Scuba diving in

Roatan and Guanaja

Roatan is located some 60-kilometres off the northern coast of Honduras and is part of an underwater mountain range known as the Bonacca Ridge. At 50-kilometres long and just four-kilometres wide, this narrow landmass is the largest and most developed of the Bay Islands - an archipelago made up of three main islands and many smaller surrounding cays.

Thanks to its location at the southern tip of the world’s second largest barrier reef, Roatan has become a world-class destination for watersports enthusiasts of all kinds - from diving and snorkelling, to big game fishing and boating. And on land, this island’s natural allure is equally intoxicating, with a mountainous backbone, pine-forested foothills, and long, white beaches.

Roatan has long remained beneath the radar for international visitors, and has done so for centuries. With no European countries claiming ownership, the island became a popular pirate hangout, using it as a base from which to attack unsuspecting Spanish ships. Eventually, colonisation caught up with this remote island, creating the interesting mix of communities and Garifuna cultures on display on the island today.

Roatan is serviced by the Juan Manuel Galvez International Airport, located in Coxen Hole, and welcomes direct flights from Atlanta, Houston, Dallas, Minneapolis, and Miami. Belize, San Salvador, and Canada’s Toronto and Montreal also offer direct flights. Those travelling from Europe, will likely touch down in the USA before grabbing a connecting flight to Roatan.

Local airlines including Islena, Sosa, Lanhsa, and CM Airlines operate numerous daily flights between Roatan and the neighbouring islands of Utila and Guanaja, as well as San Pedro Sula, Tegucigalpa, and La Ceiba on the mainland. Daily boat transfers also run between Roatan and La Ceiba.

The roads and infrastructure on the island itself are decent, making car rental a viable option for getting around. Taxis and shared shuttles are also readily available, as are water taxis for those staying on the coast.

Roatan has many small towns and villages scattered along its coastline, mainly catering for a midrange crowd compared to neighbouring Utila, with fewer budget options available - although a handful of more affordable accommodations can still be found.

Roatan’s West End is home to a lively traveller scene with a casual atmosphere, energetic nightlife, and plenty of shops, restaurants, bars, internet cafes, and dive centres. The famous West Bay Beach stretches along the northwestern coast and is home to many of Roatan’s dive resorts, meaning the area can feel crowded at times, particularly when the cruise ships dock in Coxen Hole or Mahogany Bay and the day-trippers descend. Coxen Hole is the largest city on Roatan and is named after the famous pirate Captain John Coxon, who was buried in the local cemetery.

In contrast, the East End of Roatan is largely undeveloped and is a great place to retreat into nature. Resorts and dive centres are few and far between, but the area is favoured among travellers who prefer an off-the-beaten-path experience. Expect landscapes full of mangroves and rainforest dissected by dirt roads, and waterways lined with colourful homes built on stilts. On the northeastern shore, Punta Gorda is the oldest settlement on Roatan, and home to a strong local Garifuna culture, making it well worth a visit. Equally, Camp Bay is home to the biggest beach on the island, and with few tourists in these parts, you’ll likely have a large patch of it all to yourself.

The Cayos Cochinos - or Hog Islands - are also considered part of Roatan, despite lying far closer to mainland Honduras. These lesser-known gems consist of two islands and 13 coral cays, and are home to more welcoming Garífuna communities and plenty of first-class diving - providing a great alternative to the main island itself.

The Bay Islands of Honduras allow diving at any time of year but, like most tropical destinations, it does have distinct wet and dry seasons. The rainy season runs from September to January, with December generally being the wettest month. Water temperatures drop to around 24°C during this time while air temperatures are around 27°C. If you’re planning on diving Roatan in January, be aware that water temperatures can occasionally drop as low as 22°C at this time of year. While swells are not uncommon during the rainy season, the opposite side of the island is usually calm, allowing diving to continue throughout the year.

The rest of the year is considered dry, with February through April touted as the best time to visit, thanks to consistently fair weather, good diving conditions, and peak whale shark activity. May through September can get quite hot, often exceeding 30°C on land and sitting in the high 20s in the water, and humidity gradually increases until the rains finally come in September. Official hurricane season runs from August to November, although the island actually sits outside the official hurricane zone, meaning direct hits are uncommon and activity generally occurs towards the end of the year, between September and November. Visibility is consistent throughout the year, averaging an impressive 30-metres or so.

Over the years, Roatan has benefitted from multiple layers of marine protection, starting with the Roatan Marine Park, which was established in 1988 and has grown to become one of the best examples of a marine protected area in the Caribbean. The park encompasses a large section of the northeastern coast, and has facilitated recovery of previously impacted fish populations. Additionally, the entire Bay Islands Archipelago was designated a marine park in 2010. The Bay Islands National Marine Park is the largest marine protected area in Honduras, stretching some 25-kilometres off the coast of each island and covering approximately 650,000 hectares. Thanks to these ongoing conservation efforts, and more, Honduras is one of the only countries in the world where local reef health is improving year on year.