Fantasy Island -Roatan - Big Problems!

[cruisekingkris]

Don't mess with the women in NYC... Good job nygirl

 

[H2Andy]

...AND my group and I discussed the situation at length with Mel, our divemaster there, and he agreed with our assessment.

i'm just surprised you didn't find the wealth of things Roatan has to offer

maybe it was a weather thing?

 

[Diver_Jan]

Tvictory, thanks for the tip about the eels over at CCV. My friends and I are *die hard* beach divers and do the 'distance' surface swims, so getting to CCV shouldn't be a problem for us. In fact, I want to do a beach dive the 'minute' we get to FIBR.

Those of you who stayed the whole week, did you dive Nitrox? I am probably going to be doing at least 4 dives a day, and think Nitrox would probably be best. What do you think? I did Nitrox in Coz, and did an average of 4 to 5 dives a day and felt GRRRRRRRReat!

Re the experienced divers, even the most experience divers (years) often miss alot on reefs too. I know an instructor that never sees as much as my friends and I do, but he turbo dives while I like to poke my nose into the rocks, reefs, caves, ect and take my time.

If you want big fish, go to Soccoro Island or Gorda Banks.

As my friends and I say, the worst day diving is always better than the best day at work.

 

[Rev. Blade]

I went to Roatan about 4 years ago, and the vis was 100+ feet on most dives. (My dives were mostly on the North side of "West end".) I stayed at Bay Island Beach which is next to the dive site "Spooky Channel". Vis was similar, but perhaps down to 70, feet the day we got our boat over to FIB and CCV for their "house wrecks" boat and plane.

Last Christmas I stayed at The Inn Of Last Resort (a much nicer place than the name implies). Vis was closer to 60 or 70 feet most of the week, and down to about 30 feet when we went over to the Spooky Channel. The current was ripping in the channel, so we barely made it to the inside marker, before we turned the dive and let the current blow us back to the boat.

The resort operators were telling me that the bad vis was due to a recent hurricane and rain. I was curious if the vis had more to do with how many new homes (and increased sewage) there were on the island.

Any comments on how the water has been holding up for the last few years? My trip last year was closer to NYSCUBAGIRL's, than to my first trip. If Roatan is not protecting it's reef, perhaps I'll take my tourist dollars elsewhere.

 

[pilot fish]

I love how everyone assumes that I don't know what to look for or how to take my time or how to appreciate the smaller creatures. I never said the reef was a barren wasteland...but it is without a doubt the least "populated" or "abundant" place I've been. AND I didn't just do shore dives,....I did 2 or 3 boat dives a day plus a few night dives (which were definately the best)....AND my group and I discussed the situation at length with Mel, our divemaster there, and he agreed with our assessment. (by the way some of the people I was with have been diving over 20 years)

Fantasy Island was my first dive trip post cert so I thought it was great. It was only after many other trips to different destinations did I start to realize how lacking it was in Roatan and how drab the reefs were. That was 4 years ago. I guess it has not improved. I don't remember seeing a lot of fish then so I'd have to think that NYgirl's report is probably accurate, especially since they are not protecting the reefs.

NYscubagirl thanks for your report. I rely more on other diver's reports, like yours, than I do advertisments and reports by people that have a vested interest in hyping a destination. I weigh all of the things I hear.

 

[Doc]

Fantasy Island was my first dive trip post cert so I thought it was great.

Roatan Diving Sucks. It really does.

See it, recently & previously discussed at http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=138301

I'm going to the Red Sea in July, the Philippines in September, but no plans to go back to Roatan- it sucks.

 

[Hank49]

OK Doc...see you there. (you're the only SBer I ever met and it was there.)

 

[Doc]

OK Doc...see you there. (you're the only SBer I ever met and it was there.)

This whole goofy thing is in the wrong forum anyway. It's here in the Caribbean and should have been in the Central/South American.

Maybe that's why it sucked.

 

[Doc]

Tvictory, thanks for the tip about the eels over at CCV. My friends and I are *die hard* beach divers and do the 'distance' surface swims, so getting to CCV shouldn't be a problem for us. In fact, I want to do a beach dive the 'minute' we get to FIBR..

Some of the best shore diving from FIBR... they'll never tell you about!

As you stand on the Shore Dive Gazebo, all of the divers head to the right (East) toward CoCoView's DC3 and Prince Albert Wreck.

Go West! (At least at night)

It's murky and spoooky, but that little beach front lagoon seperated from the channel by a short wall of rocks is what I call "Eel City". It is an oval shaped basin, banked kind of like the Indy 500.

Full of Green Slithery Critters!

 

[pilot fish]

Some of the best shore diving from FIBR... they'll never tell you about!

As you stand on the Shore Dive Gazebo, all of the divers head to the right (East) toward CoCoView's DC3 and Prince Albert Wreck.

Go West! (At least at night)

It's murky and spoooky, but that little beach front lagoon seperated from the channel by a short wall of rocks is what I call "Eel City". It is an oval shaped basin, banked kind of like the Indy 500.

Full of Green Slithery Critters!

Did that dive off the gazebo at FI day and night and thought it was ok, but not great by any means. Just from your name would give a person and indication that MAYBE you have a favorable bias towards Roatan. I mean, that's just me.