Is there enough to do in Roatan for non-divers?

[mcgosler]

We've been on about ten different Caribbean vacations. Last year was our first to Roatan. I dive but my wife does not. We're returning next month and she cannot wait to get there. Roatan is at the top of our list, by far.

 

[Cajuncru Diver]

i tried to golf only one time and had to quit after 2 holes because i only brought a dozen balls

HEY, RTBDiver, we're having a 4 man scramble and I need to fill my foursome with a high handicapper--interested?

 

[RTBDiver]

HEY, RTBDiver, we're having a 4 man scramble and I need to fill my foursome with a high handicapper--interested?

I do not know what a 4 man scramble is but my golfing certainly fits the Handicapped category. I prefer the driving range as at times i can hit that sucker a mile and usually aim for the guy in the buggy collecting them just so he is safe. I recall one time when some "real" golfers started watching me at the range, before I knew it they had all stopped teeing off, sat down with some beers and for some odd reason kept buying me buckets of balls, that lasted for a while until I really gave a swing and knocked the crap out of it yet for what seemed like an eternity it was nowhere to be seen, then in a violent crash it came rocketing down with a mind of its own into the glass top of one of the outdoor tables. For some reason the fun then stopped and i have not been back since.Since then I stick to safer things such as Mountain biking , cave diving and diving in general

 

[edurst]

Since then I stick to safer things such as Mountain biking , cave diving and diving in general

So tell me about the Mountain Biking on the Island.... That's something my son and I do a lot of here in Southern California.

 

[Byte Me]

We've been on about ten different Caribbean vacations. Last year was our first to Roatan. I dive but my wife does not. We're returning next month and she cannot wait to get there. Roatan is at the top of our list, by far.

Had a similar experience April '09. Went to CoCo View with my non-diving wife, didn't know anyone else. By the end of the trip I had 21 dives in and we had a bunch of new friends. Now when I talk about "where should we go this year" she always brings up "When are we going back to CCV?!?"

She snorkeled only rarely because she's afraid of the "big" fish - once she found out there was a big moray under the dive staging platform she was done with snorkeling the best area! Best thing about CCV and similar Roatan ops is when you leave on the AM dive you're back in a couple hours with two dives in, get to spend some time together and then I'm out on the boat again. She was welcome to come along any time and hang on the boat. Other places we've been (Playa, Jamaica, Grand Cayman) they pick you up between 8-9 AM or you meet them someplace and after a two tank trip sometimes I wasn't back to the hotel until well after lunch. Having a lot of interaction with her during the day really helped with the impression I was gone a lot less than on other trips and allowed me to get MANY more dives in!

We're all booked up for 2011 but am trying to get a small group there in 2012. Can't wait to go back!

 

[Doc]

Had a similar experience April '09. Went to CoCo View with my non-diving wife, didn't know anyone else. By the end of the trip I had 21 dives in and we had a bunch of new friends.

I took a non-diving friend, a children's book writer, there a few years back.

She planned on working at her next book in a hammock.

Instead, she got certified and also wrote 2 children's books about her experiences on Roatan.

The warm, clear shallows of the Front Yard can be very inviting.

Otherwise, no, there really isn't much to do on Roatan. Here's a good collection from experienced travellers: http://ccv.websitetoolbox.com/?forum=25272

 

[diverrex]

I am always surprised I don't see more about the rainforest area in the interior of Roatan. Is it just really small or uninteresting or something? People love rainforests. But on Roatan it seems like there is either only dive, dive, dive or the very commercially packaged types of experiences for cruise ship people like the nature park, dolphin encounter, or zip lining, etc. What about just hiking and exploring the interior?

 

[RTBDiver]

What about just hiking and exploring the interior?

One of the problems is that there are not large public tracks of land, no public parks and such which to hike where as the beach and ocean is public. There are some private places but they are minimal in offerings. we regularly hike the perimiter of our property, mainly checking the fence, and while it can be a pretty good hour or so of excersize, it is still limited to our 12 acres. A good friend of mine watches over about 300 or so acres of beautiful land with trails that I sometimes hike or ride the mountain bike on but its not a place to show up unannounced.

 

[diverrex]

One of the problems is that there are not large public tracks of land, no public parks and such which to hike where as the beach and ocean is public. There are some private places but they are minimal in offerings. we regularly hike the perimiter of our property, mainly checking the fence, and while it can be a pretty good hour or so of excersize, it is still limited to our 12 acres. A good friend of mine watches over about 300 or so acres of beautiful land with trails that I sometimes hike or ride the mountain bike on but its not a place to show up unannounced.

Thanks, that would it explain it. Many other islands have large amounts of land set aside as a nature preserve, if it's mostly private on Roatan then that is a difference.