Honduras is a central American country bordered by Guatemala, El Salvador and Nicaragua. The country has a Pacific coastline to the south and a Caribbean coast to the north. Diving in Honduras centres on the stunning Bay Islands (mainly Utila, Roatan, Guanaja and Cayos Cochinos), and they are located at most 48 km off the Caribbean coastline. You can enjoy the best of them all on a 1 week Honduras liveaboard diving cruise.
The region is part of the MesoAmerican Barrier Reef, the world's second largest barrier reef, that stretches down from Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula. The Bay Islands lie at the southern end of this reef and encompass 8 islands and 53 small cays, with countless white sand beaches, and exude the perfect laid-back tropical vacation vibe that attracts so many tourists and scuba divers to Honduras.
Roatan and Utila in particular are beloved by scuba divers , thanks to some impressive walls, spectacular wrecks, rich shallow reefs, excellent visibility, and fascinating macro diving. Larger creatures to encounter when you dive in Honduras include whale sharks (especially from February through April), bottlenose dolphins and Caribbean reef sharks. Unusual smaller creatures abound in Honduras too, such as stargazers, longsnout seahorses, jawfish and spoon-nose eels.
The Highlights
More details on each of the best destinations for Honduras diving:
Roatan's seascape includes sheer coral-covered walls, fascinating wrecks, and caves and caverns galore. You will see giant sponges, sharks, turtles and innumerable smaller creatures when diving in Roatan, making this a premier destination for Honduras scuba diving.
Cara a Cara is among the more memorable dives in Honduras. Here you come ''face-to-face'' with as many as 20 or more Caribbean reef sharks. Some of these individuals may be up to 10 ft (3m) in length. Food brings them in so you might want to keep your fingers close to your body! Alongside the sharks, you can expect to see some meaty gropers, moray eels and yellowfin tuna. Mary's Place is one of the best known sites for diving in Roatan, this lush reef features volcanic crevasses and channels to fin through, dropping to over 100 ft (30m). Marvel at sea fans, black coral, creole wrasse, spotted drums, and large barrel sponges. Where channels open to the sea, look out for sting rays and turtles. Hole in the Wall is a unique Honduras dive experience. Descend a long tunnel to exit at 110 ft (33m) emerging from the hole in the wall. Ascend to find a maze of canyons and a large cave illuminated by sunlight, revealing a huge ball of glassy sweepers.
Wreck of the Aguila - this 200 ft (60m) cargo ship lies on its starboard side in around 110 ft (33m) near a reef wall. Sunk in 1997 and now in 3 sections, 15-20 large groupers often lurk inside, alongside blue parrotfish and moray eels. The outer sections are cloaked in corals and sponges. The Odyssey Wreck, at 300 ft (90m), is the largest wreck you'll encounter when diving in Roatan. Sunk in November 2002, it sits at 40-110 ft (12-33m) on a sandy floor. A table and chairs remain intact for photo opportunities, and you can fin through stairwells.
Other sites worth exploring while diving in Roatan include Taviana's Wall where turtles are the star of the show, but there are also octopus, lobsters and crabs. Bear's Den is a site with a large cave and tunnel filled with black corals, sea whips and giant sponges. Half Moon Bay Wall is a site crowded with marine life, with juvenile nurseries in the shallows where divers can see tiny filefish and spotted drums, plus big barracuda in the blue. The deeper part of the sloping reef features large sea fans and sea rods, as well as huge orange elephant ear sponges.
The smallest of the main Bay Islands, Utila is one of the most popular scuba diving spots in Honduras, mostly because it has a little bit of everything; from charismatic megafauna like whale sharks, marlin and dolphins, amazing macro-photography opportunities and a range of distinct types of dive site. You can expect excellent visibility at Utila, many dive sites with minimal currents and year-round warm water, making it suitable for all experience levels
Black Hills is an incredible seamount between 35 ft (10m) and 130 ft (40m) that is a riot of activity when currents flow. Schools of barracuda, jacks, creole wrasses, turtles, free-swimming moray eels, scorpionfish, and frogfish. Always keep an eye on the blue for the unmistakable shape of the whale shark. Duppy Waters is an oddly-named Utila dive site. Duppy means ghost in the local lingo and is given to this site because of the eerie sparkling of the water here at night. The sloping coral garden is a great place to spot eagle rays and sting rays. Blue tangs and creole wrasse appear all over the reef and it is common to see octopus hunting crustaceans around the crevices of the reef. CJ’s Drop-off is a wall that drops deep down to over 140 ft (42m). Barracuda, jacks and turtles are common sights here. At the top of the reef there are sandy channels where spiny Caribbean lobsters and goldentail moray eels are among the creatures you will see.
Raggedy Cay has a wall which drops down to 130 ft (40m). In the shallows look out for morays gaping from their holes, octopus and triggerfish lurking among the colorful corals and turtles and nurse sharks resting in sandy patches. In the blue there could be for eagle rays flying by, as well as grouper and snapper. Jack Neil Point & Jack Neil Beach are 2 fabulous shallow Utila dives where you can spend time enjoying the tongue and groove formations of the reef. Potter around the sandy patches and coral heads for flying gurnards, seahorses, toadfish and moray eels. Fish diversity is great at this site and you can expect to see damselfish, grunts, trunkfish and damselfish, as well as larger creatures like turtles and eagle rays.
