Diving

Utila’s diving has sheer walls, drop offs and sea mounts but also shallower gently sloping reefs, so there is something for everyone and all levels. These sites are mainly reached by short boat trips but can also be dived on a liveaboard holiday leaving from Utila.

Whale Sharks are by far Utila’s most famous attraction among divers. This is a unique area for these giants due to the fact that sightings are recorded throughout the year and are not entirely seasonal. There are times of the year that there are more numbers and therefore more chance of sightings, these are the months of March to May and August to October. Some of the sharks in Utila’s waters are common visitors and known to the locals, one of which is estimated to be over 15m long! Lots of operators on Utila arrange specific Whale Shark trips targeted on finding and snorkelling with these magnificent creatures.

There is much, much more to see and explore in Utila’s underwater world than just the majestic Whale shark, with a choice of over a hundred dive sites. One excellent site is CJ’s Point which is a dramatic wall dropping off into the abyss below. This dive is great for spotting large pelagic species in the blue, and once you have shallowed up towards the end of the dive Nurse Sharks can be spotted hiding under ledges and Sea Turtles chomping on the reef.

Other sites to enjoy are Little Bight which is great for macro lovers, Black Coral Wall which is a great spot for Turtles and the rare Toadfish, or an offshore seamount called Black Hills where you can see a huge amount of fish life and a good Whale Shark spot.

How to get there

Honduras is easy to reach from the US with regular flights arriving into the mainland or the neighbouring island of Roatan. You can then take a domestic flight across from La Ceiba or Roatan to Utila.

Another option is to from both of these departure points is to take a ferry. Even though this island is so close to the US and relatively easy to get to seems to have escaped the mass tourist development and retained a lot of its character, culture and has natural un built up landscapes.

Other activities

Utila is a beautiful, as yet un-commercialised island with a laid back atmosphere and very popular with backpackers on a budget but also some all inclusive resort holidaymakers. It provides visitors with a great choice of activities other than diving such as kayaking around its beautiful coastline, horse riding to the tops of the hills for spectacular views or simply relaxing in a hammock on a quiet un touched beach.

So, depending on whether you want to spend all your time in the water or combine it with out of the water activities, Utila is a great choice.