Pretty Bush runs along Utila's south shore, where the reef starts at the shoreline, reaches out at about 4.6 metres and then drops away to roughly 30 metres. Broken walls and sand channels give the site its shape, and the two depth bands hold different things: juveniles on the shallow reef, larger animals along the wall.
Where it is and how deep
16.0840° N, 86.9169° WPublished position for this site.
The dive
The reef here begins at the shoreline and runs out to about 4.6 metres before dropping to roughly 30 metres, so the dive divides neatly in two. Most divers take the wall first, following the broken sections and the sand channels that cut between them, then come back up onto the shallow reef with whatever gas is left for a long, easy finish over the top.
Along the wall, spotted eagle rays pass the drop, and angelfish and trumpetfish work the coral on the face. The shallow reef is the macro half of the dive: juvenile yellowtail damselfish sit tight over their own patch of coral, and lettuce sea slugs are frequent on it if you look at the right pace. The sand channels are worth crossing rather than avoiding, since they break the reef into sections and give you clear ground to search.
Marine life and season
- Eagle rays
- Macro critters
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Fair | Fair | Good | Good |
Season follows Utila: March–August offers the calmest, driest conditions and the best whale shark odds; October–January is rainier with reduced visibility.
Sources
- Pretty Bush - Utila — Scubago
More dive sites in Utila
Wreck
A 2021 light-plane wreck flat on the sand at 24 m
Wall
A large seahorse in the garden eels at 18-24 metres
Seamount
Utila's blue-water seamount, with whale sharks passing over
Wall
A drop-off dive over one of Utila's coral nurseries
Wall
Near-vertical face of tube sponges, sea fans and black coral
Coral garden
Bioluminescent glow after dark gave this reef its ghost name
A 1998 artificial-reef wreck dived for its critters
Wall
Swim-throughs and overhangs on a wall to 21 metres
Similar dives elsewhere
A cave under the overhangs, and reef sharks out in the blue
Tarpon and jack schools over a drop-off at 25 m
Finger coral, a small tug and a slope to 28 metres
Black coral colonies and a cave at 23 metres