When comparing Roatan and Utila to do a Divemaster course or the IDC, Utila has been long established as the place to go. Does it still deserve to be considered that way? In this first of a series of blog posts, I am going to take a look at deciding between these two islands because it SHOULD be a decision; if you have decided on Honduras for your training, you need to look carefully at both these islands and decide which one is the best fit for you.

The quality of training you will receive in both locations is exceptionally high.

If I had to answer this question immediately in just a few words, it would be:

Roatan's abundant marine life, you see a turtle more often than not

Choose Roatan if you want to spend time on an island with more diverse marine life, better visibility (especially in the rainy season), abundant above-water activities, better medical facilities, more accessible travel connections (Utila’s airport is currently closed to commercial flights), and many more beaches.
Choose Utila if you need late-night nightlife and raucous bars/clubs or if living in a dorm room to keep costs down is acceptable.

I believe there is a myth based on outdated information that needs to be debunked. Utila is NOT the best place in the Bay Islands to become a PADI pro; many people will find Roatan a better fit for them.

When backpacking through Central America in 2003, I had to choose between Roatan and Utila. I looked at both places and concluded that Roatan was a series of beachfront communities with an excellent degree of variety. Utila is a one-town island on a bay with a tiny sliver of beach (Chepes Beach). Utila's best beach, Bandos, is private; you must pay to enter. Compared with Roatan, the main tourist areas are West End and West Bay, nestled on the stunning beaches. In addition, Roatan offers the ability to rent a scooter or car and explore the large island with its many beaches, secluded coves, snorkeling spots, golf courses, and other non-dive-related activities. That was why I chose Roatan as my first stop before visiting Utila for a much shorter time.

The vast majority of people will only visit one island or the other and become die-hard fans of the one that they chose and visited, swearing blind that their decision was the right one. After all, that's human nature. Convince yourself and let your peers convince you it was the right decision. I have spent time on both islands. I did my Divemaster training on Roatan, and my instructor, technical instructor, and IDC staff training were in Utila. I had the choice between Utila and Roatan when I first came here and have had the choice to move islands ever since. It is an informed choice, and hands down, my choice is Roatan. You can find some balanced blog posts about both islands, such as this one.

Why has Utila established its reputation?

Utila’s runway is currently unsafe for commercial flight operations

In my opinion, there are two reasons for this:

Utila used to be significantly cheaper in terms of the cost of living and the price charged for scuba courses. (this is no longer the case)
It was the first of the two islands to have multiple course directors and IDC centers offering instructor development courses. (Roatan had a course director before Utila, but only briefly.) The legendary Andy Phillips (RIP), with whom I did much of my professional training, was the person who put Utila on the map for Instructor and Divemaster training.

Utila's inertia based on these two things has been maintained despite the fact that neither of these competitive advantages still exists. Utila's popularity is based on outdated information. Don't get me wrong; there are compelling reasons to choose Utila, but they are less compelling than they once were when comparing the two islands.

Cost

Things have changed, and the cost differences between the two islands are now marginal. Spending an extended time doing a divemaster internship costs the same on both islands. Some things are cheaper when looking at one island, and some are cheaper when looking at the other. In further posts, I will look at this in more detail. As of now, I suggest looking at everything when comparing prices:

Runoff from the mainland rivers affects Utila more than Roatan

Quality of diving (Roatan wins). Utila's proximity to the mainland means it receives a significant amount more sediment runoff, which affects visibility and the abundance of marine life. I am fascinated by how excited people who have spent most of their time diving in Utila get when seeing turtles and rays, which we see daily and take for granted. To get the best diving Utila offers, you must get up early for the comparatively long boat trips to North Shore sites.
The cost of traveling to each island, including hotel stays, if you cannot make the entire trip in one day due to poor connectivity of flights or other modes of transport. (Roatan Wins)
The cost of food and drink in restaurants and bars. (Utila wins)
The cost and availability of produce to cook your meals (Roatan wins)
The cost of the training (the same in both at the divemaster and instructor level) is based on published course prices. Please get in touch with me if you have been offered a lower course price than my published prices. I will consider price matching if I believe the quote you are getting is for a comparable quality of training experience and other factors.
Accommodation (Is the same when considering a 2-month stay; for one to two-week stays, Utila is still cheaper)

90% of people who do their Instructor Development Course in Honduras do it in Utila. That alone should be a reason to do it in Roatan if you are looking for employment or MSDT internship opportunities after IDC. It is a competitive market, and choosing to train on an island (Roatan) where you will compete against fewer people for post-instructor exam work is a smart move.

In summary, I am not knocking Utila. I love visiting the place for a quick weekend getaway. However, there is a lot of misinformation on the web suggesting that Utila is the superior and cheaper place to become a PADI instructor or divemaster. I am comparing what the two islands offer to someone planning to spend 6-12 weeks doing a Divemaster and Instructor internship.

Watch a Video highlighting our divemaster internship experience