As the international diving industry prepares to gather in New Orleans for DEMA Show 2026, the Honduran island of Guanaja is looking to attract attention for something that increasingly matters to dive retailers and group organisers: the opportunity to offer their customers an entire Caribbean dive retreat rather than simply reserve a block of hotel rooms.
Taking place from 3–6 November at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, DEMA Show 2026 will bring together dive businesses, travel specialists and destination representatives from around the world.
Among the destinations represented will be Guanaja, one of Honduras’s Bay Islands, with Cabañas on Clark’s Cay and Clearwater Paradise Resort listed among the exhibitors.
For dive professionals looking beyond traditional group travel arrangements, the island’s private-property experiences, smaller marine life and local community connections offer several reasons to take a closer look.
A Different Approach to Dive Group Travel
For many dive shops, organising an overseas trip means working around the schedules and requirements of a larger resort, sharing facilities with other guests and fitting the group into an established tourism operation.
Guanaja offers another possibility.
Two of the island’s distinctive accommodation options, Cabañas on Clark’s Cay and Villa on Dunbar Rock, offer private-property arrangements designed to give qualifying groups an unusually exclusive experience.
Rather than being restricted to dive retailers, these arrangements can also appeal to groups of friends, dive clubs and extended families travelling together.
For a dive shop arranging a customer trip, that can create opportunities for a more personalised itinerary, stronger group identity and a holiday experience that differs from conventional resort bookings.
The two properties have different settings and styles, allowing organisers to consider which environment best suits their customers.
Two Distinctive Properties, One Island Destination
Cabañas on Clark’s Cay offers an island-based retreat where the surroundings and diving experience become part of a shared group holiday.
Villa on Dunbar Rock provides a contrasting setting, with accommodation on one of Guanaja’s most recognisable coastal landmarks.
Both properties are owned by Kirk Laney, with Denis Medince serving as general manager. Their marketing and reservations are represented by Guanaja Resorts.
For organisers comparing the options, the most important questions are not simply about room numbers or accommodation styles. Group size, experience levels, travel expectations and the type of diving holiday being planned all help determine which property may be the better fit.
Information about the island’s underwater environments and available diving can be found through Villa on Dunbar Rock’s diving guide.
More Than the Big-Marine-Life Checklist
Guanaja’s appeal is not based solely on encounters with large marine animals.
Its smaller underwater inhabitants provide an alternative focus for divers who enjoy moving slowly, observing reef habitats and discovering subjects that can easily be overlooked.
In our earlier feature, Guanaja’s Macro World: Discovering the Smaller Side of Caribbean Diving, The Scuba News explored the island’s varied macro subjects and the potential for underwater photographers and naturalists.
For dive retailers assembling specialist trips, this creates opportunities to cater to customers interested in underwater photography, marine identification and a slower, more observational style of diving.
It is a different proposition from destinations marketed principally around large schools of fish or guaranteed megafauna encounters.
Community Connections Beyond the Resort
The island’s tourism story also extends beyond accommodation and diving.
The teams associated with Clark’s Cay and Dunbar Rock have supported community-oriented initiatives over the years, providing another dimension to conversations about the role of dive tourism in small island communities.
Their published social responsibility initiatives offer insight into those activities and the relationships between resort businesses and the surrounding island community.
For dive professionals, understanding that wider destination context can be valuable when choosing operators and explaining a destination to customers who increasingly ask questions about local impact.
Where to Find Guanaja at DEMA 2026
Visitors attending DEMA Show in New Orleans can find two relevant exhibitors in the official 2026 listings:
Cabañas on Clark’s Cay: Booth 1033
Clearwater Paradise Resort: Booth 1037
The show provides an opportunity for dive shop owners, travel planners and group organisers to discuss the practicalities of bringing customers to Guanaja, including property choices, private-group arrangements and the type of diving available.
Kirk Laney and Denis Medince are also expected to attend, according to information supplied to The Scuba News ahead of the event.
With exhibitors gathering from across the diving industry, DEMA offers Guanaja an opportunity to put its distinctive group-travel model in front of the professionals who organise and recommend dive holidays.
Looking Beyond DEMA
For Guanaja, the objective extends beyond four days of conversations in New Orleans.
The island offers a destination that can be positioned around small-group travel, private accommodation experiences and underwater exploration that rewards patience and curiosity.
Dive professionals considering a future Caribbean group departure can explore the accommodation options through Guanaja Resorts and discuss availability, group requirements and suitable travel arrangements directly.
As DEMA 2026 approaches, Guanaja’s message is a relatively simple one: for the right group, having a Caribbean dive retreat largely to yourselves may be as memorable as the diving itself.
