Below the sea around Utila
Best Dive Sites
Halliburton
The site is located at the mouth of Utila harbor. The ship was sunk in 1998 and is the largest wreck on Utila. The wreck is a 100 ft long and its deepest point is at a 100 ft. The main deck is around 85 ft and the top of the 3-tiered bridge is at 65 ft.
There are several interesting areas of the wreck that can be entered and explored. Green Morays, Fire Worms and Sea Slugs are often seen on or in the ship.
LIght House Reef
The site is located only 5 minutes from Utila town. The top of the reef is at about 10 ft with several sand patches on the way to the wall, which drops down to about 80 ft. A large variety of coral and colorful rope sponges are found here. Look for Snapper, Moray Eels, Porcupine Pufferfish, Toad Fish, Hawksbill Turtles and Spotted Eagle Rays passing by. There also lots of little creatures on the reef and in the sand patches.
Moon Hole - Rons Wreck
The site gets its name from the large round sandy crater surrounded by shallow reef that. The maximum depth in the sand is 35 ft, and the surrounding coral provides shelter for a large variety of crustaceans and octopus.
Crossing over the western wall and heading south leads to Ron's Wreck, a small fishing boat at about 60 ft, within a U-shaped reef wall with a gently sloping sandy bottom.
Airport Caves
The reef wall drops to about 40 ft and then extends into a sandy floor that slopes to about 70 ft. It has a beautiful swim-though with an
U-shaped open cave and sunlight streaming through several openings. The cave is at 15 feet. This is a great site for finding Sea Horses and Toad Fish hiding on the reef. Stingrays are often found in the sand, and Spotted Eagles Rays can frequently be seen gliding by or feeding below.
Ted's Point
The top of the reef is shallow at about 10-15 ft, with several interesting sand channels. The reef wall drops down to about 40 ft with a large gently sloping sandy bottom at its base. A small sunken sailboat wreck can be found at about 60 ft. Groupers, Blue Tang and Green Moray Eels are commonly found here, and Spotted Eagle Rays are frequently seen passing close by the reef.
Black Hills
The top of the sea mound is at 35 ft and it slopes down to 130 ft+ at its base. It takes about 15 minutes to circle it at 60 ft, when the current is mild, and it is covered with a great variety of colorful corals. Different than most of the dive sites on Utila, there is often some current here, which helps ensure a great variety of fish, as well as bigger schools of fish. Everything from Barracuda, Atlantic Spade Fish, Horse-eyed Jacks, King Mackerel, Creole Wrasse and more, plus free-swimming Green Moray Eels and Hawksbill Turtles are often found here.
Blackish Point
The site is typically a one-way "drift dive" with mild current. The top of the reef is at 35 ft and is made up of mainly volcanic rock and covered with soft corals. The dive will head east along the main wall that drops to about 60 ft, and has a very interesting topography with lots of crevices, overhangs and caves. Swimming east, with the wall on the right, there is another reef on the left that slopes to 90 ft.
This is one of the few sites where large Midnight Parrot fish are seen, as well as Green and Brown Spotted Moray Eels, Lobster, Drum Fish and more.
The Pinnacle
Duppy Waters
"Duppy" is local slang for "Ghost" and refers to the way the sunlight sometimes casts ghostly shadows and lights off the wall. The top of the reef is at about 20-25 ft and to the west is a beautiful and wide sand channel sloping down to 60 ft before dropping over the wall, which drops down to more than 140 ft.
Large Barrel Sponges can be found along the wall, as well as big Grouper, Snapper, Turtles and more. On top of the reef there are always lots of colorful juvenile fish.
The site is named after a large "pillar-like" reef outcropping and known for its deep swim-though and beautiful wall. The top of the reef is at about 20 ft. with a number of shallow channels. The wall dramatically drops down to 130 ft. The swim-though entrance is just east of the "pinnacle" at 70 ft and the exit is at 130 ft.
Spotted Eagle Rays and Turtles are often seen just off the wall, while all the traditional smaller tropical fish are found on top of the reef.
Don Quickset
The top of the reef is at 10-15 ft and the wall then drops down to 50 ft with a canyon-like channel that bottoms out in a large sandy area at 70 ft. Towards the east lays an interesting reef topography with lots of outcroppings, overhangs, nooks and crannies and smaller channels.
Large Nurse Sharks, Southern Stingrays, Snapper, Grouper, Tarpon and Sea Turtles are often found here as well as schools of juvenile fish in the shallower areas on top of the reef.
