Where to get your SCUBA certification

Descending like skydivers to 160ft.

  There are a few places around the world where scuba divers unite in island communities to form a kind of dive family. Kho Tao in Thailand is good for this but if you want to go a little closer to home then the island of Utila is your answer.
  Utila is one of the bay islands just off the Caribbean coast of Honduras. It is surrounded by dive sites and has many dive companies to choose from. Here you can find some of the cheapest diving and most inexpensive dive certification classes in the world. For a month in 2009 I stayed at Cross Creek Dive Center and dove over 60 times in order to get my PADI dive master certification. It cost me under $1000, lodging included.
   The sites are beautiful here and there is a chance to see some big game like whale sharks, dolphins, and rays but those occurrences are pretty sparse. The fish are all colors and small things like sea horses and flamingo tongues keep the search interesting.
  The island has dive sites all around it. Steep 100+ foot dropoffs on the north side, submerged sea mounts like Black Hills, underwater arches and caves, and shallow sandy spots which are great for classes. Other islands like Roatan are just a day trip away. And sometimes you can see the week long Agressor liveaboard hanging out in the protection of Utila's leeward bay. Even with the amazing diving, cheap living, and good eating (try balleadas and fresh cinnamon rolls), it is the other divers which really make the experience memorable. Diving by day and partying by night at bars built on rickety second hand wood out over the water. You can sip your beer and watch an octopus hunt through the conch garden and I haven't even gotten to the best part. Once you get your dive master certification...you can come back and dive for free, for life.