The Sun Came Out!

I awoke this morning after a good night sleep ready to get back out into the water. We cruised around the east end of the island and came around to the north side where we anchored at CJ's Drop off for our first dive. It was quite a drop off we went over the edge and were looking out into a blue abyss. We stayed along the wall and dropped down to about 100 feet and proceeded to swim alongside the wall full of colorful coral reef and an assortment of other fascinating organisms. At one point we looked out into the blue water to see a giant of a barracuda lurking in the distance.

Each dive seems to top the previous one as I become more familiar with the landscapes and organisms more commonly found on the reef. I did expect to see a more dense population of fish and wildlife, but you can always rely on the breathtaking sights of the different species and color variation of the coral. Coral, the keystone species in this ecosystem, is fascinating in itself because as an animal the coral grows algae as a source of energy. This eliminates the need for the coral to absorb nutrients from the water. This technique of growing it's food source is obviously very successful as evident from the bright and varied colors of the coral themselves and the other organisms living within this community.

I can see the end of my travels rapidly approaching with only two more nights on Utila before making the journey back to San Pedro Sula where I fly out at 230am Monday morning. It's been a grand adventure but I look forward to getting back out to California and getting back to work to pay off my debts I've managed to accure from my adventures. But like someone once told me..."Money comes and goes, time only goes"