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Utila Technical Dive Sites |
Utila is part of the islands that lay on the upper level of the Bonacca
Ridge which forms the edge of the Honduran continental shelf and
parallels a deep ocean trench, creating an exhilarating section of the
Great Western Barrier Reef and second in size to the Great Barrier Reef
of Australia.
It was initially in 2001 that a technical diving
community started to grow on the island with the purpose of exploring
the deep North side walls of the island and the outer banks that lay
between the islands and previously only visited by local
fishermen. There is a plethora of sites to satisfy the most
inquisitive explorers from the fringing reefs of Utila’s South side to
the deep drop off’s and steep walls on the North or maybe you’d prefer
the off shore feeding grounds of the ‘sea mounts’. The dive sites
on the North side of Utila, are in an area that is a protected marine
sanctuary named ‘Turtle Harbor’, on the edges of a great wall that
drops thousand and thousands of feet to the continental shelf and bears
great similarities to the Cayman Wall. Along this wall coral
ledges, cracks in the wall and caverns highlight how the islands were
once much higher than sea level until raising ice age waters flooded
the Bonacca ridge. Our technical diving team have explored the
reefs and outer banks of Utila in order to provide training and
certified technical divers with a variety of dive sites to explore.
Whale Rock;
As you pass the East end of Utila and head towards the North side
you’ll see the landmark of Pumpkin Hill to your left and you’re soon
approaching the site of ‘Whale Rock’. This dive site is a
peninsular that extends from the fringing reef of Pumpkin Hill and when
viewed from the seaward side resembles the head of a whale, there is
even a swim through at 150ft/46mt where the eyes of the Whale appear
and directly above the eyes at 130ft/40mt is the ‘Whales’ blow
hole. The sea bed lies at 170ft/51mt and further dives are
underway to explore the deeper regions of the site. An ideal
profile at this site involves 20 minutes on the bottom navigating the
rock and then heading in shore upon ascent to be surrounded by
barracuda’s, jacks and curious grunts whilst surveying the colorful
reef on deco time.
Pumpkin Hill Bank;
Approximately 3km off the North side of Utila, out from Pumpkin Hill,
you could be forgiven for assuming there wouldn’t be any diving of much
interest for a diver. Well like most assumptions you’d be wrong
because 100ft/30mt below sea level sits the surface of one of the most
colorful and strenuous dive sites of Utila, the Pumpkin Hill inner
bank. Previously this site was only frequented by local fishermen
due to the richness and variety of aquatic life that feeds on this
mound however since we obtained the GPS co-ordinates we have discovered
this site is not for the faint hearted. Strong currents exist
here and on the West side of the mount there is a down current that
flows down the deeper sides of the bank, for certain expect to make
every decompression stop in the blue as a drift hang. The rewards
of this dive are worth the challenge, you’ll spend most of the dive at
160ft/49mt and surrounded by Groupers in excess of 20-30Ib and schools
of Horse-eye Jacks.
Anchor Bank;
On the North side of Utila, as you pass Pumpkin Hill landmark, heading
westwards there lies a deep bank that rises off the seabed and runs
parallel to the shoreline and is home to large schools of groupers,
hogfish and dog snappers. This dive site originally got its name
from local fishermen who would use the bank to set anchor and then
drift their fishing boats over the deeper trenches on each side of the
bank and look for their catches. The top of the bank is at
100ft/30mt and on either side of the bank you can reach deeper depths
up to 180ft/55mt and unless using a CCR you’ll find that turn pressure
is usually called before fully exploring this bank, warranting multiple
visits. As strong currents heading outwards to open sea can exist
in this area and decompression will normally be completed in the blue
with surface boat support following, extensive logistical planning and
co-ordination need to go into planning and executing this dive
requiring more experienced technical diving beyond certification.
The Maze;
On the North side of Utila, in the protected marine sanctuary of Turtle
Harbor, are a spectacular formation of walls and canyons. From
the reef shelf that starts at 15ft a wide canyon leads from the
maze-like sand channels in 20-45 feet (6-12 meters) to spectacular wall
dropping sharply to 200 feet (200 meters) to the west and east. To the
west of the mooring at 80 feet (24 meters) look for a large cavern
(Willy's Hole) full of glassy sweepers. In the shallows below the
mooring Bermuda chub, sergeant major, and brilliant juveniles flourish.
There is a lot of underwater terrain including pinnacles, large coral
heads, elk horn coral, star corals, sea fans, rope sponges, tube worms
and lots of fish. Flounder, rays, Goliath groupers and conch are
readily seen. At 150ft there is a swim through in the reef that
extends to 180ft, at times so narrow that divers on accelerated
decompression schedules using stage bottles are required to leave their
stages outside the winding passageway.
