Utila is consistently rated as one of the top ten dive destinations in the world
in various major sport diving publications. The Bay Islands are blessed to be part
of the second largest barrier reef on the planet with Utila being the only one of
this group of islands to sit directly on the continental shelf known as the Bonaca
Ridge. Brilliant blue and clear waters reveal a colorful underwater world of relatively
unspoiled coral and marine diversity. Beautiful shore diving & snorkeling are your
front yard in Utila. The reefs closest to shore lead you into a descending underwater
experience of 5 - 90 ft. with three distinct coral banks at falling depths interspersed
by bright white sand patches and a colorful and diverse palette of shimmering tropicals,
hard & soft coral formations, sponges, delicate tunicates, crustaceans, large pelagics,
and the occasional Spotted Eagle Ray or Hawksbill Turtle. Operation Wallacea at www.opwall.com
is just to the west of Town where a staghorn coral farm is presently being propagated.
Our closest neighbors and friends in the dive industry are the small & extremely
friendly Gunter's Ecomarine Dive Shop at www.ecomarine.biz or the larger and highly
professional Bay Islands College of Diving (BICD) at www.dive-utila.com which offers
you a wide selection in your own personal dive adventures. Utila is also becoming
increasingly famous as the year-round home of the Whale Shark and BICD runs the island's
only hyperbaric decompression chamber as well as the Whale Shark & Oceanic Research
Center at www.wsorc.com .
