Utila Highlife

Utila (a small island off the Honduran coast) is unique in that it is made up of an eclectic mix of people. The oldest (living) inhabitants of the island are descendents of British pirates that took possession of Utila some centuries ago. Some time later came the Garifuna (ex-slaves from British colonies) from the mainland. Both of these groups speak English (yet with different accents), neither of which is easily understandable even to an English native speaker. Over the past decades Utila has converted itself from a sleepy fisher island to a diving & tourist metropolis. Many tourists from all over the world have been captured by the energy on Utila and have stayed; now making a living as dive instructors, restaurant operators or simply hanging out and not making a living at all. With the growing tourist importance of Utila, there has also been an immigration of Latin Honduran’s from the mainland, to the effect that today Utila is English / Spanish bilingual with both languages spoken roughly equally. All these distinct groups tend to stick to themselves and do not mix a lot, which allows the visitor to observe very distinct cultures on one tiny island.

The group I naturally had the most con tact with were foreigners that have come from all over the world and have stayed attracted by the endless summer, sun, amazing diving, rum and fiesta. After two weeks on Utila I can relate to the charms of such a life. Discovering the magic of the underwater world during the day and watching the sun dip into the ocean over a tasty Cuba Libre in one of the ubiquitous hammocks at night, is a life style that has many things going for it. Many of these “professional” divers claim that a diver is a happier person (than a terrestrial one). I am not sure if it is the serenity of diving or the nitrogen that builds up inside a diver’s body during a dive that leads to this happiness, but they certainly tend to walk around with big smiles on their faces.