SURVIVOR RAOATAN: OutDive, OutDrink, OutSleep...CoCo View Day 2

[Dee]

Hi Roatan man

I have stayed at ccv and loved it but one question i have heard rumours is it true that Mr Bill has sold up it will be a sad say to see him go

Just a nasty rumor! In fact, Mr. Bill is enlarging. He's building new Suites, not just cabanas, and a freshwater swimming pool. They should be ready for us next year

 

[parrotheaddiver]

old rumors die hard.

 

[Doc]

old rumors die hard.

You bet it's for sale. Mr. Bill has been trying to retire actively for two years now.

He has turned down at least two individuals with cash in hand... I guess he just didn't like them.

When he does retire, CCV will be different, to be sure, but his intention is to find a new owner that likes it pretty much so the way it is.

You never know who might just happen by.

In the mean time, he is spending a lot of time and effort to make it tip top shape. Leave it to Mr Bill to put new tires on a car that he only intends to sell.

Amazing individual who created an outstanding dive op.

 

[Doc]

hey RM, See if you can get a picture taken of yourself (out of the water) for your profile while your there, I think most of us who have never met you would like to see what you look like! BTW, thanks for the great trip reports. WOW! 52 time to CCV! is that the record? are you some sort of stockholder? Man, what I wouldn't give to be able to go that often down there.

52 weeks, not 52 times! Me and "herself" have other places to go, too.

Cap10Randy has shot some pix u/w... we'll see what he and his pal Dee do with them.

I'm going to send a recent one to Dee. She is smart enough to post it for me.

 

[Doc]

SURVIVOR ROATAN, Dateline: CoCoView, Day 8, Sunday May 23, 2004

The new week’s guests stumbled to breakfast, log books and every other imaginable piece of gear in hand, ready for
toast, coffee, and the resort briefing at 0800. We sat downstairs and held free reign over the ladies at the breakfast
buffet, over-ordering Omelets and French Toast.

Many CCV guests are returnees, so there’s no need for most to do the Shore entry “Front Yard” Orientation. Once
you understand how your room is linked to the Prince Albert Wreck by an anchor chain, you pretty much so know
the drill.

We loaded into the later scheduled morning dive boat at 0930 and headed East about 20 minutes to “I Forget
Where”, which could be the name of a divesite. Although there was no current, we did it as a drift dive, more
appropriately as an un-moored dive, so the boat just picked us up down a ways. Many had not seen Tunicates, and
the little Blue Bell purple ones were easy to spot. In the shallows, there were bunches of Squidlets, apparently
looking for lunch. All in all, a relaxing dive.

The Drop Off was the standard Newman’s Wall, but some opted for the longer version- known as “Enduro”. It can
take up to 1:15 to reach home, depending on your dawdle factor and air consumption.

Lunch was a killer French Onion Soup and some kind of Turkey/Noodle thing. Glazed bananas, chocolate brownies
and Ham Sammiches plus some kind of fish (I know I’m not very descriptive about the fish entrees, I just don’t care
for fish).

This afternoon, we snored through the 1400 afternoon boat dive and intentionaly went for a 1515 hrs shore dive. We
had a 1:20 bottom time and saw all of the usual suspects including three Spotted Eagle Rays (one in 2fsw right on
the chain), Squid, Garden Eels, Gold Chain Eel, 6” Cuda, Pufferfish, sleeping Basket Stars, large brown heart shaped
BiValve Tunicates, Banded Jaw Fish, Mantis Shrimp, Sailfin Blennies, Box Crabs, Spiral Anemone and the resident
Pedersen Cleaning Shrimp. Arrow Crabs, Rough File Clams and Banded Coral Shrimp, of course.

It has been a calm and flat day- perfect for shallow water illumination from the Sun, not difracted by wave action, etc.
It was also a primo sunbathing day so we got to see everyone’s new bikini, as well.

So it wasn’t all bad

 

[NDH]

Oct will be our first visit. It sounds great! We just got out of the water here in houston with vis. of all 15ft. Wish we were their.

 

[Dee]

Oct will be our first visit. It sounds great! We just got out of the water here in houston with vis. of all 15ft. Wish we were their.

Were you at Twin Lakes today?

