A 17 hour bus ride brought us, surprisingly lively, into Honduras, a minor milestone in reaching my 20th country visited. Fortunately, we lucked out in picking a nice hostel that was virtually empty, allowing us to get a decent night's rest and cook up a big breakfast the next morning. There wasn't a great deal to see in La Ceiba, so after a big feed we took the cheaper (and much rougher) afternoon ferry over to Útila.

Arriving in Honduras with Jorden and Victoria (who took the picture!)

Upon arriving at the ferry docks in Útila, we were met by hordes of locals trying to lure us into their dive shop to secure our busines. Fortunately, we had already been in contact with Rebecca from BICD (Bay Islands Academy of Diving), who helped us through the crowd, took us on a tour of their complex, and showed us to our own private room.

Before beginning our dive courses, we had a day to relax and walk around the island, and It only took us an hour or so to realise Útila is an odd place. Most of the locals speak English, yet at first you don't quite realise it. It sounds like a mixture of Irish, Jamaican and Central American accents that you never really get used to, but it's fun to listen to. Then you meet the odd people who don't speak English at all. There doesn't seem to be any rules, and shops open and close at almost any time other than the hours they advertise. But aside from this, everyone we came across was extremely friendly and welcoming.

Local legend says that the island of Utila is the place of the fabled Robinson Crusoe, who shipwrecked on a tropical island, met a man he called Friday, and lived for 24 years marooned and seeking rescue

I began my AOW (Advanced Open Water) course on Wednesday, the first day consisting of 3 dives - a Deep Dive (30m), a Peak Performance Buoyancy dive, and a Night Dive. With no exam to do this time around, it was more about getting in the water and perfecting the skills I learned on my Open Water course in Perth earlier this year. On top of that, there were a few cool things thrown in - such as drinking a can of soda at 30m below the surface, and having a running race on the ocean floor. Unfortunately I didn't come away completely unscathed, as some sinus problems resulted in me blowing a handful of blood out of my nose each time. But I still had a bloody good time (pun intended).

After a much needed day off, I was back in the water for my Navigation and Drift dives with my instructor Donna. The sinus problems hadn't subsided but I was able to finish the dives and as such complete my AOW course, and see a few cool things along the way:

Útila is renowned worldwide as an inexpensive place to earn your dive certifications, yet the service I received from Donna, Rebecca and everyone at BICD was worth far more than what we paid. The price aside, we were extremely well looked after for the duration of our stay, the staff were very professional and friendly, and on top of this we were able to enjoy the entire experience from the comfort of our own fully furnished apartment complete with kitchen, private bathroom and balcony looking out the 3rd floor.

People told me I'd get stuck here, and if it wasn't for the overwhelming desire to explore more of Central and South America before I head home, I'd have definitely stayed longer.