Biography of Place Outline

Situated 43 miles off the mainland of Honduras sits the southernmost of the 3 bay islands, Guanaja. Ravaged by category 5 Hurricane Mitch in 1998, Guanaja was nearly wiped off the map, and is currently an island struggling to survive. It has all the potential of a strong tourist industry, yet the people suffer from little to no economy.  The lack of industry leads natives to over-fish and over-harvest their natural resources in an attempt to survive. Despite a lack of governing and enforcement to protect the environment, Guanaja still is home to some of the best fishing, and diving in the world. Guanaja is a small, primitive island, 11 miles long by 3 wide, with 15,000 inhabitants teeming with life. 7 years ago in June I set foot on Guanaja for the first time. I have since returned each summer to work with a fly fishing lodge situated in the southern cays of the island. From year to year, my life continues to fly by at an unimaginable pace, but Guanaja is almost frozen in time, still home to the same humble, grateful, smiling faces which greeted me 7 years ago. Over the years, I have been lucky enough to watch the Flyfish Guanaja operation grow from what started as only a dream, into one of the premier salt water flyfishing destinations in the world. It is not the crystal clear waters nor the abundant fish that keep me coming back, but the people who call this place home. Through providing the best jobs in the history of the island, it is grounding to experience the impact we have made on the lives of our crew. Through countless days on the water, in their homes, with their families, and immersed in their way of life, I call these people nothing less than brothers. Again and again I am humbled by their willingness to go out of their way to share a smile, welcome a stranger, and simply their joy for life, even in the face of tragedy. In a world foreign to that which we know, this place and the people who call it home have given me a new meaning of gratitude, sense of place, simple life, and a life well lived.