The Most Popular Roatan Dive Site
Explore the island’s most exciting deep dive at Mary’s Place Roatan.
Mary’s Place is almost synonymous with Roatan. If you’ve done your research then you know that this is the most famous dive site in Roatan. And with its intricate set of swimthroughs and humbling vertical drop offs, it easily earns its fame. Learn more about what makes Mary’s Place Roatan one of our Top 10 Roatan Dive sites.
Where is the Mary’s Place Roatan Dive Site?
Mary’s Place Roatan is located on the southeast side of the island. If you’re looking for a landmark, it’s very close to Barefoot Cay resort. And when we make the trek to this popular dive site, we love to couple it with lunch and a dip in the pool at Barefoot Cay afterwards.
Because the Mary’s Place Roatan dive site is located on the southside of the island, it can be subject to rough surface conditions for most of the year. And only the few operators who are close to the site can get their year-round. Most dive operators, including Sun Divers, head to Mary’s Place when our prevailing winds shift from the north, and we have what we call a ‘Southside Day.’
Why Mary’s Place Roatan is So Iconic
Mary’s Place begins as an unassuming plateau at 30 feet / 10 meters. The corner of this plateau jetties out like an elbow and is actually separated from the rest of the reef. This fissure reaches all the way down to 120 feet / 40 meters and was likely created by an ancient earthquake caused by volcanic activity.
Vertical Walls
Descending down the walls of Marys Place Roatan feels like the underwater equivalent of base jumping. The drop off is steep and sheer, giving you the sense of free falling. The walls drop to 120 feet where they are then met by a sandy slope that goes beyond what the eyes can see. Along these walls you’ll see deepwater sea fans and the occasional channel clinging crab in a crevice.
Swimthroughs
As you make your way through the swimthroughs of Mary’s Place Roatan, you feel like you’re in an underwater garden. You’ll see lush green Hanging Vine algae cascading down overhangs and Bushy Black Coral. Vibrant Azure Vase Sponges and Giant Garrel Sponges portrude from the sides of the walls. Mangrove snappers and groupers will guide you through the swim throughs. And if you look up you can see sunlight dancing and lighting your way through the immense crevices.
The Plateau
While everyone loves Mary’s Place Roatan for its thrilling deep profile, its shallow plateau is equally mesmerizing. Here you’ll find orange and purple Sea Rods and Sea Plumes dancing with the surge. Look closely and you’ll likely spot small Slender Filefish camouflaged amongst the soft coral. It’s not uncommon to spot schools of Atlantic Spadefish or Houndfish hanging around the mooring line. And if you’re lucky, your guide will know where the Seahorses like to hide.
Who Can Dive Mary’s Place?
Marys Place Roatan is considered an advance dive site due to both its depth and swimthroughs which require solid buoyancy control skills. We take divers to this iconic site when they have their Advanced Open Water certification or a training record showing a completed PADI Deep Adventure dive (or equivalent). For safety purposes, we ask all divers to do a check out dive with us prior to us taking them on a deep dive.
