Utila
The final day of our explorations of the reefs, rivers and ruins of the Mayan World was truly a Caribbean idyll. The trade winds, which had accompanied us throughout the voyage dropped away this morning and we pulled away from the dock at Utila town into a glassy smooth sea under clear blue skies. After motoring just a few miles we dropped anchor alongside South Water Caye, just off Utila’s south coast. This palm-lined stretch of golden sand proved to be the perfect base for our morning activities of diving, swimming, snorkeling and relaxing on the beach.
After gearing up, the divers had a very brief Zodiac ride out to the dive site, just a couple of hundred yards from the ship. As we approached we could easily see down through the clear blue water where the reef dropped away down the slope we would dive, and a few minutes later we were following that same contour, slowly descending into a weightless, azure world of mystery and beauty. Large schools of blue tangs swept by over the reef top, a gorgeous leopard flatworm crawled slowly over the sandy bottom and delicate bluebell tunicates clung to the stalks of soft corals like sprays of flowers. Looking a bit closer we found exquisite little fish like this juvenile spotted drum patrolling miniature domains, only a foot or two across, inside the cracks and crevices of the reef. Every moment brought something new as we drifted along in the gentle current, flying over the reef like spacewalkers exploring an alien world.
Meanwhile the snorkelers were enjoying special discoveries of their own, including a wonderful encounter with a normally shy queen angelfish. We were all reluctant to leave when it came time to haul the anchor, but the promise of a tasty paella lunch and a siesta got us all back on board and the Sea Voyager headed for our afternoon stop at Punta Sal. Birdwatching from the Zodiacs and kayaks along a quiet river slowly faded into a glorious Caribbean sunset, a final splash of colors and textures in our rich pallet of memories of the Mayan coast.
The final day of our explorations of the reefs, rivers and ruins of the Mayan World was truly a Caribbean idyll. The trade winds, which had accompanied us throughout the voyage dropped away this morning and we pulled away from the dock at Utila town into a glassy smooth sea under clear blue skies. After motoring just a few miles we dropped anchor alongside South Water Caye, just off Utila’s south coast. This palm-lined stretch of golden sand proved to be the perfect base for our morning activities of diving, swimming, snorkeling and relaxing on the beach.
After gearing up, the divers had a very brief Zodiac ride out to the dive site, just a couple of hundred yards from the ship. As we approached we could easily see down through the clear blue water where the reef dropped away down the slope we would dive, and a few minutes later we were following that same contour, slowly descending into a weightless, azure world of mystery and beauty. Large schools of blue tangs swept by over the reef top, a gorgeous leopard flatworm crawled slowly over the sandy bottom and delicate bluebell tunicates clung to the stalks of soft corals like sprays of flowers. Looking a bit closer we found exquisite little fish like this juvenile spotted drum patrolling miniature domains, only a foot or two across, inside the cracks and crevices of the reef. Every moment brought something new as we drifted along in the gentle current, flying over the reef like spacewalkers exploring an alien world.
Meanwhile the snorkelers were enjoying special discoveries of their own, including a wonderful encounter with a normally shy queen angelfish. We were all reluctant to leave when it came time to haul the anchor, but the promise of a tasty paella lunch and a siesta got us all back on board and the Sea Voyager headed for our afternoon stop at Punta Sal. Birdwatching from the Zodiacs and kayaks along a quiet river slowly faded into a glorious Caribbean sunset, a final splash of colors and textures in our rich pallet of memories of the Mayan coast.
