Dive Review of Coral View Dive Center/Coral View Beach Resort in
Caribbean (General)

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Coral View Dive Center/Coral View Beach Resort: "Utila - the itch has been scratched", Apr, 2016, by Clint Capshaw, TX, US ( Reviewer 5 reports with 9 Helpful votes). Report 9103.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity
Dive Operation		Shore Diving
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	We were a group of 6 adult male divers on our regular spring strip. We look for good diving and not fancy digs. About Utila: We knew Utila was a destination for young people interested in getting various levels of certification to join the dive industry. The island is full of bare bones operators that focus on training at the lowest cost for these customers. There are quite a few restaurants and even more bars on this very small island. There is a party atmosphere most evenings because of the young people. The island is not really designed for traditional Caribbean visitors..it is down to earth and a bit rough, but we like this kind of place. The good: The diver operator was as accommodating as could be, friendly and helpful. The regular manager, Faye, was gone and her father, Arthur, was in charge. He was a hoot, quite a character, originally from Great Britain. Grace, Our DM and guide for our entire week, was a contractor but well known to the dive shop. She was terrific and we dived our own profiles all week. Because we had 5 people we got our own boat every day. Captain was pleasant and knew the waters. Diving was good but not great....there were some terrific sites but other were so-so. Shore diving available and the local reef is easy to access and navigate, and available for night dives with a guide.Overall weather was fine and we did not miss any days of diving. All the people we met in town, at the "resort' and the dive shop were terrific, friendly and went out of their way to be helpful. Value for our dollar was excellent. 2 men shared very basic rooms (with AC) and our package cost included breakfast each day. Lunch and even dinner were available, and most days we had lunch on the dock and the meals were brought to us there. The dock bar was run by Elena who had here baby on site with her...she was wonderful and the baby a joy. By the end of the week we were being joined by Arthur, Grace, and other hotel guests for dinner in town. It is that kind of an island. The bad: The resort is old and rundown. It is a family operation and Managed by the son of the founder. It appears that no one really notices that things need to be repaired, that piles of stuff should be cleaned up or moved out of site. Coral View's main moneymaker is apparently summer camps for young people, as they have a large dormitory that is used to house many kids, and the hotel rooms are modified to hold 4 or 6 bunk-beds (which the were working on during our stay). Admittedly, we were there in what is apparently their off season but it is not a well cared for facility. There are a number of employees that live on site, and often during the day and early evening there are kids running around playing soccer in the halls and making a lot of noise. While the kitchen staff was most helpful and ready to serve, the facility itself left much to be desired. Bear in mind, as a group we don't mind these issues on our guys trip, but it is not a place for folks with even moderate expectations. While the dives shop was overall fine as a facility, the dive boats were old and did appear to lack some maintenance. Wiring exposed etc. IN general the whole place was reflective of the island.....no attention to details or maintenance, and old and worn out. Bottom line, if you are looking for great value for your dollar, nice people and an easy going atmosphere the island and Coral View are a good choice. If you are looking for upscale, or even mid-scale, go elsewhere. We re glad e went but won't be back....the itch has been scratched.
Websites	Coral View Dive Center
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	501-1000 dives
Where else diving	Cozumel many times, Bonaire, Grand Cayman, Little Cayman, Cayman Brac, Roatan, Florida Keys, Belize, Flower Gardens, Hawaii (4 islands)
Closest Airport	Utila Airport (local flights only)	Getting There	From Mainland Honduras take a ferry or local unscheduled flights (twin engine or single engine). Same from Roatan. Check on ferries as they seem to come and go. We flew with Island Air, a twin engine older plane run by Captain Angelo.
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, windy, rainy, cloudy	Seas	calm, choppy
Water Temp	80-82°F / 27-28°C	Wetsuit Thickness	2
Water Visibility	60-80 Ft/ 18-24 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	We had a boat to ourselves and once DM established we were experienced and competent divers, and diving Nitrox, our profiles were pretty much unlimited.
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	yes
What I Saw
Sharks	1 or 2	Mantas	None
Dolphins	1 or 2	Whale Sharks	> 2
Turtles	> 2	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish
Large Pelagics
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter		Boat Facilities
Overall rating for UWP's		Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	[None]

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Dive Review of Coral View Dive Center/Coral View Beach Resort in Caribbean (General)

Coral View Dive Center/Coral View Beach Resort: "Utila - the itch has been scratched", Apr, 2016,

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Overall Rating

Reporter and Travel

Dive Conditions

Dive Policy

What I Saw

Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Dive Review of Coral View Dive Center/Coral View Beach Resort in
Caribbean (General)