Utila
Honduras · Bay Islands
Utila is one of the world's cheapest places to learn to dive — small Caribbean island in the Bay Islands chain, dozens of dive shops, and a reliable whale shark population on the north side. Reef diving is fine; the price and atmosphere are the draw.
How this reef is doing
ⓘ How we measure thisReef state
Bay Islands reefs along the Mesoamerican Reef have thinned. Whale shark sightings are the marquee draw.
Coral cover
Fish life
Heat
Warmer than usual right now, but not hot enough to bleach.
Fishing
Some fishing is allowed here, in marked zones.
Sources · AGRRA and GCRMN reef surveys · NOAA Coral Reef Watch · Global Fishing Watch and reef gravity
Coral cover over time
Live coral cover, by survey year
Across 11 survey years from 2010 to 2022, live coral cover here has fallen from 15% to 11%. Every point is a real survey reading, never a projection.
Live coral cover, percent by year
| Year | Coral cover |
|---|---|
| 2010 | 15% |
| 2011 | 25% |
| 2012 | 25% |
| 2013 | 31% |
| 2014 | 21% |
| 2015 | 41% |
| 2016 | 26% |
| 2018 | 26% |
| 2019 | 22% |
| 2021 | 25% |
| 2022 | 11% |
What you will see
13 species across the dive sites here
Utila Anole
Seen 1 month ago
at CJ's Drop-off
Critically endangered
Brown Anole
Seen 1 month ago
at CJ's Drop-off
Least concern
Hawksbill turtle
Seen 1 month ago
at CJ's Drop-off
Critically endangered
Whale shark
Seen 2 months ago
at CJ's Drop-off
Endangered
Schooling horse eye jack
Seen 2 months ago
at Halliburton Wreck
Stoplight Parrotfish
Seen 2 months ago
at CJ's Drop-off
Least concern
Barracuda
Seen 2 months ago
at Halliburton Wreck
Least concern
Canivet'S Emerald
Seen 3 months ago
at CJ's Drop-off
Least concern
Great-Tailed Grackle
Seen 3 months ago
at Halliburton Wreck
Least concern
Spotted eagle ray
Seen 4 months ago
at CJ's Drop-off
Endangered
Green moray eel
Seen 7 months ago
at Halliburton Wreck
Least concern
Schooling horse-eye jack
Seen year round
at Halliburton Wreck
Least concern
Caribbean reef shark
Rare sighting
at CJ's Drop-off
Endangered
Dive sites
What divers say
Got my Open Water for $300, swam with two whale sharks the next week. Utila is unfair value.
Good to know
Whale shark protocol
No touching, no chasing. Ops will brief you.