July of 1976, man that was way back when.
I'll bet AKR didn't even have the Casino up and running back then, but I do believe that the Isla Mia liveabaord was operational.
You ask a question to which you already know the answer. Everything, everywhere is deteriorating and at an accelerating rate.
AKR, lying along the North and West points of Roatan has a commonly encountered Caribbean reef structure. I will compare it to the South side. The reefs lie further out and are deeper. This was caused by millennia of storms bashing away. This has kept that side of the island comparatively devoid of soft corals and delicate structures.
When you dove there in 1976, it was a haven for larger pelagics such as bigger Baracuda, Groupers, Turtles. Unfortunately, due to the influx of Red Lobster money, the entire Bay Island got fished out pretty hard through the late 80's. Locals made good money doing erratic repetitive bounce dives grabbing Lobsters as they went. Most chamber activity on Roatan is taken up by those
market hunters.
For a lot of reasons, the Roatan Marine Reserve got operational and even in the short time they have been in business, there has been a marked and observable increase in the incidence of pelagic encounters by vacation divers. The Marine Reserve has really worked!
But is it the same as it was when you visited in 1976? No, and you're not either. And there aint no going back.
The South side reef architecture and associated niche creatures is also under attack, but the damage is much more pervasive and will be harder to stop. What is killing the South side's shallow delicate environment is siltation from development, pure and simple.
I think that Bonaire's offerings are similar (off of parts of Klein Bonaire), but the niche creatures that are specific to South shore Roatan. The reasons are because of the same shallow reef structure and it's exposure to sunlight. It is no secret that the bulk of sea life lives in the upper phototropic zone. With a liveaboard, you can see much the same delights if you dive Belize- but skip the Blue Hole.
We dive often and all over the world. You can really still see some amazing stuff, but everywhere the decrease in numbers and specific species is well noted. Diver behaviors are at fault, too. Because of harassment, you rarely see a Nurse Shark using the same consistent micro-niche hidey holes on regular dive sites.
Still and all, we return to Roatan once or twice a year, usually for two weeks at a time. As one gets older, maybe you can afford wider vistas, as you get older, maybe you're looking for something a little less rugged than "Roatan 1976".
We did Cayman in the early 70's and LC/Brac in the mid 70's. We went back in 85 and 94 and have no need for further confirmation.
If your profile is correct, it shows that you have had 25~50 logged dives. Maybe get out and dive a whole lot more? If you want the better stuff, you're going to have to go to the islands from the Philippines to the Salomons, Vanuatu. Fiji is way into decline, comparatively. New Guinea is likely the last frontier.
http://go.hrw.com/atlas/norm_htm/papuanwg.htm although several options in the Philippines are quite "civilized".
Depending on your attitude and also your desire to see what has changed, it might be worth a trip. But please, don't post a trip report stating the obvious. All of the oceans have taken a major hit in the last twenty years.
Go now, before you're too old and before it changes any more.
