Diving

Roatan offers a huge selection of dive sites ranging from deep drop offs, walls, wrecks, caves, reefs and also sites with are excellent for sharks or dolphins. This diverse range caters for all interests and levels of diver making this destination excellent for everyone. The fringing reef is so close to shore that it is easily reached with a short swim, so a lot of dives are reached this way, with only the further away sites being reached by boat.

The West End is the main tourist area, with the fringing reef just off its coast it is the most popular place to dive from on the island. This area has been created in to the West End Marine Park to protect its unique ecosystem and therefore the diving is unspoilt by over fishing and destructive behaviour.

The West end is on the leeward side of the island so is mostly very calm with pleasant diving conditions.  One of the top sites in this area is the West End Wall. A huge sheer wall plunging into the depths of the Cayman Trench covered in lots of healthy coral. This site is normally dived as a drift dive due to the frequent current which is usually the perfect strength to gently pull you along the beautiful reef but means you can still take it all the life around you. This current can bring in schools of barracuda and many other reef fish as well as Turtles and also here is where you have a good chance of spotting some Eagle Rays. Due to the depth and current at this site, it is a dive for experienced divers.

There are plenty of sites for the less experienced with just as much marine life such as Turtle Crossing where unsurprisingly you can see lots of turtles and maybe some barracuda and eagle rays on the horizon. Another dive suitable for everyone and not to be missed is Roatan’s Shark Dive. Not for the faint hearted, you can witness around 20 Reef Sharks which are attracted by the smell of some fish that the divemaster brings in a bucket. It’s a thrilling experience to sit and watch the sharks swimming around very close to you and once they disperse you can explore the surrounding area where lots of people can find old sharks teeth.

Whale Sharks are another top marine creature that is commonly seen in the Bay of Islands. More commonly seen around the island of Utila, but there is still a chance of seeing some near Roatan in season. As the island of Utila is so close and has a much, much greater chance of seeing Whale Sharks many dive centres run regular day trips across to the island as this is the best chance for their customers to see these gentle giants. Utila is thought to have resident Whale Sharks and there is the chance of spotting these year round, but the best times are the months of March, April, September and December.

How to get there

Roatan is easy to reach from the US with an airport on the island with has regular flights to many destinations in the US and on the mainland of Honduras. You can also reach the island by ferry from either Utila or from Honduras’s mainland port of La Ceiba.

Even though this island is so easy to reach is seems to have escaped the mass tourist development and retained a lot of its character, culture and natural un-built up landscapes.

Other activities

Besides diving and snorkelling there are many other activities to take part in an out of the water on Roatan such as kayaking, horse riding, jungle treks and just relaxing on the beautiful peaceful beaches.

This wonderful easy to reach, unspoilt island is a great location for both divers and non divers as a choice of holiday destination.