Underwater visibility in Roatan? July.

I'm getting a little crazy with all of my questions for our July trip. Thank you in advance for answering yet another one!

What can we expect in terms of visibility? I remember it being great when we snorkeled a few years ago. I did read a post somewhere else saying roatan isn't particularly known for great visibility? Hope not!

Visibility is simply not what Roatan is noted for.

You may expect 40 to 60' viz, depending on how you define it. The extreme wide crystal clear vistas are at first quite enchanting, sometimes boasting 120' in places like Cayman.

After a while, most divers grow fairly bored with looking at wide-angle post-card vistas. Some do not.

During your July trip to Roatan, stay close to a good naturalist DM. Once you demonstrate that you have good dive buoyancy control and can see beyond an SPG, he should be showing you a Seahorse at least once a day, at least if he's a good one on Roatan.

Lots to to see, but most all of it is within 5' of your faceplate.

"Viz is highly overrated", as you may have seen some old SB poster here quoted in Alert Diver Magazine a few years back.

Visibility is usually 100+ feet most of the time.

jennfl:

What can we expect in terms of visibility? I remember it being great when we snorkeled a few years ago.

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Jenn, Not trying to pick on you but I take it your snorkeling was basically floating on the surface and not free diving, So was that Visibility great because it was top to bottom Vis in 10-20 feet of water? what do you consider great vis?

RickyF:

Visibility is usually 100+ feet most of the time.

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This has not been my experience at all yet maybe we judge visibility differently, I have only been diving Roatan / Bay Islands since 1998. One thing that I have found amusing throughout my diving adventures is peoples obsession with Visibility and still having lack of consensus as how to judge it. So many factors, Does visibility actually change if it is clear and sunny compared to overcast? Is there near zero visibility on a night dive until a light is turned on? Do I have greater visibility if I bring my HID cave light on a night dive compared to someone with a AAA LED light (my personal choice )? Does visibility mean you can clearly see objects or just make out a shadow? If I look up 100 feet and see a silhouette of a snorkeler do I have 100 foot Vis? If that snorkeler looking down into the darker depth cannot see me then is the visibility in the same water at the same time different? Bottom line is that the waters are almost always plenty clear enough to find and see some wonderful things whether Someone says it was 60 foot vis or 100 foot vis. Sit back and listen someday on a crowded dive boat all the differences of opinion about what Vis was on the same dive

RTBDiver,
I agree that viz is very subjective and overrated. I have not dove Roatan nearly as much as you have, but my experiences on the south side when I have been there in the August time frame have always been that there has extremely good visibility with blue clear water.

RTBDiver:

One thing that I have found amusing throughout my diving adventures is peoples obsession with Visibility and still having lack of consensus as how to judge it.

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Agreed. I found the vis to be very good in Roatan in March. I was diving the North West end at Tranquil Seas Eco Lodge (Highly recommended). Both the DM and I judged vis to be 60-100' depending on the day. Regardless of measurement criteria, we were able to see things like Spotted Eagle Rays from a long ways off. I wouldn't shy away from Roatan if you're worried about vis.

Thanks everyone. I personally enjoy really clear water when I scuba dive or snorkel. I know there are a lot of divers who actually prefer the opposite. Murky water doesn't really appeal to me. I loved Cozumel because of the amazing clarity of the water.
I think it is funny that divers all guage visibilty differently. From what I remember from being certified, it was a horizonal measurement? But I'm sure nobody ever really measures it. I guess it's just that, a guess?

Some of you guys kill me.... Viz on Roatan can vary by dive site. Some dive sites are shallow over sand and the viz can be 40-60 ft. Other times and places the viz can be 80-120 ft. Many times I have entered the water over the El Aguila ship wreck and could easily the the wreck 100 ft. below me. For the most part when the weather is nice the viz is VERY good.