Roatan

Region: Bay Islands, Honduras, Caribbean Sea
Type: Coral reef wall diving, macro, shark dives, caves and swim-throughs
Significance: One of the most popular Caribbean dive destinations discussed on Wetpixel; home to the Meso-American Barrier Reef’s southernmost portion; venue for the Digital Shootout and the Turquoise Bay International Underwater Film Festival
First Wetpixel coverage: 2003

Overview

Roatan is the largest of the Bay Islands of Honduras, located in the warm, clear waters of the western Caribbean Sea. The island sits on the edge of the 12,000-foot Cayman Trench, with a fringing reef system that forms the southernmost portion of the Meso-American Barrier Reef — the second-largest barrier reef system in the world. As photographer Francesca Diaco described it, “Roatan has a diverse underwater landscape and a wide variety of marine life ranging from large marine mammals to rich macro life” ([1]). The island offers over 100 dive sites around its perimeter ([2]).

Roatan appears consistently across the Wetpixel forums from 2003 onward as a favored Caribbean destination for underwater photographers. Forum members praise its combination of easy diving conditions — little to no current, warm water, and good visibility — with diverse photographic subjects. As forum member phxazcraig, who visited eleven times, put it: “I like diving in Roatan… It’s easy for me to get to, cheap, and very laid back above water… Underwater it is as good as I’ve seen in the Caribbean” ([3] — forum). Another long-time visitor, SwiftFF5, who returned to CoCo View Resort for over sixteen years, described it as “comfortable and easy diving, little to no current, lots of small to medium sized critters” ([4] — forum).

Roatan’s reputation extends to the professional photography world. Stephen Frink listed Roatan among his top near-term Caribbean dive travel destinations in his influential 2020 COVID-19 trip planning article for Wetpixel, alongside Grand Cayman, Dominica, and Bonaire ([5]).

The island is divided into two main diving areas: the north side and the south side, each with distinct characteristics that appeal to different photographic interests.

Key Dive Sites

North Side — Sandy Bay-West End Marine Reserve

The north side of Roatan is protected by the Sandy Bay-West End Marine Reserve and features one long reef system separated from shore by a shallow lagoon. As Diaco described it, “The reef starts at about 15-30 ft and slopes off into the blue at varying degrees offering steep walls, gentle slopes, channels, canyons, and caves as well as a great diversity of both hard and soft coral” ([6]).

Notable north-side dive sites include:

Forum member DiverPam, who stayed at Anthony’s Key Resort on the north side, noted: “I personally prefer the north side” and observed that “the north side has less divers and the south side has the cruise ship pier” ([13] — forum).

South Side

The south side hosts some of Roatan’s most famous dive sites and is home to several dedicated dive resorts:

Forum member alto072 noted: “The south side of the island has better macro than the more visited West side” ([21] — forum).

East End — Oak Ridge Area

The less-visited eastern end of Roatan offers a more remote diving experience. Phxazcraig described the Reef House Resort in Oak Ridge: “That place is well off the beaten path in terms of other divers, and there are dozens of dive sites available where only the Reef House dives. And the divemaster has been diving them for 25 years now” ([22] — forum). He recommended the south side near Oak Ridge for macro, noting: “Lots of macro opportunities, so you need to be able to find stuff… the divemaster (David) is incredible at finding things” ([23] — forum).

West End

The West End area is the most tourist-developed part of Roatan. Forum member Fontaine, who lived on Roatan from 2003 to 2006, described the West End beach road as having “really ideallic picturesque beaches” and praised the variety of diving: “lots of walls, swim throughs, caves, good deep dives, wrecks” ([24] — forum). Multiple dive operators are based here, and Marjo recommended Reefgliders in West End after surveying all dive operations there in 2008, praising their equipment maintenance, professionalism, and photographer-friendly approach. Owners Barry and Sarah employed divemasters who had worked for them for years ([25] — forum).

Marine Life and Photography Subjects

Macro

Roatan has earned a strong macro photography reputation within the Wetpixel community. SwiftFF5, who shot macro extensively at CoCo View, reported finding “frogfish, blennies of various kinds, various tiny shrimp, crabs, etc etc, as well as quite a few seahorses and pipefish” ([26] — forum). He also captured video of sailfin blennies displaying at CoCo View ([27] — forum).

