My Experience Diving Mary's Place in Roatan

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Austin Tuwiner

Dive Sites

August 21, 2026

In March of 2026, I dove Mary's Place with Barefoot Divers during my trip to Roatan, and it's easily one of the most memorable dives I've done in my life.

At the top, there's a beautiful coral patch that starts around 20 ft (6.1 m), Mary's Place, Roatan, Honduras — At the top, there's a beautiful coral patch that starts around 20 ft (6.1 m).

Swim a little further and you hit the drop-off, and that's where the real fun begins.

Dive Log · Roatan, Honduras · March 2026

Mary's Place

Dive Data from my Garmin Descent MK3i

Max Depth

83ft / 25m

Water Temp

80.6°F / 27°C

Visibility

75ft / 23m

Entry

Boat

Recommended Certification

Advanced Open Water

Reef Caribbean Honduras 📍 16.337651, -86.468808

The Swim-Throughs

Mary's Place is defined by its cracks and fissures formed by earthquakes and tectonic plate activity.

What used to be one large coral head, is now split apart due to repeated seismic activity, creating the swim-throughs you dive through today.

Wide reef of coral heads and sea fans dropping into blue water, Mary's Place, Roatan, Honduras — The reef on top before you reach the drop-off.

On my dive, we went through three of them.

After making our way through, the divemaster took us back from the opposite direction, giving us a completely different perspective on each swim-through.

The second swim-through was the deepest, Mary's Place, Roatan, Honduras — The second swim-through was the deepest.

The third was the most shallow and forks off in another direction at the end, Mary's Place, Roatan, Honduras — The third was the most shallow and forks off in another direction at the end.

This same tectonic activity is why Roatan and Utila have so many wall dives.

It causes the water to get deep close to shore, making both islands a top destination for tech divers.

Large bowl shaped coral formation lit up inside a narrow canyon, Mary's Place, Roatan, Honduras — A big bowl shaped coral catching the light down in the crack.

Looking up out of a swim-through toward the surface light, Mary's Place, Roatan, Honduras — Looking back up out of the crack toward the surface.

How to Dive Mary's Place

Mary's Place is on the south side of the island, and not every charter runs there on a regular schedule.

I dove this site with Barefoot Divers and stayed one night at Barefoot Cay Resort.

Hotel room with a king bed, wooden floor and dive gear stacked in the corner, Mary's Place, Roatan, Honduras — My room at Barefoot Cay Resort, one night on the south side.

The Barefoot Divers boat Marea running out to the dive site, Mary's Place, Roatan, Honduras — The Marea, the Barefoot Divers boat that runs this side of the island.

The other charter I used on this trip was Roatan Divers, based in West End, and while they do run trips to the south side, this is only when the conditions on the north side are rough and they need an alternative.

Reach out to Barefoot Cay Resort or a dive center directly via WhatsApp or Instagram before your trip, and ask them which dates they're planning to run Mary's Place.

A shoutout to Wilbur, the divemaster who guided my dive, Mary's Place, Roatan, Honduras — A shoutout to Wilbur, the divemaster who guided my dive.

What Marine Life I Saw

Waves of blue tangs, Mary's Place, Roatan, Honduras — Waves of blue tangs.

Spadefish schools following the boat, Mary's Place, Roatan, Honduras — Spadefish schools following the boat.

Thriving reefs around 20 ft (6.1 m), Mary's Place, Roatan, Honduras — Thriving reefs around 20 ft (6.1 m).

Sea rods and sea fans on the reef top with the wall dropping into deep blue behind, Mary's Place, Roatan, Honduras — Sea rods and fans along the reef top with the wall falling away behind.

Mary's Place's final boss: a large moray eel guarding the exit, Roatan, Honduras — Mary's Place's final boss: a large moray eel guarding the exit.

Coral head covered in sea fans and sponges dropping into blue water, Mary's Place, Roatan, Honduras — Sea fans and sponges packed onto one coral head.

Water Conditions

Austin diving Mary's Place with a 3mm short wetsuit, Roatan, Honduras — Austin diving Mary's Place with a 3mm short wetsuit.

Water temperatures in Roatan stay around 80.6°F (27°C) for most of the year.

Visibility was excellent on both sides of the island, sometimes reaching up to 100 ft (30 m).

Most dives in Roatan enter and exit from the same point. If you're diving a wall, you'll spend half the dive going one direction and double back the other way.

Crew member on the bow of the dive boat with the life ring and ladder in frame, Mary's Place, Roatan, Honduras — Back on the boat. Most dives here start and finish at the same point.

Drift dives do happen but they're the exception. When they do, the divemaster deploys an SMB for the boat to pick you up.

Let's Dive Together

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Austin Tuwiner

I'm a PADI Divemaster based in South Florida.

With over a decade of diving experience, I help readers become better divers, buy their next piece of gear, and plan their dream dive vacation!

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