About us

In the early 1990's the dive industry on Utila was in it's infancy with limited dive centres and training programs.

Utila Dive Centre (UDC) was set up in 1991 by a group of passionate Diving Instructors who wanted to create a dedicated dive training facility which offered amazing dive experiences and educational programs for visitors to Utila. Since 1991 Utila Dive Centre has achieved the highest rating a PADI facility can aspire to. In 2003 it was awarded the rating of a PADI Career Development Center. It is to date the only PADI CDC facility in Central America.

UDC is also a PADI National Geographic centre and a Divers Alert Network (DAN) member.

UDC offers a technical dive training facility from both DSAT and IANTD, the two most respected agencies in technical diver training. On top of this it is also the only facility in Central America/Bay Islands to offer diver level and Instructor training with the 'Beautiful Oceans' Science and Marine Ecology Programs.

Utila Dive Centre is now managed by a team of experienced, young, passionate and environmentally aware dive professionals who are all actively involved in the daily operations of the dive centre. There is no other facility in Utila, Honduras or elsewhere in Central America that has such a combination of experience and enthusiasm and we aim to provide our divers and students with more than just diver education and experience. 

Our training programs, from beginner right the way through to Instructor, are taught to the highest standard possible, and we are leaders in the worldwide dive industry for professional training and environmental conservation.  Our commitment never stops, and that's what makes our team so successful. We are on the cutting edge of training and conservation and set the standard for so many dive operations and professionals in the region. 

In the last few years we have received countless awards from PADI for our training programs, in 2004 we were voted No 1 Dive Facility worldwide for entry level training. Also from 2004 to 2008 our PADI Course Directors (Instructor Trainers) received certificates of excellence for their Instructor Training Programs. In 2006 the 'Divers Alert Network' (DAN) rewarded our Instructor trainers for their commitment to promoting safe diving and from 2006 - 2008 we also received the PADI Project Aware' Environmental Achievement' award.

No other dive training facility has given so much back to the marine and ecological environment of the Bay Islands, and we provide ongoing logistical and financial support for the 'Utila Centre for Marine Ecology'.

In 2006 Utila Dive Centre was one of the founding members of the 'Utila Centre for Marine Ecology' (UCME), a non-profit NGO, which is headed by marine biologist Dr Stephen Box.  UCME is dedicated to protecting Utila's delicate marine environment, through research, scientific studies and education. 

We're all aware that the future for the diving industry can never be predicted but we understand that only by promoting and teaching diving in a safe and professional manner will we create a better 'underwater world.' We place emphasis on marine conservation and environmental sustainability and want you to have fun being a part of this.

That's why our divers are more educated and skilful and why our professionals are more successful than most other facilities.

There is no substitute for the experience of our staff. This includes boat Captains, Instructors, Management and our PADI Course Directors who conduct the Divemaster and Instructor training. The experience and expertise of our staff, the standard of our facilities and our continued success has raised the standard of training, education and conservation within the Bay Islands. Many other facilities and teams within the region look to us for our role modelling and leadership.

We invite you to come to Utila and dive with us. Whether you are a novice or an expert diver, we will show you why Utila Dive Centre has been so successful in training more divers than anywhere else in the world. We are often copied, but never equalled. At Utila Dive Centre, diving is our business but first and foremost it is our passion.