Utila, Bay Islands, Honduras

Airport Caves

Airport Caves is a north-shore Utila dive named for its location off the small island airstrip and for the swim-throughs that cut into the fringing reef. The site begins on a coral plateau at 8 to 10 meters with healthy hard-coral cover and runs into a series of arches and short tunnels in 12 to 20 meters before the reef edge drops onto a sloping wall. The swim-throughs are well-illuminated overhead environments rather than true caves, with vertical walls covered in sea rods, brain coral and orange elephant-ear sponges. Reef life is consistent: queen angelfish, schools of French and bluestriped grunt, spotted moray, hawksbill turtle, lobster sheltering under ledges and creole wrasse. Macro subjects include arrow crabs, banded coral shrimp and juvenile spotted drum. The site is well-suited to refresher and intermediate divers; conditions are usually mild with 18 to 25 meters of visibility.