DonPropinas
Registered
We just got back from Roatan and thought I would do a quick review of Seagrape Plantation Resort. I haven't seen a recent review of the resort here and it may be helpful to those planning a trip. This was our fifth trip to Seagrape Plantation and the dive operation has changed to be more service oriented. This is one of the most economical dive packages available. Room for 7 nights and 14 dives was $750 per person. Flights are daily and can be gotten for about $500. The dive shop has a gear room that is secured. The staff sets up BC/REG/weight belt on the boat before you arrive. Divers bring mask/fin/wetsuit to the boat. Travel to dive sites is less than 15 minutes and surface intervals are done back at the shop. There are 3 dives/day at 8:30, 10:30 and 2:30 daily. Night dives are conducted for groups of 4 or more at an additional cost. At the end of diving the staff takes BG/REG/Weights washes and hangs them up on assigned numbers in the gear room. There is a large wash tank that divers can use for wetsuits etc. with hangers in the gear room. You sign up for dives on a large whiteboard outside of the office. Deep dives go off the wall or through deep grooves in the spur and groove reef. The ship wreck El Aguila at 108' is 5 minutes by boat. Shallow dives generally start on the reef and may move to the wall edge. There are abundant small reef fish on the points where the wall drops off. Nurse sharks are not uncommon but not guaranteed. Large Morays and big black grouper are usually seen on most dives. Divers are followed by dogtooth snappers on almost every dive waiting to be fed lion fish. The most impressive photo ops were the spotted eagle rays. We saw them 5 of the 6 dive days, usually on the first dive. Both green and hawksbill turtles are so common we stopped taking pictures of them unless something unusual, like shark suckers attached to them caused us to take a few shots. Both queen and ocean triggerfish along with filefish are seen on most dives. Reef squid are not uncommon especially on the shallow dives. We watched a large octopus eat a conch on an afternoon dive. The reef seemed healthy and some spots can be quite spectacular along the wall with sea fans and large barrel sponges. DM's are easy going with experienced divers once they have assessed your ability. Dive briefings are thorough and professional. Tony has been at the resort for at least 8 years and is an effective and patient instructor/DM. Amber, instructor/DM has joined the team in the last 18 months and is a competent professional, fun to dive with and an expert on the swim-throughs. Cleve rounds out the DMs. He has boundless energy and can rekindle that sense of wonder in jaded divers with his enthusiasm for things we often take for granted. Boat captains are experienced and on top of the dive situation. Rachel runs the shop and makes sure everything is right for the divers. With rooms and bungalows 100 yds from the dive shop this is one of the easiest places to dive out of. Trip advisor can be consulted for hotel reviews-almost all positive. Mariela in the office will answer your e-mails right away. I highly recommend this for and affordable quality dive experience.
Hope this helps
Hope this helps