Cayos Cochinos, Bay Islands, Honduras

Arena's Reef

Arena's Reef is a south-side dive in the Cayos Cochinos Marine Reserve characterised by a long sandy chute that splits the fringing reef and frames a series of swim-throughs and small archways. The dive begins on a coral plateau at 8 to 10 meters with stands of brain coral, sea rods, large barrel sponges and pillar coral, and follows the chute as it slopes from 12 down to 25 meters. The walls of the chute are encrusted with sea rods, lettuce coral, brain coral and orange elephant-ear sponges, and the sandy bottom hosts garden eels, yellowhead jawfish and southern stingrays. Reef fauna along the shoulders includes hawksbill turtle, queen and French angelfish, schooling creole wrasse and grunt, midnight parrotfish and spotted moray; eagle ray fly-bys are common in the open water beyond the chute. Conditions inside the reserve are usually calm with 22 to 28 meters of visibility.