The Best Dive Sites in Roatan
Broken down by certification level and dive type
Are you planning your next dive trip and want to know more about the dive sites in Roatan?
With over 100 dive sites officially registered by the Roatan Marine Park, figuring out what meets your fancy can be a major undertaking!
Even divers who have been coming to Roatan for years may have only seen a handful of the available sites because many dive centers regularly visit only 8-10 sites, and you’ll dive those several times over the course of your trip.
It’s our mission to match our divers with the best dive sites in Roatan based on their skills, certification level, and interests.
And because we meticulously track every dive our divers do year after year, we can guarantee ZERO repeat dives. The best way to do this is to organize the available dive sites that match with your dive certification level and the type of dive that you like, such as wall, drift, deep, shipwreck, macro etc.
Using this classification system, here are some of our best dive sites in north side of Roatan!
Roatan Marine Park Dive Site Map
Best Dive Sites in Roatan for Open Water Divers
Wall: Moonlight, Lighthouse, Half Moon Bay Wall and Dennis’ Dropoff (shallow)
Drift: Werns’ Dropoff to Half Moon Bay Wall, Aquario to Blue Channel
Swimthrough: Mandy’s Eel Garden, Blue Channel, Canyon Reef, Zack’s Patch, Green Pearl and Bears Den
Spectacular Corals or Unique Marine Life Encounters: West End Wall (shallow)
Best Visibility: Mandy’s Eel Garden
Macro Life: Butcher’s Bank (shallow) and Chris Fisher
Unique experience: Sea Quest Deep, where the coral trees are, and Blue Channel with the bowl of fish
Mandy’s Eel Garden, Roatan.
Best Dive Sites in Roatan for Advanced Open Water Divers
Wall: West End Wall, Pablos Place, Hole in the Wall and Dennis’ Dropoff
Drift: West End Wall to Texas or Pablos Place to Texas
Swimthroughs: Hole in the Wall, Canyon Reef and Bears Den
Spectacular Corals or Unique Marine Life Encounters: Rockstar
Unique experience: Spooky Channel, Dolphin’s Den and Underground
Best Visibility: West End Wall
Macro Life: Butcher’s Bank (deep)
Shipwrecks: El Águila and Odyssey
Special trip: Seamounts
Pablos Wall, Roatan.
Best Dive Sites in Roatan for Tec Divers
Shipwreck: Josie J and Odyssey
Unique experience: Hole in the Wall
Wall / Drift: West End Wall, Pablos Place, Moonlight, Lighthouse, Half Moon Bay Wall, Dixies Places *Virtually all wall dives allow for Tec Diving
West End Wall, Roatan.
If you’ve been researching Roatan diving, you’ve probably already heard of several of these iconic Roatan dive sites.
Follow the TOP 15 Dive Sites in Roatan, north side:
1. West End Wall
West End Wall is located on the northwest of Roatan, after Mandy’s Eel Garden. If do you want to see marine life, this is your dive site. Here you will see eagle rays, lots of groupers and who knows a hammerhead shark! To really enjoy your dive you should dive on nitrox and be an Advanced Open Water Diver.
2. Pablo’s Place
Pablos Place is a favorite of those who love healthy, diverse coral walls. Pablo’s has a greater density of soft corals than you find in many of the west side dive sites, while being quite literally just around the corner. Pablo’s is just around the northern tip of the island so it is super close to Roatan Divers. Diving this site is dependent upon weather and current conditions, and can be a nice, chill drift or a thrilling one! Increase your experience with the PADI Deep Specialty, that allow you to dive up to 135 feet / 40 meters.
3. Texas
Texas is a perfect drift dive from West End Wall or Pablo’s Place in the end of the island and because of the current, this is a promising location to spot some larger marine life. You will swim with the current through lots of giants barrel sponges and soft corals. Increase your experience with the PADI Nitrox Specialty, that allow you to stay deeper enjoying the dive for more time. .
4. Blue Channel
Blue Channel is one of Roatan’s most famous dive sites because of its diversity. This dive site offers swimthroughs, reef, a shallow sandy “bowl of fish,” and if you’re lucky, you’ll get to see a bait ball! The bowl is home to hundreds and hundreds of upside down jellyfish, southern stingrays and eagle rays, and all the hidden treasures you would expect to find in turtle grass.
