Roatán

About diving in Roatán

Best time to dive Roatán

March to May is the pick: the dry season has set in, the seas are calm and the water is at its clearest. June to August stays dry and settled, and the water warms towards its September peak of about 30 °C. September is still good, although the Atlantic hurricane season is under way; the island lies south of the main storm track and takes a direct hit only about once every 26 years. October to February is the rainy season, wettest in November and December. Showers tend to be short and intense and the boats keep running, but the water is less clear than in spring and summer and cools towards 26 °C. January and February are drier than the months before and still good for diving, with the coolest water of the year.

Best months: March, April, May, June, July, August

Roatán water temperature and weather by month

The sea surface runs from 27 °C (81 °F) in February to 30 °C (86 °F) in September. Most rain falls from June to January, peaking at about 370 mm (15 in) in November; it stays largely dry from February to May. Daytime highs sit around 29 °C (84 °F) all year. The coldest water here is about 25 °C (77 °F), so pack a 3 mm full suit.

Dive types & marine life

Turtles, eagle rays, grouper and barracuda are everyday sightings; reef sharks turn up occasionally, mostly on the baited south-side dive, and night dives bring out octopus and squid. March to August has the calmest seas and clearest water, October to February the rain and lower visibility. Whale sharks are recorded in the channel but far less often than off Utila to the west.

• Wall
• Reef
• Wreck
• Drift

• Whale sharks
• Sea turtles
• Eagle rays
• Groupers
• Reef sharks
• Barracuda

Best dive sites in Roatán

1. 1

   Mary's Place

   Reef split by volcanic crevasses past 30 m, lined with some of the Caribbean's largest black corals.

2. 2

   Odyssey Wreck

   A 90 m freighter sunk upright in 2002, 12 m at the mast to 33 m at the keel; the largest wreck here.

3. 3

   El Aguila

   A 60 m cargo ship on its side at 33 m, broken in three by Hurricane Mitch; groupers shelter inside.

4. 4

   Hole in the Wall

   A sloping tunnel that exits through the wall at 33 m; needs solid buoyancy and cavern experience.

5. 5

   Cara a Cara

   Shark dive on a south-side plateau at 21 m, home to a resident group of Caribbean reef sharks.

6. 6

   Half Moon Wall

   Reef top from 5 m turning to a wall that drops to about 46 m, with a juvenile-fish nursery on top; a favourite at night.

7. 7

   Texas Point

   Fast drift along the exposed western tip from 15 m, for experienced drift divers carrying an SMB.

8. 8

   Spooky Channel

   A narrow cut through the south-side wall to 27 m, dim under overhanging coral, nurse sharks on the sand.

Site guides

Channel & pass

Blue Channel

A gentle drift down a sand channel that ends at the drop-off

9–27 mintermediate

Wall

Canyon Reef

Canyons and swim-throughs on a wall bottoming out at 16 m

to 16 mbeginner

Reef

Cara a Cara

A resident group of Caribbean reef sharks on a south-side plateau

to 21 mintermediate

Cave & cavern

Dolphin Den

A network of shallow, easily navigated coral caves

5–12 mbeginner

Wreck

El Aguila

Three swim-throughs, and sometimes 15 to 20 groupers inside

18–33 madvanced

Reef

Fish Den

A coral pillar standing in a square cut in the reef wall

7–18 mbeginner

Drift

Grape Escape

A shallow drift down a sand path scattered with wreck pieces

12–14 mbeginner

Wall

Half Moon Wall

Reef top at 5 m, wall dropping to about 46 m off West End

5–46 madvanced

Cave & cavern

Hole in the Wall

Exit a sand-chute tunnel through an opening in the vertical wall face

12–33 madvanced

Wall

Land of the Giants

Steep cracked wall over sand that starts at 25 m and keeps going

5–35 madvanced

Sand slope

Mandy's Eel Garden

Garden eel colonies on a sand patch near the foot of the wall

6–20 mbeginner

Reef

Mary's Place

Volcanic fissures lined with some of the Caribbean's largest black corals

to 30 mintermediate

Wreck

Odyssey Wreck

Stairwells, cabins and an intact mess table at 12 to 33 m

12–33 madvanced

Drift

Pablo's Place

Schooling horse-eye jacks above a wall where turtles graze

12–30 mintermediate

Pinnacle

Pillar Coral

A coral spire off the wall, topping out at about 27 m

10–27 madvanced

Wreck

Prince Albert Wreck

A shore-accessible wreck at 20 m, also dived after dark

to 20 mintermediate

Channel & pass

Spooky Channel

Swim-throughs one after another inside a canyon from lagoon to outer reef

to 27 mintermediate

Reef

Tabyanas

Shallow West Bay reef with 22-24 m of average visibility

to 12 mbeginner

Drift

Texas Point

A fast ride along the vertical drop-off at the island's exposed western tip

15–27 madvanced

Reef

The Bight

Shallow barrier reef where turtles and grouper are common

to 20 mbeginner

Reef

Turtle Crossing Deep

Coral channels off a shallow plateau, dropping to about 37 m

6–37 madvanced

Wall

West End Wall

Southern stingrays and spotted eagle rays hunting along the base of the wall

to 27 madvanced

Sand slope

White Hole

A sand patch at 11 m between Dragon Maze and the wall

11–30 mintermediate

How to get to Roatán

The island has its own international airport, with direct services from several North American hubs and more of them in the winter season, plus a fast ferry from La Ceiba on the mainland. Most divers base in West End or West Bay, where shops, docks and reef are walkable; the eastern half is quieter and resort-based, so plan on transfers for anything off site.

Photos from Roatán

• 

  William Eburn · CC BY 2.5

• 

  DJ Cane · CC BY-SA 4.0

• 

  Roatanavi · CC BY-SA 3.0

• 

  Luis Alfredo Romero · CC BY-SA 4.0

• 

  JurriaanH · CC BY-SA 3.0

• 

  Daniel Gillaspia from Berkeley, CA · CC BY 2.0

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Dive videos

DEEP Wreck Dive on Roatan with DiveTalk! · BlueWorldTV on YouTube

Scuba Diving Mary's Place On SOUTH SIDE Roatan - Ep 108 · Blue Horizon Diving on YouTube

Questions divers ask