Willy's Hole lies in Turtle Harbour on Utila's north side, just past the reef known as The Maze. The site takes its name from the cavern that opens at about 24 metres, while the reef above it carries plenty of fish life. The diving itself is not difficult, though deeper ground is available below the hole for anyone who goes looking for it.
Where it is and how deep
16.1082° N, 86.9530° WPublished position for this site.
The dive
Boats run to Turtle Harbour on the north side, and the site sits just past The Maze, so the two are often dived in sequence. The top of the reef holds plenty of reef fish and is the easy part of the dive; work along it first while you have gas in hand, then drop down towards the hole itself at about 24 metres and let your eyes adjust before you go looking into it.
The cavern is the reason people come. Lionfish are usually somewhere in it, tucked into the shadow, and the darker ground rewards a torch. Deeper depths are possible from here, which is exactly the temptation to plan around before you get in: fix a maximum depth and a turn pressure on the boat, do not exceed your training and experience with the overhead, and leave yourself enough gas for the shallow reef on the way back up.
Marine life and season
- Reef fish swarms
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Good | Good | Fair | Fair | Good |
Season follows Utila: March to May is dry, clearest and best for whale sharks; October and November bring the heaviest rain and some runoff.
Know before you go
- The cavern invites overhead penetration and deeper ground drops away below it - stay inside the training you actually hold and agree a depth limit before you descend.
Sources
- Willy's Hole - Utila — Scubago
More dive sites in Utila
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A maze of reef channels at around 12 metres
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A sand channel drift past caverns between wall and slope
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Swim-throughs and overhangs on a wall to 21 metres
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Turtles and nurse sharks resting on sand at the wall's base
Similar dives elsewhere
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