Better diving: Utila or Roatan?

[AbyssalPlains]

Hi all,

I found a post about this several years old, but nothing more recent. I am trying to decide between the two. Utila sounds way more appealing to me, as I consider myself a no-frills backpacker kinda guy who couldn't care less about fancy accommodation or excessive comfort.

I was told that Roatan has the better diving as it is a protected area, while Utila is not. Is that correct, and if so, does it make Utila unattractive for diving?

A friend of mine would like to get certified there. Do you think that might be doable within four days?

Thank you for any input!!

 

[kathydee]

If you're a backpacker type just head to Utilia - it's paradise. Find a way to dive the north side of the island and the dives are great.

I stayed there a month over Christmas last year then did a single dive in Roatan. From my small sampling I could not see any significant difference. There are classes all the time in Utilia so 4 days should be plenty - check in with Utilia Dive Center who seems to have the greatest volume of dive classes - but you will see lots of incentives such as free bonus dives and free accommodations that are tagged on to OW cert classes.

One easy, cheap way to dive the north side is to dive at Captain Morgans. Bring your own gear as theirs is quite old but they generally head north every day. Many other dive operations save gas and don't hit the good sites unless you are on the resort boats. I think dives at Cpn morgans are about $24 US each.

If you like the relaxed, experience and want to spend time with the locals more than hang with tourists you might enjoy Cpt morgans homestay over on Jewel Kay. Beware it's a tiny island and contemplating the blue water is about the greatest excitiment. Utilia, on the other hand, has nice places to eat and a backpacker nightlife.

Have fun and feel free to PM me if you need any more advice.

 

[apertyx]

I can't speak for Roatan, but I spent 3 months on Utila doing my OWSI and MSDT, and loved it! Sometimes the underwater life was a little .... missing... but the lifestyle was cheap, comfortable and had enough connections to home to be enjoyable! Most of the restaurant owners come from Canada and the US, so you'd be surprised who you can connect with. And, while I can't speak for the other operations, I thoroughly enjoyed my experience with Utila Dive Center (UDC). We did OW certifications in 3 days, if you're really willing to crank it down and get it done, but 4 days is the most common, and there are always bonuses to courses (free dives, acommodations, etc.). Check with the staff there, and if you sign up, say hi from Steve the Canadian (was there spring 2009)!!

Feel free to PM me as well ... we're all here to help each other, and perhaps a few of my former Utila comrades will chime in for the other shops on the island and explain THEIR virtues!

 

[Runrayrun]

I spent two weeks on Utila this summer and loved the people, the slow pace, Deep Blue Divers and the coral formations. However, the sea life sucks. I have dove all over the Caribbean and I have never seen such anemic fish life. Rarely will you even see a small grouper, barracuda or other decent size fish. The Hondurans have allowed the beautiful waters to be stripped of sea life. If you want lots of people and lots of fish you'll have to go to Roatan. It is too bad, Utila has everything a diver could want but fish!

 

[AbyssalPlains]

Thank you all for your very helpful advice! I've decided to give Utila a shot, hopefully diving the north side. I'll report when I get back.

 

[Stout]

Hi all, new to these boards and this is my first post.

I've got to say, post #4 in this thread is really freaking me out. I haven't been to Utila since 2002 ( I was there before that in both 2000 and 2001 ) when I did the Divemaster program at the Utila Dive Center. IMO the diving was awesome ! Excellent visibility, lots of life, next to no garbage in/on the water and I'd always regretted traveling to Koh Tao Thailand in the following years to do my "cheap diving" as I considered the underwater experience vastly inferior to Utila's.

IMO Koh Tao was a better place to eat and sleep than Utila as I'm no longer a party animal and I preferred the laid back atmosphere of Koh Tao's south beach, but I digress. Wait, I'm not finished digressing. Due to my wife and I having a baby I had to put the diving in exotic destinations on hold until...well, until now and Utila is at the top of my list.

One of the "perks" of doing my DM at the UDC was their "dive free for life" offer which I'm unsure of the mechanics of but after I finish this post I'm going to email them and ask about it. I noticed it's still posted on their website and I'm assuming it's still valid.

I'm more than willing to work ad a DMT, in fact I want to and if that's what the deal is then great ! Other than diving there's not alot that interests me on Utila, or wasn't at least. Dinner, a few beers and in bed by 11pm is my current style so getting up at 6am and opening up the shop is my idea of a good time.

So then is this true, what I'm reading in post #4 ? That the underwater environment has degraded since my last ( and it was post Mitch ) visit ? Or is Utila being compared to some paradise I have yet to experience and I simply "don't know any better" ?

One thing that impressed me about Utila was how the fishermen stayed the heck off of the dive sites, unlike Thailand in both Koh Tao and Koh Lanta ( super awesome diving IMO, just too expensive to spend 6 weeks fun diving ) as the dive boats pull up to the site, the fishing boats pull away and once the dive is over, the dive boats pull away and the fishing boats pull back in.

If Utila has degraded, then I may look at redoing my DM somewhere else ( Koh Lanta, Koh Lak ) I'm not planning on and never did plan on, working as a DM, this is just how I feel like spending my holidays.