The Cave
16.2798°N 86.5837°W · cave
The Cave is a cave dive site in Roatán, Caribbean.
Overview
The Cave is one of the more prominent cavern sites along the Sandy Bay reef wall, featuring a sizable overhang or enclosed formation that gives the site its straightforward name. Inside, divers find resident glassy sweepers schooling in the filtered light, along with lobsters and crabs tucked into crevices. The cave walls are encrusted with colorful sponges and encrusting corals. Outside, the reef wall provides the usual Sandy Bay wall scenery of sea fans, barrel sponges, and passing eagle rays. Visibility runs 20 to 40 meters, with water temperatures between 26 and 29 degrees Celsius.
Site Information
- Location: Roatán, Caribbean
- Entry Type: Boat dive
- Site Type: Cave/cavern
- Difficulty Level: Advanced
- Maximum Depth: 25 meters
Dive Profile
Approach the cave entrance carefully and assess conditions before entering. Maintain excellent buoyancy to avoid disturbing sediment. Follow the cave walls and always keep the entrance in sight unless properly trained for overhead environments. Exit the same way you entered.
Sea-surface temperature and wave height from Open-Meteo Marine (ERA5 reanalysis, monthly averages).
477 verified species observations (226 species) logged within ~11 km of this site between 1911 and 2023, from the Ocean Biodiversity Information System.
- Pterois · lionfish
- Gambusia nicaraguensis
- Palatogobius grandoculus
- Poecilia orri
- Epigonidae
- Lipogramma evides · banded basslet
- Gnatholepis thompsoni · goldspot goby
- Malacoctenus macropus · rosy blenny
- Gobiomorus dormitor
- Phaeoptyx
- Gerres cinereus
- Lutjanus apodus
Scientific survey records skew toward sampled taxa (molluscs, corals) and do not reflect what you are guaranteed to see on a dive.
Source: OBIS (obis.org), aggregated Darwin Core occurrence records.
Conditions change with the tide and the season. If you have dived this site, share what it was actually like — date, visibility, current, and what you saw. Real, recent reports from divers are exactly what this guide is built to collect.
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