Diaco documented over thirty species of blennies on Roatan, including the Spinyhead Blenny (Acanthemblemaria spinosa), as well as Longsnout seahorses (Hippocampus reidi), neck crabs (Podochela sp.), Flamingo tongue snails (Cyphoma gibbosum), and juvenile Spotted Drums (Equetus punctatus) ([28]).

A notable scientific discovery was made through Roatan macro photography: forum member Glasseye Snapper photographed an unidentified Starksia blenny at approximately 40-50 feet depth on a ledge of a vertical wall at the Parrot Tree site on the south side. He described it as “about 2cm long.” Ichthyologist Luiz Rocha forwarded the photos to blenny specialist Benjamin Victor (forum name “wazungu”), who ultimately identified it as Starksia nanodes — the dwarf blenny. Victor also announced a paper describing seven new Starksia species from the Caribbean, noting that the blackcheek blenny Starksia lepicoelia from the Bay of Honduras region was now reclassified as Starksia weigti ([29] — forum).

The Blennywatcher team (Ned and Anna DeLoach) also documented blenny diversity in the Bay Islands region. During a 2013 trip to Utila, they added ten species to their life lists and observed an oddly patterned boxfish that had also been reported from Roatan, prompting consultation with scientists about whether it represented a genetic mutation or hybridization ([30]).

Wide Angle and Reef Scenes

The island offers strong wide-angle subjects including dramatic walls, swim-throughs, and healthy hard coral formations. Three species of sea turtles are found on Roatan, including green turtles (Chelonia mydas) ([31]). Caribbean reef squid (Sepioteuthis sepioidea), Atlantic spadefish (Chaetodipterus faber), schools of southern sennet (Sphyraena picudilla), and French grunts (Haemulon flavolineatum) provide reef and pelagic subjects ([32]). Schools of juvenile striped parrotfish (Scarus iseri) forage around the staghorn coral at Cordelia Banks ([33]).

Sharks and Large Animals

While Roatan is not primarily known for pelagic encounters, the organized shark dive at Kara Kara provides opportunities to photograph Caribbean reef sharks. Forum member diverhead.com photographed a grey reef shark during the shark feed, noting the handler wore chainmail gloves ([34] — forum). Yahsemtough confirmed this was a recently established shark feed operation as of 2003 ([35] — forum). Nurse sharks are encountered on standard dives. Large green moray eels are commonly sighted — LarryHallas noted they are plentiful ([36] — forum).

Dive Resorts for Photographers

Several Roatan resorts have been repeatedly recommended by Wetpixel forum members for their photographer-friendly facilities:

CoCo View Resort

The most frequently mentioned Roatan resort on Wetpixel, CoCo View is located on a private peninsula on the south side. LarryHallas described it in 2023: “The resort is well managed and the boat captains and dive masters are excellent. The house reef is called ‘the front yard’ and is the best I have seen with an incredible wreck to explore, an airplane, and 2 spectacular wall dives that you can just grab a tank and go anytime you want” ([37] — forum). He also noted that “the local photo pro is Mickey Charteris and he is the best. He is the author of the book ‘Caribbean Reef Life’. They are very experienced at catering to photographers with an air conditioned photo room, and plenty of camera only rinse tanks on the boats and the dive lockers” ([38] — forum).

Saudio published a detailed CoCo View trip report in 2011, shooting with a Canon 7D in a Nauticam housing with Inon Z-240 strobes — and flooded his camera on the second day by missing a housing latch after reseating the camera, finishing the trip with a spare body and 100mm macro lens. Forum member Glasseye Snapper turned out to have been at CoCo View the same week ([39] — forum). Forum member Gina, commenting on Saudio’s report, noted she was preparing for her fifth trip to CoCo View ([40] — forum).

CoCo View also served as the venue for Backscatter’s Digital Shootout competition, held in June 2018 ([41]). AquaPaul, a sixteen-time CoCo View visitor, noted the resort’s loyal repeat clientele ([42] — forum).

An early report by scottyb in 2003 noted that the dive magazine Undercurrent had reported complaints about CoCo View regarding guests getting sick from food, though this did not appear to affect the resort’s long-term popularity ([43] — forum).

