Roatan in September

[renalea]

We’ve been to Roatan so many times since the ‘80’s. This was the 1st time in September! The weather was PERFECT, the water so warm that even a skin wasn’t needed but I worn one for protection from scrapes…. We dove with West Bay Divers for the 1st time and they were awesome! Very nice boats, 6 divers max (one trip was only us, a guide, and the boat captain), and long bottom times. We were there for 10 days and from now on, it’ll always be September!

 

[Cert1967]

We’ve been to Roatan so many times since the ‘80’s. This was the 1st time in September! The weather was PERFECT, the water so warm that even a skin wasn’t needed but I worn one for protection from scrapes…. We dove with West Bay Divers for the 1st time and they were awesome! Very nice boats, 6 divers max (one trip was only us, a guide, and the boat captain), and long bottom times. We were there for 10 days and from now on, it’ll always be September!

Nice boat- quite the ladder!

 

[laurenceh]

August, September and early October is my favorite time of the year in the Bay Islands. We're Utila folks and always spend as much of September as possible at our place there. The water is the best it will be all year, clear as gin and so warm. And we often see whale sharks and pilot whales at this time of year.

 

[renalea]

Nice boat- quite the ladder!

It hung from the side of the boat and was very secure! As a “senior” diver, secure is a priority on a dive boat.

 

[BoundForElsewhere]

I'm going down in January for two weeks and you guys just increased the craving. Thanks.

Oh lord, that's three months away.

 

[Cornbread O'Malley]

My friends and I went to West Bay and stayed at Bananarama in March 2024. We dived various sites as far east as Melissa's Reef, and the sites disappointed me. Not much live coral and little marine life. We also ventured around the island and dived Mary's Place. The sites around the west end of Roatan do not measure up with Belize or Cozumel. I might give Roatan another go and try CocoView Resort and the diving in that area. Which other parts of Roatan feature good marine life?

 

[chillyinCanada]

We’ve been to Roatan so many times since the ‘80’s. This was the 1st time in September! The weather was PERFECT, the water so warm that even a skin wasn’t needed but I worn one for protection from scrapes…. We dove with West Bay Divers for the 1st time and they were awesome! Very nice boats, 6 divers max (one trip was only us, a guide, and the boat captain), and long bottom times. We were there for 10 days and from now on, it’ll always be September!

Did you have to wade out, off of the beach to board from shoreside?

 

[buster243]

We’ve been to Roatan so many times since the ‘80’s. This was the 1st time in September! The weather was PERFECT, the water so warm that even a skin wasn’t needed but I worn one for protection from scrapes…. We dove with West Bay Divers for the 1st time and they were awesome! Very nice boats, 6 divers max (one trip was only us, a guide, and the boat captain), and long bottom times. We were there for 10 days and from now on, it’ll always be September!

The only downside to visiting Roatan in September is that it's peak hurricane season. While direct hits are rare, rough seas can still cancel boat trips. That's why we prefer January – the water is still a warm 82°F, and it's the perfect escape from the winter chill in the U.S. Plus, no weather issues to worry about, and hour-long dives are common. The diving is also affordable – we’ve paid as little as $30 per dive when doing 15+ dives in a week. The challenge is finding decent accommodations that don’t come with unwanted critters. The local spots are used to male divers who aren't too fussy, but as more couples visit, like us, a bit more refinement is needed. Starting a vacation with a bug bomb just to get your wife into the room isn't the best first impression.

 

[chillyinCanada]

The only downside to visiting Roatan in September is that it's peak hurricane season. While direct hits are rare, rough seas can still cancel boat trips. That's why we prefer January – the water is still a warm 82°F, and it's the perfect escape from the winter chill in the U.S. Plus, no weather issues to worry about, and hour-long dives are common. The diving is also affordable – we’ve paid as little as $30 per dive when doing 15+ dives in a week. The challenge is finding decent accommodations that don’t come with unwanted critters. The local spots are used to male divers who aren't too fussy, but as more couples visit, like us, a bit more refinement is needed. Starting a vacation with a bug bomb just to get your wife into the room isn't the best first impression.

There are some very nice places on Roatan but there are also a lot of bugs of all kinds.

When I started diving in Roatan, my room was around $30 a night and dives were $10. Those were the days but sometimes the cockroaches would wake me up. I started asking the hotel to bug bomb my room before I got there. That was reasonably successful.

I don't visit anymore because of my love for SE Asia but there are lots of bugs and critters there too. One just never knows even in the finest places in Hawaii you can get a surprise! Worse in Hawaii is that the roaches can fly! Omg

 

[therookie]

The only downside to visiting Roatan in September is that it's peak hurricane season. While direct hits are rare, rough seas can still cancel boat trips. That's why we prefer January – the water is still a warm 82°F, and it's the perfect escape from the winter chill in the U.S. Plus, no weather issues to worry about, and hour-long dives are common. The diving is also affordable – we’ve paid as little as $30 per dive when doing 15+ dives in a week. The challenge is finding decent accommodations that don’t come with unwanted critters. The local spots are used to male divers who aren't too fussy, but as more couples visit, like us, a bit more refinement is needed. Starting a vacation with a bug bomb just to get your wife into the room isn't the best first impression.

All good points - plus the fact that peak hurricane season in September/October can cause a serious interruption in travel plans if some storm is hitting Roatan's "connection points" to the US.

On the other hand, in January you can often run into what are called "Northers" - essentially cold fronts from the north that find there way down to that part of the Caribbean and make for some lousy diving weather, especially on the north and west sides of the island. Many shops on the west end have arrangements to dive on the more sheltered (in that situation) south side of the island.

And... January is high season. So accommodations are more affordable in September/October.

But honestly, in my admittedly very, very biased opinion - any month is a good month to go diving in Roatan...