Dove March 2026

Written March 2026

Headline

Roatan is the largest of three islands in the crystal blue waters off the north coast of Honduras. I actually heard about it and its excellent diving while in Belize in 2015 on a dive trip with my buddy Josh. It was described as some of the best diving in the Caribbean. So, in the dark winter of 2026, as Amanda and I deliberated on what we wanted the year to look like, we penciled in Roatan for my birthday week and bought tickets on the Roatan Aggressor liveaboard a few weeks later.

Taken by Roatan Aggressor Staff.

Impression

As Caribbean diving goes, Roatan is one of the best. I've been to most of the sites in Belize as well as Curicao, which I get is pretty lean when it comes to the Caribbean as a whole, but Roatan has been my favorite of those areas and is as close to the South Pacific in terms of vivid colors as it gets. We did a total of 25 dives in 15 sites and all of them had something unique to offer.

Logistics

As noted above, we did a 6-night, 7-day Liveaboard with the Roatan Aggressor. All-told, we completed 24 dives with the boat at highlight spots on the south side of Roatan , Cayos Cochinos & Utilla.

Most flights to Roatan come out of the USA, originating in Houston, Atlanta, Miami, Denver & Minneapolis. Once on the ground, there are plenty of white cabs to get you around the island. Most tourists stay in the town of West End on the West side of the island. We stayed at Barefoot Caye, which I cannot recommend enough. They have fantastic accommodations at good prices and their own dive shop. Mary's Place, one of the better south-side dive spots, is right on their doorstep and makes for a great warm-up dive.

Getting around the island is slow. It takes approximately 30 minutes to go from the airport to West End or to go the other way to French Caye. Taxis, like most other costs, are more expensive than expected. Transportation costs are around 1$/minute going anywhere and most rides are 30 minutes or more. Most costs can be covered in USD, though Honduran Lempira are also accepted. Card readers and even Tap-to-pay are commonly available. Taxis are cash only.

Chubby ‘lil Toad Fish

Stone Fish at Cannery Bank

Epic nightdive creatures. Taken by Roatan Aggressor Staff.

An EEEEEELLLLL.

Diving

The Diving on Roatan is exceptional, especially by Caribbean standards. There are many well regarded shops to choose from, which enables a diver to see many sites around the island. As it was Amanda and I selected a Liveaboard which put us out at a number of dive sites on the South side of the island and in the area of Utilla. Of the approximately 15 sites we went to, my favorites were

  1. Coco Strande (Cayos Cachinos)

  2. Cannery Bank (Utilla)

  3. Spire (Utilla)

  4. Mary's Place (S. Roatan)

  5. Tavianna’s Wall (W. Roatan)

If you are not going on a Liveaboard and can find a shop doing trips to Utilla/Cayos Cachinos or can go with a dive shop in Utila to Coco Strande or Cannery Banks, I highly recommend it. Coco Strande is out in the middle of the ocean between Roatan & Mainland Honduras, giving it a very pristine feel. Cannery Banks is similar.

From a wildlife standpoint, there are some interesting animals to see in and around Roatan. Some of my favorites are below.

  1. Sea Horse

  2. Grey Reef Shark

  3. Mantis Shrimp

  4. Toad Fish

  5. Green Sea Turtle

Beyond those mentioned above, you will see plenty of eels, flounder, nurse shark and all the typical tropical fish you would expect in the Caribbean.

Water temps while we were there in March were -27°C, +/- 1°C. I know this goes up a bit in the summer months but, as it was, I was typically a little chilly in a 3 millimeter full wetsuit. Some divers on our boat had a 5 millimeter wetsuit. As an aside, if you do go on the Agressor, they do NOT rent wetsuits, plan accordingly.

Most dives are between 20-30 meters with limited current and almost all are "wall" style dives. They feature multitudes of different hard & soft coral. Water clarity, at least while we were there, was very high. It was common to see 20-30 meters but this is highly dependent on conditions, which were very good for our specific week of diving. Most dives are very appropriate for beginner divers. Current was generally minimal and dives were very easy and straightforward.

Roatan Extras

The island of Roatan was much more "put together" than we expected. This probably isn't a surprise for my fellow east-coast Americans who tend to get to the Caribbean more than we do on the west coast, but I was really impressed with how accessible, navigable and safe the island was. It's very easy to put together a tour or excursion for the day and the people are exceptionally nice. The counterbalance to that is that prices really aren't that cheap. Expect to pay American prices for almost everything. Two notable exceptions were a wetsuit that I got for about half the cost of what I would have paid stateside & the two nights at Barefoot Caye which they could have charged double for.

For things to do when not under water, I would suggest Danial Johnson’s Animal sanctuary for sloth, monkey and bird encounters, as well as the Roatan Brewery which is run by a Canadian and has almost 20 Beers on tap!

Some serious birb encounters at Danial Johnson’s.

Final Word

Given the ease of travel from the US, great infrastructure and fantastic diving - Roatan makes for an excellent getaway for a long weekend or whole week!