Roatán, the area around White Hole

Roatán · Honduras · Sand slope · Wall

White Hole

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

Area photo: Luis Alfredo Romero · CC BY-SA 4.0

White Hole is the sand between two better-known pieces of reef in the west of Sandy Bay: a patch about 11 m deep, lying between the shallower Dragon Maze on one side and the wall on the other, which drops to around 30 m. The site's own mooring buoy has been lost, and it is found instead by its neighbour immediately alongside.

Where it is and how deep

Depth profile of White Hole: typical dive 11–30 m (36–100 ft) 18 m · Open Water30 m · Advanced40 m · Recreational limit11 m30 mtypical dive
Depths on a shared scale to 40 m (130 ft); dashed lines mark common certification limits.

16.3376° N, 86.5664° WPublished position for this site.

The dive

The name is literal. This is a patch of open sand about 11 m down, set between the shallower coral of Dragon Maze on one side and the reef wall on the other. The sand is the point of the site: an open, bright floor with reef along both edges, and that contrast is what makes it worth planning a dive around rather than passing over on the way somewhere else.

From the sand the ground drops away down the wall to around 30 m, so the site works either as a shallow sand-and-reef pass or as a wall dive with the patch as its shallow finish. Take the deeper part first and come back onto the sand at 11 m to end the dive. With the buoy gone, it is worth asking the crew before you get in how they are marking the site and where they intend to pick you up.

Marine life and season

The sources we used don't single out particular species here.

Month-by-month season rating for White Hole
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
GoodGoodPrimePrimePrimePrimePrimePrimeFairFairGoodGood

Season follows Roatán: March–August is driest with the calmest seas; October–January brings the Bay Islands' rainier season and reduced visibility.

Sources

  1. White Hole — Scubago

More dive sites in Roatán

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

to 16 mbeginner

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

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

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A shallow drift down a sand path scattered with wreck pieces

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

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

5–35 madvanced

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

to 30 mintermediate

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

12–33 madvanced

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