 

[parrotheaddiver]

Doc you need to write a book. You can leave out the food descriptions

 

[Doc]

Doc you need to write a book. You can leave out the food descriptions

I think somebody could write a very informative book about a couple that sailed down here in 1980 from Florida. Llived aboard that boat and tried to build a live-aboard, but then decided to build a resort.

Not having any pre-conceived notions about how a dive op should look, they built CoCo View.

I would write it, but Mr. Bill clams up whenever I try to tape our conversations. What a story it would be... and is.

 

[Doc]

SURVIVOR ROATAN, Dateline: CoCoView, Day 9, Monday May 24, 2004

Another crummy day in paradise...

Calm, clear and flat as glass kind of day. Just horrible. The other day, we could see the three largest of the Cayos
Cochinos and the pre-dawn glow of Guanaja. Today it’s a slight bit hazier, and the clouds are building over the
previously visible mountains of mainland Honduras, 150 miles to the South. The air temp pretty much so matched the
water temp at 88 degrees. As deep as the top of the Prince Albert wreck it was that warm yesterday.

The Mary’s Place briefing is taking place right now, so most folks are upstairs in eager anticipation of qualifying for
that fabled dive. I think it is highly over-rated, especialy when compared to Calvin’s Crack (which we did again
today). They tell you to not take cameras to Mary’s Place... and with good reason- there’s really nothing to
photograph. It’s just a deep dark fissure. The rules now allow you to take a camera, as long as you don’t stop. The
best pix at MP are shot looking upward to what light there is, with a super-wide lens like a 20mm. Other than that? I
don’t even bother taking a flash light. I just enjoy the ambient scenery.

Calvin’s Crack (20 minutes E of CCV) is a much more interesting site, as I said- we did it again today (see previous
posts for description). Mary’s Place and it’s allure comes from the fact that it was closed off to diving ten years ago
just to meter what regrowth would occur if left in peace. I believe what they decided was obvious- divers have little
real impact- it’s the development of the adjacent land that hurts. Run off, errosion.

So after that, we chow down on tonights dinner of Sweet & Sour Shrip and/or “Parmesean Encrusted Chicken”
which I’m sure lost something from the original Spanish translation- How do you want your chicken encrusted, sir?

Tonight’s night dive looks promising as it is so calm, a slight breeze out of the North, and a high tide is coming.
These factors lend themselves to great viz, which for night diving is a non-issue as you only need 15 feet anyway.

Today’s dives were highlighted by Toadfish, as well as a persistent 4” Juvenile Spotted Drum that had claimed a rock
pile in the middle of a swim thru at Calvin’s Crack. His throne was highlighted by the perfect shaft of sunshine as it
filtered thru the rocks from above. There were numerous Squidlets in 10fsw at the end of the dive. The drop off gave
us the usual critters, plus as we approached the Prince Albert Wreck in the Front Yard of CoCo View, we spotted at
3’ wingspan Spotted Eagle Ray in 85fsw. He seems to enjoy that deep coral head just WSW of the stern of the
wreck. He lazily moved around us- in no particular pattern or rush. He only approached as close as 30 feet, but he
obviously knew we were there. Then he drifted off deep along CCV wall. He was also seen in 2fsw along the chain
yesterday.

This afternoon, we saw a free swimming Green Moray, 3’, and another larger creature under a rock.

Oh, BTW, last night’s dive featured all the usual critters plus a 1.5’ Gold Chain Eel that decided to play with us in
our lights. It’s a funny thing how jaded you can get. We had an experienced night diver with us who was new to
CCV, (TruckDiver) and altho we were just pleased with an average night dive at CCV, we was agog. He especially
liked the “feeding” process where you attract bugs and worms to the corals, crabs, worms and Basket Stars. Who
doesn’t?

The sun is setting, the bar is filled with repeat guests, and the new divers (to Roatan) are still upstairs listening to the
1 hour video and pre dive briefing on Mary’s Place. It’s a good thing though- by agreement all dive ops are supposed
to qualify divers for their buoyancy skills, show them the video and lecture.... then go to Mary’s Place. Some resorts
just show ‘em a video, some just motor up with cruise ship divers (unscheduled) and do it as a drop off dive. Money
talks.

So that’s it for Monday. You had to work, we went diving.

Too bad for you, Charlie Brown.