EL AGUILA - Roatán
El Aguila, a former cargo ship, was scuttled just off Utila in 1997, later moved to Roatán and sunk again near Dixon Cove. Now she lies in three main pieces, courtesy of Hurricane Mitch, which ripped through just a year after her second sinking. We actually prefer her this way; it means more swim-throughs and interesting angles to explore. Our favourite part is dropping down onto the bow, usually around 20 metres, then making our way back towards the stern. You can poke around the hold, which is full of schooling snapper and grunts, or peer into the engine room, though it’s a tight squeeze. Look for the resident green moray eel often peeking out from a pipe. Visibility here is typically good, often 20 metres plus, and the currents are generally mild, making it a relaxed wreck dive. We’d suggest going in the morning; the light filtering through the deck plating and into the holds is incredible. It’s a fantastic wreck for open water divers looking for something beyond a reef, but still shallow enough to allow for plenty of bottom time.
- Location
- Roatán, Honduras, Central America
- Coordinates
- 16.083334, -87.000000
- Type
- wreck
- Maximum Depth
- 0m
Marine Protected Area: Sistema de Humedales de la Isla de Utila
Best Time to Dive in Roatán
The warmest water temperatures in Roatán occur in September, averaging 30.2°C. The coolest conditions are in February at 27.3°C.
Monthly Water Temperatures
- January: 27.4°C
- February: 27.3°C
- March: 27.4°C
- April: 28.0°C
- May: 28.9°C
- June: 29.3°C
- July: 29.1°C
- August: 29.7°C
- September: 30.2°C
- October: 30.0°C
- November: 29.1°C
- December: 28.3°C
Nearby Dive Sites in Roatán
- Airplane Wreck (cave)
- Airplane Wreck (wreck)
- Airport Caves (cave)
- Airport Caves (cave)
- Airport Caves (cave)
- Alaina’s Sandy Bottom (reef)
- Alaina’s Sandy Bottom (wreck)
- Anka s Place - 10-30m (reef)
- Anthony’s Key Resort House Reef (cave)
- Anthony’s Key Resort House Reef (reef)
- Aquarium (reef)
- Aquarium (cave)
- Bando Beach (reef)
- Bando Beach (reef)
- Bayman Drop (wall)
Nearest Dive Centres to EL AGUILA
Marine Life in Roatán
Home to 170 recorded species including 150 reef fish, 5 sea snails & nudibranchs, 5 hard corals, 4 other, 1 sharks & rays, 1 seagrass & algae.
Notable Species
- Whale Shark (Rhincodon typus) - Sharks & Rays
- Smallmouth goby (Risor ruber) - Reef Fish
- Giant goby (Gobiomorus dormitor) - Reef Fish
- Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas)
- Horse-eye Jack (Caranx latus) - Reef Fish
- Needlefish (Strongylura timucu) - Reef Fish
- Mulet (Mugil curema) - Reef Fish
- Broad Shad (Gerres cinereus) - Reef Fish
- Small-scaled spinycheek sleeper (Eleotris pisonis) - Reef Fish
- Hawksbill Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata)
- Butterfish (Eucinostomus melanopterus) - Reef Fish
- Molly Miller (Bathygobius soporator) - Reef Fish
- Schoolmaster (Lutjanus apodus) - Reef Fish
- turtlegrass (Thalassia testudinum) - Seagrass & Algae
- Slippery Dick (Halichoeres bivittatus) - Reef Fish
- Great Barracuda (Sphyraena barracuda) - Reef Fish
- Common Snook (Centropomus undecimalis) - Reef Fish
- American eel (Anguilla rostrata) - Reef Fish
- Hound Needlefish (Tylosurus crocodilus) - Reef Fish
- Scrawled Sole (Trinectes inscriptus) - Reef Fish
Recommended Packing List for EL AGUILA
Based on average water temperature of 28.7°C, currents 7 cm/s.
- Shorty or Rashguard - warm 29°C water needs minimal exposure protection
- Mask - essential for every dive
- Fins
- BCD - buoyancy compensator
- Regulator - your most safety-critical piece of gear
- Dive Computer - tracks depth, time, and NDL
- Surface Marker Buoy (SMB) - essential for boat pickups
- Dive Torch - useful for crevices and colour at depth
- Underwater Camera - capture your diving memories