Martha
Contributor
We used One Pass miles we had accrued for free flights on Continental from Houston to Roatan... what a deal. It was slow going once we arrived and deplaned, but who cares... were on island time. A representative from Fantasy Island Beach Resort was there to help with our bags and get us loaded onto their bus. He wouldve been able to get the bags sooner, if we had remembered to put the green tags on them that the resort had sent. Oh well, next time well remember. Since we were traveling during the week (Thurs.), there werent too many of us going to FIBR. Once we arrived at check in, we were welcomed with a very refreshing glass of punch. Our room was in building 7, which is located in the middle of the resort. We were happy with our accommodations for the week. Since our diving wouldnt officially begin until the next day, we went to lunch and then explored the grounds. We were happy to discover the monkeys that call FIBR home. I just loved those monkeys. They brought a smile to my face each and every time I saw them and, of course, we took many, many monkey pictures.
We had our dive orientation the next morning at 8:00 AM. The dive boats would depart at 9:00 AM, 11:00 AM, and 2:30 PM. We usually got to the dive shop a little after it opened at 8:00 AM and got our tanks analyzed and gear set up. That way we missed the crowds. Wed do the first dive and then the boat returned to the dive shop, where wed switch out tanks for the next dive. Normally, there wasnt a whole lot of time in between the time the boat returned after the first dive and the next departure, so by the time tanks were switched out, it was time to go again. For two days we dove on the boat, Little Kem, with Darren as our DM and Moses as captain. We were very happy with them both. Unfortunately, on Sunday, when many more people showed up for diving, they shuffled us around and we ended up being placed on the boat, Little Tavito, with Miguel as our DM and Roque as captain. Darren did try to get us back on his boat when he found out wed been moved, but it didnt work out because his boat was filled with a group that was traveling together. Too bad for us we really enjoyed diving with them. We did seventeen dives during the week and these were the sites we visited:
Calvins Crack very nice swim thru, the only low point for me was that there was a menace on the boat that didnt have a problem destroying the coral to take pictures. His leg actually had blood running down it from injuries he had sustained doing just that. That really disgusted me. Please do not attempt underwater photography if you cannot control your buoyancy.
Carib Place I was extremely impressed with all the beautiful coral.
Pirates Point another nice dive.
Marys Place another nice swim through.
Forty Foot Point (x2) - my only seahorse sighting of the trip (thanks Darren).
Newmans Wall Moses/Darren dropped us off and then we made our way back to the FIBR gazebo and got picked up by the skiff.
Prince Albert Wreck normally Im not into wrecks, but this is just teeming with life and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Saw a spotted eagle ray by the airplane.
Docs Dive this was the first dive on Little Tavito and it was a little chaotic because the DM was busy with several brand new divers on the boat. Dan and I just did our own dive plans and had a great time.
Mr. Bud Wreck not as exciting as the Prince Albert. Dan received a new nickname, after this dive, Rocket Boy. He could be an advertisement for Mazda zoom, zoom!!!
Iron Shore lots of juvenile fish and you could do safety stop on top of reef. I love that.
Inside Outside very nice wall dive.
Missing Link lots of fish at this site.
French Cay Cut night dive. My favorite part was when we all turned our lights off and saw the bioluminescence of plankton and other critters.
Gold Chain Reef highlights were a mantis shrimp, a free swimming green moray, and a pipefish. We actually got to see the mantis shrimp strike at something. That was a very cool site to see! Of course, Dan didnt have his camera on this dive.
Drift dive from Parrot Tree to Pirates Point very peaceful dive. Spotted eagle ray.
French Cay Bank Miguel (DM) saw a hammerhead, but I wasnt close enough to see it.
Random thoughts:
Thanks to Ann (parrotheaddiver), I tried a Monkey La La and it was FANTASTIC!!! I had a few more over the course of the week.
We didnt really have much time for hanging out on the beach, but the few times we did, we really enjoyed it. It will definitely be a big bonus if/when we bring the kids with us.
There was a small earthquake while we were there. I slept right through it, but Dan woke up around the time it took place.
I know a lot of people complain about the food served at all-inclusive resorts, but I always found something tasty to eat, so no complaints about the food whatsoever. I especially enjoyed the ice cream. Melon was my favorite. Mmmm, mmmm good!!!
