Reef
down to 27 m
Lighthouse Reef
Remote, rarely dived coral garden by Utila's eastern lighthouse, with elkhorn and staghorn stands and abundant turtles.
- Open Water
- Turtles
Utila
Diving in Honduras
9 documented dive sites, 6 of them for Open Water divers. Known for whale sharks, nurse sharks and turtles.
- Best months
- Mar–May
- Water
- 26–30 °C
- Levels
- Open Water, Advanced
When to go
Pick a month: the diving season, from published sources, and the typical weather.
Pick a month
- Best
- Good
- Possible
- Closed
- Not documented yet
Utila in October
Good season- Sea
- 30 °C
- at the surface
- Air
- 29 °C
- 27 °C at night
- Rain
- 320 mm
- one of the wettest months
- Wind
- 15 km/h
- on average
The warmest water of the year.
Typical weather, not a forecast: averages for 2021–2025 (air, rain, wind) and 2023–2025 (sea), data from Open-Meteo (ERA5 / Copernicus, Météo-France). Covers an area of roughly 10 to 25 km around the destination.
Year-round diving. dive-the-world names March–May as the very best months (dry, best visibility, most reliable whale sharks). Captain Morgan's notes rain from late October through January. Whale-shark peaks differ by source (Mar–Apr & Aug–Sep per Scuba Diving; Mar–Apr & Aug–Oct per Captain Morgan's; Feb–Apr & Oct–Dec per dive-the-world), so the rest of the year is shown as good rather than best.
Dive sites in Utila
From the easiest to the most demanding. Levels with a dashed outline are estimates we are still verifying.
Open Water friendly
usual dive down to 18 m6 sitesMacro
down to 8 m
Seahorse Reef
Seagrass and coral heads under 8 m where lined seahorses cling to the vegetation alongside frogfish and jawfish.
- Open Water
- Frogfish
Wall
down to 24 m
Duppy Waters
- Open Water
- Eagle rays
Macro
down to 12 m
Jack Neil Point
Shallow spur-and-groove reef (max 12 m) for long, relaxed dives hunting seahorses, toadfish and flying gurnards.
- Open Water
- Turtles
Wall
down to 43 m
Stingray Point
- Open Water
- Eagle rays
Macro
down to 12 m
Little Bight
- Open Water
- Seahorses
For Advanced divers
usual dive down to 30 m3 sitesMarine life
When the big encounters happen, month by month.
| Species | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whale sharksSource: scubadiving.com |
- Peak season
- Seen
Whale sharks: Mar–Apr, Aug–Sep
Also reported here, season not documented yet:
- Nurse sharks
- Turtles
- Eagle rays
- Stingrays
- Barracuda
- Frogfish
- Nudibranchs
- Octopus
- Seahorses
- Groupers
- Moray eels
- Manta rays
- Silky sharks
- Dolphins
- Mobula rays
Where is Utila?
Utila: frequently asked questions
- When is the best time to dive Utila?
- The best months to dive Utila are Mar–May. Year-round diving. dive-the-world names March–May as the very best months (dry, best visibility, most reliable whale sharks). Captain Morgan's notes rain from late October through January. Whale-shark peaks differ by source (Mar–Apr & Aug–Sep per Scuba Diving; Mar–Apr & Aug–Oct per Captain Morgan's; Feb–Apr & Oct–Dec per dive-the-world), so the rest of the year is shown as good rather than best.
- Is Utila good for beginner divers?
- Yes, partly: 6 of the 9 dive sites we document are suited to Open Water divers, including Lighthouse Reef, Seahorse Reef and Duppy Waters. The others need more experience or a higher certification.
- What is the water temperature in Utila?
- The water is usually between 26 °C and 30 °C over the year.
- What marine life can you see in Utila?
- Divers regularly see whale sharks (Mar–Apr, Aug–Sep), nurse sharks, turtles, eagle rays, stingrays and barracuda.
About this page
Seasons and marine life come from the sources below. Site levels and depths marked as estimated come from our original catalogue and are being checked one by one. Conditions change: always confirm with a local dive centre.
Your next dive is somewhere out there.
Find my next dive tripPhoto credits
- Sunlight and bubbles in deep blue water, Sarah Lee, Unsplash License, on Unsplash