Roatan...Was I expecting too much?

[terri]

Thanks for all your replies......



My expectations were probably a little high for this trip but I know now and next time will be different but I just can't wait to get to Saba at the end of April, I hear they have "WORLD CLASS DIVING"

I couldn't help but post. I don't know how to say this, but out of many, many places I have been diving in this world, Saba was the least favorite.
I have been to Roatan many times, the diving there far out weighs diving in the eastern caribbean.
When you go to Saba, and if you dive 'Diamond Rock', be careful, it comes equipped with a 'washing machine'. It is a dive for the experienced. The current is usually very strong there.
Each time I return to Roatan, the viz varies, though usually good. Not so good if it has rained in the past week. I see so many different things with each visit. A couple of weeks ago, I witnessed a relationship between a nurse shark and a moray, cohabitating together. How often do you see that? I have found that the area offers such diverstity on things to see, depending on when and where you dive.
After diving the South Pacific and the Sea of Cortez, I learned to keep things in perspective. Different areas of the world offer different things. I enjoy them all.

I hope you have a wonderful time, let me know how your trip goes. I would love to hear a good trip report from that area.

 

[Reel Crazy14]

Why am I not surprised. The best tip I have for anyone wanting to go on a great dive trip is not to listen to the numerous "dive" magazines and ads that plague their meaningless pages. The best way to get info on a good dive destination is to go on sites like these and go off other personal experiences. Personally, I have heard so many bad stories from Roatan that I would never think about going there.

 

[Dave Zimmerly]

Good. Don't go. Leave it for us divers who want some of the best unspoiled places left. Unless you've been there, you don't know what your missing.

46 days till I go back.

Dave (aka "Squirt")

 

[dherbman]

What sucks about Roatan is leaving. 21 great dives there last week. Viz from 40' to 180'. With the exception of the two wreck dives, I could have been happy doing 21 dives on any single site we visited. Much of the diving was like flying over a jungle at low altitude. So much to see there and I regret not having the time to properly examine every square inch. Life on top of life on top of life........ AKR was first rate and did nothing but add to the experience.

 

[Chaseh]

Damn it Roatan Man, stop the promotion, lets keep the place private.

 

[Doc]

Damn it Roatan Man, stop the promotion, lets keep the place private.

It sucks.

Diving sucks. I can't recognize anything I'm not seeing. No Whale Sharks.

Damn bugs. Check the CDC website. Be afraid.

Food bad. Rice and beans. Spotty internet connections. The lights flicker.

The Contras and the Gorillas still fighting.

Airline service from SAHSA sucks. (Stay at Home Stay Alive)

Cruise ships have ruined the place.

Only two types of beer. Only the free bottled water is safe.

Utila is better. They have scheduled Whale Sharks.

(Sorry Utila... here they come!)

 

[Sasquatch]

It sucks.

Diving sucks. I can't recognize anything I'm not seeing. No Whale Sharks.

Damn bugs. Check the CDC website. Be afraid.

Food bad. Rice and beans. Spotty internet connections. The lights flicker.

The Contras and the Gorillas still fighting.

Airline service from SAHSA sucks. (Stay at Home Stay Alive)

Cruise ships have ruined the place.

Only two types of beer. Only the free bottled water is safe.

Utila is better. They have scheduled Whale Sharks.

(Sorry Utila... here they come!)

EVERYTHING he said is really, really true.

And I can't wait to go back! (You know, just to make sure it still sucks...):14:

Sea ya!

 

[jghflash]

We dove the west side last year for two weeks (still haven't tried CCV!) and it was amazing. When we got home we immediately convinced another couple to plan their vacation with us to Roatan this year. We were all there for a week in early March (I won't do THAT again.....too short) and had another great trip.

The viz was better last June and there was some bleaching of the reefs (5%-10%), probably a result of the hurricanes.......and it was still magical. Roatanman is right, macro is where it is in Roatan. If you just fly over the reef you will miss most of the good stuff. It's not the destination, it's the journey.......just like the rest of your life! Enjoy!

 

[Squashie]

We dove the west side last year for two weeks (still haven't tried CCV!) and it was amazing. When we got home we immediately convinced another couple to plan their vacation with us to Roatan this year. We were all there for a week in early March (I won't do THAT again.....too short) and had another great trip.

The viz was better last June and there was some bleaching of the reefs (5%-10%), probably a result of the hurricanes.......and it was still magical. Roatanman is right, macro is where it is in Roatan. If you just fly over the reef you will miss most of the good stuff. It's not the destination, it's the journey.......just like the rest of your life! Enjoy!

I must agree with RoatanMan on this one, the diving in Roatan is terrible. The vis is horrible, the currents are devistating, the trash on the ocean floor is deplorable and the lifeless reefs are pitiful and completely devoid of any form of interesting creatures. Why anyone would waste their good money to go diving at Roatan is beyond me.

If you can get past the lack of diving...the people of the island are rude, obnoxious and totally lacking in tolerance for outsiders. If the rebels don't shoot you as a spy, :bigun2: the bugs and diseases will surely kill you slowly. Better to play it safe and stay home, or go to someplace with truely outstanding diving like Jamaica or Haiti that is both safe and friendly. :1poke:

So take it from me...it will be a long time (at least until June...is it June yet???:monkeydan ) before I again waste my hard earned vacation dollars in a disappointing place such as Roatan. Why I would have more fun simply putting on my gear and cleaning the pool in my back yard...even the deep end.

So take it from me...you don't want to go to Roatan. You want to maximize your diving vacations in truely exotic and worth-while destinations. Please, leave Roatan for those of us who have really low expectations. There that ought to keep them away!

 

[Doc]

"It's not how good you do something, it's how good you look doing it!" David Lee Roth

I hear he got fired from his syndicated network gig today. Too bad, he had a face for radio.

I hear he's working at the radio station on Roatan.

Another negative.