Your profile mentions four "visits" to Roatan's chamber. If you got into that much puppy poop on the South side, if you head to the North side, you might want to get your affairs in order. Most dives there are substantially deeper. Don't take offense- Just sayin', that's all.
...and now...interspersed here...from "on-point" comments I wrote on our MySpace SCUBA Blog...
You mention that you dove from Fantasy to the West End. they commonly dive Little French Key and mary's Place. You missed a whole lot. Rarely does Fantasy head
East. Just East of the resort lies the best diving of Roatan, all the way along up to Calvin's Crack which they rarely make it to.
Which side is better on Roatan? No easy answer!
Many folks ask about Roatan as to why one side might be more preferable than the other.
There is a simple answer, but its application depends upon who the diver is!
The North and West sides are perfect for what you will usually see in the Caribbean. The structure of the reef and the character of the flora are indicative of what this zone has to withstand on the occasions it is weathered-out. This area really takes a serious beating many times a year. Whoa- I didn't say that's bad! It is what it is.
The locals have gone to great lengths to preserve and amplify what is there. They have installed large shipwreck reefs at serious depths of 95' and more- just to attract critters and deep to protect them from "Northers".
These common storms are easily foretold by arctic cold blasts that push as far down as Texas. When it's freezing in Texas, when they're hauling Kemp's Ridley Turtles to warming ponds on South Padre, a Norther is descending upon Cozumel, Belize and Roatan.
Roatan is not in the traditional paths of hurricanes, but when the storms make their usual NW track, often impacting in Cozumel and Belize, Roatan suffers the heavy rains and the Northern shores take a lashing.
To enhance the dive experience, they have instituted a "
conservation zone" as well as the installation of the wrecks.
It keeps the commonly known larger Caribbean identifiable critters available for the vacationing diver.
This area is also well suited to a bit of late night partying, as the zone is noted for backpackers and casual divers. It is a grand place to have a vacation with some diving.
Therein lies one of the greatest points of anger generated by a discussion such as this. Few people will admit that they are anything less than a dive-dive-dive kind of vacationer. Hey- there's nothing wrong with somebody that wants 5 dives every two days. What the unsaid issues are- they are much more visceral. It's the booze.
I will take issue with recent alcohol consumption and diving. About this~ I mean drinking 3+ the night before and then diving in the morning. My standards are pretty strict, but then again- they are my standards and I apply them to myself only. It may be the alcohol, but possibly the strongest component of this problem is the dehydration that occurs. Drink and dive at your own peril.
The South side is unique to the Mar Caribe. What other island is this shape? Cuba. What other island has
this 17 mile protected Southern shore? Roatan stands alone.
All such islands have a ridge line or back bone... the highest crest of the island, linked in a line. This backbone lies very close to the Northern shore edge of Roatan.
The shoreline on the North is steep and precipitous as it dives to the ocean shore. The contour contiues below the water. There are two layers of tough fringing coral heads, they extend out quite a way until the "diving" begins. Except for the terrible smashing Northers, the North side is commodious, inviting and often flat as glass. Due to its geography (remember the steepness and the ridgeline) it is largely shielded from the prevailing calm breezes from the ESE. This makes life easier for the bugs.
The South side terrain, South of this backbone, gently slopes to the shoreline, through mangroves and swamps. This is generally the windward side of the island, bathed in steady breezes of 4-6 mph, running seas of 1-3 feet. It is rarely flat calm there.
The reef structure continues this gentle slope. You will find shallow fringing reefs of 3 to 15 feet depth often up to 300 yards out, then the walls break in 15 to 45 feet, straight down to the first sand level which is at 90fsw. This zone is where all the action is.
Most critters are in the phototropic zone where sunlight can be utilized for life. The reef is lush with the largest variety of hard and soft corals of anywhere in the Caribbean. This means that the reefs are great places for little critters, juveniles and life long microscopics- it's just perfect for them to hide.
Along the south, expect to find every fish in the Paul Humann reef critter/fish ID books if you look long enough. Garden Eels, Sailfin Blennies, Secretary Blennies, Arrow Blennies, Spotted Rays, Squid, Octopus, Sea Horses, PipeFish and so very much more.
I have to smile at the reports of the North Side and West End afficionados that are all aglow when they see their Baracuda, Grouper, Crab and Lobster. We see those on the South side, as well, but they tend to get ignored after a new diver has been shown their first Mantis Shrimp.
It's all in the experience level.
Many folks come to the South Shore, and for any number of reasons they see nothing. It could be a third rate DM, or their bad observational skills, buoyancy, or maybe they need perscription masks...
or just need to slow down.
A lot of divers spend their week diving the North and West, then are transported to the South and the holy grail of Mary's Place. This fabled dive site is thrilling to most because its geography gives them something dramatic to look at. Truth be known-
the North side underwater architecture is hands down more dramatic than anything on the South side- it's just devoid of cool critters... for the exact same reason- it's been beaten and carved by continuous storms. Mary's is often their only exposure to the South side. They have nary an inkling.
The South side is a joy to behold.
Occasionaly, when one vacations in Cayman or Bonaire, if the constant and heavy winds subside, many divers flock to the relatively disused eastern sides. I guess I'm jaded, but I have seen enough big critters- enough even to make me care less about the ones I haven't yet seen. Even if those conditions presented themselves, I would still dive the regular Cayman and Bonaire sites. I don't need to see a baren landscape with occasional big critters.
This was most apparent on our recent trip to the Red Sea. I was with a bunch of Brits, and God love 'em, they are starved for Sharks. We went out on several finning marathons just to catch a glimpse of a moderately unusual Apex fish. I woulda' rather stayed in tight and looked at the relatively shallow wrecks. I was pleased that these advanced divers honored me by inviting me, but it wasn't worth my time.
Given enough logged bottom time, you'll see all the stuff bigger than a breadbox, so to speak. Don't worry about chasing Sharks or big Groupers or the large stuff. When you least expect it, you'll look up and see it. This can occur anywhere....
My epiphanies? Hanging at the 15' bar, tied off and pretty much so half asleep, burning out a tank under the Nekton liveaboard. I was there for maybe 1/2 hour. I finally noticed the 9' (I measured it) Baracuda hiding in plain sight under one of the hulls.
Out islands of the Bahamas, cruising into the reef at 60', the bottom was at 95', coral heads topping in 70'. Minding my own business, again- all alone. A Bull Shark swims past me, about 70 feet away. Easily 7', had to be bigger.
Maldives- a 17 foot long worm, 3" around. Roatan- another 17 footer, this time a flat 1" ribbon.
Hanging under the Nekton again. Sun low in the sky. I was quickly immersed in a smack of pelagic Sea Girdles.
When you were at Fantasy Island- did you see the 17 or so Garden eels that have been living just 25' North of the Prince Albert Shipwreck? (Right between FIBR and CoCoView)
Most people never see them.
The magic will come-
but you must see it.
I see the magic on the South side of Roatan.
