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Goprocaribbean is the technical training side of Coconut Tree Divers who does between 3-4 recreational dives daily from Roatan's West End. They do a lot of DM training and so there will almost always be DM trainees shadowing you on the boat. Without a buddy, they'll match you up with someone although generally we just dove as a group without specific buddies. I shoot video so a couple of times one of the DM's was my "private" buddy that I didn't pay anything extra for. Should there be a "Norther" CTD is one of the operators with the resources to move their boats south and shuttle you over daily. West End Divers, Native Sons and several others can also. Some of the smaller Panga boat operators won't.
Since you don't want an AI resort there are a lot of options in that area instead. The entire West End is a mixture of shops, small resorts (most just rooms/cabins) and eating options at all price ranges. There's also a couple of small markets in the area and almost all the rooms have at least a mini-refrigerator - many have full kitchens. They also sell nice quality produce/fruit from street trucks daily. We buy lunch for $5-10 and most dinners are under $20. Some well under, 2 full chickens and all the extras for 4 of us were $22 one night at Rotisserie Chicken. Noodles Factory is a $5 lunch between dives and Argentinean Grille sells good steaks for around $15-25.
One nice thing about that area is the whole thing is less than a mile long so you don't need a car - a cab ride from the airport is $25 (fixed) and we just walked around all week. Sundowners is a nice beach bar in that area also - a lot of divers go there nightly. You can sit at the waters edge in the sand there.
Coconut Tree has small individual cabins behind their building/diveshop/store. They rent for as little as $40-50 nt. My friends rented several so I've been in them. The cheapest is a studio with a mini-frig, $5-10 more/nt. buys you a full kitchen with large appliances and slightly more than that one bedroom. Just down the road Posada Arco Iris is another option. Their studio/1 br. with small kitchenette ranges from $42-60/nt depending on season. Although low/high seaon in that area is about a $10/day difference usually.
There are also many other options, Chillies is a hostel, Splash Inn has their own dive operation, Sueno Del Mar is an inexpensive waterfront hotel with their own dive operator - one of few on the beach. Coconut Tree has information about rental properties on their website. Roatán, West End Information
Downside of the West End. It can be noisier closer to the end of the week. There' a lot of outdoor bars and loud music. Some of them are in front of the resorts so you will hear it. There's also quieter options on the east end of Half Moon Bay, Posada Los Orchideas, SeaGrape Plantation, Cocolobo (more upscale), Half Moon Bay resort are choices there. SeaGrape has their own operator or it's a 5min. walk to the West End. At night we barely heard it. For some perspective, Cocolobo is the three green buildings seen in the lower left portion of the image in the link above, the dock in the middle of the bay is Ccoconut Tree's.
I don't understand the pony requirement either - are you bringing yours or wanting to rent one there? Diving with doubles there is not necessary as dives are above 130' - most around 60-90' - and within recreational guidelines. CTD got us a couple AL-100's but that's all we needed. The guys at GoPro might be doing more technical dives on a personal level but they primarily are teaching. IDK that they're DIR but they dive BP/W configurations - it's about the only place I saw one.
More of a "budget AI" is Reef House Resort. You don't pay for a pool or anything fancy because they don't have one. 3 dives per day on the south side - just east of Cocoview - and they have a house reef for shore diving also. It is pretty isolated though.
Really Cocoview isn't all that fancy either. No pool and the resort rooms look average for Roatan. Barefoot wouldn't be for you as it's a boutique dive resort. You will pay a single supplement at an AI resort though and Christmas Week they might all be booked anyway.
Since you don't want an AI resort there are a lot of options in that area instead. The entire West End is a mixture of shops, small resorts (most just rooms/cabins) and eating options at all price ranges. There's also a couple of small markets in the area and almost all the rooms have at least a mini-refrigerator - many have full kitchens. They also sell nice quality produce/fruit from street trucks daily. We buy lunch for $5-10 and most dinners are under $20. Some well under, 2 full chickens and all the extras for 4 of us were $22 one night at Rotisserie Chicken. Noodles Factory is a $5 lunch between dives and Argentinean Grille sells good steaks for around $15-25.
One nice thing about that area is the whole thing is less than a mile long so you don't need a car - a cab ride from the airport is $25 (fixed) and we just walked around all week. Sundowners is a nice beach bar in that area also - a lot of divers go there nightly. You can sit at the waters edge in the sand there.
Coconut Tree has small individual cabins behind their building/diveshop/store. They rent for as little as $40-50 nt. My friends rented several so I've been in them. The cheapest is a studio with a mini-frig, $5-10 more/nt. buys you a full kitchen with large appliances and slightly more than that one bedroom. Just down the road Posada Arco Iris is another option. Their studio/1 br. with small kitchenette ranges from $42-60/nt depending on season. Although low/high seaon in that area is about a $10/day difference usually.
There are also many other options, Chillies is a hostel, Splash Inn has their own dive operation, Sueno Del Mar is an inexpensive waterfront hotel with their own dive operator - one of few on the beach. Coconut Tree has information about rental properties on their website. Roatán, West End Information
Downside of the West End. It can be noisier closer to the end of the week. There' a lot of outdoor bars and loud music. Some of them are in front of the resorts so you will hear it. There's also quieter options on the east end of Half Moon Bay, Posada Los Orchideas, SeaGrape Plantation, Cocolobo (more upscale), Half Moon Bay resort are choices there. SeaGrape has their own operator or it's a 5min. walk to the West End. At night we barely heard it. For some perspective, Cocolobo is the three green buildings seen in the lower left portion of the image in the link above, the dock in the middle of the bay is Ccoconut Tree's.
I don't understand the pony requirement either - are you bringing yours or wanting to rent one there? Diving with doubles there is not necessary as dives are above 130' - most around 60-90' - and within recreational guidelines. CTD got us a couple AL-100's but that's all we needed. The guys at GoPro might be doing more technical dives on a personal level but they primarily are teaching. IDK that they're DIR but they dive BP/W configurations - it's about the only place I saw one.
More of a "budget AI" is Reef House Resort. You don't pay for a pool or anything fancy because they don't have one. 3 dives per day on the south side - just east of Cocoview - and they have a house reef for shore diving also. It is pretty isolated though.
Really Cocoview isn't all that fancy either. No pool and the resort rooms look average for Roatan. Barefoot wouldn't be for you as it's a boutique dive resort. You will pay a single supplement at an AI resort though and Christmas Week they might all be booked anyway.
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