The vast majority of visitors to the Bay Islands come for the excellent diving opportunities. There is an abundance of coral, and a wealth of native aquatic life. Perhaps just as significantly, Utila is one of the cheapest places in the world to get your dive certification. If you've never SCUBA dived before, you have two options. The first is to take a Discover Diving course, which is a half-day course. It's not a certification of any kind, but it provides an introduction to diving and lets you go out once. The second, more popular option, is to get open-water certified. The most common course comes from an international organization called PADI. It takes about four days to complete and should cost between $250-$300. But once you're open-water certified, you're good to dive up to 12m for the rest of your life.

If you've got your open-water and you're hungry for more, you can get an Advanced Certification. PADI also has an advanced course, but their rival organization NAUI is more popular since their certification allows you to dive down to 40m, whereas PADI's is only to 30m. This skill level also allows you to try non-penetration wreck diving, as well as the sublime experience of night-diving. Beyond these, Utila's dive shops also offer Rescue Training and Divemaster certification. But if you've reached that level of advancement, you're probably not going to need a guidebook to tell you what those entail so we can move on.

If you already have certification and you're not looking to advance, you're going to be doing what are called "fun dives." These generally cost about $25-$30 each, but are cheaper when bought in bulk. Some companies charge more for trips to the richer dive grounds on the North Side, and all charge more for night dives. If you dive with a shop that has affiliated accommodation, you should receive a diver's discount of up to 50% off of your room even if you're not doing a course.

Diving

By Mike Karanicolas

Michael Karanicolas is a writer, traveler, photographer, and roving buccaneer. His legendary exploits include running with the bulls in Pamplona,...