In a previous article I wrote about my fifth favorite dive site on Roatan, the El Aguila shipwreck. It was intended to be a top-five countdown of my favorite sites around the island. Unfortunately, rum and procrastination formed a cocktail of laziness that drown said article into development hell. Since then, I’ve had the fortune of diving around the Roatan’s south side near Dixon Cove, Fantasy Island/CocoView, and Oakridge. In my 1200+ dives on this island, I thought I had seen everything. I was wrong. Roatan’s south side has a completely different charm than the West End’s north shores: sheer walls, stunning sponges, and minuscule macro life on the south replace the serene sandy shallows, mountainous coral mounds, and swarming » read more «

Max Depth: 100ft/33m EANx Mix: EANx32 Difficulty: Advanced Open Water More Info: CoconutTreeDivers.com El Aguila (The Eagle) is a 63m/210ft cargo boat that rests on a deep sand basin between two large coral outcroppings. The ship was intentionally scuttled in 1997 by Anthony’s Key Resort to make for a new premier dive site. While originally settling intact and upright in 30m/100ft of water, the fury of Hurricane Mitch severed the ship in three in 1998. In October 2005, Hurricane Wilma scattered the debris into its current arrangement when the midsection completely collapsed. Presently the bow section remains upright in its original position, the midsection is a tangled mess of collapsed walls and swimthrus, and the stern rests 90 degrees on » read more «