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All things change in time....
Say Goodbye, Roatán.
CoCo View Resort Under New Ownership
6/25/2004
For immediate publication:
Roatán, Honduras Bay Islands
After more than 22 years of hands-on management, the couple that founded one the Caribbeans most beloved scuba diving resorts has sold their Honduras Bay Islands property and retired to Ft. Myers, Florida.
Bill and Evelyn Evans first showed up in Roatán aboard their 33ft sloop, Karma, in 1980 and after getting their feet wet operating a sailboat charter and a brief live-aboard dive boat venture, Bill announced that he was going to build the, best damn dive resort in the Caribbean. The result, CoCo View Resort, opened in October of 1982 and has been operating with a loyal following, and a nearly full house, ever since.
Besides locating the resort perfectly for 24 hour a day shore diving inside a protected natural channel between two 100 foot barrier reef walls Bills genius at work-flow engineering created a dive operation that is a much imitated model of ease and efficiency. His dive boats incorporate the industrys only moon hatch, a mid-ship entry that allows divers to board straight up through the keel thereby avoiding banging platforms and ladders regardless of sea conditions. CoCo View pioneered the dive site mooring system that now protects the Roatàns reefs from anchor damage, and the no gloves policy that has been helping to protect underwater flora and fauna from accidental damage for nearly two decades is now being implemented in dive destinations worldwide.
While Bills vision, foresight, and no nonsense approach was able to carve a vacation paradise out of a Central American jungle, no one doubts that at least half of CoCo Views success was due to the steady and reliable, Miss Evelyn, who not only worked side by side with her husband, but often worked behind him managing the pieces that made CoCo View work. Several generations of staff consider Miss Evelyn a second mother and will sorely miss her help in educating their children and grandchildren. Shopkeepers, businessmen, politicians, other resort owners, and perhaps most dearly to Evelyn herself, the island orphanage, are going to miss this very great lady.
CoCo View Resorts new owners, Carl and Elizabeth Midkiff from Huntington West Virginia, are veterans in the hotel and hospitality business and admit that the decision to buy was instantaneous.
CoCo View is perfect, Carl says. The setting is perfect, the reefs and snorkeling is the best anywhere. The whole atmosphere says CoCo View. There is nothing to change. So while no major staff, operational, or construction changes are in the works, Carl will make some upgrades in the area of his expertise: guest services. For example, hed like to make it effortless for guests to cross the lagoon for day trips and sightseeing or have nights out without worrying about missing the last boat home. A small beach and swimming area on Hawksbill Cay is being considered. By adding air conditioners to the four over-water bungalows, guests will have one more room option, and a wide screen satellite television in the upstairs lounge will let sport fans follow their team. Hed also like to let a few folks know that you dont have to be a hard core 5 tank a day diver to enjoy a CoCo View vacation. Im astonished that snorkelers have not discovered CoCo View, he says. The most extensive and magnificent aquarium Ive ever seen is right out the front door.
---------------------------------------------------------
The genius of this man and the vision shared by his wife is simply a "once in a great while thing".
His life's creation makes that obvious.
Have a great retirement, Bill and Ev... but I gotta ask... what's the next project?
Say Goodbye, Roatán.
CoCo View Resort Under New Ownership
6/25/2004
For immediate publication:
Roatán, Honduras Bay Islands
After more than 22 years of hands-on management, the couple that founded one the Caribbeans most beloved scuba diving resorts has sold their Honduras Bay Islands property and retired to Ft. Myers, Florida.
Bill and Evelyn Evans first showed up in Roatán aboard their 33ft sloop, Karma, in 1980 and after getting their feet wet operating a sailboat charter and a brief live-aboard dive boat venture, Bill announced that he was going to build the, best damn dive resort in the Caribbean. The result, CoCo View Resort, opened in October of 1982 and has been operating with a loyal following, and a nearly full house, ever since.
Besides locating the resort perfectly for 24 hour a day shore diving inside a protected natural channel between two 100 foot barrier reef walls Bills genius at work-flow engineering created a dive operation that is a much imitated model of ease and efficiency. His dive boats incorporate the industrys only moon hatch, a mid-ship entry that allows divers to board straight up through the keel thereby avoiding banging platforms and ladders regardless of sea conditions. CoCo View pioneered the dive site mooring system that now protects the Roatàns reefs from anchor damage, and the no gloves policy that has been helping to protect underwater flora and fauna from accidental damage for nearly two decades is now being implemented in dive destinations worldwide.
While Bills vision, foresight, and no nonsense approach was able to carve a vacation paradise out of a Central American jungle, no one doubts that at least half of CoCo Views success was due to the steady and reliable, Miss Evelyn, who not only worked side by side with her husband, but often worked behind him managing the pieces that made CoCo View work. Several generations of staff consider Miss Evelyn a second mother and will sorely miss her help in educating their children and grandchildren. Shopkeepers, businessmen, politicians, other resort owners, and perhaps most dearly to Evelyn herself, the island orphanage, are going to miss this very great lady.
CoCo View Resorts new owners, Carl and Elizabeth Midkiff from Huntington West Virginia, are veterans in the hotel and hospitality business and admit that the decision to buy was instantaneous.
CoCo View is perfect, Carl says. The setting is perfect, the reefs and snorkeling is the best anywhere. The whole atmosphere says CoCo View. There is nothing to change. So while no major staff, operational, or construction changes are in the works, Carl will make some upgrades in the area of his expertise: guest services. For example, hed like to make it effortless for guests to cross the lagoon for day trips and sightseeing or have nights out without worrying about missing the last boat home. A small beach and swimming area on Hawksbill Cay is being considered. By adding air conditioners to the four over-water bungalows, guests will have one more room option, and a wide screen satellite television in the upstairs lounge will let sport fans follow their team. Hed also like to let a few folks know that you dont have to be a hard core 5 tank a day diver to enjoy a CoCo View vacation. Im astonished that snorkelers have not discovered CoCo View, he says. The most extensive and magnificent aquarium Ive ever seen is right out the front door.
---------------------------------------------------------
The genius of this man and the vision shared by his wife is simply a "once in a great while thing".
His life's creation makes that obvious.
Have a great retirement, Bill and Ev... but I gotta ask... what's the next project?
