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Dive Sites
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Spooky Channel
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Depth 5 to 95 feet with shore or boat access:
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Spooky Channel is located directly off the end of the Sunnyside pier. There is a maze of zigzags and tunnel like effects leading throughout the reef at depths of up to 95 feet. Snorkelers and divers have very easy access to this area from the end of the pier. Boat moorings are on the inside and outside of the reef. Fish are very abundant in this area and include blue runner, harlequin bass, black durgon, butterfly fish, grouper, angelfish, parrotfish, octopus, lobster, shrimp, spider crab, trunkfish, porcupine fish, turtles, and rays. Snorkelers spend hours swimming and diving in this area. Be sure to stop and visit the folks at Bay Islands Beach Resort and they will tell you about their new underwater aquarium trail located on the inside of Spooky Channel. During our last snorkeling visit to the trial, they had 10 marker buoys around spots of interest. We spotted an eagle ray, green moray, trumpetfish, barracuda, reef squirrelfish, blue hamlet, fairy basslet, black grouper, tiger grouper, Nassau grouper, rock hind, octopus, lobster, flounder, jack, dog snapper, trunkfish, blue stripped grunt, foureye butterfly fish, intermediate queen angelfish, yellowtail damsel fish, Spanish hogfish, rainbow parrotfish, stoplight parrotfish, queen triggerfish, black durgon, and honeycomb cowfish. The corals included flower coral, smooth starlet, ribbon coral, brain coral, sea rod, sea fans, tube sponges, and basket sponges.
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Bear's Den
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Depth 30 to 105 feet with boat access:
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Bear's Den is located just to the west of Spooky Channel and is well known for its honeycombed vertical coral wall, a large underwater cave, and a tunnel. The tunnel is about 80 feet deep and located very near the boat mooring. The tunnel runs 100 feet before opening at a large steep canyon. The cave is located by swimming further to the east from the mooring (five minutes). Recently, several large black grouper have been greeting divers as they enter the water at the mooring site. The entrance is located in at a depth of 40 feet. If you enter the cave in the late morning, you will get a lot of reflected light from the small openings at the top of the cave. Here you will find large reef crabs. Be sure to enter this cave with a local guide and be sure to have an underwater light. At least four people can easily fit in the cave and follow the instructions of the guide.
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Peter's Place
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Depth 10 to 130+ feet with boat access
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:Peter's Place is known for its diverse variety of fish and the mini wall that rises from a depth of about 40 feet. Triggerfish, black durgon and sea fans mark this mini wall. Near the deeper ledge are pillars of coral. Grouper, parrotfish, angelfish, tang, and yellow snapper will greet you during the daylight. Night dives will be rich with colors from sponges and giant spider crabs. Eels, brittle stars, basket stars, octopuses, and flounders will greet you in the evening.
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Eagle's Nest
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Depth 25 to 130 feet with boat access
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:Eagle's Nest or Perch has a high knoll along the shelf of the reef. Water depth ranges from 25 to 130 feet along this area. Large spotted eagle rays are commonly found here along with turtles. Large barrel sponges and sea fans are seen between the black durgon, triggerfish, and grouper.
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Fish Den
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Depth 10 to 130 feet with boat access:
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Fish Den is the local hot spot for lots of fish. Water depth ranges from 10 to 130 feet where large schools of blue tangs, grunts, parrotfish's, yellowtail snapper, and flounder are found. The shelf drops off around 35 feet to 130 feet and forms a spectacular mini wall with lots of sponges and soft corals.
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Canyon Reef
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Depth 10 to 155 feet with boat access:
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Canyon Reef has lots of towers of pillar corals in a depth of 10 to 150 feet. The terrain looks like a canyon with massive clefts in the walls and ravines. There are tunnels that zigzag to the shallow areas. The current in this area makes this a great drift dive location.
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Hole in the Wall
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Depth 45 to 135+ feet with boat access:
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Hole in the Wall has numerous caves and chutes at depths of 45 to 135 feet. One very large chute is 30 feet wide and drops to 140 foot depth. Big grouper, barracuda, spotted rays, and hawksbill turtles are common in this location.
