Page 81 - Central America

DOLPHIN DEN / DOLPHIN GRAVEYARD- a shallow cave like
swim-through that takes you from the inside of the reef to the outside.
The maze of tunnels and caverns is so extensive that you can spend
your whole dive inside it. There are plenty of openings in the ceiling
to make this dive safe. Inside the cavern one may find thousands of
silversides and other creatures like moray eels or a nurse shark. This
dive site is located on the reef opposite Villas del Mar. The site got its creole wrasse and groupers in abundance among the diverse sponge
name because of several finds of Dolphin bones. The last one in the
summer of 2007 where a pod of 13 bottlenose dolphins swam into the
cavern, got trapped and drowned. The most common explanation of
the tragic event is that the dolphins followed a school of silversides
into the cavern and got disoriented in the thick cloud of baitfish.
EAGLE’S NEST - has a high knoll along the shelf of the reef. Water
depth ranges from 25 to 130 feet along this area. Large spotted ea-
gle rays are commonly found here along with turtles. Large barrel
sponges and sea fans are seen between the black durgon, triggerfish,
and grouper.
EL AQUARIO - A great site composed of a sandy, coral-filled can-
yon leading to the wall, which starts at approximately 60 feet. Large
schools of blue tang, schoolmasters, doctorfish, surgeonfish and the
occasional permit are often spotted here.
EL AQUILA WRECK – 220 foot cargo boat that was stripped and
scuttled by Anthony’s Key Resort in 1997 over a dive site called Deep
Eel Garden. In 1998, Hurricane Mitch slammed the island and split
the wreck into three distinct pieces. Working from stern to bow, ex-
pect a bottom time of 15 minutes before swimming off on to the wall
and finishing in shallow water. Look out for the garden eels around
the stern, the resident green moray eel, and the large friendly grouper
and snapper that circle the area. There is also an array of interesting
channels and features on the wall itself, including a small cave. This
dive site is for experienced divers - good air consumption and good
buoyancy control are a must.
ENCHANTGED FOREST / INSIDIOUS REEF - These two dives are
part of a larger reef associated with an offshore bank. The drop-off
begins from a series of rolling reefs that drop to 70 - 80 feet, with
and coral growth.
FISH DEN - is the local hot spot for lots of fish. Water depth ranges
from 10 to 130 feet where large schools of blue tangs, grunts, parrot-
fish’s, yellowtail snapper, and flounder are found. The shelf drops off
around 35 feet to 130 feet and forms a spectacular mini wall with lots
of sponges and soft corals. The site’s mooring is attached to a piece of
pinnacle coral in the center of a horseshoe-shaped canyon with the
open end leading to the sloping wall, which descends beyond recrea-
tional limits. The elusive slipper lobster is occasionally found at this
site along with drum fish, mantis shrimp and spiny lobsters. An ex-
cellent location for seeing brain coral, elkhorn coral and star coral.
Depth: 30 – 140 feet.
FISH SPOT - Named for the abundant amount of fish around the top
of the reef between 15 to 20 feet.
FLOWER’S BAY WALL – Shallow crest then the wall drops vertically
down into the darkness. Lobster, crabs and an occasional nurse shark.
Depth: 15 – 150 feet.