Prince Albert Wreck Coco View Resort Roatan
Martin Gomez Aug 12, 2026
19. Prince Albert Wreck
Dive type: Wreck + artificial reef
Length: approximately 140 ft / 43 m
Depth: approximately 65 ft / 20 m
Position: Upright
Sunk: 1985
Main feature: Large, coral-covered wreck sitting directly in CoCo View’s Front Yard
Access: Shore dive or drop-off dive
Best for: Wreck diving, wide-angle photography, marine life, and especially night diving.
What makes Prince Albert special?
Prince Albert is probably the most recognizable dive in CoCo View’s Front Yard.
It's not simply a wreck that requires a boat ride and a scheduled dive. The wreck sits right in front of the resort, only a few fin kicks from shore, alongside CoCo View Wall and Newman’s Wall. CoCo View currently provides guests 24/7 access to this Front Yard area.
That means you could dive Prince Albert:
during the day,
as part of a drop dive,
from shore,
and then come back and experience it again at night.
Few wrecks offer that kind of accessibility.
The history of Prince Albert
The story behind the wreck makes the dive more interesting.
According to CoCo View, Prince Albert was originally owned by Nicaraguans and was used to transport refugees from Nicaragua to Roatán during the war.
Eventually, the vessel was stripped of valuables and left partially submerged, becoming a navigational hazard.
CoCo View founder Bill Evans saw the possibility of turning the abandoned vessel into a dive site. After obtaining government permission, Evans and Doc Radawski transported and intentionally sank the vessel in front of the resort in 1985.
So Prince Albert wasn't originally sunk by accident.
It was deliberately placed to become a dive site and artificial reef.
The wreck today
Prince Albert now sits upright in approximately 65 feet of water.
After more than four decades underwater, the wreck no longer looks like a freshly sunk metal ship.
Marine growth has transformed it.
CoCo View describes extensive algae and soft-coral growth covering the hull, with fish inhabiting channels and hollows throughout the structure.
So you're really looking at two things simultaneously:
Shipwreck + artificial reef
And that's one of the most interesting things about wreck diving.
Human-made structure becomes marine habitat.
The soft-coral forest
One of the most attractive features is the coral growth on the wreck.
CoCo View specifically describes a soft-coral forest on the bow and aft decks, with extensive coral growth now covering much of Prince Albert.
That gives photographers an opportunity to combine two very different subjects:
Industrial structure
and
living coral reef.
You can still recognize the ship.
But nature has taken it over.
The experience
One of the best ways to appreciate Prince Albert is not to immediately swim directly onto the wreck.
When visibility allows, approach from a little distance.
At first you may see:
Blue water
then
A dark shape
then
The outline of the ship
and finally
The entire wreck.
That gradual reveal is part of the experience.
Stop for a moment.
Look at the whole wreck.
A 140-foot vessel is much more impressive when you can see its overall shape than when your mask is six inches from the hull.
Start with the big picture
This is a good rule for any wreck dive:
First see the wreck. Then explore the wreck.
Before you start looking into every opening, take a moment to understand:
Where is the bow?
Where is the stern?
Where is the deck?
Where is the bottom?
Where is the reef?
Where did you come from?
Once you understand the basic layout, exploring becomes much easier.
Marine life
Prince Albert has been underwater long enough to become a significant artificial reef.
CoCo View says many fish species inhabit the wreck's channels and hollows. The resort also specifically notes that eagle rays, southern stingrays and squid often pass alongside the wreck.
As always:
Possible ≠ guaranteed.
Don't tell a guest:
“We're going to see an eagle ray.”
Say:
“Keep an eye out into the blue because eagle rays and southern stingrays are among the animals seen around the wreck.”
Don't stare only at the wreck
This is surprisingly important.
A 140-foot ship is going to capture your attention.
But occasionally:
Turn around.
Look into the blue.
Look underneath you.
Look above the wreck.
Some of the best encounters may not be sitting directly on the hull.
Look underneath and around the structure
Wrecks create lots of habitat.
Look carefully around:
Openings
Deck structures
Edges
Coral-covered sections
Areas underneath the wreck
Sand surrounding the vessel
You don't need to enter the wreck to find interesting marine life.
In fact, you could spend an entire dive exploring only the exterior.
Wreck penetration
CoCo View notes that Prince Albert has been modified to facilitate diver entry.
But there's an important distinction:
An opening doesn't automatically mean every diver should enter.
Wreck penetration can create an overhead environment, which changes the risk profile of the dive.
Once you enter an enclosed portion of a wreck, issues can include:
Loss of direct access to the surface
Reduced visibility
Silt
Entanglement
Navigation
Gas management
Limited space
So penetration should depend on the diver's training, experience, conditions, equipment, and the actual dive plan.
There's plenty to see on Prince Albert without entering enclosed areas.
Depth
At approximately 65 feet, Prince Albert sits at a very manageable recreational depth for appropriately certified divers.
But remember:
The top of the wreck and the bottom aren't necessarily the same depth.
That means you can create a multilevel profile while exploring the structure.
And because you're around 65 feet at the deeper portion, you should continue monitoring:
Gas
Depth
No-decompression time
Buddy
Navigation
Don't let the excitement of the wreck make you forget your computer.
Shore diving Prince Albert
This is where the site becomes really special.
Prince Albert is directly accessible from CoCo View's Front Yard, and the resort describes it as one of the easily accessible attractions only a few fin kicks from the Clubhouse.
