Diving Guide

 

Utila is well-known for its SCUBA diving and also great snorkeling available just off-shore.

There are many dive shops available so you are sure to find one that fits your style and needs. to learn more about the great diving on Utila, click on the link below:

Click Here for SCUBA Information

Below are Some SCUBA-Related Questions off of our FAQs page:

Is the Diving Good in Utlia?

Utila and the Bay Islands are the continuation of the second largest reef system in the world, The Great Western Barrier Reef, so it's no surprise that the ocean takes center stage here.

The diving and snorkeling are superb, very accessible, and extremely inexpensive compared to other locations. With mile of pristine barrier reefs, beautiful coral, and drop offs that go from 20 feet to over 3000 feet deep, as well as caves and wrecks, both beginners and advanced divers will enjoy crystal clear warm waters, over 400 species of fish and 70 types of coral and an endless array of dive sights.

Utila is famous for being repeatedly voted the #1 "Best Value" in the Caribbean and highly ranked in just about every other category by popular dive magazines. Dive instructors from all over the world come here to be trained in Utila with more than a dozen dive shops to choose from. Fun dives cost about $20/dive, gear included. If you don't have your diving certification yet, you can get certified in 4 days for approximately $150-$220. Utila offers more than 10 full service dive shops, speaking multiple languages.

What Dive Shop do you use? How many people go on dive boats?

All dive shops are located on the "main street" of Utila. We do not work with one shop over another, but rather suggest that you take an hour or two and go to a few shops and talk to them to find out the best match for you. Some have more of a 'party atmosphere', some are geared towards smaller groups, some focus more on classes, and some are geared to the experienced diver. Ask questions (How many students will be in your class?; How many students has the instructor certified before you?; If I am an advanced diver, will I be going out with Open Water classes?), look at the facilities and gear, don't be shy, and you will find the shop best for you. There are really no shops to avoid, our guests have dived with all of them.

The amount of people on the boats will of course vary by shop. Some shops focus on large groups, some on small. For more information and contacts for the different shops, click the link above.

I'm not a diver - Is snorekling available and where?

If you are not a diver, you can still take advantage of the great snorkeling around Utila. Many of the dive sites begin at 15 feet, thus making it easy for snorkelers to enjoy the natural splendors of the underwater world. There are sites all along the island, and you can actually see the dive bouys from the properties.

The southern, leeward side of the island boasts miles of reefs lining the shores. There are some great spots that are shore accessible, as the reef here is often only 100 feet from shore, and the wall drops rapidly to moderate depths below. There's actually a nice wall snorkel jsut off shore on the south side , near the homes of the Blue Bayou Beach Houses, The Round House, Oyster Lagoon Houses, and the Sandy Bay Beach House. This side of the island has more of a nice sandy bay entry.

On the east end (the Windward side), there are multiple spur and groove snorkeling and diving sites in front of Paradise Regained House and Apartment, that are a quick swim from your front yard. As you continue around the island, nice but shallower snorkeling patch reefs in front of Sea Breeze Beach House, and then Paradise Cove with Utila Coral Bungalow and Paradise Cove Bungalow offer a nice protected shallow cove.

You can take a boat to some different sites, either through a dive shop, or rent your own with Captain for about $35-$45 a day per boat. We can help you with that as it gets closer, and also assist you in specifics with the above sites.

I have heard Whale Sharks come to Utila - Can you give me more information?

As described on the aboututila.com site: Utila is famous for divers encountering the whale shark which migrates through the water of Utila. The whale shark is the largest fish in the sea, with the "official" world record size, listed in the Guinness Book of World Records, at 12.65 M (41ft 6in). In reality, the most common size seen in the waters surrounding Utila is between approximately 6M and 10M (20ft and 30ft), weighing around 15-20 tons. This slow moving animal is harmless towards humans, as it eats plankton.

Whale Sharks are a major attraction for SCUBA divers and snorkel divers alike here in Utila, as the island is one of the few places in the world where a Whale Shark will frequently pass close to shore. Unlike dolphins or other fish which tend to school or travel in pods, whale sharks are usually solitary. that said, it is not uncommon for 3 or more singular Whale Sharks to be sighted in a single day along the northern shores of Utila during "season", where they make an annual migration, wiht some having traveled over 8,000 miles.

Whale Sharks are spotted year round but for the best chance of seeing one the months of March-April and August-September, where the Whale Sharks are regularly sighted around the Island of Utila.

To have a chance to see these magnificent creatures, and perhaps even have an opportunity for an "in-water" encounter, talk to one of the many dive shops, or you can also organize a specific tour to try to find the whale sharks with one of the smaller boats and your private Captain.