Roatan diving and dive sites around West End

	Dive sites around the West End of Roatan Roatan enjoys a wide variety of interesting dive sites suitable for all divers from novices up to advanced. With over 40 sites to choose from in the West End area of the island alone, this guide highlights just a few of our favourite sites and will hopefully give you a taste of what to expect from the diving on Roatan. Each site description includes information on depth range, what you can expect to see down there and the level of the dive - novice, intermediate or advanced. To make things simple we have broken the sites down into different categories. Simply click on the links below to learn about the sites. At Reef Gliders we want you to get the most from your diving experiences. If there is a particular site that you would like to visit please let us know and we will do our very best to make it happen. Unlike many dive shops we always try and give our divers a full hour underwater! Still not convinced that Roatan diving is for you? Check out the videos below to get a taste for what awaits you below the surface!


Caves, Caverns & Swim-throughs	....Including the famous Hole in the Wall and Spooky Channel dive sites.

	Hole in the wall Depth Range: 20-130ft+ (6-40m+) Access: Boat Difficulty: intermediate to advanced Hole in the wall is a series of caves and chutes that cut through the reef and exit at various depths. Advanced divers can drop all the way down the chutes to 130ft where you exit through a hole into the blue! Open water divers exit the chute nearer the surface. Back near the surface, swim through a maze of canyons until you enter a cave approx 25ft across and 20ft wide. There is a small crack in the roof of the cave which, at the right time of day, allows a beam of light to strike a small bait ball of silversides, which are often found hiding in the cave. A truly awesome dive!
	Bears Den Depth Range: 30-100ft (10-30m) Access: Boat Difficulty: intermediate Bear's Den gets its name from a large underwater cave and tunnel. As you head down from the reef crest you will notice the tunnel entrance. About 100ft (30m) long, the tunnel opens onto the drop-off in about 90ft (25m) of water. The cave is a few minutes east of the mooring at about 40ft (13m) and is large enough to accommodate several divers. There are a variety of black corals to be founder in deeper water and sea whips and giant sponges cover the site.

Popular Sites	....Including the amazing West End Wall, Blue Channel and Fish Den dive sites.
	West End Wall Depth Range: 10-130ft+ (3-40m+) Access: Boat Difficulty: intermediate This is one of the best dive sites on Roatan. Most of the time this dive is done as a drift dive and you have the choice to drift over the reef edge and enjoy the drop-off, or get in close to try and spot the seahorses which cling to the bases of sea rods. There are spectacular barrel sponges and pillar corals as big as a diver and often you can see turtles, eagle rays, tarpon, jacks and barracuda.
	Blue Channel Depth Range: 5-50ft (2-16m) Access: Boat or shore Difficulty: Novice Blue channel is a shallow dive just off the shore from the West End. The channel runs parallel to the shore and is approximately 30ft deep. There is a great diversity of reef life at this site. Tangs, triggerfish, damselfish, grunts, snapper, juvenile grouper and barracuda can all be seen here, as can numerous other species.

Speciality Dives	....the Roatan shark feed dive where you can expect to actually swim with 15-25 Caribbean grey reef sharks ranging is size from 4-8 feet! Awesome!
	Shark Dive Depth Range: 60ft (20m) Access: Boat Difficulty: intermediate If you dream of getting up close and personal with sharks then this is the dive for you. You are taken out on boat 1 mile from shore to an underwater rocky outcrop. Here you will sit on the bottom and watch as the Caribbean reef sharks (or if you are really lucky, the occasional hammerhead!) are fed at their own private dining table. Usually there are between 15-20 individuals, some up to 8ft long! It's a great opportunity to get very close to the sharks and if you're lucky you may even find a souvenir tooth in the sand!

Wreck Dives	....Including the 250 ft El Aguila wreck just 5 minutes from Reef Gliders and the 300 ft Odyessy wreck.
	El Aguila Depth Range: 25-95ft (8-28m) Access: Boat Difficulty: Intermediate The wreck of the Aguila (Eagle) lies in about 95ft of water, approximately 10 minutes east of the West End. The hull lies on its starboard side about 100ft from the base of the reef wall. Prior to Hurricane Mitch the wreck was a good dive, though the hull was fairly intact so seeing the inside of the wreck was difficult. Mitch, however, has made this a great dive, breaking the hull into three sections allowing divers to view the interior. Adjacent to the boat runs the wall to finish off the dive among the shallow water tropical fish. Look out for the moray eel, which sometimes follows divers around the wreck!
	Odyessy Wreck Depth Range: 30-80ft (10-25m) Access: Boat Difficulty: intermediate Odyssey is a 300 freighter that was sunk in November 2002. Although there is little growth on the vessel itself, many large Grouper and Dog Fish call it home. The ship is basically intact, although one of the cargo holds supports dislodged during sinking. The superstructure is intact and can be penetrated. It sits about 110 feet to the sand. Swimming up, around the superstructure, and through the stairwells is a lot of fun. There is a table and attached stools that makes a neat photo. The top of the structure is at 40 feet with the reef wall a 3-minute swim away

Underwater videos
	Do you love to see sharks? At this dive site you are GUARANTEED to see between 15-25 Caribbean grey reef sharks as they circle around you waiting to be fed. Unlike many shark feed dives around the world you actually get to swim with the sharks here, rather than just sitting on the sand and watching from a distance. Watch the video and see divers getting up close and personal with these awesome creatures!

	Watch a video of these amazing creatures as they "fly" through the sea! Eagle rays are sighted on a frequent basis, particularly at sites with sandy bottoms. We see eagle rays feeding on the sandy bottom at dive sites such as Deep and Shallow Seaquest, Herbies Fantasy and Mandy's Eel Garden.

	Fish Den dive site is a beautiful area just a few minutes from the shop. Schools of fish congregate near the mooring and there is a good chance of spotting an eagle ray cruising by.

	The Odyessy is a 300ft freighter deliberately sunk in 2002. Sitting at 30m it is still a "new" wreck so fishlife is relatively scarce at the present time. However, the sheer size of this wreck is sure to leave you amazed! Why not take a combined Wreck and Nitrox speciality to give yourself the opportunity to explore this awesome wreck at your leisure?