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The Bay Islands stand out as one of the best diving and macro underwater photography destinations in the Caribbean. Roatán, Guanaja, Cayos Chochinos and Utila are the largest of the 67 islands and cays that conform this spot in the Caribbean sea.
The Bay Islands are just off the north coast of Honduras, nevertheless are geographically and culturally distinct from the rest of Central America.
Well know for its bio-diversity the Bay islands' reef support 99% of the hard coral, gorgonian and sponge species and 100% of the fish species found in the Caribbean.
In my opinion, what makes this destination a unique and obliged diving place in the Caribbean is the micro universe of creatures that inhabit inside the reefs. It is true that one can find eagle rays, sharks, turtles, big schools of horse eye jacks, wrecks and, with a lot of luck whale sharks, but nothing compares with the tiny multicolor and out-of-this-world shaped creatures hiding on the reefs. Knowing before hand the behavior and habitats of each creature are the key to be successful. Any well documented and meticulous diver could empty his air reserve in just 160 square feet because the quantity of colorful nudibranchs, shining gobbies, and stressed blennies together with peaceful sea horses and spectacular decorator crabs filling the islands' reefs could be infinite.
Approximately 30 miles long and no more than 2 ½ miles wide Roatán is the largest of the island group and its here where most of the tourism activity and dive operators are located. There are more than 90 dive sites, some of them like Mary's Place and West End Wall need to be dove at least 2 times to be appreciated in their full magnitude.
Guanaja is the second largest island and its reported that this was the island Christopher Columbus discovered on July 30, 1502 during his fourth and last trip to the Americas. Happily the reefs that surround this island have been declared a marine reserve some years ago.
Cayos Cochinos (Hog Islands) are probably one of the best options to dive in the Bay Islands. Lying half way between Roatán and the mainland this is one of the "must dive" places if you are in a live-aboard. This small group comprises two main islands, Cochino Grande y Chochino Pequeño, and 13 cays of various sizes. Two spectacular places are located here, Toon Town I and II. These colorful dive spots would oblige the underwater photographer to have its eyes stacked in to the reef's searching in every coral head, sponge, sea fan or little hole the tiny but marvelous creatures that inhabit here. A camera gear with extreme macro capabilities would be the workhorse in the place. I've particularly used a 105mm with 2X Teleconverters plus a close-up diopter 60% of the time.
On the other hand, Utila stands out as one of the seven places in the world that give divers the opportunity of diving with whale sharks. May, June and July are the months that offer the higher probabilities to find a whale shark, nevertheless this opportunities are very scarce and dive operators are not always happy to spend the day looking for them.
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