As far as diving Roatan is concerned, like many places you have to know where to go to get the best diving. The diving on the south shore & east end of Roatan is much better than in the West End/West Bay area in our opinion, and we do liveaboard charters in all of the Bay Islands including Roatan, Cayos Cochinos, etc. Unlike Kona there is not much in the way of large marine life, this is not where you come to see that. However, we were diving just 2 days ago right off French Cay Harbor & the fish life was incredible, at times totally surrounding us. The whale sharks were here for the past month & have been sighted daily off both the south & north shores & Utila has even more of them than Roatan. Unfortunately they won't be here in Jan, wrong time of year.
The reefs are very healthy and the coral off the south shore of Roatan is outstanding, dramatic walls full of color that plunge from 30 feet to over 140, with overhangs, swim throughs, canyons and chimneys. Roatan's reputation is built on the vibrancy of its coral reefs & they are the main reason divers come here, but again you need to get off the beaten track away from where most divers go. It's also important to go to dive sites at the right time of day, in general you want mornings on the south side & afternoons on the north, no light equals no color. If you would like to see some examples take a look at the photos on our Facebook page, we are far from professional photographers but they will give you an idea of what we dive in daily.
With regard to cost there are few places in Central America or the Caribbean where the diving is as affordable as the Bay Islands. From what I have seen, Roatan & Utila have the lowest cost per boat dive anywhere in the Caribbean, and possibly all of North & Central America. You should be able to find great deals on accommodation & diving packages, which would offset any higher airfare costs. Roatan also has a huge variety of things to do on shore when you're not diving. A great place to look for deals & info about Roatan & Utila dive shops, hotels etc. is actually on Facebook, many of the resorts & dive operators, especially the smaller ones, primarily use Facebook to communicate and do not keep their websites very current. The Facebook pages however are often current right up to that day.
The island is beautiful & once you get away from the touristy western end much of it is untouched. There is a mixture of cultures that is quite fascinating and areas like Port Royal, Henry Morgan's old stronghold, are full of great history as well as terrific diving on pristine reefs. The biggest challenge our guests face is trying to balance diving with sailing, exploring, relaxing, and taking part in the many activities available. Even with all that, many people come here for a week & leave with no idea that 2/3 of the island is still undeveloped jungle and once you leave the tourist zone in the West End of the island you can spend days exploring the East End of the island, where much of the area does not even have roads & is only accessible by boat. The locals commute from village to village through channels cut through the mangroves, it is a complete contrast to the modern resorts of the West End of the island.
You mention that you already know which dive operator to go with here, which is great that you have found someone that you like. My only question is which area of the island are they located in? If you are only diving the West End of the island you are missing all the best diving.
If you take a look at our website
Zeppelin Dive & Sail | Roatan Live Aboard Sailing & Diving Charters it will give you a good starting place for information about Roatan & all the island has to offer. Even if you have no interest in our services please feel free to contact us with any questions about Roatan & the Bay Islands at
zeppelinsail@gmail.com. We are more than happy to help anyone with questions about the area. Good luck with your decision & if we can help with any questions about Roatan & the Bay Islands just let us know!
