ROATAN THE DIVERS PARADISE June 7, 2010 by lukesheppard

Roatan, a island that measures just 29 miles long and 2 miles wide is the largest of the Caribbeans’ Honduras’ Bay Islands, just 40 miles north of the Honduras coast. Located near the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef (which you may know as the Belize Barrier Reef) it makes for fantastic diving because this reef is the second largest in the world. These islands boast spectacular coral reef systems, magnificent wall diving, white sandy beaches and hillsides covered like a tropical jungle. The island is surrounded by coral reefs and there’s 132 frequented dives as well as the opportunity to explore other less explored reefs and site too. Roatan is a fantastic place to do some wall diving with thousand foot walls, ledges and drop-offs to experience in the surrounding islands. Admire the walls which are covered in gorgeous soft coral and barrel sponges while larger fish like Barracuda and Grouper as well as Hawksbill Turtles and Eagle Rays glide along by. The walls are dotted with fissures, cracks, ledges and overhangs that would take ages to explore. For new divers or divers who aren’t keen on wall diving, there are mini-walls and pinnacles that make brilliant sites to build up confidence. If you’re looking for some reef exploration around the island, then you will not be disappointed. The fantastic array of different coral that grows in different locations around the island is staggering so you will never tire of the different sites. You can easily explore the nursery reefs there of head down  to the deeper reefs where you’re likely to encounter with pelagic fish like Sharks, Barracuda and Snapper. Roatan is known for its Black Coral and gorgeous azure vase sponges that are in abundance in the surrounding reefs. Roatan is also popular for it’s wreck diving sites including some vessels which have been sunk intentionally for diving. The most popular wreck and the biggest is the 300ft freighter called the Odyssey which was sunk for diving after it caught on fire and became unusable and was donated to the government. Other popular wrecks here include The Prince Albert, the Dixon Cove wrecks, El Aguila and the 1912 wrecks. As well as all the wrecks, corals and walls, the reefs around Roatan are festooned with shallow caves, swim-throughs and caverns. The series of natural cracks in the reef that lead towards the drop-off of the wall (known as the “canyolands”) make a spectacular dive. Dolphin Den, is a popular site which is a cave-like swim-through maze of tunnels where you can find nurse sharks and morays. There are so many caverns and swim-throughs in Roatan that you could spend your entire trip exploring them. If you’re looking for that diving destination which offers you a diverse range of scuba diving sites, then this little gem, Roatan is perfect, you can explore everything from Caverns and Wrecks to Wall Diving and gorgeous Reefs.