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CUunderH2O:
FIBR doesn't do day trips as a rule.
You will have a spectacular wreck about 500 feet from the FIBR Gazebo. The Prince Albert Wreck was placed in 1984. It's an intact upright 140' tanker that lies in 35-65fsw.
(See excellent photos of the PA Wreck (and plane) at http://www.websitetoolbox.com/tool/post/ccv/vpost?id=942655&trail=30) Note with care the second image... it shows the wreck from the air! (Look just to the right of the dive boat)
Wrecks? In Roatan they should be viewed as a haven for little critters, something that the shallows of the South side are well known for. Go to Roatan- and any dive location- for what it is known and famous for. There are two nearby placed wrecks that FIBR dives regularly- the other is the Mr Bud. It also lies shallow and is bathed in sunlight, a growth accelerator.
The wrecks of the North side are placed there for marketing purposes. Hey- all wrecks are! The Northside wrecks have interesting issues. They are deep to protect them from the rough weather and waters. In that they are deep, they support a different kind of growth, certainly very slow by any comparison. They are placed to make divers want to go to Roatan to see something exciting. It's easier to see a wreck than it is for a DM to find the cool little stuff that Roatan is uniquely known for. You'd have to go to the different reef structure on the South side for that. The North has some larger fish, but even then- many visitors find that it is less appealing than ____ (fill in the blank) Go to Roatan for what it's best known.
An interesting example- I have watched hard corals on the Prince Albert Wreck pretty much so look like they were on growth hormones. Why? There is one prominent colony (up shallow in 12fsw on the top rail, starboard side forecastle- now about the size of a Rugby Ball) that literaly every night diver from CoCoView shines their light upon. And there are a lot of night divers from CCV.
This flashing of lights attracts little edible critters to the Coral's awaiting "arms". Yummy. I will spend 20 minutes shining my light in a column above the corals and pointing at the little trapped critters with my laser pointer. There's even a little tiny fish that lives safely within the protection of the otherwise deadly "tentacle" thingies that come out of the corals to feed. We were once doing this in August duing the mathematiocal moment that coral should be spawning. No one was having any luck spotting any ejaculate until I was surprised by the reaction of this colony I was overfeeding by attracting blood worms with my light. Yes- it was the only that spawned that night.
Wrecks are wrecks. Go to them for what they attract. The North side wrecks will some day be known for attracting larger fish (due to the proximity of the Roatan Marine Sanctuary) on a regular basis. After you've seen another 5' Cuda or 3' Grouper... okay, what next? Then you start looking at the little stuff. That's the magic.