So once you've completed the resort orientation and understand the Front Yard navigation, you can potentially plan a shore dive around the wreck without waiting for a boat trip.
That gives you freedom.
You can spend more time:
photographing the bow,
searching for macro life,
or simply
circling the wreck slowly.
The drop dive option
There's another way to experience Prince Albert.
CoCo View specifically says the wreck can be visited as a drop-off dive from the boat on the way back to the resort.
This fits perfectly with CoCo View's style of diving.
Instead of simply returning to the dock after the boat dive, divers choosing the drop option can enter the water and finish their diving back in the Front Yard.
That can make Prince Albert feel less like:
“We're taking a boat to a wreck.”
and more like:
“The wreck is part of our underwater backyard.”
Prince Albert at night
This deserves its own section.
Prince Albert is one of CoCo View's most popular night dives, and guests can access the Front Yard for unlimited shore night diving.
And a wreck at night feels completely different.
During the day, you see:
the ship.
At night, you see:
whatever your light reveals.
Your attention becomes much more focused.
You start noticing:
small openings,
coral growth,
animals hiding in the structure,
and
movement in the darkness around the wreck.
Dive it during daylight first
If Prince Albert is new to you, I'd strongly prefer becoming familiar with the area during daylight before doing an independent night dive.
Learn:
The route from shore
The wreck's orientation
Bow and stern
Nearby reef
Return route
Then at night you're changing only one major variable:
darkness.
Instead of learning navigation, wreck layout and night diving simultaneously.
Photography
Prince Albert is an excellent wide-angle subject.
And because the wreck is 140 feet long, you want to think bigger than:
“Photograph this little piece of coral.”
Try to tell the story of the wreck.
Shot #1 — The bow
Move away from the bow and put a diver near it.
Bow → diver → blue water
Now the diver gives the wreck scale.
Shot #2 — Diver above the wreck
Position yourself slightly below.
Shoot:
Coral-covered deck → diver → surface light
This shows both the artificial reef and the underwater environment.
Shot #3 — The whole wreck
When visibility permits, back away.
A photograph showing a significant portion of Prince Albert can be much more impressive than twenty close-ups of individual pieces of metal.
CoCo View even notes that at certain times of year, visibility can be good enough for most or all of the wreck's 140-foot length to be visible from the surface while snorkeling.
Prince Albert vs. Mr. Bud
Now we can properly compare CoCo View's two wreck experiences we've discussed.
Mr. Bud
Smaller wreck
Approximately 75 ft long
Around 60 ft deep
Great for slow exploration and looking for small marine life.
Prince Albert
Approximately 140 ft long
Around 65 ft deep
Directly in the Front Yard
Shore accessible
Excellent night-dive option
More substantial wreck experience
So I'd remember:
Mr. Bud = intimate wreck exploration.
Prince Albert = signature wreck experience.
Prince Albert + CoCo View Wall + Newman’s Wall
Now we can finally see why the Front Yard is such a big deal.
You have:
CoCo View Wall
Prince Albert
Newman’s Wall
all accessible directly from the resort.
That's an unusual amount of underwater variety in one shore-diving area.
You can build dives around:
Wall diving
Wreck diving
Shallow reef
Macro hunting
Photography
Night diving
without needing a boat.
How I would describe Prince Albert to a guest
“Prince Albert is our signature Front Yard wreck. It's a 140-foot vessel that was intentionally sunk in 1985 and now sits upright in about 65 feet of water. After more than 40 years underwater, it's covered with algae, soft corals and other marine growth, so today it's both a shipwreck and an artificial reef. You can dive it directly from shore or experience it as a drop dive on the way back to the resort. Take your time, back away occasionally so you can appreciate the size of the wreck, look into the blue for passing marine life, and if you get comfortable with the Front Yard during the day, Prince Albert is also an incredible night dive.”
A simple way to remember Prince Albert
Prince Albert = 140 ft + 65 ft deep + 1985 + Front Yard + artificial reef + night dive.
| Site | What to remember |
|---|---|
| Mary’s Place | Cracks & channels |
| Calvin’s Crack | Descending crevice |
| Menagerhea’s Reef | Ledges, overhangs & sponges |
| Carib Point | Sea fans & schooling fish |
| Castle Canyon | Shallow reef formations |
| Chimney’s | Coral boulders & dramatic wall |
| Gold Chain Reef | Hard corals, slope & sand |
| Inside Outside | Lettuce Coral & narrow cuts |
| John’s Spot | Coral ridges & steep wall |
| Little French Cay | Shallow reef & overhangs |
| Missing Link | Hard-coral hedges & schooling fish |
| Mr. Bud | Smaller wreck & artificial reef |
| Neverstain Bight | Cleaning stations & reef behavior |
| Newman’s Wall | Front Yard, sand chutes & vertical wall |
| Parrot Tree | Shallow coral hedges & deep cuts |
| Patty’s Paradise | Sand chute, tube sponges & reef ledge |
| Two Tall Two Small | Four formations, sea fans & surge |
| CoCo View Wall | Front Yard, cleaning stations & Green Moray |
| Prince Albert | 140-ft wreck, Front Yard & night diving |
Next: Anka’s Place. We'll return to reef diving with a very shallow meandering wall, cascading corals, and impressive rope, tube and barrel sponges, with the mooring in only about 20 feet.
