Salty Dog Productions
We bring images to life...
This page will be changing as time goes by, so check back now and again for more cool Utila stuff!
Our Town
This is an incredibly personal video for me. It is a bit of a mishmash of clips, showcasing the people on the rock when I was there.
It is way too long, I know - but once I got started, I found it quite impossible to stop!
Please note that the footage is quite old and there are lots of digital dropouts throughout.
Also, all the aerials I chose to use, represent Utila in 1994, before most of the development happened. I hung out of the plane with the door off in Selene's plane, with a high 8 camera . It is not the smoothest footage.
I hope you enjoy this video as much as I do.
Utila
Salty Dog Productions was born on Utila in 1996. Rick and I had moved to the Island 1993, with the idea that we would retire. Well, it did not happen that way. What did happen for the next decade, was an adventure of a lifetime.
7 miles long and 2 miles wide - Utila proudly boasts its ancestry from some of the most notorious pirates who ever sailed the seas, and they would be right. Tales of stashed treasure continue to lure adventurers from all over the world!
The scuba diving is extraordinary. Vertical walls, fringing reefs, sea mounts galore, more corals and sponges than anywhere else in the Caribbean, tons of fish, year round whale sharks and SO many other noteworthy pelagics!
The Utilaians are a proud people with a rich and colorful history. They are also incredibly sweet, generous and welcoming.
And for the record... not a day goes by, that my heart does not go to Utila and those wonderful people. Not a single day in 20 years!
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Skye Ranch
Our home for a decade, Skye Ranch was located about a mile outside of town on a sandy path. Skye Ranch Reef right in front, with swim thrus, brain and elkhorn coral mazes, tons of fish, and a 90 foot sloping wall.
Oh yeah... no electricity!
Rick and Skye (Jones) Reno
We both became instructors and taught loads of people to dive.
Rick is a brilliant educator, and has a very special way about him, when imparting knowledge.
Rick went on to become the first resident Course Director on Utila, and I opened Salty Dog Productions in 1996.
This entire page is sort of a scrapbook of videos, photos and stories highlighting a few of my experiences and memories of events, people and places, whilst on the rock.
Photo credit - Rocky Jones 1993
Rick hates this photo - but I love it because Rocky took it one night at Blue Bayou!
The Last Voyage of the Halliburton 211
This is one of my favorite Utila movies. It's a big story and if you have thirty minutes to spare and want to get a better feeling of Utila and the way it was; this is a good video to watch.
This video is centered around 3 men I have always had a soft spot for... Jim Engel, Rocky Jones and Ron Janssen.
Toss in the largest hurricane of the last century, and the sinking of a freighter and it's epic! Well, I think so anyway.
Photos from The Halliburton plaque placement
The Aquatic Realm of Utila
Another way too long video! That said, it represents Utila diving from 1995 to 2003. For any instructor or hardcore diver on the rock back then - you might even recognize some of these aquatic creatures.
They were after all - our friends!
This and That/Just For Fun Productions
Check back to this page for more content... coming soon!
Only On Utila
Utila, is such a funny, quirky and zany place. So many laughable moments happen on a daily basis.
After all, as my old friend Gracie said... "There are no grown-ups on the Island." And she was right. Well, other than Mr. Frank that is!
This video represents one of those moments. As I go through all my Utila footage, I plan on making a whole series of videos that highlight... Only On Utila!
Roger Bush - The King of Beers!
For it all Roger... THANK YOU!
Roger always played for my cameras. Budweiser could do an entire marketing campaign around Roger!
Red Ridge Stables
Seriously guys, this trip is so much fun, don't even think about not going. And do the big trip so you can see it all.
Hanging out with the legendary Sterlin' on a horse in the bush of Utila... oh HELL yes!
Have fun!
Camillia Spoof - BCD Assembly
Camilla took my videography course way back when on the rock - and yet, it is still so fresh in my mind.
Camilla is a master at comedy. We laughed so hard during the 10 days we spent together for this course.
She arrived with a brilliant and fun idea - The Adventures of Black Beauty. This is but one small clip from that shoot. It's very old and degraded, but still.
