Congratulations PADI IDC June, the possibilities are endless!!!!

Double Awards from PADI worldwide for UDC at DEMA dive show

Make your 2008 mean something and get the best start ever and become a PADI Instructor with our IDC held on Utila, Honduras

See our brand new schedule for PADI Instructor Development Course in 2008, we now have more options and dates for you with 11 scheduled PADI Instructor Examinations in the best part of Central America and the Caribbean!


The Summer of 2007 saw two of the busiest weeks for visitors to Utila recorded. The week long Utila Carnival entertained islanders and tourists alike with nightly parties, beauty pageants, beach games and a street parade. One week after the Carnival closed the 11th annual SunJam rave on the beautiful desert island of Watercaye attracted over 1000 visitors for 24 hours of summer loving fun, music and dancing. DJ's from Central America and the USA entertained revellers till the early hours of the morning, and already we are looking forward to summer 2008. See SunJamUtila for more photos.


Winners of PADI's 2007 'Environmental Achievement Award.............Congratulations to Utila Dive Center's team of PADI Divemaster, Instructor and support staff for receiving this award from PADI for their environmental and conservation efforts in 2007 and also previously in 2006. Only a handful of dive resorts and centers worldwide recieve this award and is a reflection of all the hard work, investment and dedication that UDC staff have shown through their environmental clean-up's, research activities, educational programs and setting up a new ecological facility at UDC. A special show of appreciation and thanks was delivered to the owners of the Utila Dive Center for their generous investment and commitment to setting up the only non-profit, NGO, in Utila that specialises in courses covering ecological areas, mangrove concerns and marine research, with the 'Utila Center for Marine Ecology' (UCME) headed by biologist Stephen Box. The UCME is open to all divers on Utila, especially Divemaster and Instructor (IDC) candidates and interns, as a way to improve their own education and understanding of ecological matters on a local level by studying the meso-american reef system that runs from Mexico, to Belize and into Honduras, and also on a global level.



Platinum award for PADI Course Director Andy Phillips 3 years running!!!! Since the inception of the PADI award system for Course Directors in 2006, we are pleased to announce that our in-house 'Director of Professional training' Andy (seen here on the left on vacation) has received the award from PADI HQ in California, USA, for the 2nd consecutive year. The award is a great mark of recognition for the hard work that Andy and the 'Instructor Development' team at Utila Dive Centre put into making their IDC's the most successful in Central America and the assistance and service they provide to their Instructor training candidates long after the IE is over. That's why IDC candidates at UDC perform better at the PADI IE's and achieve more success long after their training is over. To date in 2008 we have trained over 20 Instructor candidates, and helped them find local employment in Mexico, Belize, Costa Rica, the Bay Islands of Honduras and of course other destinations world wide. If you'd like to know what seperates our PADI IDC, and Instructor course, from others in Central America, and how we can give you the best possible to start to your dive career please feel free to contact us.



On the 8th August 2007 a pod of Orca whales were spotted off the North coast of Utila by our dive boats. There were approximately 15 Orcas seen heading in a Northerly direction and is an annual event during the month of August but they paused around one of Utila Dive Centre's dive boats as seen here to the right. If you ever get bored of dealing with traffic and commuting, then here's proof that Utila and a professional dive career is the way forward, our dive vessel the Octopussy and her passengers had a once in a lifetime encounter with these beautiful creatures......





Thank you to Utila Dive Center PADI Divemaster and Instructors and other support staff, who with volunteers, braved the Caribbean mid day heat, and cleaned up Pumpkin Hill beach on Utila, as part of international 'Dive into Earth day' clean up's. All over the Central America region, from Mexico, to Costa Rica, and beyond, volunteers participated in clean-up projects to make a difference. Our photo here shows over 40 bags of trash collected on Utila.



Congratulations to 'Director of Professional Training' Andy Phillips on advancing his education and training and recently qualifying as a 'Beautiful Oceans' Science Instructor Trainer. Andy has been working intensely over the last few months to learn more about marine science and coral reef ecology in order to better educate our divers and Instructors so they in turn can make a difference for the benefit of coral reef eco systems, whilst at the same time making themselves more employable and better qualified to succeed in the dive industry. Beautiful Oceans is an ecotourism organization dedicated to the education, conservation and preservation of coral reef eco systems and produces a range of science and educational programs for divers, snorkellers and professionals. There are only a handful of Beautiful Oceans Science Instructor Trainers and Science Centers in the Caribbean so find out how we can really provide you with the best education and experince, diving will never be the same again!!! Scroll down and click on 'read more' for further info.....


