The Caribbean
THE WHALE SHARKS OF UTILA
Close encounters with the greatest fish in the ocean
Dates: Friday 1st April - Sunday 10th April 2011 (10 days)
Leader: Steve Fox and the staff of Deep Blue resort
Group Size Limit: 12 divers
Photo by Wally Deihl
Utila, the third largest of Honduras’s Bay Islands, lies in the world’s second largest barrier reef system. Each year, in the deep waters to the north of the island, dozens of Whale Sharks migrate through the area. In March and April one has a particularly good chance of seeing and swimming with the largest fish in the ocean. Swimming with Whale Sharks is an immense privilege and a truly unforgettable experience. A Whale Shark approaches surprisingly gracefully for such a huge animal, slowly and almost delicately beating its enormous tail from side to side, the wide mouth permanently open to continuously feed on plankton. It will be curious about the strange ‘fish’ that swims alongside, as it passes at around 2-3 knots, often keeping its eye on her new neighbour. When the Whale Shark wants to dive it will head down and go, faster than you can follow, so your moments with this extraordinary creature are to be cherished! The fist meeting will probably leave you so awe-struck that you’ll only think about reaching for your camera once the Whale Shark has passed! As of October 2009, Utila recorded Whale Sharks in its waters every month for 22 months! You could not be in a better place to seek out these magnificent creatures!
Utila Whale Shark Research was established by Steve Fox in 2003 and is now one of the world’s largest Whale Shark research projects. The project uses the Ecocean photo ID system, whereby participants in the research programme capture photographs of the Whale Sharks which are used to identify individuals by their spots, much like a human finger print. Utila has made a huge contribution of hundreds of photos to the Ecocean world wide database on the species.
Utila Whale Shark Research regularly contributes to the development and continuation of a number of other research projects with some of the world’s leading marine biologists. Marine Meganet uses acoustic tracking stations to monitor the movement of Whale Sharks along the Meso-American reef system and into the Gulf of Mexico. Researchers from the Shark Research Institute of Princeton University are regular visitors to Utila.
Steve Fox and the staff of Deep Blue Resort will be your hosts for the week as you seek out Whale Sharks. March and April are peak times for Whale Shark sightings and so during this time you can expect to be joined by a number of researchers who often hold talks and presentations in the evenings as they are keen to share their knowledge and findings with you. You too can take part in the research project simply by photographing as many individuals as you can! You don’t need to be an expert photographer; all you need to achieve is clear images of the sharks. The main area to aim for is the animal's natural spot patterning behind the gills on the left side (primary patterning) and right side (secondary patterning). From the photographs, these spots are mapped into the Ecocean database and pattern-recognition software scans for matches to previously identified animals. This data can be collected from a safe distance and without any harm to the shark. More importantly, photo-identification data is valuable far beyond the very limited timeframe of conventional plastic tagging. The data you collect will help build ‘life histories’ for each animal, and with an estimated life span for Whale Sharks of 60+ years, your data will have a long-term impact on global whale shark research and conservation.
During your diving day you’ll be making dives on the reefs of Utila whilst Steve and the staff seek out Whale Sharks. As and when they locate them, you will be able to go with the spotters and snorkel with the animals, but you might be lucky enough to encounter one on your dive! Remember to keep your camera handy to get those all important research photographs!
The Bay Islands have all that a diver could require for a dream holiday. Volcanic peaks surrounded by coral reefs form part of the world’s second biggest barrier reef system which stretches down from Mexico through Belize and on to Honduras. A diverse variety of dive sites from shallow lagoons to seamounts, walls and sheer drop-offs is matched by an equally diverse population of marine life. Jungle-topped islands with swaying palm trees and deserted coral sand beaches dot the landscape. The larger islands have villages along the shores yet the small remote cays are seemingly untouched by civilization. Coral grows thickly on the reef walls in Honduras and many dive sites start at as little as 10 metres. Several of the reefs are frequented by dolphins and larger schooling fish.
On Utila we will be staying at Deep Blue Resort, owned and managed by Steve Fox. The resort sits on the beach surrounded by palm trees. Each spacious air-conditioned, en-suite, ocean view bungalow has its own balcony and is just steps away from the sea where you can enjoy unlimited shore diving on Deep Blue’s house reef. Facilities include a comfortable social room where you can use the computers as well as a full service bar and restaurant. Steve makes an excellent cocktail!
OUTLINE ITINERARY
Friday 1st April: Continental Airlines midday flight from London (Heathrow) bound for San Pedro Sula via Houston, arriving in the evening. Overnight at an hotel in San Pedro Sula.
Saturday 2nd April: Morning flight to Utila. Transfer to Deep Blue Resort for 7 nights.
Sunday 3rd -Friday 8th April: 6 days of snorkelling with Utila Whale Shark Research and 5 days diving the reefs of Utila.
Saturday 9th April: Early breakfast and a morning flight to San Pedro Sula to connect with a late morning Continental Airlines flight bound for London (Heathrow) via Houston.
Sunday 10th April: Morning arrival at London (Heathrow).
£1325 San Pedro Sula/San Pedro Sula (provisional price, to be confirmed)
Includes:
• Return flight between San Pedro Sula and Utila.
• airport transfers on Utila
• 7 nights full board (breakfast, lunch and dinner) accommodation on a twin/share basis in an Ocean View Bungalow at Deep Blue Resort
• 5 days of diving (3 boat dives daily and unlimited shore diving)
• 5 days to snorkel with Whale Sharks, as and when located.
Single Occupancy Supplement: £288 (provisional price, to be confirmed). Please note that, while we will endeavour to find a room-mate for those on the tour who are single travellers and would prefer to share accommodation, in the event of a room-mate not being available the single occupancy supplement will apply. Room-mates will be allocated on a first-come first-served basis.
Most participants will need one night’s hotel accommodation in San Pedro Sula before the flight across to Utila. This stay is not included in the tour cost. We can reserve rooms at the Hotel Hilton (from approximately £53 per night twin./share or £106 single occupancy, payable locally in US$). Airport/hotel transfers are not included. Taxis are inexpensive and freely available.
Note: Should two people travelling together apply for the last place on the tour, we may, at our discretion, increase the group size by one.
Flights: From about £793 to San Pedro Sula.
HOLIDAY COMBINATIONS & ADDITIONS: It is easy to extend your stay at Deep Blue Resort on Utila. Alternatively, you could take a liveaboard cruise on Utila Aggressor. Talk to us about the possibilities.
Photo by Wally Deihl