Disclaimer - THIS IS A SPOOF! We were always irreverent back then, and this is a funny, and irreverent as all get out, clip.
Watch to the end... wait for it!
Hurricane Mitch Day 3
Raw Footage
This is the raw footage that I shot on the 3rd day of Hurricane Mitch. There was a brief eye over us when I shot this. Mitch went on to wallop us again that night.
Ever grateful how cataclysmic events really do create a bonding experience. Oh yes... were all bonding on the rock for those 3 days and nights, that's for sure!
The nights were the worst. Remember how loud it was?
Cool and colorful people doing cool things on the rock...
The Utila Sea Turtle Project
Utila has a dedicated group of people, committed to protecting the Island and its amazing and diverse natural resources.
This video highlights their efforts, to protect the Sea Turtles of Utila.
Glenn Pederson and Shelby McNab, through The Bay Island Conservation Association, spearheaded this fantastic endeavor, bringing the whole Island and the turtles together. The educational and general awareness benefits for the local Utilaians, has been invaluable.
This project is extra special to me, in that the baby turtles were raised in the little champa at Blue Bayou. very near Skye Ranch; so we were part of the feeding crew. Every morning a fish would magically appear on our porch to take down to the little turtles. Letting them go, as you will see at the end of the video, is a heart grabber for me, every single time I watch this video.
To this day, Glenn lives near the turtle nesting sites; and in the season, continues to monitor and chart the nests and the hatches.
After rescuing every backyard creature imaginable, and having all the furry pets one could as a kid, I finally got a small fish tank. That was a turning point.
Somehow, this introvert worked his way up from his first 10 gallon aquarium, to managing the aquarium shop, building and installing reef systems that just kept getting bigger, caring for and training marine mammals in even larger tanks, performing with these animals in front of thousands of people in 3 different countries.
These days I get to see almost every sunrise from a Caribbean beach with my best canine friends and live on an amazing Island with the best people on earth.
After 3 decades and more than half my life on this little rock, I often pinch myself, feeling I must be the luckiest man alive.
The reef is still protected. The baby turtles I rescued together with a pile of Island kids are now coming back to lay eggs - tens of thousand of them! And the kids are bringing their kids and even grandkids to watch all these baby turtles run to the sea.
Full circle indeed!
Glenn Pederson
This from Glenn -
Since as early as I can remember growing up in California, I've always gravitated towards animals rather than people.
Then, after all this time trying to bring the ocean to myself and others, when I finally landed on a beautiful little Island in the Caribbean, surrounded by coral reef it finally dawned on me... why didn't I just go to the ocean?
From training a chicken to dance, to water skiing on dolphins in Acapulco, to protecting coral reefs, to rescuing and raising hundreds of endangered sea turtles, it's been a crazy and amazing ride.
This from me -
Glenn is a creative force on the planet, with a kind and tender heart for animals and nature; and it shows in everything he has done, his entire life.
More than all of that, Glenn was an extraordinary friend over all the years we lived on Utila. There are so many stories in my heart, full of laughter, adventure and home. I also love knowing, that he is still out there, keeping watch.
In addition to everything else Glenn is; he is also an extraordinary artist. His lithographs of aquatic animals are legendary.
This to anyone who watched, Our Town and saw all those Skye Ranch t-shirts and Salty Dog t-shirts... Glenn was the designer!
"A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in." Greek Proverb
Shelby McNabb
Shelby loved his island and it showed in everything he did. He gave his time & energy, heart and soul to steering the island in the best direction. He had the vision to understand where Utila was heading with tourism and the importance of protecting the islands' natural resources for the future. Together with a small group of forward-thinking Islanders, an environmental non-governmental organization (NGO) was formed where he became the first President of the Utila Chapter of the Bay Islands Conservation Association, or BICA. The group soon established the Turtle Harbor Marine Reserve and Wildlife Refuge.
