Page 78 - Central America

BARRY’S REEF - This is a great site for checking out pillar coral, also
barrel sponge, midnight parrotfish, pork fish and many flamingo
tongues. Very shallow, so great for snorkeling. Depth: 3 - 120 feet.
BEARS DEN - The main feature of this dive site is the long narrow
cave in the shallows lit by a couple of skylights, which highlight the
rather impressive interior formations. A number of swim throughs
and cracks will take you from a very short shelf out on to the exterior
wall. With a deep wall and a lot of soft coral in the shallows, keep
your eyes peeled for lettuce sea slugs crawling along the coral heads.
Grouper and snapper are commonly sighted, as well as the occasional
barracuda or turtle. This dive site is for experienced divers only. En-
trance to the cave orchestrated in a strictly controlled manner, with an the southern wall. Look for the resident green moray eels. In August/
opt-out for those divers not interested in overhead environments, as
there is no access to the surface through the skylights.
BIG BIGHT - Wall dive to the west of the mooring which sits in about
40 feet of water and just under the buoy there are a few swim throughs
which can be fun at the end of the dive. The wall starts at around 15ft
and goes down to 60 feet. Near the mooring further west it goes be-
yond 140 feet. The wall has a lot of sponges and look out for lobsters
and crabs in the crevices. Large grouper are often spotted along with
barracuda; with the occasional turtle or eagle ray.
BIKINI BOTTOM - This site has a bit of everything. At the base of
this wall, the sandy plateau is filled with coral heads which leads to
the out to the larger deeper wall. You might see yellow head jaw fish,
lobsters and crabs, parrotfish and basslets and large schools of blue
tangs, which come to the reef to feed. Depth of 20 - 60 feet.
BLACK ROCK - A continuation of West End Wall, this site also pro-
vides an outstanding environment for the king crab with numerous
fissures in the reef wall. Be on the lookout for some of the smaller reef
creatures, such as the arrow crab with its blue claws as well as many of
the different types of shrimp, including the banded coral shrimp and
squat anemone shrimp. Named for a piece of iron shore jutting out
into the water. A great wall dive, abundance of soft and hard corals
and lots of fish. Depth: 25 – 100 feet.
BLUE CHANNEL - Starting on the gently sloping wall, there is a swim
through that cuts in towards the shallow reef. Explore the overhangs
in the north wall or check out the extensive swim through network of
September for only a few weeks, the southern wall will fill with an
abundance of silversides, so thick you cannot see a few feet in front of
you. This dive site is great for a range of experience levels from novice
to advanced. There is a great diversity of reef life at this site. Tangs,
triggerfish, damselfish, grunts, snapper, juvenile grouper and barra-
cuda can all be seen here, as can numerous other species.
BUCHO’S BANK - Can experience currents and is considered a dive
for those with experience. Depth: 30 – 80 feet.
BUTCHER’S BANK - This mix of coral gardens and sandy areas is a
great place to explore. A sandy area with lots of patch coral, this is an
excellent spot for viewing the southern stingray as well as being great
barracuda hunting ground. The dense coral leading out to the reef
wall is a good area to spot hawksbill and green turtles foraging thru
the sponges. Nurse sharks rest in the crevices under the coral at this
site. Depth: 50 – 90 feet.