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2009-08-31Photos of the party at Water Cay!

January 2010 100% PADI Instructor Exam Success and to the beginning of the best lifestyle!!!!

Congratulations to our PADI Instructor Development Course, IDC candidates with another great accomplishment. 

The photo above was taken on January 27th on a beautiful sunny day with the Utila Dive Centre's January Instructor candidates and IDC staff from Utila, at the completion of the PADI Instructor Exams at the Mango Inn pool celebrating their success. Once again our candidates excelled from our dedicated personalised Instruction, and showed there is a difference with the training of PADI Platinum Course Director Andy Philips and IDC Staff Instructor Suzy Phipps and Niv Silberman with support from Utila Dive Centres Master Instructor and Manager Frank Gutierrez.

'Often imitated but never surpassed!'

GoPro with our PADI Instructor (IDC) and Divemaster course's 

It's never too late to become a PADI Instructor with our upcoming IDC's held on Utila, Honduras.  If you are a PADI Divemaster (or equivalent) then you can enroll in one of our upcoming PADI IDC's, our January Instructor course just ended with a 100% pass, and  our next PADI Instructor course of 2010 will run from February 10th to the 21st, with the exams on the 23rd/24th, and then our March IDC will run from the 10th to 21st with the exams on the 23rd/24th. See our course schedule for further dates on the Instructor course, all other courses can be started at any time.

New for 2010 is the PADI Instructor course e-learning option that allows candidates who are time constrained to study a portion of the course online, and then arrive 3 days after our classroom start date (on the Saturday) and join in the program.  Please contact us to learn more about the convenience of this option and to join today.

There's never been a better time to become a PADI Instructor, with a booming dive industry through Central America and the Caribbean, from Mexico to Panama, with a demand for PADI Scuba Instructors to work the upcoming season.  Make your year mean something and join us for the most exciting and dynamic PADI IDC in Central America, and arrive early for free diving and preparation program, please 'Contact Us' for more information and read on to find out what makes our program and staff the most chosen and awarded in Central America.

Read on Christmas festivities and the New Year events with our new blog by UDC Instructor Sam Wilson!

It's been a fun packed Christmas and New Year period at Utila Dive Centre, read what our staff and divers have been up to with our new blog link.

New for 2010: IDC Online learning

For candidates who are already certified as PADI Divemaster prior to arriving on Utila for your IDC there have been changes to the curriculum, that from January 2010, now allow you to;

1)    Study and pre-assess your dive theory online.

2)    Study 9 of the course presentations online which can be used to save time from the course and start 3 days later than our 'Live delivery' IDC with the start date on the Saturday.

Looking ahead to 2010 - Our team and the Whale sharks are waiting for you!!!

Several months ago there was a political dispute within Honduras that has made the international media and shown unfounded unrest within the country.  Although Honduras still remained safe to visit, there were travel advisories placed against the larger cities but the Bay Islands have always been safe to visit.  Recently this word of caution was lifted, and now the US, Canadian and European 'Foreign Travel Advisories' have deemed the mainland of Honduras, in addition to the Bay Islands, safe to visit and travel and removed any warnings from their websites.   In spite of negative portrayal in the media our team and divers have had a great year in 2009 and we look forward to welcoming all visitors to Utila and to a great start in 2010.  We have great diving conditions at the moment, the sun is shining, courses are starting on a daily basis and reaching paradise is worth the journey.  So what more are you waiting for, come and join us for great diving, the Whale sharks, a great atmosphere and fun times!!!

PADI Platinum Course Director award - 5th consecutive year!!!

Congratulations to Utila Dive Centres Director of Professional Training for receiving the coveted Platinum award from PADI Vice President James Morgan at the November 2009 DEMA show in Orlando, USA. Andy is only one of 50 CD's worldwide recognised by PADI to receive the award and 2009 is his 5th consecutive year to receive the award, which is an unmatched record in the region. The award is another endorsement to the experience of Utila Dive Centers staff and their commitment to professional dive training, PADI Instructor courses and their candidates. Utila Dive Centre and Andy were also honoured to be invited to talk about what has made them such a successful dive operation, in front of over 1000 PADI professionals, resorts and retailers at the DEMA seminar 'Believe', and is also a sign of peer endorsement that shows the quality of our staff and programs.

UDC on Tour UK Dive Show

Thanks to all past and future divers for stopping by the stand at the UK dive show on the weekend.  We even has the 'Underwater TV' channel stop by and film our operations Manager Morna Maclean, and you can see the footage here on the UnderwaterTV channel.  It was great to see so many people and we look forward to diving with you in the future.  