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Dive Master's Choice
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Depth 5 to 110 feet with shore or boat access:
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Dive Master's Choice is directly in front of the Seagrape Plantation Resort and about 120 feet from the iron shores. Snorkelers enter the water from cement steps in the iron shores, the only practical way of getting in or out of the water in this area. The shelf has a gentle slope and then drops off dramatically. Sergeant majors, parrotfish's, red hinds, spotfin, butterfly fish, turtles, and eagle rays will be seen with lots of sponges. This is an excellent area to dive the wall line. This is one of our favorite sites.
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Half Moon Bay Wall
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Depth 20 to 130+ feet with shore or boat access:
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Half Moon Bay Wall is a semicircular wall that begins at 20 feet as a gradually declining slope. At depth of 60 feet, the slope levels off for s short distance than drops to over 100 feet in a semi-circular wall. Hard corals, sea fans, sponges, and soft corals are found on the upper sections. The drop off has large orange elephant ear sponges, azure vase sponges, and soft corals. This area was once above water and it shows the evidence of prehistoric above water times.
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Blue Channel
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Depth 5 to 50 feet with shore or boat access
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Blue Channel is located about 300 feet from Suena Del Mar's beachfront. A 30 foot deep channel parallels the shore. The southern wall of the channel has caves. Schools of tangs, grunts, and snapper are common to this area.
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West End Beach
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Depth 5 to 130 feet with shore or boat access:
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West End Beach is a popular snorkeling area. The sandy beach gently slopes to the barrier reef which is about 10 to 20 feet in depth. All along the beachfront the coral reef is spotted with channels and coral formations. Fresh water springs feed several spots in this area and the water change is dramatic. This is an excellent area for small fish.
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West End
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Depth 10 to 130+ feet with boat access:
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Steep ridges mark the area and are surrounded by flats that have a tremendous amount of large sponges. Narrow fissures and pinnacles dot the underwater landscape. Current is strong in this area.
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Herbie's Place
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Depth 20 to 150+ feet with boat access:
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Herbie's Place is on the south shore of Roatan in depths of 20 to 150 feet. Drift diving is common in this area and some very large barrel sponges will be seen. Most dive masters will drop you off and you'll drift to another dive site known as Pablo's Place.
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Enchanted Forest
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Depth 8 to 110 feet with boat access:
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Enchanted Forest is located on a crest about a half a mile south of the reef. The boat mooring is on a large flat sandy area in about 30 feet of water. The upper part of the crest has barrel and vase sponges with lots of soft coral formations. The slopes of the ridge contain multicolored sponges and polyps.
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Insidious Reef
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Depth 30 to 130+ feet with boat access:
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Insidious Reef is located away from the barrier reef on a gentle sloping offshore bank. The south wall of the area is full of sea life from French angelfish to shark and manta rays. The water depth is this area ranges from 30 to 130 feet.
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Mary's Place
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Depth 30 to 130 feet with boat access:
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Mary's Place is one of the more spectacular dive spots on the south side of the island. The site has a steep wall that is bisected in one area. Hard and soft corals are abundant in this area. The wall has many fissures where jewfish, yellowtail snapper, silversides, and grouper will be found. Nurse sharks, large grouper, lobster and crab are seen under the many ledges and along the bottom of the 100 foot wall.
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Valley of the Kings
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Depth 5 to 130+ feet with boat access:
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The shallow depth makes this a favorite with the snorkelers. The wall and its ledge are marked with many large coral pillar columns. Azure vase sponge is prominent in this area. There are many over hangs and they are covered with sponges, white gorgonians, red and pink rope sponges, and a variety of black corals. Night dives to this area are routinely scheduled.
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Forty Foot Point
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Depth 40 to 130 feet with boat access:
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At a depth of 40 feet there is a vertical wall. Gray snapper are known to forms schools along with other varieties in this area. Spadefish, horse-eye jack, yellowtail snapper, and permit can be found schooling near the surface and along the wall. The area is filled with lobster, crabs, octopuses, and grouper that seem to come alive at night. The light intensity below forty feet is low and you should consider bringing a light.