The Great Wall;
The name of this dive site says it all and you’ll find that the
westernmost site of turtle harbor, on Utilas North side, offers an
abyssal like wall which reaches depths up to 3000ft/900mt deep, on this
incredible fringing reef. At the mooring the diver is faced with a free
fall experience as your descent brings you as close to the continental
shelf as you dare go. The top of this wall is at a depth of 15ft/5mt
and there are contours and ravines from when sea level was much lower
during the ice age. On the face of the wall giant barrel sponges
protrude as the wall snakes in and out. A glance into the blue reveals
sedate loggerhead and hawksbill turtles, a shadow above reveals the
majesty of a Manta Ray. Eerie terraces of sheet coral offer scarce
protection for lobster shrimp and king crab. As you continue along the
wall a slow descent allows shafts of sunlight to glimmer over Creole
wrasse, spadefish and bar jacks. As you ascend over the wall lip
stunning pillar corals make way to canyons hiding tarpon and grouper,
the perfect way to while away long deco hangs and the sheer variety of
color, texture and movement allow an awe-inspiring end to the dive.
Black Hill;
On the South side of Utila is a sea mound once a favored local fishing
ground and it doesn’t take long upon descent before you realize
why. This dive site rewards the nature-loving diver with a
spectacle unmatched in the Bay Islands. Black hills is a seamount
rising up to within 35 feet of the surface. As you descend over the
oval shaped mount thousands of blue and yellowtail juvenile wrasse wait
impatiently to clean the sites larger characters. Gray, French and
Queen Angelfish abound darting boldly through a garden of sea fans,
whips and gorgonians. As you continue your descent the north and south
sides of the mount tempt the deep and technical diver with sharp drop
offs between 130 and 200 feet (40 to 60 meters). The east and west ends
of Black hills offer a more sedate slope opening up to terraces of
sheet coral interspersed with giant tube vase and barrel sponge.
Upwellings bring colder plankton-rich waters attracting huge schools of
horse eye jacks, yellowtail snappers, spadefish and Creole wrasse with
Barracuda patrol searching for the unwary. Easily circum-navigated,
Black hills offers hawksbill turtles to sea horses, the photographers
trigger finger is sure to be sore after this unusual feast, a second
visit is a must.
Duppy Waters;
This dramatic, bottomless wall hosts huge barrel sponges and grouper,
schooling yellow tail snapper and Creole wrasse. A sand patch below the
boat at 50 feet (15 meters) parallels the wall and opens up to the drop
off to the west or swim up over the ridge at 40 feet (12 meters) to
look down into the big blue. As you descend down this wall you’ll
encounter a sloping drop off at 210ft which makes an awe inspiring
dive. The best direction is to head Westwards in the direction of
Turtle Harbor where you’ll pass majestic spurs and grooves in the wall
and massive banks of reef system, to the North you’ll be enchanted by
the deep blue and amazed to see a plateau resembling a coffee table
sitting on the sloping drop off. A 20 minute dive westwards from
the mooring buoy and you’ll approach a cavern at 230ft underneath a
giant overhang in the wall, this site is suitable for deep air dives to
a maximum of 165 ft but the really beauty and enchantment of
Duppy Waters lays in the advanced trimix range of 200-250ft.
Raggedy Caye;
On the furthest South West point of Utila are an archipelago of small
cayes that are home to a local fishing community and are the juncture
between Utila’s south side and the Continental shelf that runs from the
Caymans down to the North side of Utila. Raggedy Caye, an
uninhabited small desert isle, sits at the top of a fringing reef wall
that runs alongside the edge of a vast drop off into the continental
shelf and is often a feeding ground for the Whalesharks and Manta Rays
that visit this area. Whilst we can never a guarantee of sighting
this seasonal creatures, we can guarantee a spectacular descent along a
sloping wall to a ledge at 150ft/50 meters and then another spectacular
drop off into the abyss, long nick named ‘the cinema’ from Utilas
recreational community after the narcotic induced stares it creates in
divers. Visibility is often remarkable in the 60ft/18mt to
100ft/30mt range and as divers follow the wall, over the abyss, the
topography appears eerie, dramatic and a cold upwelling often attracts
pelagic aquatic life sightings.
Rocky Point;
Not all of Utilas best dive sites are on the North side of the island,
in fact one of the most beautiful reef systems on Utilas Southside is
home to the dive site of Rocky Point which provides a deep descent and
relaxing drift dive along this deep fringing reef. Just a 20
minute boat ride from the dive centre and the boat moors along the
furthest dive buoy on the East side of Utila, 30ft/10mt on top of the
reef shelf. A short surface swim takes you above the drop off
where you will descend and follow a gradual descent to a ledge at
100ft/30mt depth, another short swim southwards and you’ll follow the
2nd drop off down to the depth range of 160ft/50mt to 185ft/55mt and
you can either head Eastwards or Westwards depending on the profile you
plan. There are overhangs, ledges, mounds and small caves in this
section of reef and is frequented by ‘Eagle Rays’, when the time comes
to turn the dive then decompression can be completed whilst drifting
along the reef. The underwater terrain in the shallow
portion of this reef wall consists of pinnacles, large coral heads, elk
horn coral, star corals, sea fans, rope sponges, tube worms,
crustaceans and lots of fish, passing the time observing a
variety of sergeant major, flounder, rays, groupers.
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