There are many other wonderful sites you are likely to visit when diving Utila. Old Bank is a lovely shallow dive over pristine elkhorn coral sheltering little squid and filefish. Keep an eye out when passing over sandy flats for the unmistakable burrow of the wide-eyed and cute yellowhead jawfish. Halliburton Wreck is an artificial reef created in 1998. It is quite a deep dive that promises bearded fire worms, yellowline arrow crabs, channel clinging crabs, porcupine fish and pipefish. Hawksbill Bank is not really as overrun with turtles as the name might suggest, but you will likely see one or two around this Utila sea mount that is bejewelled by innumerable bluebell tunicates.
This is considered the most pristine of all the 3 main diving areas of the Bay Islands of Honduras. It is a protected marine park that contains the 2 small islands of Cayo Menor and Cayo Grande, plus a number of small cays. This park is closer to the mainland than to Utila and Roatan. These protected reefs, sitting atop underwater mountains, come in the form of fringing reefs, deep walls, and spur and groove formations. Ranked among the most bio-diverse regions of the Caribbean Sea, there are more marine species here than anywhere else in Honduras.
Cocos Sea Mount (aka Roatan Banks) is probably the best known dive site here owing to the stunning amount of marine life to witness. Vast schools of jacks, snapper and barracuda can block out the light around this pinnacle which rises from the deep ocean floor to only 40 ft (12m) from the surface. Mostly only liveaboard guests get to dive this area and see the turtles, spotted eagle rays and groupers that join the fishy throng. This is a site where the currents that sweep through can be present with considerable strength. There are magical turquoise swarms of blue-green chromis over the reef and considerable numbers of invasive lionfish species whose numbers local Honduras dive operators try to contain. Lionfish ceviche could be served on board in the evening!
Toon Town is a site full of delightfully colorful smaller creatures going about their business like some sort of cartoon village. However, the name is more likely a play on the impressive backdrop of bluebell tunicates. You can catch a glimpse of small hermit crabs, frogfish, flamingo tongue cowries, seahorses, octopus and moray eels. This is often chosen as a night dive and, as you can imagine, even covering only a small area there is a plethora of macro critters to catch your eye.
Pelican Point is a site at the northwest point of Cayos Mayor. It takes the form of a terraced wall with multiple caverns and overhangs with healthy coral coverage including elkhorn, brain and staghorn. Out in the blue you may see sharks, barracuda and eagle rays passing by. Other reef fish here include French and queen angelfish, tangs and parrotfish.
Guanaja
Guanaja is the least developed and most secluded of the Bay Islands, offering untouched diving for those seeking solitude and pristine reefs. Its volcanic pinnacles and lush walls are a hidden gem for scuba diving Honduras.
Black Rock is a dramatic volcanic pinnacle rising from deep water, covered in black coral and large sponges. Expect encounters with eagle rays, large groupers, and seasonal whale sharks. The Lost City is a series of ancient coral formations that resemble underwater ruins, teeming with macro life including seahorses, frogfish, and bizarre stargazers. North East Wall is sheer drop-off adorned with giant barrel sponges and gorgonian sea fans. This wall is known for sightings of hammerhead sharks and sea turtles.
How to Dive Honduras
The only way to access the diving of Utila, Roatan and Cayos Cochinos, all within a week, is onboard a 7-night Honduras liveaboard diving safari. No relocating necessary, let the experienced dive crew take you to all the best places.
Honduras is a popular scuba diving spot with a very low number of liveaboard operators, availability can be an issue. We recommend you book 12 months in advance to avoid disappointment.
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The very best time to dive the Bay Islands is April and May when the weather is warm and dry, but you can dive in Honduras all year round. The water temperature is 78-84F/25-29°C during the summer months of June to October, and 75–80F/24-27°C from January to April (with a possible drop to 72F/22°C in January). A 3-5 mm wetsuit recommended. Visibility is very consistent and averages 100 ft/30m. There are some wall dives for drift diving but generally the currents are mild. Surface conditions for scuba diving around Roatan and Utila are calm, but there can be surface swells on the open sea passage to Cayos Cochinos during rainy season. You might see whale sharks at any time of the year but mid-February to April are the peak months.
The rainy season runs from October to January, with December being the wettest month. This is a different climate pattern to the Honduras mainland. The summer months can be very dry. The average annual temperature is 85F/29°C, with the warmest time being the summer months (high 80s/32°C) and the coolest period being the winter months (low 80s/27°C). Humidity is high for most of the year, but is most noticeable May through to September. The Bay Islands lie outside the Atlantic hurricane belt and are only affected once every 26 years. For more details on the climate at Utlia in the Bay Islands, visit Weather Atlas.
Where is Honduras and How Do I Get There?
Review our map below showing Honduras' location in the world.
Reef Summary
Depth
16 - >130 ft (5 - >40m)
Visibility
50 - 98 ft (15 - 30m)
Currents
Gentle to moderate
Surface conditions
Generally calm
Water temperature
79 - 84°F (26 - 29°C)r
Experience level
Beginners to intermediate
Number of dive sites
~200
Recommended length of stay
7 days
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TESTIMONIAL
Dan Mulleary
United States
I did my booking last minute via email and the responses were prompt, allowing me to feel good that I had secured my dive trip just less than one day before I flew out.