Anthony’s Key Resort

Located on the north side, Anthony’s Key Resort (AKR) includes the Roatan Institute for Marine Sciences, which offers dolphin dive and snorkel encounters. Forum member sethgold advised in 2003 that the dolphin snorkel was more interactive than the dolphin dive, which involved swimming along a sandy bottom at 60 feet ([44] — forum). DiverPam noted AKR’s loyalty to stranded guests: during a trip when bad weather prevented flights (before the Roatan airport had radar), “AKR was wonderful to us and took care of everyone there and no extra charge and other places on the island did not do this - so they got my loyalty” ([45] — forum).

Anthony’s Key Resort also participated as a prize provider in the Ocean Art Underwater Photo Competition, offering premium travel prizes for winners ([46]).

Reef House Resort

A small resort in Oak Ridge on the east end with only eleven rooms. Phxazcraig described the pricing as “Rooms and diving about $1100/week, plus food and drinks” and noted the divemaster’s twenty-five years of experience on exclusive dive sites. He has visited nine or more times ([47] — forum; [48] — forum).

Other Operations

Fontaine, the long-term Roatan resident, noted that accommodation could be extremely affordable: “You used to be able to stay for 5 bucks a night in a cheap place in Roatan… seagrapes was an excellent option for 10 bucks a night” ([49] — forum). ScubaBen recommended Cabana Roatana at West Bay beach, run by instructors Mal and Sofia ([50] — forum).

The Bay Islands: Utila and Cayos Cochinos

Utila

The neighboring island of Utila, accessible by catamaran from Roatan in about three to four hours, is known for budget-friendly diving and whale shark encounters. Whale sharks are the primary draw, with snorkeling encounters available during season. Danielandrewclem reported snorkeling with whale sharks seven to eight times during a six-week stay in early 2004 at Cross Creek Dive Center, where he earned his Divemaster certification ([51] — forum; [52] — forum). He recommended freediving down away from surface swimmers for more intimate encounters and watching for rough-toothed dolphins and sargassum frogfish (Histrio histrio) between dives ([53] — forum). Scientific American also cited Honduras as one of the world’s whale shark tourism hotspots ([54]).

However, the whale shark experience could be chaotic — rickcavanaugh described it as “a ZOO” with “up to 4 boats trying to get into position” and warned that the free-diving approach with multiple boats could be dangerous ([55] — forum).

Reef conditions on Utila drew mixed reviews. Rickcavanaugh reported in 2007 that “the reef (corals) were in terrible shape” with apparent algae blooms from agricultural runoff, though he recommended treating dives “as a muck dive” for macro subjects like cryptic teardrop crabs and neck crabs ([56] — forum). BC Seadragon, visiting in 2011, found “the diving was noticeably better” on Roatan “due to the fact that it is a marine park” ([57] — forum). Kelpfish challenged the published reputation, noting that contrary to Rodales’ ranking of Utila as a top shore diving destination, “there is no beach diving at Utila Lodge” — only boat-guided diving, three dives a day ([58] — forum).

The Blennywatcher team documented significant macro biodiversity on Utila during their 2013 visit to Deep Blue Resort, adding ten species to their life lists including the Quillfin Blenny (Labrisomus filamentosus), Large-eye Toadfish (Batrachoides gilberti), and Yellow Jawfish (Opistognathus gilberti) ([59]).

The Utila Aggressor liveaboard operated itineraries covering both Utila and Roatan, with approximately half the diving conducted around Roatan’s north side, including Mary’s Place ([60] — forum). Budget accommodations on Utila were remarkably inexpensive — as low as $6 per person per night for divers at Captain Morgan’s, or $250 for five nights and ten dives at dive centers like Alton’s ([61] — forum; [62] — forum).

Cayos Cochinos

The small archipelago of Cayos Cochinos (Hog Islands), located between Roatan and the Honduras mainland, has been recognized as a vital portion of the Meso-American Reef and is protected as a marine sanctuary where commercial fishing is banned. The Garifuna people have lived and fished there since the 18th century and continue to be permitted to do so ([63]). Alex Goetz’s film “Living Isle” documenting Cayos Cochinos was a finalist in National Geographic WILD’s Wild to Inspire film contest ([64]).

