Sandy Bay, Roatán, Bay Islands, Honduras

Spooky Channel

Spooky Channel is a long natural cut through the fringing reef on the north shore of Roatán near Sandy Bay. Divers swim through a narrow trench with vertical coral walls rising 15 to 18 meters on either side, occasionally meeting overhangs and arches that filter shafts of sunlight and give the site its name. Maximum depth in the channel is around 22 meters with most of the swim in the 10 to 15 meter range, making it accessible to intermediate divers. The walls are covered in encrusting sponges, sea rods and bushy black coral, and the trench is a reliable spot for green moray, large channel-clinging crabs, lobster, midnight parrotfish and schools of horse-eye jack that hover at the entrance. Hawksbill turtles use the channel as a thoroughfare. Visibility is usually 15 to 25 meters; the swim-through atmosphere makes it a popular second dive of the day.