The Utila Center for Marine Ecology (UCME) now has it's own dedicated premises on Utila, the owners of Utila Dive Centre have donated ground floor, prominent space, for researchers to gather information, store data, and educate visitors to Utila about the delicate marine environment and behavioural habits of creatures like the 'rough tooth' dolphin and the majestic Whale shark. The UCME is now operational and will be offering the following programs;


• Whale shark and Dolphin research.
• Studies on Fauna and Flora in the local area.
• Accommodating undergraduate and graduate students on field research and thesis projects.

Please contact us for more news on how to get involved with this exciting project and watch out for soon the UCME will have it's own dedicated website...



Calling all Divemaster and Instructor candidates: Check out our new Dolphin Survey specialty, written by our team of environmentalists, approved by PADI and used by the University of Missouri's 'Marine Mammal Cognitive & Psychology Behavioral department'. This 2 day program, along with our Whaleshark awareness specialty, from PADI's Project Aware, is available to all our professionals in training.
Both of these images, taken on Utila, show the beautiful creatures that we study and you become involved with on our research surveys and projects. This training is unique to Utila Dive Centre and we'd love for you to join us in our surveys and research and help make the environment around Utila, a better place for divers today and in the future, contact us for more details.



PADI award Utila Dive Centre Course Director Andy Phillips with 'Platinum' award and 2 'Certificates of Excellence'. In April 2006 PADI Course Director and Utila Dive Centre's 'Director of Professional Training' Andy Phillips received the highest award a PADI Course Director can receive, 'Platinum' recognition for Instructor training beyond the IDC level, in 2006. There are only 90 PADI Course Directors in the world who have 'Platinum' status and the fact that Andy qualfied so early in the year is a recognition of his dedication and experience in training Instructors beyond the ordinary training programs offered by most IDC facilities.



Congratulations PADI IDC June, the possibilities are endless!!!!

....To our new PADI Instructors, to the best start of Summer 2008, this photo was taken with candidates at the June IE closing at the Mango Inn pool, celebrating their completion of the exams, excelling Utila Dive Centre PADI Course Director Andy Phillips and IDC Staff Instructors Ed Butler and Anna Stumpf in preparing our candidates who came from afar as the UK, Demark, USA, Peru and Canada, and seeing them through one of the best chapters in their dive careers. Our candidates are now preparing to work in the local dive industry throughout Honduras, Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean this month with a job placement service and many will be going on to complete their 'Master Scuba Diver Trainer' scuba Internship and 'Beautiful Oceans' Science Instructor ratings before embarking on jobs within the region. In 2007 more Instructor candidates have chosen UDC as the PADI Career Development Center to take their Instructor training, more than any other facility in Central America from Mexico to Columbia, based on our great reputation, word of mouth, our training programs, comprehensive curriculum with guaranteed success at the exams and in the dive industry. If you'd like to learn more about a professional dive career please contact PADI Course Director Andy Phillips on for more information. We don't just certify you as an Instructor at Utila Dive Centre, but we give you real world training and make it a lot of fun!






Make your 2008 mean something and get the best start ever and become a PADI Instructor with our IDC held on Utila, Honduras

If you are a PADI Divemaster (or equivalent) then you can enroll in either our upcoming PADI IDC's that will run from July 9th to the 20th with the exams on the 22nd/23rd. Then our August IDC of 2008 will run from the 13th to 24th with the exams on the 26th/27th right here on Utila. There's never been a better time to become a PADI Instructor with a booming dive industry through Central America and the Caribbean, from Mexico to Panama, with a demand for PADI Scuba Instructors to work the upcoming season. Make your year mean something and join us for the most exciting and dynamic PADI IDC in Central America, arrive early for free diving and preparation program, please contact us on for more information and read on to find out what makes our program and staff the most chosen and awarded in Central America.


The Summer of 2007 saw two of the busiest weeks for visitors to Utila recorded. The week long Utila Carnival entertained islanders and tourists alike with nightly parties, beauty pageants, beach games and a street parade. One week after the Carnival closed the 11th annual SunJam rave on the beautiful desert island of Watercaye attracted over 1000 visitors for 24 hours of summer loving fun, music and dancing. DJ's from Central America and the USA entertained revellers till the early hours of the morning, and already we are looking forward to summer 2008. See SunJamUtila for more photos.