He leaves behind a legacy of good deeds and love for his island home and people. He also leaves a crew of dedicated helpers who stood beside him all these years in all his endeavors. In the process ended up with a slew of kids named after him Shelby, Shelly, Lamar. He also took in and cared for other’s kids who knew him as "Abuelo" or Grandpa. He was a great mentor, teacher, and god parent to many on Utila. His patience, generosity and guidance will live on in them.
A bit hippy, a positive thinker, lover of life. He had a passion for plants & flowers, opened a beautiful vivero/nursery, encouraging others with Garden of the Month awards.
He created “Quebra Piedra,” a amazing farm full of fruit trees and medicinal plants. He donated and planted many of these plants and trees along Utila's roadsides ensuring the community had access to this medicine.
Written by Glenn Pederson
From me...
Shelby was one of the most adorable people I have ever known.
That said -I will never really know, if Shelby really believed that Utila was where Robinson Crusoe was shipwrecked. I spoke with him about it on multiple occasions. I always pointed out that Robinson Crusoe is a work of fiction, but he was not deterred at all by this conversation
I did his Robinson Crusoe tour once, and he really had a fun schtick.
He even had me second guessing the truth about Robinson Crusoe being fiction or not, a few times!
Jim and Kisty Engel
Jim and Kisty first visited Utila in the very early 90s and were smitten; with the diving; the rustic little fishing lodge built over the water; and most of all - with the unique Island vibe that is Utila.
They bought The Lodge, packed up the kids and never looked back.
And Utila was never the same...
It was a bit staggering to watch Jim get a notion to do something, and then to watch the speed and determination to which he executed his notion. Yeah, he was amazing.
And for me, he was my real life hero. There are no words to impart, as to just how much this man impacted both our lives.
Rick and I first visited The Lodge in 1993, and we were the only guests. That week changed both our lives.
Jim was my first scuba instructor. Yeah, how many people on the planet get to say that? And we all know, you never forget your first!
This is Rick highlighting Jim's tenacity and gumption. Rick describes our first experience when Jim got a notion!
I think the moment I fell in love with The Lodge, was our first visit and our first dinner. Remembr, we were the only guests. Rebecca was about 5 or so and was very much a little imp. She reminded me of me as a kid!
She sort of crept up to our table and gave us a very concerned look and whispered...
"There are worms in the fish."
The look on Jim and Kisty's faces is embedded forever in my memory. And yes, this is the moment I fell in love with The Lodge!
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Jim and Kisty went on to establish the Bay Islands College of Diving which became the first Course Director Development Center in Central America. and PADI Career Development Center. Oh yeah... I was the very first instructor at BICD!
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They partnered with the Shark Research Institute to study the year-round whale shark population and get the gentle giant added to the CITES Protected List.
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They were champions of the Utila Fire Department and the Mooring Buoy Project.
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They built The Utila Hyperbaric Chamber; then after a tragic fire - rebuilt both The Chamber and BiCD - bigger and better than ever.
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More than that, Jim and Kisty were always there for the Island in more ways than any of us will ever fully know. I for one, am ever grateful to both of them.
This video is really cool!
Dr. Alex Antoniou, the Director of SRI, and Rick, came across this whale shark with a net attached to one of its fins.
They both put themselves at great risk to remove the net and film the event. That whale shark was ascending and descending rapidly, and both men stayed put until the rescue was complete.
This is a fun video I shot in 2018. The kids are all grown up now, and they have their own kids. 3 generations of Engels and counting. I love that.
The Utila Buoy Project
The Utila Buoy Project was a HUGE success back in the day. Please take a moment to read the article.
The buoys, designed by Bill Evans of Coco View Resort, and then tweaked and improved upon by Glenn Pederson and Jim Engel, are amazing in their simplicity, durability and effectiveness.
They are built to be able to have a boat run into them, or over them, without fouling the props. One thing we know, is that fisherman will remove any tag line buoy, for they do foul their props.
In 2000, Utila had over 75 of these buoys around the Island. Wondering how that buoy project is going now?
I encourage the municipality and all the Utila Dive Operators to once again, get behind this incredibly valuable endeavor.
I get it - it's not that simple. And yet, it was back then. Perhaps it could be again?