CJ's Drop Off
The site is known for its impressively steep wall drop-off down to below 140 ft+. When swimming along the wall there is a seemingly endless blue ocean on one side while on the other is a beautiful and vibrant reef. The top of the reef ranges from 20 ft to 45 ft with numerous interesting sand channels in the shallows.
Spotted Eagle Rays, Barracudas, Moray Eels and Sea Turtles are often found here.
Joshua Swash
The top of the reef is around 20 ft from there you can follow gorges and channels down to 60 ft with a large sandy area interrupted by coral rocks give hiding places for interesting sea life.
Southern Stingrays, Snapper, Grouper, Green Moray eels and the Turtles have been found here as well as schools of juvenile fish in the gorges on top of the reef.
Iron Bound
The top of the reef is at 10-15 ft and the wall then drops down to 50ft with a large sandy area interrupted by coral formations. Towards the east lays an interesting swim thru at 40 ft.
Southern Stingrays, Snapper, Grouper, Green Moray eels and the occasional Eagle have been found here as well as schools of juvenile fish in the shallower areas on top of the reef.
The Maze
The site is named after its unique maze-like channels that start at around 15 ft and drop down to 40 ft. Towards the west there is a cave at 70 ft where Lion Fish often hide.
Scorpion Fish, Lobster and Green Moray Eels are often found inside the Maze's channels, while Queen Trigger Fish are also frequently seen. In the sand towards the bottom of the wall look for large Stingrays.
Spotted Bay
The edge of the reef is at about 20 ft and then drops down to about 90 ft. There is a horseshoe-shaped sand channel in the shallows that leads to the wall. Nurse Sharks, Stingrays, Spotted Eagle Rays, Sea Turtles, Porcupine Fish as well as free-swimming Green Moray Eels are often found here.
Big Rock
The site is named after the large lava rock outcroppings on the nearby shore. The top of the reef is at 10-15 ft but the sand slopes down to between 60-90 ft pretty quickly. This is a great site for finding Flounder, Sea Horses, Pipe Fish and Pipe Horses, Garden Eels, Stingrays, Upside Down Jelly Fish and sometimes even Stargazers and Flying Gunards.
Raggedy Cay
The site is named after a nearby small uninhabited island and bird sanctuary. The top of the reef is at 25 ft and the wall drops down to between 80-100 ft.
The site is packed with lots of colorful corals and a large variety of marine life can be found here, including Nurse Sharks, Turtles, Moray Eels, Spotted Eagle Rays as well as Trigger Fish, Grouper, Snapper and more.
Diamond Cay
The site gets its name from the attached Cay. The top of the reef is around 20 ft and after crossing a large sandy area at 30 ft the wall then drops down to around 100 ft+. Diamond Cay is known for the diversity of the corals found there and the little critters found in the sandy areas and shallow parts of the reef.
Stingray Point
The top of the reef ranges from as little as 5 ft to about 25 ft. A large sand channel separates two parts of the reef starting at 20 ft and sloping down all the way to 130 ft. The coral to the west is some of the healthiest and most vibrant on the island, with lots of varieties of hard and soft corals including huge pillar corals. Sea Horses, Garden Eels, Pipe Fish, Flounder and more can be found in the large sand channel, while Spotted Eagle Rays and Stingrays often pass by or feed in the sand.
Jack Neil - Madelene's
The site has a large sandy area surrounded by reefs on both sides that drop to about 60 ft, from where the sandy area slopes down even deeper. The site is ideal for finding Sea Horses, Pipe Fish and Pipe Horses, Flounders, various kinds of Nudi Branch and even tiny Head Shield Slugs. Stingrays often feed in the sandy bottom.
Little Bight
The site has a wide sand channel that starts from the beach and gently slopes down between two reef walls that start at 15 ft and gradually get deeper until they reach 70 ft on both sides of the channel.This is a great location to find Sea Horses, Pipe Fish, Garden Eels, as well as the rare Southern Stargazer, Bearded Toad Fish, plus all the traditional favorites like Parrot Fish, Trumpet Fish, Flounders and more.
Black Coral Wall
The site is named after the black coral that can be found around 25 ft (much shallower than typical), it is also one of the deepest walls on the south side of the island. The top of the reef has lots of sandy areas that are filled with many species of juvenile fish including Sergeant Majors, Parrot Fish and more. Squid are often seen here. Tarpon frequently pass though these waters too.