5. Sea Quest Deep
Sea Quest Deep is located between West End and West Bay and is you will see lots of sandy plateaus surrounded by patch reef. Here you can see turtles, Stingray and lots of species of fish. One of the highlights of this dive site is the swimming through the Roatan Marine Park’s coral nursery, the famous coral’s trees. Increase your experience with the RMP Coral Restoration Specialty, that includes a dive at the nursery.
6. Butcher’s Bank
If you love small stuff and sandy patch treasures, Butcher’s Bank is your paradise! This dive site has relatively shallow sand full of pipefish, flounder, soles, tube dwelling anemones, and more. As you start swimming outwards towards the wall, you will explore a beautiful platform of corals where turtle sightings are likely. This is a great site for photographers and those who like to go slow.
7. Hole in the Wall
Hole in the Wall can be dived at any certification level, but it is best known for the deep portion of the dive. This dive starts by descending through a wide channel with dramatic coral walls on each side, which then turns back on itself and begins to ascend to shallower water. Deep Specialty divers and Divemasters/Instructors can go as deep as 135 feet / 40 meters. Tec divers can continue descending to view the actual “hole in the wall.” The remainder of the dive is shallow swimthroughs, weaving your way through the gorgeous reef.
8. Canyon Reef
Similar to Hole in the Wall, Canyon Reef is a vast network of swimthroughs. There are difficult and easy options, but the water is shallow enough that even Open Water divers with good buoyancy control can easily navigate. These swimthroughs are a great place to see channel crabs, lobster, moray eels, and even the occasional sleeping nurse shark! Increase your experience with the PADI PPB Specialty, that will prepare you for the swimthroughs.
9. Green Pearl
Green Pearl is a dive site that brings the best of Roatan, wall, swimthroughs and a beautiful cleaning stations. This dive site is located after Zack’s Patch, in Sandy Bay area. This dive site can be explore by all levels of divers, but if your are an Advanced Open Water Diver you will be able to experience the deep wall.
10. Spooky Channel
Spooky Channel is a dive you will never forget! This are of the barrier reef is a swimthrough of sorts, but more than anything, it is literally a channel. There is a small opening in the reef wall, which quickly opens up into a cavernous channel. The light plays through the opening high above, and depending on visibility that day, the dive can have an eerie, spooky ambiance. This is a must dive for photographers!
11. Shipwreck El Águila
El Águila is the closest, and is beloved for its intact mast, where the savvy diver will find blennies, nudibranchs, and more. There are often Southern stingrays in the sandy bottom around the wreck, and large green eels, grouper, and midnight parrotfish are common. The dive starts at 100’ or 30m, then ends as a wall dive where you safety stop can be taken while exploring the reef platform.
12. Shipwreck Odyssey
The Odyssey is located in Sandy Bay, about 15 minutes by boat from Roatan Divers. It is significantly larger than El Águila, and provides a fun swim through opportunity. Like El Águila, the Odyssey is located at around 100’ or 30m and sits in a sandy bottom. The wreck is swimming distance from the reef wall, where divers typically end their dive. Increase your experience with the PADI Wreck Specialty, that will allow you to go inside the wrecks.
13. Shipwreck Josie J
The Josie J sits at 213 feet / 65 meters depth just off West End Wall. This wreck is exclusively available to Tec divers. Divers may see hammerheads and larger marine life while enjoying the beauty of the wreck. Thanks to Roatan’s excellent visibility, there is usually some natural light.
14. Rockstar
If you’re into beautiful corals, you won’t want to miss Rockstar. This site gives ample opportunities to swim alongside stunning and ancient coral structures, really giving you the feel of the immensity of the MesoAmerican Barrier Reef. Open Water and Advanced Open Water divers will enjoy this site.
15. Seamounts
Seamounts is a unique day excursion for divers looking to venture off the beaten path. It takes about 50 minutes to get to the seamounts in our boats. This excursion is dependent on weather and you must be an Advanced Open Water diver as there can be currents and the dives are deep.
Pictures from Deep Photo.
Reserve Online
Roatan Divers is strategically located in the West End and you will need about 10 to 15 minutes navigation to reach all these dive sites.
We have our own dock and 4 dive boats to accommodate our divers at ever level and interest, but spots fill up fast. Be sure to book your trip in just a few clicks via our online reservations portal. You can let us know any courses you’re interested in and how long you plan to stay, and we will design the rest!
Roatan Divers is proud to offer a boutique diving experience to our clients, and we have been awarded a 2024 TripAdvisor Traveler’s Choice Award. Still not sure about booking with us? Please feel free to check out our nearly 1,500 TripAdvisor reviews, or reach out directly to ask your specific questions.
