Honeycomb Caves - Roatán
Madelines is one of our favourite spots in Roatán when we’re after a relaxed, shallower dive. It’s ideal for longer bottom times, letting you properly slow down and look for the smaller, more elusive critters. We’ve spent plenty of dives here, gently finning over the white sand patches, keeping our eyes peeled for a Southern Stargazer peeking out. They’re masters of camouflage, so a sharp eye helps. The reef itself is a gentle slope, topping out at around 16 metres, which means the light penetration is lovely. You get these beautiful dappled patterns on the sand. We often find Peacock Flounders here, almost invisible until they shift, and we’ve seen Caribbean reef squid pulsing over the coral heads a few times too. It's not a site for big pelagic action, but if you love searching for blennies, gobies, and the occasional Mushroom Scorpionfish, Madelines delivers. It’s also a perfect spot for newer divers to build confidence without strong currents or deep profiles. Our advice? Go slow, really poke around the sandy edges and the smaller coral formations. That’s where the magic happens.
- Location
- Roatán, Honduras, Central America
- Coordinates
- 16.096900, -86.882400
- Type
- reef
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 Honeycomb Caves
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 Honeycomb Caves
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