Caribbean. This word always associates with another word: Paradise. No crowds, turquoise water, tropical weather. No stress, no traffic, no pollution. Nicknamed "the rock" - Utila is characterized by two significant marks: volcanic rock suroundings and coral. With over 100 different dive sites to choose from, including moreover caves and wrecks (such as the famous Halliburton), scuba diving is always interesting and never crowded here. It's also one of the most affordable places in the world to get your dive certification too, so whether you are an experienced diver or not, this might play an important role in choosing your next vacation anyway.
Utila Cays
The region also marks one of the world's largest coral reef system: the south end of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System. The reef system is home to more than 65 species of stony coral, 350 species of mollusk and more than 500 species of fish. If you are after an experience of a lifetime, Utila also delivers. Swimming alongside the largest fish in the sea, the whale shark, is probably on everybody's bucket list.
Turles are amongst favorite sitings as well and you can spot mostly hawskbill, green and rarly loggerheads here all year round. With efforts from BICA Bay Island Conservation Asociation for many years now, and since last year Sea Shepherd, the island is a turtle nesting sanctuary, and with the possibility to volunteer in one of this projects give young animal lovers a chance to see them on shore. So you can cross that off in Utila too. Sightings of whale sharks in season is almost guaranteed here (high season is from March to May but they migrate through here all year long).
One of the dive centers that operate in the area is Utila Dive Center (UDC), a 5 star PADI Career Development Center. Since 1991, the UDC crew consisting of passionate diving instructors, has been offered amazing dive experiences and educational programs to divers from all over the world , from beginners to dive professionals, tec diving and rebreather enthusiasts.
Due to an abundance of dive spots, it might be difficult to choose just a few that you shouldn't miss while in this paradise. Sport Diver Mag just release their top 50 best dives in the world and they mention Blackish Point as number 12. Situated on the North Side of the island, this very scenic spot makes it a favourite dive site for many divers due to its a stunning overhangs, crevices and small caverns as well as volcanic rocks and soft coral. The Halliburton is one of the top dive sites as well. It's sunk in 1998 to 30 mts and lies where everyone goes to do their deep dive training. UDC crew uses it for the wreck penetration specialty. Its filled with fire worms, corals, crabs, clams and other cool little critters.
CJ's Drop Off is another beautiful dive - its a massive wall with huge coral formation and the preferred site for deep diving (UDC crew has gone down to 90mts here). Its famed among divers for the vertigo-inducing coral cliffs plunging straight down into the blue depths. It lies on North Side too.
Black Hills, a sea mount that has the most variety of fish of all sizes, is another highlight. It has been one of the few dive sites where some have seen hammerheads and sperm whales, given its location that is just a few miles away from the main barrier in Utila. You'll find it on South Side of the island.
All in all, Utila is is an ideal tropical destination offering some of the best diving in the Caribbean whether you are a beginner or a pro. Experienced divers might want to check Utila's Tec & Rebreather programs and those eager to follow a new career path as a scuba diving professionals the GoPro for professional training - designed to excel in a profession that we all love. For more information on GoPro visit www.goproutila.com.
Photos: © UDC where not stated otherwise
Source: http://www.utiladivecenter.com
