Roatan or Belize - This is what I'm looking for

[scubagal49]

Here is what I'm looking for: overall affordable, a water taxi can get me there (not hip on the puddle jumpers). I'm not into the boat ride - I'm into the dive site so I'd like to be closer than a 45 minute boat ride away. I'm looking for color, fish, warm temps, nice, relaxed recreational diving. I'd love to see rays and turtles and dolphins and everything else that most rec divers want to see. Sharks are fine too...just not necessary to see "hoardes" of them. I went to Little Cayman 2 years ago and dove Bloody Bay Wall and was delighted with the diving. I dove Turks and Caicos last May and was disappointed in the lack of color. Since I'm traveling with a non diver, a nice beach and comfortable resort are also requirements. Doesn't have to be 5 star...just on the beach and have some ammenities (like a bar). There is so much information out here and my head is spinning. Can someone help me put it together and point me at one of areas that would best suit our needs. If Roatan or Belize wouldn't fit, is there somewhere else that's better (has to be easy to get to from Nashville and American Airlines has to fly there).

Thanks for any input and opinions you can give!!

Scubagal

 

[Hank49]

Roatan or Belize would work. Belize has water taxis out to San Pedro and Caye Caulker. Nice beaches and bars. Diving is pretty good. Southern Belize is good too but you'll have to rent a car and drive a ways if you don't want to fly on a single engine Cessna. The best diving in the country is out on the atholls though. Turneffe and Glovers.
The west end of Roatan has a lot of bars, nice beach. There are other really good, real dive resorts on Roatan too, but if your friend doesn't dive or snorkel there won't be much else to do (like shopping or bar hopping).

 

[ScubaCatgirl]

I'm going to Roatan in 2 weeks. Dove GC last year. I choose Roatan cuz of some of the very colorful UW pics I have seen, the variety of marine life I have heard about & the fact that Roatan is what the Cayman's used to be 10 years ago. Not to mention I want to go before it gets overrun w/a new cruise dock. I'm staying at the Cocoview resort to dive the north end. It has a beach & a bar. I'm taking Continental down, flying thru Houston & then on in to Roatan. Check out the website www.cocoviewresort.com. Anthony Keys resort is also a nice location, with beach, bar & lots of non-diver activities, they even have a dolphin program.

 

[Daveo957]

Go to Roatan if you can stay at Anthonys key Resort its execllent you can see all the fish you want and dolphins. Was there in June and would def. recommend it.

 

[DeputyDan]

I'm staying at the Cocoview resort to dive the north end. It has a beach & a bar.

The last time I stayed at COCO View there was not a beach - it was located on the south part (on the east side of mid-point) of the island and does have a bar.

I will be suprised if there are any northern sites dove with COCO View.

Maybe it moved???

 

[ScubaCatgirl]

The last time I stayed at COCO View there was not a beach - it was located on the south part (on the east side of mid-point) of the island and does have a bar.

I will be suprised if there are any northern sites dove with COCO View.

Maybe it moved???

Nope, your right :smash: I still havn't figured out North frm South. Me bad. But I thought there was a beach there, that's what they advertise anyway & what I've seen from pics, it's small though. Hmmm, are they leading me on? lol

 

[oceancat]

I have been to both Roatan and Belize (Belize twice). For your non-diving friend, there is definitely more to do in Belize than Roatan. Placencia has cool day trips (and some phenominal snorkeling(sp?)--they will take you out to an island all your own, cook you lunch and you can snorkel around it, there are also trips to see monkeys and manatees. it is a drive from belize city however (about 5hrs) and the diving is a fairly long boatride off shore (but very pristine). Placencia is less built up than Ambergris Caye. Your non diving friend there could go to see mayan ruins and there are also a few good trips for snorkeling. The reef is close there. The atolls are the best, and if you can get out there for a day, it's absolutely worth it. There are more bars/restaurants in San Pedro (AC) than the West End of Roatan. The beach is better at Roatan (West Bay), but there isn't a ton to do otherwise. I didn't snorkel there--just dove and the diving is close. We found it hard to get from West Bay to West End at night.

 

[Doc]

But I thought there was a beach there, that's what they advertise anyway & what I've seen from pics, it's small though. Hmmm, are they leading me on? lol

No, CoCoView doesn't lead anyone on. They don't have to. It's booked full-up with divers who are there for diving.

I must agree with some of the above posts that remind us that Roatan, in general, is for divers only. Do not take non-divers there unless they are very easily amused. There is nothing, no matter what a resort might tell you, for a diver to do other than to drink furiously or do a one day island excursion... unles, as I said, they are easily amused.

You can go to AKR and have the canned Dolphin encounter, for sure and at a price. You can dive FIBR or CCV and take a chance (a good one) at a natural encounter at sea. At non-diver at AKR might survive without strangling you, but put a non-diver at CCV and you'll have a suntanned drunk.

Best advice? Dump the non-diver. This will never work.

Belize? Lots more to do at night...but, then again, Belize is itself a name of a country and methinks you were planning to travel to one of the many offshore keys to dive. At which point you will be on an overcrowded developed island or one that is pleasantly desolate.

You can't find Little Cayman anywhere else in the Caribbean, but then again- duplicating the experience is a bad reason to travel. Writing a laundry list of "must haves" is also ill advised. Go, travel, see as much as you can, it's all varied and wonderful.

Let your horizons expand. Soon your expectations will as well. Any truly experienced Caribbean diver will have gone to both the Belizian Cays as well Roatan... if not the other Bay Islands.

Look at Bonaire or Tobago (Pidgeon Point).

Lastly- beware advice from travellers who have only been to one island/country and not the other, and certainly from those who have only looked/dived with at one resort versus any other on the island in question.

Go and taste it all. Every place has its plusses.

 

[H R Ginn]

Have you thought about Bonaire? The past two years I have stayed at Captain Don's Habitat and the diving was wonderful and lots of color. Dive boats were designed for divers and the boat trip was only about 5 to 10 minutes. Lots for the non diver to do, too. American does service Bonaire via San Juan.

Where ever you go, enjoy! I am going to CoCo View the end of this October. My dive buddy has been there 5 times and this will be my first trip there.

Harold

 

[dolphinfish]

I've been to Bonaire, Cayman Brac, Bimini plus several stops diving while on a cruise. I love Bonaire. The island has a lot of character & is very safe for tourists. I've heard crime can be an issue in Belize, mostly in the city areas. Cayman Brac is probably the same as Little Cayman in that there isn't a whole lot else to do except dive. I would not recommend Bimini for a non-diver, although the island is fun & the diving is pretty good.

I stayed at Buddy Dive resort on Bonaire. Highly recommend them. Another great place to go in the Caribbean with halfway decent diving is St. Thomas. I've dove there on two different cruises & I enjoyed it. Plus, it's pretty much a tropical paradise so your non-diver would enjoy it.