Roatán · Honduras · Channel & pass · Drift · Reef
Blue Channel
A gentle drift down a sand channel that ends at the drop-off
Area photo: William Eburn · CC BY 2.5
Blue Channel is a wide, sand-floored cut through the reef on the western tip of Roatán, framed by coral heads and running straight out to the drop-off. A mild current carries divers along it, and the channel edges draw eagle rays, turtles and the odd reef shark.
Where it is and how deep
16.2995° N, 86.6009° WApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The dive starts over the sand floor of the channel at around 9 m (30 ft), with coral heads lining both sides. Divers let the mild current take them along the cut, watching the edges for eagle rays and turtles and, now and then, a reef shark cruising past.
The channel leads directly onto the drop-off, where the reef falls away and the deepest part of the dive reaches 27 m (90 ft). The site suits divers of all experience levels when conditions are calm.
Marine life and season
- Eagle rays
- Sea turtles
- Reef sharks
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair | Fair | Fair |
Season follows Roatán: March to August is dry with the calmest seas; October to February is the rainy season, wettest in November and December.
Dive videos
BLUE CHANNEL / ROATANDIVESITES.com · 360DIVERS on YouTube
Sources
- Diving sites in Roatan, Honduras — Dive the World
- Blue Channel — ScubaGo
More dive sites in Roatán
Wall
Canyons and swim-throughs on a wall bottoming out at 16 m
Reef
A resident group of Caribbean reef sharks on a south-side plateau
Cave & cavern
A network of shallow, easily navigated coral caves
Wreck
Three swim-throughs, and sometimes 15 to 20 groupers inside
Reef
A coral pillar standing in a square cut in the reef wall
Drift
A shallow drift down a sand path scattered with wreck pieces
Wall
Reef top at 5 m, wall dropping to about 46 m off West End
Exit a sand-chute tunnel through an opening in the vertical wall face
Similar dives elsewhere
Mantas and eagle rays in the outer reaches of a tidal cut
Sharks, jacks and eagle rays on the channel-mouth current
A 9-metre reef cut, with nurse sharks and stingrays next door
Every manta in or out passes through one narrow restriction