Diving in Honduras
The three primary members of the Bay Islands group—Guanaja, Roatan and Utila, run in an roughly east-west line with deep waters of the Continental Shelf to the north, and the coast of Honduras some 20 to 30 miles to the south and west. With more than 300 named dive sites to choose from, divers have a seemingly overwhelming number of options. By looking at the big picture, its possible to gain a basic understanding of what to expect. All three islands share similar underwater topographies, with minor variations in diversity. In general, their northern coasts are flanked by walls that begin at depths of 30 to 40 feet, and drop to depths of more than a half mile. This area marks the southern end of the Great Mesoamerican reef system. On Guanaja and Roatan this drop begins a quarter to half mile from shore, with shallow lagoons in between. On Utila the walls come closer to shore. These walls are often riddled with swim-throughs, pinnacles and caverns, perhaps carved when sea levels were lower during the last ice age. These formations become more pronounced as you move east, with Guanaja having some of the most dramatic underwater terrain. The Bay Islands sustain some of the highest marine bio-diversity in the Caribbean. Healthy hard and soft coral growths support a range of marine life along the walls, while their proximity to open water means an increased chance of sighting passing pelagics such as sharks, dolphin and rays. Utila is also known for the seasonal sightings of whales sharks, and dive operators will sometimes use surface intervals to head into deeper water in hopes of a bonus encounter. The island's southern shores are typified by gentle to moderate slopes that begin close to shore, then become steeper and sometimes vertical as they drop to depths of 100 to 150 feet to meet the coastal plane that extends to the mainland. Southern sites can be calmer, as they are not exposed to seasonal north winds, but don't always display the same stellar clarity. This is most noticed in summer and fall when rains swell mainland rivers and push nutrient-dense waters out from the coast. One benefit of this seasonal flow is the prolific soft coral and sponge growth that is characteristic of south-shore sites. On deeper sections of the slope, giant barrel sponges can grow to person size, and sea fans stretch broader than arms width. These reefs support a wide range of Caribbean reef fish, from grunts to groupers, damselfish, spotted drums, pufferfish, trunkfish, creole wrasse and parrotfish, plus smaller finds such as seahorses, cleaner shrimp and a range of invertebrates. The coastal plateau beyond the islands contains a number of pinnacles and seamounts that rise to support colonies of coral and sponges. Day trips from Roatan also bring divers to the small islands of the Cayos Cochinos, which sit within a marine park, and offer some of the most pristine dive sites in the region.