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Sea Hunt Divers
Wreck · advanced

El Águila Wreck

Roatán's best-known recreational wreck — a 230-ft cargo ship sitting upright in the sand off Sandy Bay, broken into sections that teem with fish and make for easy, atmospheric wreck diving.

Depth
18–30 m (59–98 ft)
Difficulty
advanced
Suitable for
Advanced Open Water (or equivalent); great first wreck
Getting there
Boat ride to Sandy Bay

What you'll see

  • Resident green moray eels
  • Large grouper
  • Schooling horse-eye jacks
  • Seahorses on the surrounding reef

El Águila is the wreck most divers think of in Roatán. The 230-foot cargo ship was sunk in 1997 and storms later broke her into three sections, which actually improved the dive — the breaks let light and fish flood through the hull. She sits upright on the sand at around 30 metres, with the surrounding reef shallower for your safety stop.

Big resident groupers and green moray eels live in and around the wreck, and clouds of jacks often hang above her. It's an ideal first wreck dive for Advanced divers and a perennial favourite for everyone else.

Because she lies upright with open, broken sections, the El Águila is also a favourite for wreck photography, with plenty of light reaching the structure. We keep any penetration to suitably trained divers, and usually pair the wreck with a nearby reef so you finish on a relaxed, shallow second dive.