Forum member jdaley praised Cayos Cochinos as having “great walls and top notch macro life” — he and his wife enjoyed the islands so much they got married there “between dives of course” ([65] — forum). Francesca Diaco photographed Atlantic spadefish and southern sennet at Cayos Cochinos seamounts ([66]).

Events and Competitions

Digital Shootout

Backscatter’s Digital Shootout, a major underwater imaging competition and workshop, was held at CoCo View Resort on Roatan in June 2018. Alex Seys won the event’s Jim Watt Award for video. Joel Penner captured a day-in-the-life video of the event ([67]).

Turquoise Bay International Underwater Film Festival

In April 2016, Roatan’s Turquoise Bay Dive & Beach Resort hosted the first edition of the International Underwater Film Festival. The event featured seminars, an on-site video competition, and an international film competition, hosted by Emmy award-winning cinematographer Jonathan Bird. The Best in Show film received the Stan Waterman Legacy Award, and over $10,000 in prizes were awarded. The festival was founded by Michel Labrecque and Julie Ouimet of N2Pix, along with Jesus Alberto Reyes, COO and Commercial Director of Turquoise Bay resort. Sponsors included Aquatica/Amphibico, Epic Diving, Ocean Quest Resort, and PADI ([68]). Evan Sherman’s film “Bali Close Up” earned the Stan Waterman Legacy Award at this festival, among other international accolades ([69]).

Beneath the Sea

Roatan-based videographer Timothy Blanton won the Stan Waterman Award for Excellence in Underwater Videography at the Beneath the Sea 2014 International Imaging Competition for his film “Our Fragile Seas” ([70]).

Conservation Concerns

Coral Bleaching and Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease

The Meso-American Barrier Reef system, including Roatan’s reefs, has faced significant threats from coral bleaching and disease. In 2023, LarryHallas reported from CoCo View that “the entire Barrier Reef System have 20-30% bleached all the way from Cozumel to Roatan” ([71] — forum). Phxazcraig noted in 2023 that “coral wasting disease has swept through” but added “I thought I saw signs of recovery, among a lot of warm-water bleaching” ([72] — forum). Steve Douglas reported water temperatures of 88 degrees F on the south side in September 2011, prompting saudio to respond: “Isn’t that warm enough to bleach coral?” ([73] — forum).

Cordelia Banks’ staghorn coral colonies are particularly significant in this context — Diaco described the site as “the last place in the Caribbean that abundant living colonies of Staghorn coral can be found,” noting that this branching coral “is known for its spawning aggregations and showing the fastest growth out of all Atlantic corals” and serves as a vital “reef builder” ([74]).

Lionfish Invasion

Like much of the Caribbean, Roatan has been affected by the invasive lionfish (Pterois) problem, part of the broader Caribbean-wide invasion discussed extensively on Wetpixel ([75] — forum).

Practical Information from the Community

Best Time to Visit

The Bay Islands experience a rainy season from roughly October through February. Forum member Rob Esaw warned: “DON’T GO TO THE BAY ISLANDS IN NOVEMBER!!! Unless you like a ton of rain every day for 14 straight” ([76] — forum). However, davephdv, who visited in November, got the trip at half price due to the rainy season and reported “we got more sun than rain every day” with 30 to 50 foot visibility ([77] — forum). Phxazcraig recommended September for avoiding crowds: “I go in September because nobody else does and I end up with the dive boat to myself” ([78] — forum).

Getting There

Roatan has its own international airport (RTB) with direct flights from Houston and other US cities — approximately 2.5 hours from Houston ([79] — forum). Immigration procedures drew complaints from some visitors; in 2017, wydeangle described extensive biometric screening including ten-finger fingerprinting, passport scanning, and additional photographs, with entry and exit taking a combined 3.5 hours. Other forum members noted this was common for international travel. Troporobo researched the issue and found that US-driven immigration security requirements were a factor, noting that Honduras had abolished its previous immigration agency after corruption scandals involving alien smuggling facilitation ([80] — forum). AquaPaul, a sixteen-time CoCo View visitor, explained that the delays were partly due to “5 large airplanes land there and they are not equipped for that. Three of those 5 land within 45 minutes” at a small airport ([81] — forum).