A HUGE shout out to Glenn Pederson, Jim Engel, The Utila Lodge, and all the other volunteers and dive shops that helped get this incredible project off the ground.
Please know that there were a lot of people installing those buoys back then. It was not just Glenn, Rick, King and I as these photos would indicate. These are in fact the only photos that exist of the buoys being installed.
These are a few images from the buoy project. It's fun to note that the location we were building the buoys that day, is right in front of the old whorehouse; and if you look off to the left, that is the old police station. It is now a lovely park and the old whore house is the home of BICD. Rebuilt and remodeled of course!
Diving Legends of Utila
Diving Legends of Utila, is currently under construction - so check back later for a proper look into these legends of Utila!
Chris Phillips
Chris is definitely one of the most colorful characters of Utila. He is a man that lives for all its all, and it shows in everything he does.
He is the founder of The Utila Dive Centre, which was also the first PADI shop on the rock. The Dive Centre went on to become the most successful dive operation in the world.
Chris in those early days, did a ton of exploratory diving around the Island with local diving legends of the day.
Anyone back on the rock in those days will recognize this t shirt. They were everywhere!
He left Utila when he was around 34, and with no math or science background, enrolled in medical school in the Dominican Republic and did his first 4 years of schooling in mostly spanish. He then went on to further his education, pass his boards, and is now a full fledged doctor! I mean... over achieve much?
I will let Chris tell you the rest of his story...
He established the first drop zone on Utila and created the High Divers Club - double entendre intended!
He grew loofahs and had an onion farm on the mainland, and was even known as - The Onion King for a while!
He is a well known treasure hunter and dives cool wrecks and searches for possible treasures all over the world.
This is just tip of the iceberg stuff as far as what Chris has done in his life. Time for him to write a book!
Yes, it gets better!
Ron Janssen
Like Chris Phillips, Ron Janssen has done a gazillion things in his life and should really be writing a book right about now!
Ron's story on the rock is legend indeed. No one will dispute the fact that he is a hardcore mover and shaker, with a unique style that is all Ron!
When Rick and I were on the rock, there was always the big question... who started the first dive shop? Was it Ron or was it Chris?
From what I have gleaned, Jernigan was the first to take people out diving. Ron established the first dive shop - Cross Creek and Chris and The Dive Centre, were the first PADI shop.
If you want to find out more about Ron - check out
The Last Voyage of the Halliburton 211. He is one of the stars!
Yeah, I remember this boardwalk... more like walking the plank. Trust me - you did not want to fall off!
EK Sowell
EK Sowell did more to advance professional diving education on Utila and in Central America back in the day, than any other person.
In the very early 90s, EK brought the first Instructor Development Course to Utila.
He went on to train hundreds of new instructors on the rock over the next 9 years; and thousands of instructors worldwide, throughout his career.
Basically, no one was doing what EK was doing back in the day. And from what I can tell, he is still doing it!
EK is a visionary, a pioneer, and a true friend to Utila.
EK trained locals for free, and set the standard for Instructors all over the Island. I am not sure if this is still the case, but we all trained locals for free after EK's lead. And a fantastic example it was for all.
The photo on the left is the first IDC ever on Utila.
The photo on the right is my IDC, and the first one to ever take place at The Lodge. We were so lucky.
Check out the lineup of new instructors in this course.
I don't remember everyone's names and this list is not in order...
Top row- EK, Andy, Heather, Skye, Bernie from Germany
Bottom row - Reiner, Ted Danger, Gracie, Alun Gordon, Roland and Rebecca.
I wish I could remember everyone's names here. If anyone can fill in these blanks, please contact me.
EK was more than a Course Director to Utila's IDC students... he was a constant friend to the Island. He always arrived with a cool project in mind that would help Utila in some way. He was a fantastic mentor to all dive students on the rock, not just his students. He always showed up with bags and bags of goodies and stuff we needed. Bless his heart, for the amount of shopping he did for all of us was massive and selfless.
More than all that - he is an amazing man, and set Utila on its course to become the world class dive training mecca it is today.