October Whale shark sighting

This magnificent Whale shark was photographed by our divers, and PADI Instructor Samantha Hansen, on the North side of Utila, on October 13th at the Maze dive site. It was estimated to be 40-45ft/12-13mt long and female. In 2008 there were recorded sightings of Whale sharks every month on Utila, and we're fortunate to have the best opportunity to sight them in Honduras, as they frequent the walls of the North side of the island.

 UDC praised in Sport Diver September issue for Conservation lead...

Check out this article by clicking on this link 'UDC-Sport Diver ECO article' and read what Sport Diver say about UDC in their September issue!!!!

Utila Dive Centre, leading with action!

 You could be part of this!

We have great video footage of the amazing party we had on Water Cay last Sunday. Now you can watch from the comfort of your own home how we party at Utila Dive Centre! The water is crystal clear and the sand almost pure white!

Utila Dive Centre attracts divers from all over the world who want to learn to dive, fun dive or take diving to the next level and become professional divers with our PADI Divemaster course before qualifying as Instructors. So if you want to go to a beach party with free food,beer, rum, transportation, DJ and private island then this is the place for you! Just click on the link below to watch.

 
Hope to see you soon - scuba diving Honduras!

Party at Water Cay

We had a big party on Sunday to celebrate another successful year at Utila Dive Centre. We closed for the day and took all the staff, customers, family and friends to the beautiful Cays and had a BBQ on the jewel of the Cays, Water Cay.
 
The day couldn't have been more perfect. Nico cooked his delicious BBQ and we sipped Flor de Cana rum in the sea. Once we finished playing volleyball and water polo.
 
Congratulations to our recent Divemaster and Instructor graduates Ghislain, Sam, Andrew, Mary, Rory, Lorna, Bertrand, Arnaud and Rhonda!

Read what sets our professional training apart with our 'Professional Training Philosophy', and then......

Watch this footage of our beach BBQ!

Come Scuba Dive Honduras with many, many PADI courses on offer

After the huge success of Sun Jam and the Utila Carnival we've got back to what we do best - divng as much as we can! The visibility is fantastic right now and the water so warm we're all in short wetsuits.

It's a great October so far in Utila!

There are a variety of courses going on right now from the PADI Open Water course, PADI Advanced Open Water course, and PADI Rescue Diver course, to various specialties such as Wreck, Nitrox and Diver Propulsion Vehicle  (DPV) - our new toy to help you go faster in the water and see more of the reef.

We are also starting another technical divng course with our experienced technical Instructors so you can dive deeper than you ever thought possible! Contact us through the website if you would like further details.

There is a buzz going around Utila again. More people are travelling around Utila and there are no transport problems and all borders are open.

Our World Famous BBQ is also going to become even more famous this Thursday with the opening of our custom made BBQ area. A huge plate of food and as much rum or beer as you like. 

   UDC is selected as one of Project AWARE's Environmental Achievement Awards.

Project AWARE's Environmental Operators demonstrate a commitment to conservation and provide customers with experiences that enhance visitor awareness, appreciation and understanding of the environment.
 
  Utila Dive Center was selected as one of Project AWARE's Environmental Achievement Award recipients for 2008!  This is the 3rd consecutive year that UDC have received the award and is a great reflection for our Instructors, Divemaster and Boat Captians efforts for protecting the environment and educating our divers in environmental conservation.
 
To be considered UDC satisfied the following criteria:
 
      * Nature based
      * Contribute to local environmental conservation
      * Support local community well-being
      * Include environmental education

Utila Dive Centre is a TrekCATS Operator

Now backpackers and travelers can dive Central America the informed way.  Choose from the premier dive operators in each country in Central America, from Guatemala to Colombia on your travels, and when you show proof of having taken a course with a TrekCATS operator, or 2 logged dives, you get entitled to a special rate at all other members!  Not only do TrekCATS dive operations adhere to the highest standards of quality, but they provide an amazing service and a fun time for all their divers.  Search for the TrekCATS group on Facebook to find members and join the group.  Another great reason to come and dive with UDC!

It's now official...

...the management team at Utila dive center have been awarded in exceeding excellence for their activities both in, and out of the water. 

At the October DEMA dive show in Orlando, UDC collected 2 awards from PADI Worldwide, in recognition of the support that Utila Dive Center provides for the local dive community on Utila, the Bay Islands, and in Honduras, with a second award to the UDC Instructor Development team, for their Instructor training efforts and to raising the 'bar' in their PADI 'GoPro' programs.  It's no secret amongst divers that UDC provides the best in-water experiences, training and education programs, with marine conversation efforts previously awarded by project Aware, and this photo above shows the awards given at the DEMA dive show, and reinforces UDC's commitment to giving their divers the best time, both in and out of the Ocean!