1) El Aguila

This spectacular shipwreck has swim-throughs, giant grouper, passing eagle rays and an adjacent reef, but the real showstopper is its mast. Take your time perusing the coral-covered structure, and look out for neck and arrowhead crabs, slender filefish, fireworms and charming secretary blennies.

2) Seahorses

Seahorses have mastered the art of hiding in plain sight. Go slowly and keep a sharp eye out, and you just might be able to spot one. Pipefish, a relative of the seahorse, can also be found here.

3) Jawsome

While swimming over sand patches, scan the seafloor for yellow-headed jawfish. You’ll find them hovering over their burrows — or hiding within, should you spook them. Males carry their eggs inside their mouths, and if you are patient, you can catch one aerating the clutch by popping the eggs in and out of its mouth.

4) Pretty Peas

Baby trunkfish make for an exciting find while touring the reef. They’re called “peas” because of their round shape and diminutive size. They’re also super adorable.

5) Mandy's Eel Garden

You’ll find streams of creole wrasse, scorpionfish, yellow tilefish and more at this dive site off the northwest end of Roatan. But the main attractions are the sand patches packed with garden eels.

6) Conservation Roatan Marine Park

Sandy Bay-West End Marine Reserve was officially established in 1989 on the northwestern part of Roatan. It has since been expanded to stretch across 17 miles of coastline and now protects approximately 10,400 square miles of reef.

7) Coral Corral

The abundance of corals present in Roatan’s sunlit shallows and steep walls is almost unreal. Every color of the rainbow is represented on the reef, and the variety is equally astounding — everything from flower and pillar coral to elkhorn and staghorn coral can be seen here.

8) Carambola

Spend some time on terra firma taking in the natural beauty of Roatan’s topside at Carambola Gardens. Hike up Carambola Mountain for a spectacular view of the island, and marvel at exotic flora and fauna, including orchids, monkey lala lizards, and Honduran mahogany.

9) RIMS

The Roatan Institute for Marine Sciences provides educational opportunities for students studying tropical marine ecosystems. They host college, university and high school groups in their classroom and laboratory facilities and take them into the field.

10) Mesoamerican Reef

Roatan, and the rest of the Bay Islands, is part of the southernmost portion of the Mesoamerican Reef, which spans more than 600 miles. It’s the largest barrier reef in the Western Hemisphere and the second-largest reef in the world.

11) Walls on the Edge

Roatan sits atop the Bonacca Ridge, an underwater mountain range that rests on the edge of the 25,000-foot-deep Cayman Trench. The result is spectacular walls and dizzying drop-offs where the ocean floor plummets hundreds, and even thousands, of feet straight down.

12) Mary's Place

The narrow crevices of this famous dive site are covered in black coral and sponges,
offering a unique view as you gaze up from inside the fissures. Even after you finish its iconic swim-through, there is more to see. The top of the site is home to a beautiful reef that overlooks a steep drop-off.

13) West End Wall

This site’s coral-and-sponge encrusted walls are as deep as 100 to 200 feet. It is a magnet for sea turtles and tarpon, and is frequented by schools of horse-eye jacks, chubs and creole wrasse.

14) Calvins's Crack

This swim-through starts around 20 feet and drops you off 90 feet down the wall. Schooling silversides only add to the magic, and those with keen eyes might come across the elusive toadfish.

15) The Abyss

Curious to see what lies below recreational limits? Take a submarine ride down the wall
 with Stanley’s Submarines. Your expedition into the deep will take you up to 2,000 feet below the surface into the realm of sixgill sharks and other deep-sea oddities.

16) Snorkeling Swim with Dolphins

Anthony’s Key Resort offers guided snorkel trips and a dolphin encounter that gives you the opportunity to meet their resident pod of Atlantic bottlenose dolphins.

17) For the Birds

Visit Pigeon Cay, a beautiful, uninhabited sandbar off Roatan’s east end, to get off the grid and relax. Spend the day picnicking, lounging on the beach, and snorkeling off this sandy islet.

18) Over the Moon

Half Moon Bay is easily accessible from shore and is full of marine life — juvenile fish, lobsters, eels and sea turtles are in abundance here. Don’t forget to check out the sunken submarine.

19) Room with a Reef

Many resorts have beautiful house reefs, giving you the option to snorkel (or dive) to your heart’s content without ever having to hop on a boat.

20) Wreck Spotting

The Prince Albert is close enough to be a shore dive for guests at CoCo View Resort. The ship sits in the channel just past the resort’s house reef, and when viz is good, the entire 140-foot tanker can be seen from the surface.

21) Readers Choice Awards

Roatan is a favorite among divers and this Bay Island took home the following 13 accolades in the 2018 Scuba Diving Magazine Readers Choice Awards:
- Macro Walls
- Snorkeling Best Overall
- Conservation
- Cave
- Cavern
- Grotto
- Visibility
- Wreck
- Shore Diving
- Advanced Freediving
- Photography
- Technical