Roatan; locations with less rough water

As an older diver, I prefer boat dives that are not in very rough water, meaning anything greater than two foot or so swells. We just came back from a week in Ambergris Caye, Belize and all the boat dives were in four, five or even six foot swells which is zero fun for me. Just to define what I'm talking about; a four foot swell produces an eight foot crest to trough. That is just plain awful for me. Especially trying to get back aboard, but also I get sea sick in heavy seas(even with Bonine on board).

Been to Grand Cayman twice and that was perfect. Ditto Cozumel and Curacao.

But I have read some comments about some pretty choppy stuff off Roatan. Realizing that at any time, in certain weather situations there can and will be some bouncy stuff, does anyone have any info on Roatan's seas?

Also, I have read that CocoView has shore diving which we like. But I don't like AI's. Prefer suites with kitchenettes so we have a good place to hang when not diving. Any suggestions on this also?

I have never seen any rough water in Roatan except for the southern side. But I only dove that area once on the shark dive so maybe thats not a normal condition. The western side is usually very calm, and I've never seen the north rough either but I assume it can get rough if a storm runs through.

Maybe you also read that CoCoView has center-of-the-boat moon well ladders? But yes, they are an AI even though there's no more gentle boat access system available.

Winter months can be a challenge on the North and West, but in the months of May through August, it can be dead-flat calm. Throughout the entire year, you can find a breeze on the South side which ensures an always moving Sea. This breeze also keeps the sand fleas at bay on the South, so as all things in life, there are pluses and minuses to all things.

Barefoot Cay on the south side has full kitchens. More of a shore snorkel than dive there though - it's as nice as it looks - nice pool, they rake the beach for sand flies etc. There's a fringing reef just offshore so in the lagoon it's only about 18-20' deep. Mary's Place - one of the signature Roatan dives - is five mins. away by boat. Their larger boat is one of the easiest to board I've ever seen - the dive platform rides on or just above the water. Even the lofts shoreside have full gourmet kitchens - if you don't need a lot of room they're pretty nice. Convenient to French Harbor where most of the bigger/better grocery stores are.

The West End has a lot of reasonable accommodations with kitchens. Here's a list of some of them. We dove with them all week also - might be a good choice for you as they have two bigger, boats. One is an easy entry/exit, the other more of a vertical ladder. But I don't think it's used as often. So does Native Sons, West End Divers or Splash Inn Diving - some others like Reef Gliders only use pangas. I'm old(er) and have a bad knee so I look for similar options.

In early May the only rough water we encountered on the north side was at Texas - a drift off the tip of the west end. Since you have trouble boarding boats, probably the panga operators in West Bay like Bananarama are out - you also wade out off the beach there. It's the nicer beach though if that matters. Infinity Bay has full kitchens in that area except in the studios. Probably the best pool on Roatan also.

One I haven't seen in person in the West End yet is 2 Bed 2 Bath - Villas Del Playa - luxury condos - midway between the West End/West Bay. There's a water taxi that runs all day between both locations and it will pick up there if you flag it down.

Luna Beach Resort is also sort of an AI - they bundle rooms/diving - but it's a 10min. walk from the West End for dinner options - lots of them there in all price ranges. Their restaurant/bar is only open morning till 6PM so you buy ala carte as desired. They also have a small beach, pool, and you can rent the smaller tropical houses up the hill which have kitchens. They're 3BR but they'll rent to 2+ people. The oceanfront rooms don't have kitchens.

In case you need 3BR's I rented this house once - http://www.roatanpropertymanagement.com/images_sealodge/photos.htm - it has a gourmet outdoor kitchen off the 1st floor deck. 5mins. walk to the West End but no beach - all ironshore there. Or if you don't mind sharing, rent the master suite, it's one bedroom, a living/dining room with two decks upstairs. The downstairs rooms are single bedrooms ensuite - it's sort of a pod house, each unit is self contained.

irishtn:

I have never seen any rough water in Roatan except for the southern side. But I only dove that area once on the shark dive so maybe thats not a normal condition. .

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Apples and pineapples here, Yes we have rough on the southside BUT I am on the Southside and West End of the Island So if your referring to actual "West End" northiside diving it makes sense but be warned the West End of the Island has A North and South Side

In general the west/north side of Roatan is the leeward side, and the south is the windward. Any of the west end dive shops might fit your bill with a place like cocolobo to stay. (if it's still open, it's been a few years since I've been there)

West End Divers is back to diving pangas? Last few times I dove with them they had a great wooden boat with a nice roof.

