El Aguila (Shipwreck)

One of three main shipwreck dive sites off Roatan’s coast, El Aguila is 75 meters (230 feet) long and broken into three pieces (courtesy of 1998’s Hurricane Mitch) providing plenty of area and many nooks and crannies for divers to explore.

Spanish for ‘the Eagle,’ El Aguila is thought to have originally sunk off the coast of Utila while on course to Haiti from Puerto Cortes, carrying a shipment of concrete. After being underwater for many years, the ship was brought back up to the harbor by Rocky Jones of Utila, only to be dragged back onto the reef again by a storm, after which it was salvaged a second time and intentionally partially submerged to prevent further storm damage.

El Aguila is situated at 110′ deep and a short ride away from Sandy Bay. AKR purchased the ship while searching for a new wreck site for divers, as the common wooden-hulled wrecks of the time were starting to deteriorate and disappear. It took the team 5 weeks between purchasing, cleaning, towing, and finally sinking the ship in its current location in 1997.