Roatan info needed

[Doc]

If you guys had to pick a place to go from October 17-24, where would it be? This is assuming a preferable budget of $3000 for everything, including flight. Maybe an absolute MAX budget of $3500.

To give you an idea, flights from Detroit or Cleveland right now to Bonaire: $650, Curacao: $650, Roatan: $850, Bahamas: $475, Dominica: $775, St. Croix: $650, Turks & Caicos: $700, Cozumel: $525, Grand Cayman: $575, Belize: $550

Now is the time to post that on the "General Travel Forum" where you originally posted this (and it was moved). Stating the airfares is very smart and necessary.

...fairly new divers....consider myself quite new....just want to see LOTS of marine life...larger species; i.e. sharks, rays, etc...large marine life is optional considering my wife is still a bit skittish.. If the diving is phenomenal in a particular location in your opinion, we can let some of our other "wants" slide.

"You know what I'm looking for, just give your honest opinion."

I think your expression of what you are looking for is getting refined.

ScubaBoard will give you honest opinions, much more so than the sales tool of TwitAdvisor. There are a few salesmen here on SB, but they are pretty obvious with a bit of reading. Unfortunately, honest opinions only go so far as the breadth of experience of the poster, as in: "We just got back from our first dive trip and it was to Jamaica and the diving was just the bestest thing ever..."

Your questions which came in the form of a scattergun blast went every which way, most of which can be easily refined by a quick look through the Bay Islands Forum. Now we're landing at the simplest and easiest parameter of them all, a range of dates for your trip.

On general, the Mid October time frame in the Caribbean is pretty much so about one of the suckiest worst times to head South. Do a little bit of reading about the Caribbean Storm Season and it's fun traveling companion, the Caribbean Tropical Storm Season.

If you gotta-haveta do October, you would get better weather odds by selecting islands such as Bay Islands, Corn, San Andres, Aruba/Bonaire/Curacao as they lay South of most Huricane tracks, subject mostly and only to passing storms.

Back to the Bay Islands then, specifically Roatan. Above, you have gotten some pretty fair advice, unfortunately a bit of it belies little understanding of locations and distances between attractions on land. (West End to this or that AI, and such)

In the Caribbean Storm Season, the weather attacks from the North. It also equally influences West End ops. Do some searching here on this well hashed subject. The fallacy in much advice comes in when you are told that such affected operations will just take you over the the South side where your diving will continue.

A very few dive ops can provide this seamless un-interrupted transition. On a normal day, some such dive ops, most always for additional charge, will take you to some of the South side's well known dive sites, such as Mary's Place or those listed previously. Most everyone that is a West/North habitue thinks they understand the South well after those few specific dives.

Not so much.

The point of this comes into even more apparent and obvious play when considering the Oct>Dec time frame. Roatan is a long thin island that lies as a barrier to the storms that track by on the North. The place to be is on the South side, not any real argument can be made otherwise.

The South, in the lee of the storms? There are no sand beaches. There are few dive ops as this land is deemed as desirable and very pricey by the islanders because of its safety in storms and steady breezes otherwise. In the list is: BFK Barefoot, which is a catered operation in the middle of a busy and noisy industrial harborage; FIBR Fantasy which is in decay; CCV CocoView which is a diving machine kind of place; PTR Parrot Tree which is a resorty condo place that has some dive options; MLR Media Luna which does well combining vacation with diving; and RHR Reef House which is a divecentric resort ala 1970.

That would be about it for Roatan, and best side of the Bay Islands for my money, in the Month of October.

 

[CajunDiva]

I agree completely with Doc. Based on your questions/requests, I was going to recommend Anthony's Key Resort. The weather is so unpredictable in October that even AKR closes for the last part of the month

 

[diversteve]

And I think Curacao or Bonaire are much better choices since Curacao at least has multiple options that meet everything on your initial list. One advantage to either of them given your timeframe is: "A landfall of a hurricane in Curaçao has not occurred since the United States National Hurricane Center started tracking hurricanes." Of course you can do what Doc says but those resorts aren't near the West End restaurants either. Barefoot Caye being about the closest - and priciest. Just about every other location you listed is in the active Hurricane belt yearly. With as goofy as the weather is recently - I'd consider trip insurance strongly. Not that it gets you diving but at least you don't lose deposits etc.

