Whale Shark Snorkelling

Encountering a whale shark in open water is the experience most divers come to Utila for. The animals are most frequent from March to May and September to October, when they feed on plankton at the surface just north of the island, but sightings happen in most months.

Local rules allow snorkelling but not scuba diving with the sharks, and operators are supposed to limit numbers in the water at one time. Pick a shop that takes the rules seriously — the Whale Shark and Oceanic Research Centre runs research-led trips and is the most reliable for an ethical encounter.

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Utila is one of only a handful of places in the world where whale sharks turn up year round, drawn by plankton blooms on the deep water just north of the island. The local dive shops radio each other when one is spotted, and boats converge fast — you can be in the water with a six-metre fish twenty minutes after the sighting.