Roatan Diving - any good packages via resorts?

[saf1]

Good afternoon.

A couple family members and I are considering going scuba diving in Roatan in the December or January time frame. There will be 3 or 4 of us going and would like to spend maybe 5 days of diving with time allowed for some small sight seeing and travel to and from.

We typically dive in Northern California and wanted to get to some warm water We are all open water, advanced, and nitrox cert and will bring most of our gear with us. So really what we are looking for is information on the diving and possibly any good tips on resorts.

I'm going to assume most if not all of the good diving is off a boat - so any advise on reputable charters would be greatly appreciated.

The other thought was to just head over to Hawaii. But my nephew was reading in a recent mag about diving in Roatan and he was sold. Only thing was it didn't really provide any information on how to get there or where to stay, etc.

Thanks for any and all information. Have a good day.

-scott

[vanessar]

Fantesy Island ususally runs good package deal and do have some shore diving. It has an all inclusive package. It is not a upscale hotel but worked well for me. CoCo view does also have some shore diving and is a smaller resort. My freinds like it there but I have not stayed there. Diving is pretty good off the boats. Bugs are pretty bad for some people.

Vanessar

[RoatanMan]

Two good ideas above, and I'll second that Fantasy Island (FIBR) has, far and away, the best deals. CoCoView (CCV), also mentioned, has better access to what is essentially the same shore dive. By comparison, this is the only close-in shore dive on Roatan- another, Spooky Channel (Northside), is quite a swim and Anthony's Key (AKR) advertised shore dive is a mirage. For Roatan, that's about it, so far.

Remember that the shore dive for either FIBR/CCV features the intact 140' tanker ship lying upright in 35-65 fsw, making it a comfortable (I know where I am) night dive. CCV is literally connected to it via it's achor chain which is laid between the ship and the rooms. Many, many shore and night dives occur from CCV. Most dives to this locale from FIBR are done as backrolls off of huge rectangular prams.

FIBR is a European styled resort (as upscale as Roatan gets) that also offers diving... nice beach, tennis, bars, and more. CCV is "adult dive camp"... it's all about the diving... boats, staff, dive op, the other guests.

South side diving is my favorite. [incoming!] because the shallow breaking vertical walls of the South... it harbors a nursery for all the little critters that fill the Paul Humann ID books. The North (West) side is a "conservation zone" so you will see many more of the larger fishes commonly seen in better Caribbean dive islands. After the first ten Groupers, Baracudas or Lobster... mabe your ready to see something else? Like I said: incoming!

AI's are Roatan's best bet for a larger number of dives. Island culture? Not much left to savor other than heavy beer consumption with other tourists. For that~ these two resorts are located too far away from the West End area to make more than one weekly forray. A plus or a minus? You decide. Impassioned statements of island cultural health will now ensue, but then again- beer does that.

AI's themselves are not for everyone, just as no particular AI will suit everyone. You will see any number of reports from CCV divers here, not so much for FIBR. Other AI's (all of which are 10% of FIBR's size) have many more members here than FIBR (Notably BIBR, IoLR and others). You will hear from proponents of ala-carte guest houses as well, 98% of them are in business on the West End.

You have to decide, and being honest... do I want a dive-dive-dive vacation, or do I want a vacation with some diving. On the ala-carte side, you can buy your dives when you want, and for some folks, you'llcome out ahead. My vacation time is my greatest treasure, and similar people.. that's who "I speak to". I want maximum diving with minimum hassle, wherever on the planet I go to dive (25x in a week). I understand the drive for a heavy party/light dive mixture, but of that type of operation I am fairly ignorant. To the contrary, I have a broad base of knowledge of Roatan's AI's. Each is different and valuable.

Do some math, not only the kind on a calculator adding up food, dives and other stuff, but also do the math as to what kind of vacation you are aiming for.

[The Chad]

Hey I was just talking to a dive shop owner the other night at a pool session. He was talking about someplace called coco in roatan and said you actully slept in a bungalow above the water, kinda like the place in Tahiti....anyone know about this?

[ronscuba]

Sounds like Cocoview.

[RoatanMan]

Originally Posted by The Chad

He was talking about someplace called coco in roatan and said you actully slept in a bungalow above the water, kinda like the place in Tahiti....anyone know about this?

If it was Denver Divers, they go to CoCoView all the time. AKR also has a few units on stilts, but none out on the oceanside, facing the reef. Too rough on the AKR side for that. The CCV Cabanas extend out to the backside of the coral heads in the dive site which is known as "The Front Yard".

In Tahiti, they roll back the grass mats on the floor and you can watch as they snorkel under the Cabanas and "feed the fish"... it's a sunset ritual.

At CoCoView, you can sit on the little private porches and watch the Eagle Rays feed in the shallows. If you're lucky, you might see a juvenile Nurse Shark with lemon and butter in hand... chasing a Lobster. Gotta keep looking into the water, no matter where you are at CCV.

[Carribeandiver]

I know for a FACT that the Spooky Channel is a very short swim from shore. I was there last Jan and am going back this week. I will concur that CocoView is nice but is usually booked so call fast if you choose them. December is offseason so you should be able to get good rates almost anywhere.
I am not familiar with Fantasy Island other than I have heard of it and talked with people who have been there. Anthony's Key runs cattle boats and I would not want to go there because I prefer dive boats with a max of 6-9 divers onboard.
Bay Island Beach Resort is a nice place, right on the Spooky Channel and has bunglos/cottages at a good package price.
I suggest looking up Roatan Diving under search on the internet and you should have several resorts to look over.
Getting there is not a problem, Continental and Delta Fly there and I would bet a few other airlines do too.

[saf1]

Wow - thanks for all of the information. I really appreciate it. I made a lot of notes and will be sending of some messages tonight with some ideas. Then follow up with some email to the resorts, etc. This sounds like a good choice for a dive spot vs Hawaii.

The trip is really a diving vacation. So we really want to get in some quality diving first and foremost. My nephew is 21 while the rest of us are 40 something So the vacation is just a guy trip focused on diving and relaxing.

Non of us have done a night dive, so that is on the list to do. We plan on doing mostly boat dives but wanted the option of show dives if time allows. I really do not know how the boats run there so thus seeking the expert knowledge that this forum brings. And as it turns out - I received some excellent advise.

Thanks again - this sounds really cool.

-scott

[DeputyDan]

Originally Posted by saf1

The trip is really a diving vacation.
-scott

If this is really true then COCO View is you hands down destination! Unless there are kids going.

No non-certified kids allowed at COCO View

[floridasungirl]

Do not do Spooky Channel! It is called Spooky because everything is dead! You'll be lucky to see any fish or coral and be really disappointed if you've done shore dives in Caymans or just about any other place.

Most of the AI will have other activities and taxis are cheap into town.

There is an excellent snorkel trail from Bay Islands Beach Resort, but don't go near Spooky, it's a waste of a tank.