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Inside and Outside Chimneys
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Depth 10 to 120 feet with boat access:
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The southern wall is laced with several sand chutes which highlight the reef spider crabs and lettuce corals here. There is a slight current from the east. The current brings the plankton that feed the soft corals, vase sponges, tube sponges, and gorgonians. Two large chimneys rise from a depth to 60 feet to about 20 from the surface. There is a large man size orange elephant ear sponge that marks the entrance to the chimneys. Turtles, blue chromis, and black grouper are common along the edge of the ledge.
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Channel Shore
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Depth 30 to 120 feet with shore or boat access:
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Located between CoCo View and Fantasy Island resorts, you find easy access to a submerged DC-3 which lies in about 30 feet of water and the wreck of the Prince Albert, a 140 island freighter with an intact superstructure. The DC3 fuselage is intact. Water quality here can be poor due to land run off or from tidal action. There are two walls to dive very close to the channel and caution should be observed with the local boat traffic.
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Parrot Tree
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Depth 5 to 130+ feet with boat access:
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The island shelf is well defined in this area and there are two shelves to explore. Lettuce coral, shrimp, tunicates, and sea horses will be seen between the sand chutes. Water clarity in this area is subject to wave action and visibility decreases the closer you get to the channel.
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Helene
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Depth 20 to 130+ feet with boat access:
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Helene is also called Rose, Santa Elena, Helena, or St. Helene. Getting to this remote dive area takes a bit of doing. The section of the Roatan is rarely visited by tourists but dive operators in Oakridge will take you to this area.
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Barbareta and Morat Walls
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Depth 50 to 130+ feet with boat access:
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The Barbareta and Morat Walls is a 3 mile reef running parallel to the islands. Huge sponges and gorgonians are common here. Large orange elephant ear sponges are surrounded by other variety of rope sponges and a great variety of marine life. Most of the marine species that are found in the Bay Islands can be seen here. This dive location makes a good drift dive spot for multiple dives.
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Verde Grande
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Depth 6 to 40 feet with boat access:
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Similar to Spooky Channel, Verde Grande has a system caverns and cuts through the reef. Most dive groups are dropped on one side of the reef and then picked up on the other side after you explore the caverns, Elkhorn coral, and other shallow water corals and marine species. An underwater light is suggest for this area and take care to follow the dive guide briefing.
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1912 Wreck
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Depth 6 to 40 feet with boat access:
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The wreck is partially exposed at the surface and large pieces of steel including the ship's boiler can be seen. The reef in this area also has a deep water cut and walls that can be explored. The reef system extends for miles in each direction and many marines species will be found. Be sure to swim the inside and outside reef areas to get an appreciation of the corals and marine life that is typical along the northern coastline.
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Calvin's Crack
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Located on the south shore west of the main Oak Ridge channel
300 meters from Church Wall
Depth range is 20 to 200 feet
Wall Dive
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The mooring is on a flat reef section about 20 to 30 feet in depth. Swimming towards the wall to the south, you will find a small tunnel. Upon entering the tunnel and about 10 feet downward, you will find a large school of silverside. Then swim towards the wall through a large crack. As you continue through this slowly opening crack, you will exit the tunnel at a depth of 70 feet. From here you can explore the wall in either direction as you work your way back to the mooring.
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Carib Point
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Located on the south shore
Depth range is 30 to 150 feet
Wall/Drift Dive
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This dive is accessible only by boat. It is near Carib Point on the south shore. The best formations of coral are at a depth of 60 feet along the wall. The are a large variety of sponges between the cracks and crevices in the wall. There are a lot of large reef crabs in this area.
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Church Wall
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Located on the south shore off Oak Ridge
Depth range is 20 to 200 feet
Wall Dive
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At the mooring line there is a depth of 20 feet. Upon entering the water, at the mooring line, the depth slopes towards a wall at a depth of 50 feet. The are lots of soft corals moving with the small waves and current in this area. Common sea fans and large sea rods create a garden of soft coral. The wall suddenly drops to 80, 100 and 200 foot depths. Along the wall there are large sponges, sea wisps and sea fans. There is a small hoe and crevice where you'll find large king crabs, spotted lobsters, and eels. This is a perfect location to do wide angle photography.