Sand Flies

Multiple forum members warned about sand flies (no-see-ums) on Roatan. James cautioned in 2003 to “watch out for those No-See-Ums” ([82] — forum), BC Seadragon strongly advised to “take bug spray as I was destroyed by sand flies” ([83] — forum), and danielandrewclem simply warned: “Watch out for sand flies, either way” when comparing Utila and Roatan ([84] — forum). Tomr1 noted that the Inn of Last Resort had minimal sand fly problems because the resort was located away from the sand ([85] — forum).

Wetpixel Community Engagement

Roatan has been discussed in Wetpixel forums since the community’s earliest days. Forum member yahsemtough posted about traveling to Roatan in February 2003 ([86] — forum), and diverhead.com posted images from Anthony’s Key Resort in April 2003, shooting with an Olympus 4040 with PT-010 housing and single YS-90DX strobe ([87] — forum). Kelpfish shared images from a two-week trip to Roatan and Utila in August 2004, shooting with a Nikon D100 in a Light & Motion housing with Ikelite DS-125 strobes, including a memorable encounter with a four-to-five foot barracuda under a stilt lodge at CoCo View where he spent 30 minutes studying the fish’s behavior before shooting ([88] — forum).

The destination has generated trip reports, photo showcases, critter identification threads, and destination comparison discussions throughout the forum’s history, with members frequently comparing it to other Caribbean destinations like Bonaire, Cozumel, and the Cayman Islands ([89] — forum). Forum member jcfig noted a personal connection: “Love Roatan. Met my favorite dive buddy there (and eventually married her)” ([90] — forum).

Blenny4 summarized Roatan’s appeal relative to other Caribbean destinations: “Roatan for expecting the unexpected like sharks, octopus… you name it… but had the worst vis of these 3” (compared to Bonaire and Cayman Brac) ([91] — forum).

