Cayos Cochinos, Bay Islands, Honduras

Pelican 2

Pelican 2 is the companion site to Pelican 1 in the Cayos Cochinos Marine Reserve, sitting just to the north along the same protected wall system. The dive begins on a shallow coral plateau at 8 meters with healthy stands of brain coral, lettuce coral, sea rods and pillar coral, and runs to a stepped wall that drops from 18 past 30 meters. The protection of the reserve translates to higher coral cover and fish biomass than equivalent sites outside the protected area. Reef fauna includes hawksbill turtle, queen and grey angelfish, schooling creole wrasse, midnight parrotfish, spotted moray and reliable spotted eagle ray passages along the wall. Macro photographers find arrow crabs, cleaner shrimp, banded coral shrimp and juvenile spotted drum in the upper wall crevices. Conditions inside the reserve are typically calm with 25 to 30 meters of visibility year-round.