Utila: Kayaking is painful, in more ways than one

As planned, I decided to hang up my scuba diving gear and swap it out for the kayak and some paddles.  Utila is a relatively small island with two main streets, one intersection and roads only on a small part of the island. Its eastern end has two lagoons, with the second and larger one marking the end of the paved road that leads out of Utila Town. From this lagoon, a narrow canal leads all the way to the northern shore of the island.  This is the destination that I set myself for my little kayaking excursion.

After some delicious breakfast at a local bakery and a visit to the world’s 4^th best bar, Treetonic (to take some shots of the venue during daylight), I signed out the kayak and set out across the bay.  The plan was to head out after all the diving boats had left for their various sites so as not to be stuck in their traffic and not have to worry about dealing with their wakes.  The morning was perfect: blue skies, little clouds dotting the sky and the calmest sea that I had seen to date in Utila.  Rather than making a large U by paddling along the shore, I decided to cut right across the bay and harbor. In less than an hour I had reached the lagoon and directed myself towards the canal. The canal quickly narrowed down to a small passage barely wide enough to allow my kayak through. After an hour and a half I finally began hearing the wind and waves of the north shore.

I came out amongst deserted white sand beaches. The shallows stretched out about 50 meters and there the turquoise waters broke in gorgeous waves.  It was truly a picturesque setting and it would have been fantastic to try out some snorkeling in the area.  Unfortunately, without anyone to stay with the kayak or my camera gear, going out into the water was not an option.  Despite their deserted appearance, I had been warned that thefts still do occur and not to leave things unattended.  There was not a single chance that I was going to ignore such a warning (not after El Salvador).

Instead I pulled the kayak up onto the shore, stretch out my towel and made myself comfortable with a book.  Whenever it got too hot, I would shimmy down the two or three feet and plop myself into the crystal clear warm water of the Caribbean (water temperature out on our dives was 27C and was much warmer in the shallows).

The paddle back started out pleasantly enough.  I saw a blue clawed crab, numerous blue heron and some iguanas.  However, as I reached the lagoon, I realized that I would have my work cut out for me.  The wind had picked up and already in the lagoon it became difficult to paddle in the direction that I needed to.  Once I exited the lagoon it became virtually impossible.  I felt that with every 3 paddles forward, I was pushed 2 paddles back by the wind and waves.  Add to this the fact that it was now 2pm and all the diving boats were either heading back in or going out.  Some of the wakes were big enough to make me reconsider cutting across the harbor. 

Instead I headed towards a nearby shore, pulled the kayak through the shallows for 20 minutes or so and eventually tackled the slightly calmer open water.  By the time I got back to my dive center, I was exhausted, blistered and sun burnt.  There could not have been a pleasanter way of spending the morning and early afternoon.

My stay in Utila was completed by an absolutely delicious meal (Lobster Quesadillas) cooked out of the basement of one of local’s homes at which I was joined by two fellow Polish travelers.