Utila Pics - Caribbean island and reef shots

[James]

I'm going to add to this thread as I search through hard drives and find more pictures.

My "neighborhood" in Utila from a prop plane. My place is the last house on the right on this picture. Google map Utila for a topdown of the island. The water on the bottom of the pic is the Caribbean and the water on the top is the lagoon in the middle of the island.

Night hammock with Salsa (neighbors dog that I have known since she was a puppy)

Evil TINY lionfish on the reef right in front of my house... tried to spear it but it was too little and it escaped.

Royal Grammas

Purple Barrel or tube Sponge

Single tang that got separated from its shoal.

Long Spine urchin and Arrow Crab

Chain-Link Moray (there is a huge group/family/whatever you call a whole bunch of eels living right on the jetty in front of my place)

Juvenile French Angel

Caribbean Reef Octopus hiding

Queen Angelfish

Coral (need ID on this one)

Hawksbill Turtle (this guy was on my last air on the minutes of my last dive right off the dropoff in front of my house)

Caribbean Reef Squid

 

[Dre]

Livin la vida loca...

 

[Bry17nyc]

Beautiful

 

[Koyfam16]

Nice pics..
is this the house that you rent out?

I remember a thread a few months ago and it was booking up fast.

Sent from my SGH-T959 using Reefs

 

[James]

Nice pics..
is this the house that you rent out?

I remember a thread a few months ago and it was booking up fast.

Sent from my SGH-T959 using Reefs

Yes it is. It has been doing pretty well. The site I use has really been awesome. I wish some people from MR would take advantage, so far only Ming has taken me up on going. He went when I went so we cohabitated for most of the trip till he met this pretty german girl in his dive course.... then i got my place to myself if you know what i mean. :lovestory

 

[Koyfam16]

Lol..I was just telling my wife about your place..
Sounds and looks like a great place to visit..
I'll pm you with my email so you can send me more info.

Sent from my SGH-T959 using Reefs

 

[miserkris]

Nice pics. ...do u guys cook or eat local foods there? I Iove island /Jamaican cuisine.

 

[James]

Nice pics. ...do u guys cook or eat local foods there? I Iove island /Jamaican cuisine.

We cook, eat out at the numerous restaurants, throw parties on the beach with local food (fish frys and hog frys are most common, there is also a local stew called a bandu which is coconut water and fish and all types of good stuff like breadfruit cooked on open pots in the sand). The tourism is completely intertwined with the local culture which is the thing that makes it so cool. You will not find a place that is only tourists or only locals, everywhere is mixed. I will always be considered a tourist there but I know most of the locals and have been going since 2007.

 

[James]

Edited the video to put in some better music and some rental info for random youtube viewers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5JsAQCgyIc0

 

[Bry17nyc]

A video from the house, past the public beach to the main road (paved part, im technically on the main road). This is the "commute" you take if you want to head to my favorite dive shop, there is also a dive shop 1 minute away from me. Sorry for the cheesy music, youtube sucks but it is better than the sound my vespa makes. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxTj1PJ28Hg

That looks so beautiful and relaxing

 

[JARRETT SHARK]

Looks real relaxing!!!

 

[James]

From the other direction to give some perspective.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sL0UiG1bstE

 

[Euroreefer]

My definition of Paradise. your a very lucky man.

 

[James]

I am lucky. Equally as important to luck is being a calculated risk taker, I traveled to places that lots of other people said were too dangerous and had some of the best experiences of my life. When you put yourself out there the rewards are often tenfold. I would have never even heard of Utila if I didn't buy a one-way ticket to Guatemala City in 2005 not speaking any Spanish, met people, heard about different places, spent 10 months checking them out living off of 20$ a day in online poker winnings... not for everybody. I still get a lot of grief from my family and friends who don't understnad and never will who talk down to me about buying a place "in Honduras" and not getting a mortgage and living the typical indebted American life. Different strokes I guess.

 

[greenlawns]

Nice pics

 

[Quang]

Sweet crib, James!

 

[STHILL]

Very nice