Timeline

References

Sources

  1. Wetpixel article, Jul 30, 2014: Francesca Diaco Roatan ↩
  2. Wetpixel article, Jul 30, 2014: Francesca Diaco Roatan ↩
  3. Forum thread: Some Roatan Shots ↩
  4. Forum thread: What About Diving In Roatan ↩
  5. Wetpixel article, May 16, 2020: Trip Planning In An Age Of Covid 19 By Stephen Frink ↩
  6. Wetpixel article, Jul 30, 2014: Francesca Diaco Roatan ↩
  7. Wetpixel article, Jul 30, 2014: Francesca Diaco Roatan ↩
  8. Wetpixel article, Jul 30, 2014: Francesca Diaco Roatan ↩
  9. Wetpixel article, Jul 30, 2014: Francesca Diaco Roatan ↩
  10. Wetpixel article, Jul 30, 2014: Francesca Diaco Roatan ↩
  11. Wetpixel article, Jul 30, 2014: Francesca Diaco Roatan ↩
  12. Forum thread: Just Returned From Roatan ↩
  13. Forum thread: Advice Roatan First Week On May Which Shore North Or South ↩
  14. Wetpixel article, Jul 30, 2014: Francesca Diaco Roatan ↩
  15. Forum thread: Advice Roatan First Week On May Which Shore North Or South ↩
  16. Forum thread: Cocoview And Utila Website ↩
  17. Forum thread: Some Roatan Shots ↩
  18. Wetpixel article, Jul 30, 2014: Francesca Diaco Roatan ↩
  19. Forum thread: Roatan Mystery Starksia ↩
  20. Forum thread: Just Returned From Roatan ↩
  21. Forum thread: Caribbean For Macro Not Cozumel ↩
  22. Forum thread: What About Diving In Roatan ↩
  23. Forum thread: Caribbean For Macro Not Cozumel ↩
  24. Forum thread: Sorry Its The Utila Vs Roatan Question ↩
  25. Forum thread: Diving In Honduras ↩
  26. Forum thread: Caribbean For Macro Not Cozumel ↩
  27. Forum thread: Sailfin Blenny ↩
  28. Wetpixel article, Jul 30, 2014: Francesca Diaco Roatan ↩
  29. Forum thread: Roatan Mystery Starksia ↩
  30. Wetpixel article, Aug 9, 2013: The Blennywatcher Diary August 2013 ↩
  31. Wetpixel article, Jul 30, 2014: Francesca Diaco Roatan ↩
  32. Wetpixel article, Jul 30, 2014: Francesca Diaco Roatan ↩
  33. Wetpixel article, Jul 30, 2014: Francesca Diaco Roatan ↩
  34. Forum thread: Just Returned From Roatan ↩
  35. Forum thread: Just Returned From Roatan ↩
  36. Forum thread: What About Diving In Roatan ↩
  37. Forum thread: What About Diving In Roatan ↩
  38. Forum thread: What About Diving In Roatan ↩
  39. Forum thread: Roatan Honduras Coco View Trip Report And Photo Essay ↩
  40. Forum thread: Roatan Honduras Coco View Trip Report And Photo Essay ↩
  41. Wetpixel article, Jul 10, 2018: Backscatter Posts Report From Digital Shootout ↩
  42. Forum thread: A Nasty Honduran Surprise ↩
  43. Forum thread: Off To Roatan ↩
  44. Forum thread: Off To Roatan ↩
  45. Forum thread: Advice Roatan First Week On May Which Shore North Or South ↩
  46. Wetpixel article, Sep 26, 2022: Ocean Art 2022 Is Calling For Entries ↩
  47. Forum thread: What About Diving In Roatan ↩
  48. Forum thread: Caribbean For Macro Not Cozumel ↩
  49. Forum thread: Sorry Its The Utila Vs Roatan Question ↩
  50. Forum thread: Diving In Honduras ↩
  51. Forum thread: Utila Is Still Good ↩
  52. Forum thread: Aboard The Utila Agressor 7th April ↩
  53. Forum thread: Aboard The Utila Agressor 7th April ↩
  54. Wetpixel article, Aug 14, 2013: How To Love A Whale Shark ↩
  55. Forum thread: Aboard The Utila Agressor 7th April ↩
  56. Forum thread: Aboard The Utila Agressor 7th April ↩
  57. Forum thread: Sorry Its The Utila Vs Roatan Question ↩
  58. Forum thread: Your Favorite Spot In The Caribbean ↩
  59. Wetpixel article, Aug 9, 2013: The Blennywatcher Diary August 2013 ↩
  60. Forum thread: Turks And Caicos Vs Utila ↩
  61. Forum thread: Sorry Its The Utila Vs Roatan Question ↩
  62. Forum thread: Utila Is Still Good ↩
  63. Wetpixel article, Mar 4, 2015: Video Living Isle ↩
  64. Wetpixel article, Mar 4, 2015: Video Living Isle ↩
  65. Forum thread: Your Favorite Spot In The Caribbean ↩
  66. Wetpixel article, Jul 30, 2014: Francesca Diaco Roatan ↩
  67. Wetpixel article, Jul 10, 2018: Backscatter Posts Report From Digital Shootout ↩
  68. Wetpixel article, Oct 15, 2015: Turquoise Bay Announces Film Festival ↩
  69. Wetpixel article, Jul 11, 2016: Freeze Frame Introduction ↩
  70. Wetpixel article, Feb 5, 2014: Beneath The Sea 2014 Winners Announced ↩
