Bay Islands College of Diving

I did my Divemaster with BICD and I can only say positive things. All the staff were knowledgeable, friendly, fun and highly professional. The facilities were great, with good quality equipment, a really nice bar and restaurant on site, comfortable boats and a beautiful dock to enjoy the sunset.

There are many dive centres on the island but BICD is the only one with a pool so you can carry on training even on those bad weather days. The only hyperbaric chamber on the island is located here, and we got to take a tour of it. There are also so many options to take your diving further, with tech diving, instructor courses every month, conservation internships with WSORC, and nearly all specialties. I thought long and hard about where I wanted to do my Divemaster and I know I made the right decision.

Thank you so much to all the staff and I look forward to seeing you again soon 🤜🤛

I had the pleasure of taking my open water diving course in Utila with Claudia as my instructor, and it was an incredible experience from start to finish. Claudia's passion for diving is evident in everything she does, and her expertise and dedication to us was truly remarkable.Throughout the course, Claudia was patient, encouraging, and incredibly knowledgeable. She took the time to ensure that both of us felt comfortable and confident in the water, and her clear instructions made learning easy and enjoyable.

Claudia's love for the ocean and its inhabitants is contagious, and she went above and beyond to teach us about the marine environment and the importance of conservation. Her commitment to safety was also outstanding, and I always felt secure under her guidance. Thanks to Claudia, I not only became a certified diver but also developed a deep appreciation for the underwater world. I cannot recommend Claudia, and Bay Islands College of Diving, enough to anyone looking to learn how to dive or get additional diving certifications.

Came to rack up dives, left with an AOW and nitrox/wreck specialities. Still as fine a place as I remembered to work on your diving skills on Utila. I guess I have to come back at least one more time for my DM. Special thanks to my boy Instructor John. He is one dedicated bro 🤙

I completed my OW two years ago with BICD, and returned to complete my AOW this past week. The staff at BICD are incredible. I cannot recommend BICD enough if you want proper, safe, thorough, fun and enjoyable training. The knowledge and skills gained through their instruction have made me such a confident diver. I am so thankful for my experiences with BICD. From the instructors to the captains to the Lodge staff to the interns, thank you! You are all rockstars.

I came to BICD with the intention to do my PADI Openwater and potentially Advanced course.
However, due to their high standard of teaching, friendly atmosphere and ability to work to my schedule I decided to stay and complete my Divemaster. Going from ‘zero to hero’ was daunting at first but with BICD’s team of instructors and mentors I felt confident in their ability as well as my own to accomplish my dream of being a professional diver.

I dived with BICD nearly every day for over a month. They are the most professional, conservation minded, and customer oriented dive shop on the island. Fast, spacious boats, professional staff, and a beautiful dock, diving here is definitely worth every penny. I made so many friends for life during my stay and I can't wait to come back and see them soon!

Joined BICD for their annual international Women's Dive Day. Really fun full day of activities - 2 tank north side dives. Lunch. Tie Dye workshop and evening trivia. Looking forward to next year.

The BICD ladies of diving are top notch. Passionate, educated, welcoming.

What a wonderful experience received from each team member of BICD they were so welcoming and professional. We complete the open water course but definitely we can't wait to come back for the many other courses. Thank you everyone for the patience abroad for someone completely new on the field. Special kudos to Marcos our instructor for his patience, amability and encouragement spirit.

I did my Divemaster here. Amazing people and amazing diving. I learned a lot. For me the best diving school on Utila. Here you get more of a personal and professional learning. The Lodge is also a beautiful place to learn and to enjoy a beer after diving.

If you decide to go there give Arjen a hug from me!

Did my DM here and highly recommend it! The instructors are all incredibly knowledgeable and helpful. They’re thorough in their instruction for all level of courses and make sure that you really feel comfortable with things before moving on to the next. They’re also very organized and are able to accommodate people on different schedules or with different timeframes. Thanks BICD!

Came here to do the marine conservation internship and was supposed to be here for only a month. I ended up staying to do their Divemaster, IDC, and MSDT programs and couldn’t be happier with my decision. Everyday with BICD brings new learning opportunities, friends, and adventures. The instructors and staff are incredible and the entire experience has been unforgettable.

I did my EFF, Rescue and Divemaster with BICD and can really recommend the Divecenter! They are very organised and professional but also teach you everything in a natural way. They have a lot of experienced instructors which will help and coach you to get a better diver. Also, all the staff was very friendly and gave you the feeling of being at home there. I‘m looking forward to come back to Utila and dive again with BICD!

I completed my Dive Master with BICD back in February 2018. The whole course was extremely professional and couldn't imagine the same standard in any other school on Utila. The dive school makes you feel like part of one big family and I have met friends for life. Couldn't recommend them enough!

