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With ScubaSkool, we researched a number of different locations for our scuba diving course; the Great Barrier Reef, the Red Sea, Belize……but eventually it became clear to us that Utila would provide the optimum location for the dive course we wanted to provide. Here’s why: The Scuba Diving: Utila has more than sixty different scuba dive sites to choose from – all of which offer something unique for all level of scuba diver. Everywhere you dive, you will encounter dazzling coral reefs and underwater creatures you never knew existed: midnight parrotfish, dog snapper, nurse shark, moray eel, porcupine fish, puffer, giant barrel sponge, manta ray, lobster shrimp, Goliath grouper, squid, hawksbill and green turtles. You will certainly need to sit up and listen in your Fish Identification Classes! Whale Sharks: Utila’s most famous resident – albeit temporary resident. Divers travel the world over to see this amazing creature when they could simply head to the banks which lie to the north of Utila and which are the venue for an annual rendez-vous of the world’s largest migratory fish. Imagine how you would feel on entering the water and seeing a 55ft shadow of a fish that has a mouth large enough for three men to stand upright in! Fortunately, whale sharks are filter feeders, totally harmless and are unconcerned by the attentions of scuba divers. This is truly a once-in-lifetime experience and on the 'must-do' list of every serious scuba diver.
The Cays: At the south-west end of the Island are the Cays (or Caylitos), a small collection of tiny islands, some just 100 feet across and 1-2 feet above sea level, all surrounded by coral reef and wonderful sealife. Two of these Cays, Suc-Suc and Jewel Cay, are inhabited - albeit by local fishermen - but the rest are uninhabited and constitute the definitive deserted tropical island. Especially Water Cay, which is also the venue for the Sun Jam: a two-day music and dancing festival taking place during the first weekend of August. The Caves: On the southside of the Island and due east of the old airport, scuba divers can find the Airport Caves, a site filled with stag horn, elk horn, three large caverns and crevices along the wall. This is an awesome setting for a calm night dive with scuba diving down to 40 feet (12 metres). Along the wall, green moray eels, nurse sharks, squid, shrimp, lobster, crabs and other tropical fish will be seen in great numbers. Wrecks: The most famous of the Island’s shipwrecks is the Haliburton. The wreck itself is 100 feet long (30 meters) and 30 feet high (10 meters). This cargo ship rests on the bottom at a depth of 100 feet (30 meters) at a sandy patch with corals heads surrounding it making it a perfect dive site for advanced divers.
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The Diving 
