Bay Islands of Honduras

Honduras

The Bay Islands are like brothers, each with different traits, quirks and personalities. ROATAN is Ernesto, the big brother: honest, hardworking, strong. The 30-mile-long stringbean-shaped island is the beating heart and soul of the Bay Islands. Its geography, accented by a rolling rocky interior and shoreline pockmarked with hays and coves, made it an ideal hide away for pirates in early days.

Diving in Roatan, the island has three distinct regions. The south side is defined by steep walls and is considered the lee, but gets most of the trade winds. Northern sites consist of gently sloping coral terraces punctuated by crevices, chimneys and swim-throughs. Just north of Roatan, this mild shelf drops vertically to the depths of the Cayman Trench. On the east end, expect chimneys and pinnacles frequented by turtles, sharks and pelagics.

Guanaja is the middle child, Geraldo: quiet, contemplative and stylish. The Bay Islands' second largest and easternmost island, measuring nine by three miles, is one of those special places that feels very personal, as if it were reserved just for you. The pace of life seems to slow down a notch as soon as you arrive.

The spike-shaped island is rugged, with hills rising dramatically from shore. Three hamlets lie on the island's fringe, plus Bonacca, a tiny island off Guanaja and its largest town, often referred to as the Venice of Honduras. When asked why residents choose to pack themselves onto this overflowing island when Guanaja is uncrowded and roomy, my water taxi driver explained that bugs are not as bad on Bonacca.

Diving in Guanaja, the underwater topography is varied and fascinating, marked by spur-and-groove reefs in the south and coral mazes and tunnels in the west and north. As usual in the Bay Islands, the macro life is phenomenal. Pack your lenses accordingly.

UTILA is Umberto, a 20-something Generation-Xer. The atmosphere is young and wild yet quiet and peaceful. The geography of the island is different. Except for Pumpkin Hill, a 400-foot volcanic peak in the north, Utila is dead flat, marked by mangrove swamp and an ironshore coast. Topographically, it looks more like the Bahamas than the Bay Islands.

Diving in Utila is a Cliche but true: Utila is one of the best kept secrets in the Caribbean. Here you'll find wonderful walls and patch reefs and Utila's excellent macro life ensures some of the best night diving around. From the small to the big, dive operators even claim that you have a great chance of seeing a whale shark in a week-long stay. The flat terrain means less runoff than the other Bay Islands, making visibility slightly higher here.

Whatever type of diving excits you, you're sure to find it here in the beautiful Bay Islands of Honduras.