Cara a Cara
Conditions & tides
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Marine forecast via Copernicus Marine. Score is a rule-based guide from swell/wind vs. the site's exposure — always dive your own assessment.
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About this site
Cara a Cara is a reef dive site on the south side of Roatan, Honduras, whose Spanish name means "face to face" — a direct reference to the close encounters with sharks that define the dive. The site is exclusively used for organised shark dives, conducted three times daily except Sundays, and no other dive operations are permitted there to ensure that only divers prepared for the shark dive are present.
The reef sits at a maximum depth of around 21 m (70 ft), and dives last approximately 30 minutes at that depth. Once on the bottom, divers kneel in front of a coral head that shelters them from the current while the sharks are fed.
The site is best known for its Caribbean reef sharks — typically half a dozen or more females that have learned to respond to the sound of the arriving boat. Scalloped hammerheads are occasionally sighted passing through. The verified marine life for the site also includes grouper, black groupers, green moray eels, and horse eye jacks.
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Cara a Cara is a boat dive subject to medium current, and the dive requires intermediate-level certification and experience. Divers must be fully self-sufficient: they are responsible for their own buoyancy, air management, and buddy procedures, as the divemaster present is focused on managing the shark feed rather than assisting less experienced divers. Many shops assess a diver's air consumption and basic skills over one or two preceding dives before allowing participation. Sharks and current are the primary hazards at this site.
Marine life here
Confirmed by our research team, reported by independent divers, or observed nearby via iNaturalist — each entry is labelled with its source.
Stoplight ParrotfishSparisoma virideReported here · unconfirmed
Atlantic Sergeant MajorAbudefduf saxatilisReported here · unconfirmed
Longsnout SeahorseHippocampus reidiReported here · unconfirmed
Yellowtail DamselfishMicrospathodon chrysurusReported here · unconfirmed
Caribbean Land Hermit CrabCoenobita clypeatusReported here · unconfirmed
Atlantic Blue TangAcanthurus coeruleusReported here · unconfirmed
Four-eyed ButterflyfishChaetodon capistratusReported here · unconfirmed
Caribbean Bluehead WrasseThalassoma bifasciatumReported here · unconfirmed
GrouperGrouperConfirmed present · 2 independent sources
Hammerhead sharkHammerhead sharkReported here · unconfirmed
Durable tips from divers — access, hazards, marine life, facilities. For day-of conditions, use the report tool in the conditions card above.
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