Guanaja, Bay Islands, Honduras

Pinnacle Reef

Pinnacle Reef is a north-shore Guanaja dive featuring a series of coral pinnacles that rise from the reef plateau to within a few meters of the surface and form a richly textured underwater landscape. The dive begins on a coral shelf at 10 meters with stands of brain coral, sea rods, large barrel sponges and pillar coral, and the pinnacles themselves rise from the shoulder of the wall and extend down past 20 meters. The pinnacle flanks and the stepped wall below are decorated with deep-water gorgonians, rope sponges, tube sponges and clusters of black coral. Reef fauna is consistently rich: hawksbill turtle, queen and French angelfish, schooling creole wrasse and grunt, large midnight parrotfish, spotted moray and reliable spotted eagle ray fly-bys. Pelagic visitors include schools of horse-eye jack and the occasional Caribbean reef shark in the deeper blue. Visibility runs 25 to 35 meters and conditions are usually mild.