This page is still under construction... these are a few images of local diving legends.
These guys were diving and exploring Utila's reefs before anyone else. Most of the gorgeous dive sites today were discovered by these guys.
I would love help with this page from locals. Photos and stories would be great!
Fred Litton
Fred Litton and his trusty sidekick - Smokey. Fred is the man - you heard Chris say it!
I dived with Fred only once, and I will never, ever forget it! He took us to a couple of secret spots, that to this day, I have never shared with anyone. He knows things!
Photo Credit - Linda Geraci
Jernigan Cooper
Jernagin Cooper - the first Utilian with a compressor and the first to take people out diving.
A true legend, and I would love for more stories and photos of Jernigan.
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Willie Waterhouse
Willie Waterhouse is most known for being the most amazing boat captain like... ever. I'm really partial, because he was my boat captain more times than I can count... but ask anybody and they will tell you the same thing.
Before he was Captain Willie, he was one of the first exploratory divers on Utila, when the reefs of Utila were undiscovered and thriving with fish.
More than that, he was charming and funny.
He always had a light heart. He inspired confidence, even when the seas were raging and all looked bleak.
And, did you ever seen him dance? Willie had the smoothest moves on the dance floor, that I have ever seen.
Willie... he was all that and then some.
Gunter Kordovsky
Gunter is unlike any other human I have ever had the privilege to know. He is a man a vast proportions and capabilities. He is in every sense of the word, a renaissance man.
He has explored more of Utila than any other human that I know of.
He is a gifted artist for starters. More often than not, we would see Gunter combing the beach looking for driftwood for his extraordinary sculptures, or hauling a driftwood log through town, and then transforming it into something magnificent.
We would see him early in the morning running down by Skye Ranch, or riding his bike in the wee morning hours with a scuba tank attached. He had already been diving.
His diving and life experiences are those of legends.
Guner needs to write a book.
Gunter's love for Utila shines bright in everything he has done over his many, many years on the rock.
Please check back to this page as I will be including some incredible photos of Gunter and his adventures.
Linda Geraci
Linda Geraci or Linda Girl, was the very first female instructor on the rock. She arrived on Utila in the very early 90s and was diving with the hardcore legends and exploring the virgin reefs of Utila, well before we arrived.
She was my scuba instructor from Advanced through Divemaster. Damn - but we had a blast! It was gloriously life changing.
She is a brilliant educator and inspired me to want to become an instructor.
Linda is gifted at finding stuff underwater. Everyone can find the big stuff, but it takes a very special person and diver to be able to find the small stuff.
Diving with Linda - pretty much one on one for months, was extraordinary. She taught me so much about the aquatic environment and all the aquatic animals that reside in the phantasmagorical world, of Utila's reefs.
She is also the inspiration behind the dive site - Linda's Wall.
And yes, she really is this gorgeous!
Ted Danger
Ted Danger is definitely one of Utila's more colorful characters.
He too, has done more things than most can only imagine - and he is still out there doing it. A true adventurer in every sense of the word.
He is also an incredible magician. You can only hope that Ted shows up at your party, for it all changes after that! I can still see the faces in my mind of people's reactions to his magic.
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Besides being a wild and crazy adventurer and explorer - he also created The Utila Dive Off.
The Utila Dive Offs were incredibly successful and a grand adventure for everyone involved.
Please watch the Dive Off video. This video was created by Pipin Ferreras, Tony Barrado and Ted Danger.
Rick and I were in the water shooting the free divers. What a ride!
Going on an adventure with Ted is highlighted this video. Actually, an adventure is a bit of an understatement!
Follow this madcap group of wannabe explorers, in search for Aladdin's Cave, with the hope of diving it, and finding long lost treasure.
This is what happened...
Coming Soon - Sunjam the Movie
Sunjam was created by Alun Gordon back in 1998, and it was a blast for all of us. This upcoming video highlights the first 3 Sunjams, the inspiration behind Sunjam, and all of us that were there.
Yeah, it's all kinds of fun! Stay tuned...
