COCONUT TREE DIVERS
Roatan, Honduras
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Sandy Bay and West End Marine Reserve Dive Sites
North Shore Walls sites: Green Outhouse | Overheat Reef | Melissa's Reef | Gibson Bight Coconut Tree Divers strongly supports the conservation and restoration efforts of the Roatan Marine Park, a volunteer organization that oversees the protection of the Sandy Bay - West End Marine Park. All snorkelers and divers are asked to contribute to this worthy cause through the purchase of a $10 marine park reef braclet. All proceeds from this tag go to the marine park to ensure that our beautiful reef can be enjoyed by future generations.
Sometimes shallower is better. Such is the case for Green Outhouse, a lovely shallow dive with a fascinating maze-like interior wall. A 10m/30ft deep trench beneath the mooring line twists and turns through the reef crest, carving dynamic swimthrus under towering coral heads. Schools of blue tangs and sergeant majors scour this maze for delicious algae while resident lobsters and king crabs watch from the shadows. Close inspection of the rocky floor will reveal diminutive lettuce sea slugs in various brilliant colors and forms oozing their way from stone to stone. As you approach the wall, the shallows expand into a wide plateau in the 12-18m/40-60ft range. Scrawled filefish, whitespotted filefish, and smooth trunkfish wiggle their odd-shaped bodies between overhanging coral heads. Peacock flounders scurry for safety in the sandy patches while dog snappers and barracudas glide overhead. Juvenile spotted drums vigorously pace about their niches, their ribbon-like tails rippling in tow. Keep your eyes out for the occasional green moray eel free-swimming between barrel sponges as you follow the gentle sloping wall to its maximum depth at 30m/100ft. Marine life: lobsters, king crabs, lettuce sea slugs, flamingo tongues, scrawled filefish, whitespotted filefish, smooth trunkfish, porcupinefish, spotted drums, green moray eels, eagle rays, turtles Don't miss... bumping into a rare eagle ray or turtle in the swimthrus. Both species have been known to enter the labyrinth in search of a quick snack. Encountering one of these magnificent creatures in such a confined setting is an indescribable exprience, so take some underwater photographs as proof.
In the old days of Roatan diving, the engine of an Anthony's Key Resort boat would overheat near the exact same patch of reef every day. Instead of giving up, the divers would jump in to explore this impromptu dive site, and hence Overheat Reef was born. Overheat Reef is an easy training site for Open Water Divers while having enough variety in terrain and aquatic life to fascinate more experienced divers. Behind the mooring line lies a shallow rocky grotto at 6m/20ft which is usually home to huge king crabs and lots of lobster. Narrow canyons connect this pit to the top of the wall at 10m/30ft. Don't forget to look around while doing these swimthrus for greater soapfish, spotted drums, and juvenile barracudas.. The wall is dynamic both for its sheer vertical scope and its distinct blend of coral ridges at 10m/30ft and gullies at 14m/50ft. Schools of creole wrasse, Bermuda chubbs, and black durgons dart though the forests of black gorgonians that line protruding coral heads. Black groupers, barracudas, and oceanic triggerfish glide in and out of the blue. Overheat Reef oftentimes has a gentle northernly current, giving you the sensation of flying over a rolling mountain range. A glance to your side may reveal a turtle or eagle ray enjoying the same drift dive. Marine life: lobsters, king crabs, barracudas, greater soapfish, spotted drums, black groupers, oceanic triggerfish, whitespotted filefish, turtles, eagle rays Don't miss... seeing the huge schools of fish around the southern ledge. About a five minute swim south of the mooring, the wall juts out into a prominent outcropping. Due to its exposure to the current, tons of fish frequently gather to feast on drifting nutrients.
Right or left, it's your choice. At least that's the choice you'll have to make at the start of Melissa's Reef when a 12m/40ft deep canyon forks around a coral head en route to the wall. Either way you go you'll have a beautiful drift dive along the rippling coral ridges at 21m/70ft. The wall at Melissa's Reef features a stunning arrangement of plate corals and black gorgonians populated by lobsters, spotted drums, and king crabs. Green moray eels watch from their recessed homes as black and yellowfin groupers squeeze their pudgy bodies through narrow cracks in the reef. The shallows are the real treasure at Melissa's Reef. Your dive group can spread out across the wide shelf at 14m/50ft and explore the many coral heads at your leisure. Honeycomb cowfish, scrawled filefish, oceanic triggerfish, and hogfish peck at nutrients while schools of creole wrasse and blue tangs spill over the reef. Close inspection of the lettuce coral may reveal a goldspotted moray eel peeking out of a gap. Watch for the skittish porcupinefish as you head towards the reef crest and be wary of resident barracudas while you cut through the canyons. Marine life: honeycomb cowfish, barracudas, scrawled filefish, yellowfin groupers, black groupers, oceanic triggerfish, lobsters, spotted drums, king crabs, green moray eels, goldspotted moray eels, porcupinefish Don't miss... the pesky damselfish. Or in this case do miss them! While these 10cm/3in fish can be found on every site on Roatan, they are especially numerous on Melissa's Reef. Despite being overwhelmingly outmatched for size, these extremely territorial fish will peck at anything that comes near their nest, including you!
You never know what you'll find when you descend into Gibson Bight. This site has notoriously fickle conditions due to underwater sandstorms pouring out the channel during receeding tides. It is possible that the visibilty can go from crystal clear to mostly opaque in a matter of minutes with clarity being restored with equal alacrity as you emerge from the other side of the storm. The channel into Gibson Bight has canyon-ridden walls towering 14m/50ft above the sand bottom. Eagle rays love to search for food among the churned sediment while toadfish, lobsters, and massive king crabs prefer to remain hidden beneath rocks. The wall on both sides of the channel gives new meaning to the word "sheer." Breaking from the narrow fore reef at 10m/30ft, the wall falls straight down to depths beyond 40m/130ft. However, as you near the channel mouth, the ocean floor suddenly rises up to meet you at 18m/60ft. The change can be quite jarring; one minute you're looking through the blue for southern stingrays along the sandy depths, and the next you're gliding over a shallow reef full of angelfish, hogfish, and black groupers. Be wary of potential down currents coming out of the channel since poisonous scorpionfish and bearded fireworms disguise themselves in the rocky rubble. Marine life: eagle rays, toadfish, lobsters, king crabs, southern stingrays, hogfish, black groupers, scorpionfish, bearded fireworms Don't miss... the deep swimthru leading into the channel. The crack starts at 29m/95ft and transitions through layers of whip corals into the channel at 21m/70ft. Bring a tank of Enriched Air Nitrox so you have enough bottom time to check it out. |
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coconuttreedivers@gmail.com |
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