Honduras Diving

If you want to follow a diving course, regardless of your level, at one of the most professional diving schools in the world for one of the cheapest prices possible, Utila Diving Center is the place to be. I’ve been contemplating whether to go to Ko Tao in Thailand or Utila in Honduras, but decided to take the to-me-lesser-known option. After having spend three weeks on the island, I can say that this has been a great decision. The island itself contains a bubble of divers from all kinds of schools all driven to improve their underwater skills, and have a great social time back on land. Almost everyone stays on the island for a few days, which allows you to get to know people in a different way than the usual contacts you make whilst backpacking. For me, this felt like a perfect break from moving around in Central America.

The underwater world around Utila is not the most spectacular you will find. Nevertheless, there are several schools that offer professional courses of which UDC is most known. One of my instructors (although slightly biased) called it the Harvard amongst diving schools, and eventhough it was my first experience, I always felt save, well instructed, and not at all pushed to finish all required skills at once. As it took me some time to feel comfortable breathing under water, it took me a day longer to finish my PADI open water course. This, however, was no problem. My diving instructors Nate was so kind to practice the one skill I couldn’t do for the test one more time the next morning in the pool, which gave me the confidence to finish at my second go. It felt both rewarding to be able to manage this last skill, and fulfilling to finish together with the group I started of with. As a celebration we went out together, and experienced the ever lively nightlive of the island (every day there is something else going on: karaoke nights, pubquizes, clubnights, you name it!).

Honduras has the image of being dangerous, mainly due to the gang violence in the cities. Nevertheless, both Útila and Copán Ruinas felt extremely safe to me. Copán Ruinas is a lovely old colonial town which attracts some tourists who want to visit their famous Maya ruins. Also for me this was the main reason for visiting this town, but in addition to that, Copán serves as a well connected town to continue your travels to either El Salvador or Guatemala.

In Copán, I explored the town, had some great food at Café ViaVia, tried out local pupusas (which are actually a lot better in El Salvador), and spend a day at the ruins. Even though it was definitely worth a visit, I wouldn’t say the ruins were the most impressive ones I encountered during my travels. If you want to visit more impressive Maya ruins, I would recommend going to Tikal, an entire city surrounded by a beautiful jungle (which still covers parts of the unexcavated ruins). The ruins in Copán are however inhabited by several beautiful bird species, that provide an extra dimension to your visit. Although it is not the most busy Maya site you’ll find in Central America, I’d recommend to go as early as possible to get an authentic experience.