Roatan reef bleaching/ health?

[scubadada]

I'm so excited to go and to share the beauty of the underwater world with my daughters!

Where are you staying, who are you diving/training with?

I've been diving with my son for 26 years and with my wife and daughter for 21 years. Nothing like diving with your family

 

[SCUBAJOE54]

We will be staying at Bananarama Resort and Dive Shop in West Bay. Not one of the bigger resorts, but it was relatively inexpensive and it looks like it is on a beautiful beach. The dive shop seems to get good reviews.

 

[scubadada]

We will be staying at Bananarama Resort and Dive Shop in West Bay. Not one of the bigger resorts, but it was relatively inexpensive and it looks like it is on a beautiful beach. The dive shop seems to get good reviews.

Look forward to hearing all about it, have a great trip

 

[Luke99]

We will be staying at Bananarama Resort and Dive Shop in West Bay. Not one of the bigger resorts, but it was relatively inexpensive and it looks like it is on a beautiful beach. The dive shop seems to get good reviews.

Never dove with them but they are pretty popular so I'm sure will be good! Right in front of the Bananarama resort is a sports bar type restaurant called Thirsty Turtle, on Thursdays they have 2 for 1 pizzas which are pretty good!

Have a great time and hope you get some great diving in with your family!

 

[SCUBAJOE54]

Thanks, guys! Luke99, we will be sure to check out the Thirsty Turtle and get the 2 for 1 pizza deal. Scubadada, I hope this trip hooks my daughters on diving. I'd love to be diving with them 21 years from now like you have been with your family!

Now I just have to wait until late March. I'm spending a lot of time daydreaming about the trip, especially since it has been soo bitterly cold in Ohio for the past couple of weeks.

 

[Allen-1]

I was in Roatan this past October. People I was diving with, much more experienced than me, were talking about the warm water and the bleaching of the coral. As a newcomer, second trip there, I didn't have cause for disappointment.

My friends were pretty interested in the "microscopic" life, and would spend minutes staring at, and taking pictures of, tiny creatures that I could barely see. I never realized that seahorses were so tiny.

It's all so new to me, that the larger sealife were much more interesting, just hovering, looking around. Lots of beautiful fish, rays, turtles - and so much to see drifting along the walls.

I'm pretty colorblind, but there was a lot of color underwater; I don't think you'll be disappointed.

 

[SCUBAJOE54]

Thanks for the report, Allen. I just didn't know what to expect. I didn't know what bleaching meant. I was worried that the reefs would be a desolate white and brown wasteland. I'm glad to hear you saw lots of beautiful fish and rays and turtles. I agree, I think they will love seeing the larger sea life. Even after almost 100 dives, I find the larger sea life fascinating - especially when it is colorful. There is just so much beautiful life on the reefs.

Again, all, thank you so much for your responses. The anticipation is killing me. I'm having a tough time focusing on work.....

 

[gmountai]

My wife and I have been diving Roatan for about 14 years now, last time in 2022. We have noticed gradual degradation in the health of the reef over that time. Seems a lot of the impact is due to overuse. We are diving Guanaja later this month, and will be interested to compare. Something that Cozumel has been doing the past few years to improve reef health is to rotate closure of diving sections of the reef system every 90 days. Reef health there appeared improved compared to past years before COVID. Wonder if Dive Ops in Roatan would be willing to try rotational closure of diving areas to allow reef recovery?

 

[Doc]

Closures have been experimented with, on Roatan and worldwide. It does not produce the results expected.

One of the most telling was the closure of Mary’s Place. It produced changes not visible to a human. Politics and money further ruined it.

We humans think in terms of years, decades, lifespans. Reefs operate by the millennia, certainly not in 14 year increments.

Inarguably, what kills reefs is dirt from shore in run-off. It chokes reefs. Before man disturbed the soil, it was not an issue, now it is. This is the “over use” you see, not diver visits.

It’s easy to confuse. The earth (dirt) is disturbed to support divers visits. A reef could survive 500 clumsy divers… versus one of them flushing a toilet while back on shore.

You will see less of this effect off of Guanaja, just for that reason. A deeper understanding of the simple island geography and the more complex currents will also explain u/w differences.

Just come, go diving. It shows an awareness that you have noticed a degradation. You’re going to have to get your head around the simple fact that we are never going to see an improvement- unless you come back in 1,ooo years.

 

[OMyMyOHellYes]

Just come, go diving. It shows an awareness that you have noticed a degradation. You’re going to have to get your head around the simple fact that we are never going to see an improvement- unless you come back in 1,ooo years.

I expect prices at AKR, CCV or Barefoot will probably be too high for me to afford by then. Inflation, ya know?

I mean hell, two and half years ago I went to AKR and full up price was like $1,250. They didn't even charge me a single diver/guest fee. It's pushing $2,000 now.