Utila, Honduras: Reef, History, and Island Life

Utila is the smallest of Honduras’s major Bay Islands, sitting at the southern edge of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, the second-largest reef system in the world. That alone makes it unusual. You don’t have to be a diver to feel how closely the island is tied to the water, but if you do go underwater, you quickly understand why people travel from all over the world to dive there. The reefs are dense with life, and the chance of seeing a whale shark is real.

The Island of Utila, Honduras

On land, the island has a layered history that you can still sense. Columbus encountered the Bay Islands on his fourth voyage in 1502. Centuries later, British pirates used the region as a base, and you can still find place names and ruins that reflect that era. Today, Utila is part of Honduras, but it carries strong Caymanian and Garifuna cultural influences that make it feel different from the mainland.

Geographically, Utila is mostly low and flat, with Pumpkin Hill, a small volcanic rise, as its highest point. The rhythm of life is low, close to nature, and connected to the sea.

I can’t wait to get back to the island.

— Mark Edgington

This article also appears onhttps://medium.com/@markedgington , where you can learn more about Mark Edgington’s ongoing work.