  71. Forum thread: What About Diving In Roatan ↩
  72. Forum thread: What About Diving In Roatan ↩
  73. Forum thread: Roatan Honduras Coco View Trip Report And Photo Essay ↩
  74. Wetpixel article, Jul 30, 2014: Francesca Diaco Roatan ↩
  75. Forum thread: Obese Lionfish ↩
  76. Forum thread: Off To Roatan ↩
  77. Forum thread: Off To Roatan ↩
  78. Forum thread: Caribbean For Macro Not Cozumel ↩
  79. Forum thread: What About Diving In Roatan ↩
  80. Forum thread: A Nasty Honduran Surprise ↩
  81. Forum thread: A Nasty Honduran Surprise ↩
  82. Forum thread: Off To Roatan ↩
  83. Forum thread: Sorry Its The Utila Vs Roatan Question ↩
  84. Forum thread: Sorry Its The Utila Vs Roatan Question ↩
  85. Forum thread: Utila Is Still Good ↩
  86. Forum thread: Off To Roatan ↩
  87. Forum thread: Just Returned From Roatan ↩
  88. Forum thread: Roatan Utila Pictures ↩
  89. Forum thread: Your Favorite Spot In The Caribbean ↩
  90. Forum thread: Some Roatan Shots ↩
  91. Forum thread: Your Favorite Spot In The Caribbean ↩
  92. Forum thread: Off To Roatan ↩
  93. Forum thread: Just Returned From Roatan ↩
  94. Forum thread: Sorry Its The Utila Vs Roatan Question ↩
  95. Forum thread: Roatan Utila Pictures ↩
  96. Forum thread: Roatan Utila Slideshow ↩
  97. Forum thread: Diving In Honduras ↩
  98. Forum thread: Roatan Mystery Starksia ↩
  99. Forum thread: Roatan Honduras Coco View Trip Report And Photo Essay ↩
  100. Wetpixel article, Aug 9, 2013: The Blennywatcher Diary August 2013 ↩
  101. Wetpixel article, Feb 5, 2014: Beneath The Sea 2014 Winners Announced ↩
  102. Wetpixel article, Jul 30, 2014: Francesca Diaco Roatan ↩
  103. Wetpixel article, Mar 4, 2015: Video Living Isle ↩
  104. Wetpixel article, Oct 15, 2015: Turquoise Bay Announces Film Festival ↩
  105. Wetpixel article, Jul 11, 2016: Freeze Frame Introduction ↩
  106. Wetpixel article, Jul 10, 2018: Backscatter Posts Report From Digital Shootout ↩
  107. Forum thread: Scuba Diving In Roatan Honduras August 2018 4k ↩
  108. Wetpixel article, May 16, 2020: Trip Planning In An Age Of Covid 19 By Stephen Frink ↩
  109. Forum thread: Sailfin Blenny ↩
  110. Forum thread: What About Diving In Roatan ↩
  111. Francesca Diaco: Roatan — Full Frame portfolio (article) ↩
  112. Backscatter posts report from Digital Shootout (article) ↩
  113. Turquoise Bay announces film festival (article) ↩
  114. Freeze Frame: Introduction (Evan Sherman bio mentioning Roatan) (article) ↩
  115. Beneath the Sea 2014 Winners Announced (Timothy Blanton) (article) ↩
  116. The Blennywatcher Diary: August 2013 (Utila species) (article) ↩
  117. How to love a whale shark (Honduras whale shark tourism) (article) ↩
  118. Video: Living Isle (Cayos Cochinos documentary) (article) ↩
  119. Trip planning in an age of COVID-19 by Stephen Frink (article) ↩
  120. Ocean Art 2022 (Anthony’s Key Resort prize) (article) ↩
  121. What about diving in Roatan? (2023 forum discussion) (forum) ↩
  122. Roatan, Honduras, CoCo View trip report (2011) (forum) ↩
  123. Some Roatan shots (2020) (forum) ↩
  124. Roatan mystery Starksia (species discovery) (forum) ↩
  125. Your favorite spot in the Caribbean? (2004) (forum) ↩
  126. Sorry - It’s the Utila vs Roatan question (2011) (forum) ↩
  127. Advice Roatan: North or South shore (2010) (forum) ↩
  128. Caribbean for macro, not Cozumel (2021) (forum) ↩
  129. A nasty Honduran surprise (travel logistics 2017) (forum) ↩
  130. Off to Roatan (2003) (forum) ↩
  131. Just returned from Roatan (2003) (forum) ↩
  132. Roatan & Utila Pictures (2004) (forum) ↩
  133. Roatan & Utila Slideshow (2005) (forum) ↩
  134. Scuba Diving in Roatan, Honduras - August 2018 (4K) (forum) ↩
  135. Sailfin Blenny video from CoCo View (2022) (forum) ↩
  136. Utila is still good? (2014) (forum) ↩
  137. Aboard the Utila Aggressor (2007) (forum) ↩
  138. Obese Lionfish (lionfish invasion discussion) (forum) ↩
  139. Diving in Honduras (2008) (forum) ↩
  140. COCOVIEW and Utila Website (2004) (forum) ↩
  141. Two from Roatan (critter ID 2019) (forum) ↩
  142. Turks and Caicos vs Utila (Aggressor routing) (forum) ↩