NEW! Alton's Dive Center Conch & Lobster Nursery Project
In response to continued over fishing of Conch and Lobster around the Bay Islands Alton's Dive Center has started construction of a juvenile conch and lobster nursery. This nursery will take these animals from a young creature poorly equipped to defend itself to a fully protected young adult. We will be releasing them on to the reef during special dive trips for our customers. We will be placing many conch and lobster back onto the reef in regular trips spaced about 3 to 4 weeks apart. This is an on-going project and any help you can give will be much appreciated, just ask in our office when you arrive!

You can read more about our project and some of the problems faced by these two species in this article.

Alton's Dive Center Bio-Digestor Project
We have recently installed Bio-Digestors as a supplement to our already existing septic-tank system ensuring that human waste is properly and environmentally dealt with without any environmental impact. The combination results in water out that is clean enough to water your garden.

Boat Engines
Boat engine cleanliness is a key factor to help preserve our reefs. Old dirty engines produce a lot of waste oil which sits in the bottom of the boat (know as the bilge) where water also accumulates. Of course this has to be pumped out of the boat from time to time which puts old engine oil directly on to our beautiful reefs.

At Alton's our boat engines are serviced and oil is changed around every 2 months of operation, the bilge is also cleaned up if necessary. Our boat engines are also new which helps in reducing pollution in general. Just ask to see our boat engines and we will be happy to show you!

Plastic Recycling
We have a plastic recycling station within the dive center for the collection of your waste plastic. Before using our collection station we recommend reusing your plastic water bottles by refilling them at our Snack Shack first. This will also save you money buying drinking water.

Battery Recycling
Please don't dispose of your used batteries on the island. They are very toxic to the environment so please take them with you. Failing that we do have a battery drop off for removing old batteries from the island - just ask in our office.

Water Reclamation
We try to reduce our water impact on the island as much as possible and collect rain water from our hotel roof space. This is used to supplement water for bathrooms, etc.

Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF)
Alton's Dive Center is a Field Station for the REEF organization. We offer REEF fish identificaiton courses and integration of REEF survey with fun diver packages and training. Don't simply dive, take the opportunity to learn something and add to continuing research and survey projects. Become a member of REEF and continue to contribute wherever you happen to be diving in the world.




Eco-Friendly Tips
When visiting Utila we have a few eco-friendly tips to offer you that can be used to help preserve Utila and the reef.

Utila Environmental Tips

Topside

• Create as little garbage as possible (by recycling items, avoid canned and plastic items whenever possible).
• Take your used batteries off the island with you.
• Avoid throwing cigarette butts in the sea or on the street (where they find their way into the sea). Estimates of how long it takes for a cigarette butt to degrade at sea vary from 12 to 15 years. They have been found in the stomachs of young birds, sea turtles, whales, dolphins, and other marine animals. Cigarette butts are highly toxic and leach chemicals into the animals body and can cause death if they should cause a blockage in the gut.
• Please don't purchase coral or turtle shell items from street or store vendors.
• Please respect the local culture - Utila is traditionally a conservative island and you will offend a lot of people walking around town semi-dressed in only a bikini or shorts. You won't be allowed in the bank without a shirt.
  
• Try to limit showers and other water usage as fresh water is limited on small islands like Utila.
• Try to conserve energy by switching off fans, air conditioners, and lights when you leave your hotel room.
• Buy water in no less than 1 gallon quantities as you will create less waste. If you are on Utila for more than a few days consider buying your water in 5 gallon bottles which are recycled on the island. This will also save you money.
• In general please help to protect our endemic species of iguana and the critically endangered Hawksbill Turtle.
  
• Refill your water bottles instead of buying new ones. You can do this at the Alton's Snack Shack.
• Please recycle your plastic bottles.

Underwater

• Master your buoyancy control. If your buoyancy needs practice stay away from the reef while you improve or consider taking a peak performance buoyancy class. One small buoyancy error can damage coral which has taken many years to grow. Coral can be killed easily just by an accidental touch - a kick can cause a lot of damage and can take many years to grow back.
• Refrain from taking anything from the sea. Seemingly empty or dead shells still play an important part in the fragile underwater eco-system. They offer new habitats for other creatures that rely on them. Some organisms are too small to be seen easily with the human eye and can be growing on the inside.
• Photographers and videographers please take care not to make contact with the reef as you take pictures and movies. Maintain perfect buoyancy and help ensure that beautiful pictures can still be taken when you return to the island.
• Do not use chemical diving lights which if broken kill the coral and pollute the sea.

Utila Environmental Projects

Grey and Black Water Treatment Project
Utila's swerage/black water/grey water processing project is well underway. The project recently disrupted Utila's small traffic as the roads were dug up to place pipes all around the East Harbor (Utila's Town). The pipes are now in place and the second phase of the project to install the pumping stations around the island is now starting.

As this project has been proceeding another shorter term project has installed bio-digestors in the poorer community areas on the island where typically residents can not afford to install septic tank systems. This will benefit in the short term to medium term until the grey and black water treatment project has been fully completed.

Bay Islands Conservation Association Projects
BICA maintains a network of buoys around the island for dive operators helping to protect the islands reefs from boat anchors.

A continual reef monitoring program is in place, partly conducted in cooperation with the dive centers and partly by BICAs own volunteer divers.

Coral Regrowing Projects for shallow water corals such as Staghorn corals which can suffer from hurricane damage (hurricane Mitch caused damage to shallow water corals).

Water quality monitoring, water temperature, coral bleaching watch and other projects are conducted by BICA.