Guanaja, Bay Islands, Honduras

Pavilions

Pavilions is a Guanaja north-shore dive featuring distinctive coral structures shaped like roof pavilions that rise from the reef shelf and frame a series of swim-throughs. The dive begins on a coral plateau at 8 to 10 meters with healthy stands of brain coral, sea rods, large barrel sponges and pillar coral, then drops to a stepped wall that descends from 18 past 28 meters. The pavilions sit along the upper edge of the wall and create well-illuminated overhead passages popular with photographers. Encrusting sponges, sea rods, lettuce coral and orange elephant-ear sponges decorate the structures, while the wall below is festooned with deep-water gorgonians, rope sponges and clusters of black coral. Reef fauna includes hawksbill turtle, queen angelfish, schooling creole wrasse, midnight parrotfish, spotted moray and spotted eagle ray fly-bys. Visibility runs 22 to 30 meters; conditions are usually mild.