Guanaja, Bay Islands, Honduras

Vertigo

Vertigo is one of the deepest sheer walls accessible by recreational diving in Guanaja, named for the dizzying drop visible from the upper edge. The dive begins on a coral plateau at 10 meters with stands of brain coral, sea rods and barrel sponges, and runs to a vertical wall face that drops past 60 meters into the blue. The face is heavily decorated with deep-water gorgonians, rope sponges, large barrel sponges and dense clusters of black coral; tube sponges line the upper wall in clusters. The deeper portions of the wall are reliable for Caribbean reef shark passages, spotted eagle ray, large grouper and barracuda; the shallower shoulders are consistent for hawksbill turtle, queen angelfish, schooling creole wrasse, midnight parrotfish and spotted moray. The site can pick up moderate current and is treated as an advanced single-tank dive; visibility averages 28 to 35 meters.