Winners of PADI's 2007 'Environmental Achievement Award.............Congratulations to Utila Dive Center's team of PADI Divemaster, Instructor and support staff for receiving this award from PADI for their environmental and conservation efforts in 2007 and also previously in 2006. Only a handful of dive resorts and centers worldwide recieve this award and is a reflection of all the hard work, investment and dedication that UDC staff have shown through their environmental clean-up's, research activities, educational programs and setting up a new ecological facility at UDC. A special show of appreciation and thanks was delivered to the owners of the Utila Dive Center for their generous investment and commitment to setting up the only non-profit, NGO, in Utila that specialises in courses covering ecological areas, mangrove concerns and marine research, with the 'Utila Center for Marine Ecology' (UCME) headed by biologist Stephen Box. The UCME is open to all divers on Utila, especially Divemaster and Instructor (IDC) candidates and interns, as a way to improve their own education and understanding of ecological matters on a local level by studying the meso-american reef system that runs from Mexico, to Belize and into Honduras, and also on a global level.



On the 8th August 2007 a pod of Orca whales were spotted off the North coast of Utila by our dive boats. There were approximately 15 Orcas seen heading in a Northerly direction and is an annual event during the month of August but they paused around one of Utila Dive Centre's dive boats as seen here to the right. If you ever get bored of dealing with traffic and commuting, then here's proof that Utila and a professional dive career is the way forward, our dive vessel the Octopussy and her passengers had a once in a lifetime encounter with these beautiful creatures......


Congratulations to 'Director of Professional Training' Andy Phillips on advancing his education and training and recently qualifying as a 'Beautiful Oceans' Science Instructor Trainer. Andy has been working intensely over the last few months to learn more about marine science and coral reef ecology in order to better educate our divers and Instructors so they in turn can make a difference for the benefit of coral reef eco systems, whilst at the same time making themselves more employable and better qualified to succeed in the dive industry. Beautiful Oceans is an ecotourism organization dedicated to the education, conservation and preservation of coral reef eco systems and produces a range of science and educational programs for divers, snorkellers and professionals. There are only a handful of Beautiful Oceans Science Instructor Trainers and Science Centers in the Caribbean so find out how we can really provide you with the best education and experince, diving will never be the same again!!!


The three guiding principles of Beautiful Oceans’ courses:


1) Science made simple—Beautiful Oceans’ science courses are complete and independent educational packages designed specially for people with no previous scientific training, and include both theoretical and applied components. Beautiful Oceans’ course material has been painstakingly assembled from the latest scientific information their team of highly trained marine biologists.


2) Applied learning—Each Beautiful Oceans course is designed, written and continuously updated with the recreational SCUBA diver and snorkeler in mind. The knowledge and experience you gain after successful completion of a Beautiful Oceans science course will provide a whole new appreciation for coral reefs. You will see things you have never seen before, discover and understand behaviours that you never knew existed and gain great insight into the processes that shape the living reef and the lives of coral reef organisms.


3) Fun!—The Beautiful Oceans experience is fun. Each course was created by their team of highly trained marine biologists, who are avid divers and snorkelers like you. Our courses are written in a refreshing, easy-to-understand style that will no doubt awaken your desire to take to the water.


Find out how you can become a Beautiful Oceans Science Diver and/or Instructor by contacting us today.


Thank you to Utila Dive Center PADI Divemaster and Instructors and other support staff, who with volunteers, braved the Caribbean mid day heat, and cleaned up Pumpkin Hill beach on Utila, as part of international 'Dive into Earth day' clean up's. All over the Central America region, from Mexico, to Costa Rica, and beyond, volunteers participated in clean-up projects to make a difference. Our photo here shows over 40 bags of trash collected on Utila..


Utila Center for Marine Ecology unveils new location and programs.........

The Utila Center for Marine Ecology (UCME) now has it's own dedicated premises on Utila, the owners of Utila Dive Centre have donated ground floor, prominent space, for researchers to gather information, store data, and educate visitors to Utila about the delicate marine environment and behavioural habits of creatures like the 'rough tooth' dolphin and the majestic Whale shark. The UCME is now operational and will be offering the following programs;


• Whale shark and Dolphin research.
• Studies on Fauna and Flora in the local area.
• Accommodating undergraduate and graduate students on field research and thesis projects.

Please contact us for more news on how to get involved with this exciting project and watch out for soon the UCME will have it's own dedicated website...



Calling all Divemaster and Instructor candidates: Check out our new Dolphin Survey specialty, written by our team of environmentalists, approved by PADI and used by the University of Missouri's 'Marine Mammal Cognitive & Psychology Behavioral department'. This 2 day program, along with our Whaleshark awareness specialty, from PADI's Project Aware, is available to all our professionals in training.
Both of these images, taken on Utila, show the beautiful creatures that we study and you become involved with on our research surveys and projects. This training is unique to Utila Dive Centre and we'd love for you to join us in our surveys and research and help make the environment around Utila, a better place for divers today and in the future, contact us for more details.