We're all trying too hard to make Roatan fit when it really doesn't. No shore diving unless an AI resort. No decent beaches at any of them near restaurants.

I can list a dozen places on Curacao that have everything you wanted, quiet, on-site operator, beach, shore diving, reasonable boat diving ($50) In terms of saving money, 5 days of unlimited tanks/weights for shore diving is $129PP. 3 or 4 on Bonaire also - mostly because the beaches suck.

Even if there were decent locations on Roatan's north side - there aren't - to shore dive, finding tanks for rent off-property is virtually impossible - no one does it so they don't.

Maybe do as Doc suggested an repost a thread with all the options in General Travel so people can weigh in. I'd be extremely surprised if you can find anything on Grand Cayman or Turks/Caicos and still be within your budget. Maybe some small house somewhere and self-catering. Food is expensive though and boat dives will run you 2/$100 everywhere. There is some shore diving on Grand Cayman but 1/2 of those sites are downtown where 4-5 cruise ships can be in port. There is no shore diving in the Turks/Caicos (Provo) since the reef is too far out. Have you priced accommodations there yet - October is high season and Grace Bay is pricey in low season. Ports of Call is about the cheapest I know of there and will be around $150 for a hotel room. There's some awful resort tax there too, like 19% - although Roatan's is 18%.

Any of the better boat dives - West Caicos, French Cay etc. - are in the 2/$140+ range since that includes van pickup, a 45min. boat ride and lunch. Add a 3rd dive and there's not much back from $200. That's where to go for sharks though - every single dive over 3 days we saw several.

 

[canuckfish]

Doc & diversteve nailed it, really.
The time of year you go and your budget can pretty much impact everything else on your list - specifically location.
W'eve been to Roatan.. and GC & TCI. Your flights will be cheapest to GC & TCI, but the costs of everything else - even with self-catering - is VERY expensive. (Although fantastic diving and hits everything else on your list)
Checking out a vrbo/airbnb can probably save you lots of $ if looking back toward Roatan at another date, or in another location (Curacao!).

As stated above, might be best to restart in a general forum. Don't be put off - all part of the fun in planning!

 

[diver 85]

I agree completely with Doc. Based on your questions/requests, I was going to recommend Anthony's Key Resort. The weather is so unpredictable in October that even AKR closes for the last part of the month

What you mean--?/...Cat 5 hurricanes like Mitch are nice to 'go thru'(we had our house---60 yards from the water ~ 1 mile east of ARK--, our boat AND our 20 YO was living on West End when Mitch decided to make a 72 hour appearance/stay between Roatan & Guanaja----winds topped out @ 224 MPH on Guanaja....... )

 

[KathyV]

...If you guys had to pick a place to go from October 17-24, where would it be? This is assuming a preferable budget of $3000 for everything, including flight. Maybe an absolute MAX budget of $3500.

To give you an idea, flights from Detroit or Cleveland right now to Bonaire: $650, Curacao: $650, Roatan: $850, Bahamas: $475, Dominica: $775, St. Croix: $650, Turks & Caicos: $700, Cozumel: $525, Grand Cayman: $575, Belize: $550....

OP, I've made my suggestions in response to your query in the general travel forum but you have to book this special by August 31 if you are interested:
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/ge...ussions/512280-where-should-i-go-october.html

 

[jbjclj]

Go to Cozumel. Reasonable airfares, fabulous restaurants, great diving, biggest bang for your buck. We have been going since 1979 and have stayed all over the island. We will be there for a month Oct/Nov.

 

[williamk]

My wife and I have been diving Roatan for 25 years. A good choice for you could be Fantasy Island. Good price. Good diving and good beach activity. We last stayed there for 2 weeks in May 2014.

 

[Doc]

My wife and I have been diving Roatan for 25 years. A good choice for you could be Fantasy Island. Good price. Good diving and good beach activity. We last stayed there for 2 weeks in May 2014.

Since May 2014 ? The beach and diving are still good. The resort, the rooms, the food, the "free booze"? ...not so much.

 

[Thook]

Been ti Roatan several times. So far the best.. Turquoise Bay... Tell Marcus I said YO! I have a trip report in here somewhere,,,,,,,,