1) Where is the best place?
I suppose it really depends on what you are looking for. Roatan is more developed and more commercialized. More stores, more resorts, more people, cruise ships, chain restaurants etc.. Utila is like Roatan 15 years ago but smaller. No chain restaurants or hotels. About 12 or 13 dive shops in town and 2 resorts. Although to some degree the diving is similar, Utila has the advantage as a small island that you can dive all around the island and experience a wide variety of topographies in a week. The reef around Utila is in great shape - really healthy and vibrant. Utila has relatively frequent sighting of wild dolphins and whale sharks. In a typical week you will see a big variety of large and small species (eagle rays, sting rays, moray eels, turtles, grouper, snapper, trigger fish, lobster, nurse sharks, scorpion fish, toad fish, schools of Atlantic Sade fish, Horse Eye Jacks and more). The main complaint against Utila is that it is not as "fishy" as some other places with more established marine reserves. In Utila you will see a large variety of marine life, but there are not many large schools of large fish. You see more small and medium snapper and grouper than very big ones etc. But most people that come here LOVE the reef and the diving. SEE:
Diving in Utila
2) Which month is best?
In Utila there is not a lot of difference between these months in terms of weather, water temp etc. In August there may be a slightly higher chance of whale shark sighting (than June and July), but that is really unpredictable.
3) Is there a problem with criminality?
No. We have lived and traveled all over the world. We have not felt safer anywhere than in Utila. In Utila Town there may be some petty crime like stolen cameras if they are left unattended but it is very rare to hear of anything more than that. On the south shore where Utopia Village is located (boat access only) there hasn't been any reported crime in a long time that we are aware of
4) What temperature in water can be expected?
In June through August the water temperature should die between 82 and 84 degrees F. Nice and comfortable for most people. Also generally very little current on most of the dive sites
5) Wrecks ?
There is one large wreck (the Halliburton) that is just over 100 feet long at at its deepest point sits at a depth of 100 feet to. It is a great wreck dive with many swim though areas and safe too. There are several smaller wrecks as well.
Costa Rica is a beautiful place too but we cannot comment on the diving there
