Reef
down to 27 m
Blue Channel
- Open Water
- Reef sharks
Roatán & Bay Islands
Diving in Honduras
14 documented dive sites, 2 of them for Open Water divers. Known for caribbean reef sharks, nurse sharks and turtles.
- Best months
- Mar–Sep
- Water
- 24–29 °C
- Levels
- Open Water, Advanced, Experienced
When to go
Pick a month: the diving season, from published sources, and the typical weather.
Pick a month
- Best
- Good
- Possible
- Closed
- Not documented yet
Roatán & Bay Islands in October
Good season- Sea
- 30 °C
- at the surface
- Air
- 29 °C
- 27 °C at night
- Rain
- 290 mm
- one of the wettest months
- Wind
- 18 km/h
- on average
The warmest water of the year.
Typical weather, not a forecast: averages for 2021–2025 (air, rain, wind) and 2023–2025 (sea), data from Open-Meteo (ERA5 / Copernicus, Météo-France). Covers an area of roughly 10 to 25 km around the destination.
Diving is year-round. PADI gives the dry season March–September as best; Dive The World narrows the very best to March–May. Lonely Planet: October–December typically rainy, November historically wettest (shown as possible); Oct, Dec, Jan and Feb are shown as good (diveable, cooler water 24–27 °C, possible storms on the north/west sides). Lonely Planet also warns of agricultural burning in May reducing visibility (topside).
Dive sites in Roatán & Bay Islands
From the easiest to the most demanding. Levels with a dashed outline are estimates we are still verifying.
Open Water friendly
usual dive down to 18 m2 sitesReef
down to 18 m
Fish Den
- Open Water
- Turtles
For Advanced divers
usual dive down to 30 m10 sitesWall
down to 25 m
CoCo View Wall
Swim from CoCo View's shore to a coral-crusted wall with overhangs sheltering lobsters and crabs, dropping to about 25 m.
- Advanced
- Seahorses
Wreck
down to 20 m
Prince Albert Wreck
An upright wreck in 20 m right off CoCo View's shore, its decks covered in a soft coral forest; a favourite night dive.
- Advanced
- Moray eels
Pinnacle
down to 40 m
Black Hills (Utila)
Utila's big-animal seamount, topping out at 10 m, where schooling barracuda and jacks circle and whale sharks pass in season.
- Advanced
- Whale sharks
down to 30 m
Cara a Cara (Shark Dive)
Roatán's most reliable Caribbean reef shark dive, with 20 or more sharks on a good day, some reaching 3 m.
- Advanced
- Caribbean reef sharks
Cavern
down to 21 m
Dolphin's Den
North-shore coral canyons linked by tunnels at 15–21 m, where large nurse sharks rest in caves and overhangs.
- Advanced
- Nurse sharks
Wall
down to 36 m
Mary's Place
- Advanced
- Turtles
Wall
down to 24 m
Calvin's Crack
- Advanced
Rock formations
down to 27 m
Spooky Channel
- Advanced
- Nurse sharks
For experienced divers
usual dive down to 40 m2 sites
Marine life
When the big encounters happen, month by month.
| Species | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whale sharksSource: blog.padi.com |
- Peak season
- Seen
Whale sharks: Mar–May, Aug–Oct
Also reported here, season not documented yet:
- Caribbean reef sharks
- Nurse sharks
- Turtles
- Eagle rays
- Stingrays
- Barracuda
- Nudibranchs
- Seahorses
- Goliath groupers
- Moray eels
- Hammerhead sharks
Where is Roatán & Bay Islands?
Roatán & Bay Islands: frequently asked questions
- When is the best time to dive Roatán & Bay Islands?
- The best months to dive Roatán & Bay Islands are Mar–Sep. Diving is year-round. PADI gives the dry season March–September as best; Dive The World narrows the very best to March–May. Lonely Planet: October–December typically rainy, November historically wettest (shown as possible); Oct, Dec, Jan and Feb are shown as good (diveable, cooler water 24–27 °C, possible storms on the north/west sides). Lonely Planet also warns of agricultural burning in May reducing visibility (topside).
- Is Roatán & Bay Islands good for beginner divers?
- Yes, partly: 2 of the 14 dive sites we document are suited to Open Water divers, including Blue Channel and Fish Den. The others need more experience or a higher certification.
- What is the water temperature in Roatán & Bay Islands?
- The water is usually between 24 °C and 29 °C over the year.
- What marine life can you see in Roatán & Bay Islands?
- Divers regularly see caribbean reef sharks, nurse sharks, turtles, eagle rays, stingrays and barracuda.
About this page
Seasons and marine life come from the sources below. Site levels and depths marked as estimated come from our original catalogue and are being checked one by one. Conditions change: always confirm with a local dive centre.
Your next dive is somewhere out there.
Find my next dive tripPhoto credits
- West Bay beach, Roatán, Westbrowncanada, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Green moray on the El Aguila wreck, Roatán, w:en:Aquaimages (talk | contribs), CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
- Sunlight and bubbles in deep blue water, Sarah Lee, Unsplash License, on Unsplash
