Roatan Honduras 3-Stop Snorkeling Tour: Starfish, the Blue Channel and a Shipwreck

★★★★★ 4.8 (585 traveller reviews)

Reef snorkel by boatFees in the fareSnorkel gear included

Three stops, three kinds of sea, and a driver who fetches you from the ship. You ride across the island to the boats at Big Bight and gear up there. Then the boat takes you to a starfish bed, to a reef that drops away into deep blue, and to a wreck. Water, juice and fruit are on board, and the entrance fees are already paid.

Hours, prices and access verified by the Roatan Honduras Tours team — last checked 2026-09-21.

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Starfish, a drop-off and a wreck in one morning

From the ship to Big Bight

A driver collects you, so there is no meeting point to hunt for. Pick your cruise port, your hotel, a condo or rental, or the airport when you book. The drive to the boats at Big Bight takes 30 to 40 minutes, and your driver treats it as a tour of the island. Angela C.'s driver talked through the history of the towns on the way. The start time is set with the crew after you book, so send your ship's docking time as soon as you have it.

At Big Bight the crew fit you with a mask, fins, a snorkel and a vest. You wear the vest in the water, which is why first-timers cope here. Then the boat leaves for the first stop. Where Big Bight sits against the two ports and West Bay is on the Roatan map.

The starfish bed, then the Blue Channel

The first stop is a shallow patch of sand where the starfish gather. Daniel C.'s group saw starfish, sand dollars, small fish and crabs there. It is the easy stop, and a good place to get used to breathing through the tube. You jump in from the boat rather than climb down a ladder, as Michelle W. found, so be ready for that first splash.

The second stop is the one people describe for days afterwards. Amanda W. called the Blue Channel the stand-out: coral reef, then a cliff edge where the reef drops away into a vast expanse of blue. The reef around Roatan is part of the Mesoamerican Reef, and why it falls away so steeply is on the things to do page.

The wreck, and the current around it

The last stop is the shipwreck. Aaron S.'s family liked swimming along it best of all, with squid, a large conch and schools of fish on the way. The guides stay in the water with you the whole time, as Daniel C. noted, and point out what swims past.

The wreck is also where the sea has its say. On a choppy January day, Alaina B. could not get close to it for the current, and the morning was cut short by rain. On a windy day, Deborah B.'s crew moved the boat to collect the snorkelers so nobody had to swim against the current. Leslie D.'s advice is simply to be ready for a lot of swimming. Which months are calmest is on the best time to visit page.

What US$112 covers, and what it leaves out

Your fare pays for the pickup and the drive back, the boat between the three stops, the gear, the entrance fees, and water, juice and fruit on board. Angela C. was handed watermelon and homemade local bread between stops. After the snorkeling there is time to relax at the crew's own place before the drive back.

Lunch and tips are the two things to budget for. Some drivers will stop at a local restaurant or a market on the way back if you ask. The trip is also sold with an ATV ride, a zipline or a sloth and monkey visit added: choose that option when you book if you want a longer day. Why the reef's own conservation fee is separate, and voluntary, is in the visitor guide.

How your three hours run

1. Pickup. At your ship, hotel, rental or the airport.
2. The drive to Big Bight. 30 to 40 minutes across the island.
3. Gear and vests. Mask, fins, snorkel and a vest for everyone.
4. The starfish bed. Shallow sand, starfish and sand dollars.
5. The Blue Channel. Coral, then the drop-off into open blue.
6. The shipwreck. The last stop, with the guides beside you.
7. Back ashore. Time to rest at the crew's place, then the drive back.

Who this suits: you want the most reef in a short cruise-day window

What the fare covers

Where the driver finds you

There is no meeting point to find. When you book, choose your pickup: the Port of Roatan in Coxen Hole, Mahogany Bay, your hotel, a condo or rental, or the airport. The driver meets you there and brings you back to the same place.

The exact time is set with the crew after you book. Cruise guests should send the ship's name and docking time straight away, and keep the operator's phone number to hand, since your phone may have no signal once you leave the ship. How each port works, gates and walks included, is on the cruise port page.

Know before you go

• Expect to jump in. You enter the water from the boat, not down a ladder.
• Budget for lunch and tips. Both are outside the fare.
• Bring a change of clothes. The drive back is long if you are sitting wet.
• Children need an adult. Every child in the water is with a grown-up.
• Not wheelchair accessible. The boat and the jump-in entry rule it out.
• Weather moves the stops. In wind or current the crew change the order, or skip the wreck.

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