Utila, the scruffier and cheaper of Honduras's Bay Islands, has been the Americas' budget dive academy for decades. Courses are absurdly good value, the reef sits minutes offshore, and whale sharks cruise past year-round — Utila is one of the few places you can reasonably hope to snorkel beside one. The island runs on golf carts, baleadas and dive-shop gossip. March to May offers the calmest, clearest water.
Featured in Ten tropical snorkel and dive spots perfect for first-timers · Tropical