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Gibson Bight
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Located on the north shore near Half Moon Bay
Depth range is 90 feet
Wall Dive
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The mooring is in 15 feet of water on the top of the wall. Just to the side is a nice little canyon which can swim down to arrive out onto the wall. Turning to the left and swimming at about 80 feet you will find an enormous old barrel sponge. A little further on you can swim down a dramatic canyon taking you into the channel that leads to Gibson Bite. the visibility here is often bad but the large mound to your right exiting the canyon is worth a detailed look. Coming back along the top of the wall, you'll see lots of interesting canyons to your right. These are well worth exploring. Half way back to the mooring is an overhang under which you is a fun little swim through. The wall of the overhand is really beautiful especially if you have a flash light to bring out the redness of the encrusting corals. Spotted eagle rays come in to feed at Gibson Bite so you have a chance of seeing them gliding along off the wall.
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Keifetos
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Wall Dive 35 to 75 feet
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Keifetos is a beautiful dive site. The dive site name came from the hotel which is on shore at this site. There are a large amount of barrel sponges about 4 to 8 feet tall and 2 to 3 feet in diameter in this area. This site is also called Two Turtles Crossing by some of the local dive masters. At the bottom of the wall is a sandy area which slopes off to great depths. You will see a good variety of corals and fish in this area. We spotted two very large filefish and several turtles in this area.
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Lighthouse 1
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Basic dive area
Depth 15 to 110 feet
Wall dive
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This is a good site for all dive level certifications. The mooring is in 15 feet of water by a large sand patch. To the north is an even larger sand patch and between this and the wall is a beautiful area of shallow corals. 80 feet out form the mooring, the wall drops off. The top of the wall is about 40 feet deep and the corals go down to about 100 feet. The wall is beautiful on both to the north and the to the south. Lighthouse is popular for night dives as the shallow area around the mooring has many basket stars, lobsters and a good chance of seeing octopus.
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Lighthouse 2
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Depth range is 90 feet
Wall Dive
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This dive begins at a large mooring in about 30 feet of water at the top of a beautiful wall. Around the mooring is an interesting area of shallow canyons and small sand patches. A small wall rises up to about 10 feet. Following this small wall to the north you will find a beautiful overhang topped with pillar corals and full of nooks and cranny's where squirrelfish and lobsters love to hide. From the mooring and turning north along the wall there is a stunning cliff covered with gorgonians and large barrel sponges. Further on you will come across another place where the wall juts out and is covered by some of the most beautiful corals you will find in Roatan, The top of the wall is crowded with wrasse and groupers. Turtles are usually spotted here.
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Melissa's Place
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Shallow water dive and wall dive
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This is a lovely shallow dive and can also make an interesting night dive. The most remarkable features are the deep, wide canyons in the shallow area on the top of the wall. Take the time to explore the walls filled with crab and lobster.
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Overheat Reef
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Wall dive on North Shore
Depth 15 to 130 feet
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This is another ideal spot for beginners but also perfect for advanced dives. Close to the mooring, which is in 15 feet of water and very close to the wall, is a small sand patch. Swimming back from the mooring into a shallow rocky area you can find a little grotto which is usually home to huge king crabs and lots of lobsters. The top of the wall, at 30 feet, is covered with beautiful corals and usually crowded with fish. Turn left along the wall and after about 5 minutes you will come across a dramatic outcrop forming a peninsula jutting out from the wall. the top is at 80 feet but you can descend down to 130 feet to circle it. The far side which, usually catches the northerly current, is covered in gorgonia.
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Seaquest
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Beginning dive area
Depth of 10 to 40 feet
Located inside the reef in West End
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This is a perfect dive for beginners, snorkelers, or those looking for a shallow reef. The mooring is in 15 feet of water by a large sand patch surrounded by beautiful coral. A short distance out the wall drops form 10 feet to 40 feet. The top of the wall is always crowded with wrasse, Bermuda Chubb and lost of smaller colorful fishes. Below is a vast sand patch with intermittent coral mounds. You will quite often see Atlantic stingrays buried in the sand or gliding off, disturbed by your presence
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