Underwater Vision: Utila Diving at Its Best

Scuba diving really is unlike anything else. To be able to float underwater with the fish and marine life is what mermaid dreams are made of. On Utila, one of the Bay Islands off the coast of Honduras, diving is a way of life. There are almost too many choices for visitors to choose from. When doing my research before visiting Utila, I came across Underwater Vision. With its accommodations on site, excellent dive instructors, and high rating, this dive shop should be the top choice for those looking to dive on Utila.

The Dive Shop

Underwater Vision is a family-owned dive shop run by a local family. All of the instructors and staff members are incredible friendly and will have any visitor feeling like they are family. The real highlights of the shop are the location and the fact that they have accommodation available for a range of budgets. There are a range of options for those interested in diving, from individual dives, to courses, and even a Dive Master certification. You can also rent snorkels and just chill out and relax if diving isn't your thing. They really do have something for everyone!

Advanced Diving Course

I completed my Advanced Diving Certification at Underwater Vision. I had previously completed my PADI Open Water Diving Course at Ocean Sound Dive & Yoga in Thailand and was eager to continue my training.

Because I hadn't gone diving in over a year, I had to complete a refresher course before joining the advanced course. The refresher course was available two different ways from Underwater Vision: I had the choice of simply completing it at the dock and jumping off right near the shop. I also had the choice of joining a dive boat to complete the necessary skills, and then having another dive just for fun! The former was the cheaper option, but I chose the latter because I wanted as much time in the beautiful reef off the coast as possible!

After completing my refresher course, I joined the PADI Advanced Diving course. The course consists of 5 Adventure dives, which must include a Deep Dive and an Underwater Navigation dive. The other three dives are up to you! Underwater Vision's Advanced Diving course usually features a Night Dive, a Wreck Dive and a Peak Performance Buoyancy dive. A brief description of each dive follows.

Advanced Diving Courses at Underwater Vision

Deep Dive

This is a mandatory dive in the Advanced Open Water course. On this dive, we went down to a depth of 30 m (~98ft)!! Once we got down to our maximum depth, our instructor showed us some of the effects the pressure was having on our bodies. In one exercise, she took out a water bottle that had been full of air at the surface; it was completely flat and crushed! She also had us look at color charts to see how the deeper you are, the more muted colors become. The last thing she did (which blew our minds) was to crack an egg underwater; we watched in fascination as the yolk stayed together in a perfect little globe.

Underwater Navigation Dive

This is the second mandatory course all divers must take in order to gain their Advanced certification. It is useful in learning different ways to navigate and find your bearings underwater. Our instructor had us complete several exercises such as swim away and then come back using a compass. She also led us away from the dive boat and then made us lead the way back to the ship. It was an incredibly useful dive.

Night Dive

This was the dive I was most nervous for simply because I didn't know what it would be like swimming around in the darkness. It turned out to be one of my favorite dives! Diving into the dark water with just a flashlight was exhilarating, and we obviously stayed very close together so that no one would get lost. Seeing the creatures that only come out to play at night was really amazing, although we did not see an octopus (maybe next time?).

Wreck Dive

There was a wreck off the coast of Utlia that was perfect for completing this dive in our course. We got to swim around the outside of the sunken ship (not inside, another certification is required) and got to see lots of interesting objects that had been added over the years, such as a bicycle and a toilet.

Peak Performance Buoyancy

This is a fun dive that is actually a lot of fun, though the name might fool you. In this dive, we practiced our breathing techniques in order to gain more control over how we hovered and maintained our buoyancy in the water. We completed several exercises to test our skills. One was to swim through a large ring, without hitting our tanks or fins on the edges – this was harder than it looked. We also practiced hitting over small weights on the ocean floor using just a light tap of our regulators. Again, not so easy. Another exercise we did was to take our fins off and have an underwater race. It is not easy running along the bottom the ocean when all your body wants to do is float up!

At the end of these five dives, I became a PADI certified Advanced Open Water Diver!

Accommodations

One of the big bonuses of choosing Underwater Vision is that they have accommodations on site for divers in their courses. This makes waking up early for those morning dive a little bit easier; just roll out of bed and walk to the dock on their property. All divers are eligible for a free stay in the dorms for the duration of their diving course. Underwater Vision also has private rooms with fans, private rooms with air conditioning as well as suites for larger groups. Below is a list of the available room types and prices:

Dorms/Private Rooms (with fan):
- $10.00 per person/per night with no diving
- $6.00 per person/per night with fun dives
- FREE during courses
- $6.00 per person/per night before and after courses

Private Rooms (with A/C)
- $48 per night with no diving
- $39 per night during courses or fun dives
Suites
- $89.00 per night with no diving
- $80.00 per night with diving

Restaurant & Bar

Nothing works up an appetite quite like diving. Luckily, Underwater Vision has its own restaurant and bar with excellent food choices. Trudy's, the name of the restaurant, has breakfast, lunch and dinner options. In the morning, many of the divers pick up a breakfast sandwich to take with them on the boat and grab lunch after a dive as well.

Trudy's hosts barbecues during the week which are hugely popular. These meals include 3 or 4 sides as well as your choice of a main barbecued meat or seafood. You really can't go wrong with any of the choices! They also have a wing night and host parties for dive master courses as they finish up. The bar sometimes has happy hour a couples night a week as well. It is a great place to relax and unwind after a day of diving.

Location

Underwater Vision is ideally located on Utila. Upon arrival at the ferry dock, turn right at the Main Street and continue for about 5 minutes. The dive shop is the first one, located on the right side of the street. You can't miss it.

Because of its close proximity to town, it is very easy to explore and check out the many shops and restaurants on the island. You can also access other beaches, both public and private, within walking distance.