Guanaja, Bay Islands, Honduras

Don Enrique Wreck

The Don Enrique is a small cargo vessel that sank in shallower water off Guanaja's southwest shore and now rests as a colourful artificial reef accessible to intermediate divers. The wreck sits on a sandy bottom in 18 to 22 meters with the deck and superstructure within easy recreational range. After many years on the bottom the hull is heavily encrusted with hard corals, encrusting sponges, hydroids and tube sponges. Resident species include green moray, schoolmaster snapper, queen triggerfish, large grouper, spotted drum and dense aggregations of glassy sweepers in summer. Macro photographers find arrow crabs, banded coral shrimp and juvenile fish sheltering in the deck fittings. Hawksbill turtles patrol the reef around the wreck, and the surrounding fringing reef hosts queen angelfish, schooling grunt, midnight parrotfish and creole wrasse. Conditions are usually calm with 18 to 25 meters of visibility.