Cayos Cochinos, Bay Islands, Honduras

Lighthouse Reef

Lighthouse Reef in Cayos Cochinos sits below the small lighthouse on Cayo Mayor and is one of the most-photographed dives inside the marine reserve because of its dense coral cover. The dive begins on a shallow coral plateau at 6 to 10 meters with healthy stands of brain coral, lettuce coral, sea rods and pillar coral, and runs to a stepped wall that drops past 28 meters. The protection of the reserve produces unusually high coral biomass for the western Caribbean. Reef fauna is consistently abundant: hawksbill turtle, queen and French angelfish, schooling French and bluestriped grunt, midnight parrotfish, spotted moray, spotted drum and creole wrasse; eagle ray fly-bys are common. Macro subjects on the wall include cleaner shrimp, arrow crabs and banded coral shrimp. Conditions are usually calm; visibility runs 22 to 30 meters. Access is by boat from Plantation Beach Resort.