The one bedroom units at Seabreeze Inn are very good value with full kitchen.

I'm a longtime frequent diver at Ambergris Caye and also have had a number of trips and 150+ dives at West End. Majority of the West End dives were in relatively benign conditions. Scratch that guarantee over the Xmas season and one depressing November.

Ambergris Caye often has more exciting conditions. Yes, reboarding can be right painful but I'm getting pretty good at it. Someone please tell that to my knee and shoulders.

Doc:

Maybe you also read that CoCoView has center-of-the-boat moon well ladders? But yes, they are an AI even though there's no more gentle boat access system available.

Winter months can be a challenge on the North and West, but in the months of May through August, it can be dead-flat calm. Throughout the entire year, you can find a breeze on the South side which ensures an always moving Sea. This breeze also keeps the sand fleas at bay on the South, so as all things in life, there are pluses and minuses to all things.

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If I am understanding this right, the South side is, or can be rough, but in the winter months, so can the North and West be rough?

Since we are planning to go next February, am I out of options?

In general the west/north side of Roatan is the leeward side, and the south is the windward.

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Mostly kind-of sorta' correct.

The North side is absolutely the leeward side. This means that "prevailing" (normal, usual) winds come from elsewhere, in this case they blow from the ESE.

Roatan is odd in many ways, not the least of which is it's shape, roughly 5 x 20 miles, but more importantly, it's position on the compass. Most maps show it horizontal. If you look at the reality, the long narrow island is on a line of (roughly) SW to NE orientation. This misunderstood fact plays a HUGE part in Roatan's micro climates.



Taking the leeward/windward fact at face value without localized interpretation is a simplistic path to an erroneous generalization. It is not correct to simply state that the North/West of Roatan is "calmer". There are a whole lot of exceptions and asterisks to that otherwise "leeward" assumption.

A simple comparison of reef structures as they vary greatly between these two zones will paint a vivid picture of the distinctions. Because of the windward/leedward, Roatan's North/West has the greatest number of flat calm days. Why isn't the reef close in, shallow and teeming with soft corals and delicate little critters? If it's the flat side, why is the reef structure deep, rather stark and far off shore? It is because of the wind and waves when it isn't flat... during the pounding from storms.

The N/W is the area that gets it's butt kicked on a regular basis from September through March. That's what causes the reef to have that battered shape. Look at the recently placed wrecks. They are at 115' and deeper and now lay in tatters.

Contrast all of this to the South side where there is usually a chop and breeze. That's why purpose-designed boats look the way they do over there. Round bottomed boats....



The South side reef, again- due to weather, is close to shore, laden with delicate stuff, and very shallow. There are two placed wrecks, they are in 35 to 65 feet and perfectly intact. Real shore dives as the OP queried... with interesting stuff in the protected shallows? South side.

Bigger dive ops on the North/West buy the boats that are perfect for their sea condiyions... Deep Vee hulls. The moment you grasp the importance of that indicator, you'll have the epiphany. These boast are selected because of... well- it aint calm waters, folks. Dive operations , if they have the financial depth, will completely migrate their dive operations to the South side regularly when the North side closes down. Some resorts (AKR) will bus you around and go to their South side dock space that they maintain for the inevitable requirement. Some make you ride around and back (not fun), and others simply shrug their shoulders and tell you to go drink.

The very few South side based dive operations (all AI so far), can take guests out every day, no matter what the weather. It is essentially a 365 schedule with few exceptions. They only go to the North and West on occasional full day trips.

So yes, the South side is indeed the windward side, with the North and West laying in the common shadow... becoming the leeward... but you must understand how the Calendar affects the weather.

Roatan is located South West of the farthest left hand red dot • thingie....



The September thru November time frame is a season of tropical storms (including hurricanes) that usually track across the map to the North, rarely getting much closer than Belize, 90 miles North. This path, as far away as 90 miles may seem, exposes the North/West Roatan environs to heavy wind and lashing waves. November through March the same kind of pounding can occur in this area because of "Northers", usually seen after we note cold weather descending Southward in the US from the Arctic.

So more precisely stated: Roatan's Leeward side is the North and West. Roatan's Storm Leeward is the South side.

Check you calendar, understand the seasons.

Now I got it, My place is on the West End of the Island but on he South side and East side Whew, Had me confused