seen since last August. We think that's where the good parts end.

Boy, how disappointing, to say the least. Let's start with their "wonderful" dive master, Zab. It was right after our first dive, on the first day, she saw something she didn't like. Some of the divers were crowding in on a sea horse. Well, let me tell you...when we got back on the boat , she started screeching and screaming at us, AND she used foul language. Telling us we were killing thousands of little animals and that by the end of the week, we were going to learn to dive in a group or else she was throwing us all off the boat. She claimed it was HER reef and we would dive it the way SHE wanted us to. Now, we are all in favor of diving correctly and saving the reef and all of us were experienced divers. We guess she doesn't know that there is a professional way of discussing problems with her divers. All she knew was to start in with her tirade that lasted several minutes. In all our years of diving, we have never been talked to the way Zab talked to us. We were there with friends and we know for sure that the 4 of us designated to the owner that she get none of the tip that we designated for the dive masters and crew. The others were were great, but none of them stood up to her about the way she was treating paying guests. After that first dive, I was ready to get on a plane and go home!

Then, our dive light was stolen from the room. Our friends lost $500 worth of pesos from their room. We did get our light back, but not before we were told it was in there somewhere and we just couldn't find it. We tore the room apart 5 times, and no dive light. I reported it, but "the girls" knew nothing about it. Meanwhile, everytime we had the opportunity to look for it in our room, it WASN'T there. We took everything out of draws, looked under the bed about 5 times, looked through our empty luggage, and it wasn't there. Finally, the owner sent "the girls" to rummage through all our belongings, while we were diving. and what do ya know?!?!? They claimed they found the light in one of the draws that we must have emptied 5 times. We were really glad they rummaged through all my belongings (cough, cough). I have just never heard of such a thing. We're sure at other places, we've stayed, 'the girls' looked through our things, but to be told that they were instructed to do this horrified us. The bottom line was, the owner's common law wife told us it was in our room the whole time.

All our friends had to do was report their pesos missing, luckily the afternoon before we left, so they didn't get the 'must be in your room, you just can't see it' treatment. When they got home and didn't find it in any of their luggage, the owner sent them a check for $500. I am very glad they were reimbursed, but not thrilled that our ability to find a silly light, in our room, was called into question.

We would NEVER recommend any of our friends to go there. We were NOT happy with the way we were treated. By the way, the owner said that no one was ever robbed before and he didn't respond to our comment of didn't he think it was more than a coincident that it happened in 2 different rooms, in the same week?

To say the VERY least, we will never go to that resort, again, and for that matter never go to Utila, again, either. No whale sharks seen and the rest of the diving was so-so. Oh...did we say we both have about 350 Caribbean dives under our belts? It's not like we're newbies. If you go and stay there, good luck! Hope nothing like this happens to you!

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience 251-500 dives
Where else diving Bonaire, Aruba, Belize, Roatan, Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac, Little Cayman, St. Croix, Key West, Bahamas, Bermuda
Closest Airport Getting There

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny Seas choppy, currents
Water Temp 79-82°F / 26-28°C Wetsuit Thickness
Water Visibility 50-75 Ft/ 15-23 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile yes
Enforced diving restrictions It was pretty loose. Suggested depths, but dive own profile. Could follow dive master or not.
Liveaboard? no Nitrox Available? N/A

What I Saw

Sharks None Mantas None
Dolphins Schools Whale Sharks None
Turtles 1 or 2 Whales None
Corals 4 stars Tropical Fish 2 stars
Small Critters 3 stars Large Fish 2 stars
Large Pelagics 1 stars

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Subject Matter 2 stars Boat Facilities 2 stars
Overall rating for UWP's 2 stars Shore Facilities 1 stars
UW Photo Comments There was no camera table on the boat, just a cooler filled with fresh water to drop camera into. There was a rinse tank for cameras, only, on shore, but nothing else.
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Note: The information here was reported by the author above, but has NOT been reviewed nor edited by Undercurrent prior to posting on our website. Please report any major problems by writing to us and referencing the report number above.

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