Roatan instructor plans 24-hour dive to raise funds for reef protection

Jay Jeter (pictured) will spend 24 hours underwater to raise funds for Roatan Marine Park (Photo: Jay Jeter)

Roatan-based dive instructor Jay Jeter plans to mark his 60th birthday by spending 24 consecutive hours underwater to raise funds for the Roatan Marine Park.

The endurance dive is scheduled to begin at midnight on 21 February 2026 on the west side of Roatan, Honduras, with Jay remaining submerged until midnight the following day.

The event is intended to raise money for the Roatan Marine Park, the non-profit organisation responsible for reef protection and marine conservation across the Bay Islands.

Jay has lived in Roatan for the past ten years and has worked as a scuba instructor for more than 25 years, having previously taught in Austin, Texas.

He is the owner and instructor at Bottom Time Scuba in West Bay, an underwater photographer with a published book, The Art of Underwater Photography, and a regular contributor to a local morning radio show on Blue Wave Radio 101.1.

The beautiful corals off the coast of Roatan (Photo: Shutterstock)

The dive has been planned as a controlled endurance event rather than a record attempt. Jay will dive in a sidemount configuration, carrying two cylinders at a time and exchanging tanks individually with surface support, with around eight tank swaps scheduled over the 24-hour period.

Depth limits will be progressively reduced throughout the dive. During the first 12 hours, Jay will not exceed 18 metres (60ft), averaging closer to 12 metres (40ft). Over the following eight hours, depths will be limited to 9 metres (30ft), with the final four hours spent between 3–4.5 metres (10–15ft). By the end of the dive, he is expected to be fully decompressed.

Thermal protection will be provided by an 8mm semi-dry wetsuit, while hydration and nutrition will be managed underwater using a hydration bladder with electrolyte solution and liquid protein supplements. Jay plans to sleep during the day before the dive begins.

Jay and his wife Lavina (Photo: Jay Jeter/Facebook)

Surface and underwater logistics will be coordinated by Jay’s wife, Lavina Arlotta Jeter, who will manage diver schedules, tank exchanges, boat movements between moorings and weather monitoring throughout the 24-hour period. A support boat will remain on site for the duration of the dive.

Divers will be able to join Jay underwater for pre-scheduled 50-minute dives, with participation limited and arranged in advance. Underwater support will be provided by a rotating team of experienced instructors and advanced divers, including Jeff Johnson of Generations Below, who will document the dive while acting as a support diver, and Robert Weiss of Lake Travis Scuba in Texas.

The planned route will begin at the Divemaster’s Choice dive site in West End and progress slowly south, with the final dive planned at Mandy’s Eel Garden in West Bay. The total distance covered during the dive is expected to be around 2.5 miles.

The fundraiser, titled Jay Jeter’s B’Day Dive for Roatan Marine Park, will direct all proceeds to the Roatan Marine Park. Donations can be made through the organisation’s website, with contributors asked to note ‘JJ BDAY’ so donations can be tracked.

The Roatan Marine Park maintains dive moorings and channel markers, supports coral restoration projects, works to curtail poaching, and delivers reef education programmes in schools across the Bay Islands.