Frayed extension cords, salt water, and bare feet do not mix.
We turned in early every night and our days usually started out at the crack of dawn. We took a leisurely walk around the island every morning and enjoyed seeing the wild life, taking pictures, and visiting the monkeys. We thoroughly enjoyed our first trip to Roatan and FIBR and we met some really nice people. We will definitely be back again.
We had our dive orientation the next morning at 8:00 AM. The dive boats would depart at 9:00 AM, 11:00 AM, and 2:30 PM. We usually got to the dive shop a little after it opened at 8:00 AM and got our tanks analyzed and gear set up. That way we missed the crowds. Wed do the first dive and then the boat returned to the dive shop, where wed switch out tanks for the next dive. Normally, there wasnt a whole lot of time in between the time the boat returned after the first dive and the next departure, so by the time tanks were switched out, it was time to go again. For two days we dove on the boat, Little Kem, with Darren as our DM and Moses as captain. We were very happy with them both. Unfortunately, on Sunday, when many more people showed up for diving, they shuffled us around and we ended up being placed on the boat, Little Tavito, with Miguel as our DM and Roque as captain. Darren did try to get us back on his boat when he found out wed been moved, but it didnt work out because his boat was filled with a group that was traveling together. Too bad for us we really enjoyed diving with them. We did seventeen dives during the week and these were the sites we visited:
Calvins Crack very nice swim thru, the only low point for me was that there was a menace on the boat that didnt have a problem destroying the coral to take pictures. His leg actually had blood running down it from injuries he had sustained doing just that. That really disgusted me. Please do not attempt underwater photography if you cannot control your buoyancy.
Carib Place I was extremely impressed with all the beautiful coral.
Pirates Point another nice dive.
Marys Place another nice swim through.
Forty Foot Point (x2) - my only seahorse sighting of the trip (thanks Darren).
Newmans Wall Moses/Darren dropped us off and then we made our way back to the FIBR gazebo and got picked up by the skiff.
Prince Albert Wreck normally Im not into wrecks, but this is just teeming with life and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Saw a spotted eagle ray by the airplane.
Docs Dive this was the first dive on Little Tavito and it was a little chaotic because the DM was busy with several brand new divers on the boat. Dan and I just did our own dive plans and had a great time.
Mr. Bud Wreck not as exciting as the Prince Albert. Dan received a new nickname, after this dive, Rocket Boy. He could be an advertisement for Mazda zoom, zoom!!!
Iron Shore lots of juvenile fish and you could do safety stop on top of reef. I love that.
Inside Outside very nice wall dive.
Missing Link lots of fish at this site.
French Cay Cut night dive. My favorite part was when we all turned our lights off and saw the bioluminescence of plankton and other critters.
Gold Chain Reef highlights were a mantis shrimp, a free swimming green moray, and a pipefish. We actually got to see the mantis shrimp strike at something. That was a very cool site to see! Of course, Dan didnt have his camera on this dive.
Drift dive from Parrot Tree to Pirates Point very peaceful dive. Spotted eagle ray.
French Cay Bank Miguel (DM) saw a hammerhead, but I wasnt close enough to see it.
Random thoughts:
Thanks to Ann (parrotheaddiver), I tried a Monkey La La and it was FANTASTIC!!! I had a few more over the course of the week.
We didnt really have much time for hanging out on the beach, but the few times we did, we really enjoyed it. It will definitely be a big bonus if/when we bring the kids with us.
There was a small earthquake while we were there. I slept right through it, but Dan woke up around the time it took place.
I know a lot of people complain about the food served at all-inclusive resorts, but I always found something tasty to eat, so no complaints about the food whatsoever. I especially enjoyed the ice cream. Melon was my favorite. Mmmm, mmmm good!!!
Frayed extension cords, salt water, and bare feet do not mix.
We turned in early every night and our days usually started out at the crack of dawn. We took a leisurely walk around the island every morning and enjoyed seeing the wild life, taking pictures, and visiting the monkeys. We thoroughly enjoyed our first trip to Roatan and FIBR and we met some really nice people. We will definitely be back again.
also Ironshore is one of my favorite dive sites....sounds like you had a great time.....any problem w/sand flies 