More recently in September 2019, I went back to BICD (because I love it so much) to complete their Underwater Photography Internship with Shaun Doyle, the staff photographer. Again like all their other courses with BICD the internship was very professional with the course broken down into each aspect of photography I would learn over the next 4 weeks. Shaun was extremely helpful both before dives during camera set up, during dives providing helpful tips underwater and with any issues I was having and post diving when editing pictures. He was always around to help! I am extremley happy with how my photography has progressed and am now very confident with a camera underwater.

I recently completed the 5-day advanced underwater photography course with Ash at BICD in Utila, and I couldn't be more thrilled with the experience! Ash is an exceptional instructor who turned my limited photography skills into something truly impressive in just 5 days.

As a beginner, Ash's clear breakdown of photography basics in the classroom laid a solid foundation before we even hit the water. Unlike previous courses, the one-on-one format allowed me to ask questions freely, ensuring I absorbed every bit of knowledge. Even when faced with housing issues with my own set up, Ash's adaptability and expertise ensured we still captured fantastic shots.
The course was well-structured, focusing on a different topic each day and seamlessly applying the skills we honed. From camera care to ambient lighting basics, buoyancy techniques, photo composition, and fish behavior/tracking, every aspect was covered. Ash's attention to detail extended to post-dive activities, with daily lessons on Lightroom and Photoshop enhancing our editing skills.

Overall, this course exceeded my expectations and was worth every penny. I now have skills and knowledge that can be applied to other areas of photography on land and in my business as well. I'm excited to return for Ash's strobe course, and I highly recommend BICD's Advanced Underwater Photography course to anyone looking to elevate their skills. Five stars without a doubt!

For the volume of courses they teach and the amount of people they see this place does an amazing job. I am a person here instead of a number which is very important to me, having had a bad experience with that elsewhere on the island.

I completed my PADI Divemaster Training and several speciality courses here. The level of instruction is top tier and the staff is both knowledgeable and professional. The best part of doing Divemaster here for me is the free diving for life. Because BICD is co-located with the Whale Shark Oceanic Research Center and Utila Lodge, free diving for life means there are more boats to get on and more diverse types of diving than any other dive center on the island. This is the only place that offers more than teaching boats - jumping on a resort boat - when it's an option is just a completely different and more enjoyable type of diving than being stuck on a boat in the middle of a rescue course.

If you want a place that focuses both on providing you an amazing experience and top tier instruction - Open Water through Staff Instructor and Career Development - this is that place.

This is one of the best dive shops I’ve ever dived with. They find that balance of being professional and safe, while still being relaxed and having fun. The rental gear is high quality and the instructors / dive masters ensure a safe, enjoyable dive. I also stayed in the accommodations in a private room, and it was a perfect spot for my time there. Whenever I’m back in Utila I’ll go straight to BICD!

I recently returned to BICD to complete my Rescue Diver and my Dive Master training and I absolutely LOVED it! In my opinion there is no other dive school that matches the level of professionalism, quality education, and emphasis on safety provided by BICD. All of the instructors that I had the pleasure of working with were patient, encouraging, and genuinely kind hearted (not to mention, hilarious). I really enjoyed getting to come back over a year later and see the same faces that supported me through my Advanced Open Water. The people behind the College are the reason why I would always choose to come back to Utila for all of my dive training in the future. Highly recommend.

I had the best experience at the Bay Island College of Diving! I did my open water certification and adventure diver certification here. They were very flexible with my schedule and made sure I could accomplish everything I wanted! All of the staff and instructors were so welcoming, kind, and professional. They also made sure I had comfortable housing for the whole duration of my trip in Utila. They made it so hard to leave! I highly recommend diving with them!

Best diving club in Utila without any doubt. Both the level of training + the caring behaviour of the staff create an unique atmosphere and experience for anyone who’s choosing BICD for their dive adventure. I recommend to everyone who’s interested to learn more about scuba diving, start a career in the aquatic world, and connect with its wonderful community

The best place for scuba courses and/or fundives in Utila!

I had an amazing time at BICD, doing my divemaster training and plenty of fundives.
I’ve been diving all around the world but couldn’t think about a better place for a high quality training.

I appreciate especially the professionalism, the focus on conservation, safety & quality and the lovely people I met. Everyone involved at BICD was just amazing, from the instructors, the office staff, the captains, the management,
to the staff at the restaurant of the lodge.

The divemaster program can be adjusted to your preferences when it comes to duration. There’s a big focus on quality and no one is just rushed through a course. There’s plenty of time for fundives (many of those take place at the north side of the island), you get free fundives for live and the best instructors 😍

Thanks again to everyone for the amazing time. Can’t wait to come back.