Roatan Suggestions Please

[Kevin Glenn]

Greetings! Planning my first trip to Roatan though I dove Utila years ago and been to other Caribbean destinations. I dive weekly off the shores of Southern California so warm water is a treat! A few questions .. recommendations welcome.

1. Stay at a resort with boats or go with a great dive operator and stay at a hotel? Going with a buddy, it's all about diving, prefer boats that cater to experienced divers. Nitrox is a plus. Would like to do 3-4 dives a day including a night dive or two.

2. What local dive shop is your #1 choice based on above?

3. Where to stay if we go with a dive shop? Has to be clean, don't need a spa or family-friendly, food and drink nearby is good, easy logistics / good if they cater to divers.

4. If you suggest a dive resort, what are your top favorites and why?

Additional suggestions and ideas are welcome.

Thanks for the help.

Kevin

 

[Allen-1]

Take a look at cocoview.

Two boats a day, moored dive then drop dive off each. That’s four.

Walk in shore diving any time day or night. Swim in their “front yard” which includes a wreck.

 

[Kevin Glenn]

Take a look at cocoview.

Two boats a day, moored dive then drop dive off each. That’s four.

Walk in shore diving any time day or night. Swim in their “front yard” which includes a wreck.

Thanks! Have you stayed there? I don't think they travel to any northside dive sites. How much of a downfall is that?

 

[Allen-1]

Thanks! Have you stayed there? I don't think they travel to any northside dive sites. How much of a downfall is that?

I stayed there in Oct 2022 and Oct 2023; that's where I learned to dive. I thoroughly enjoyed my stay there both times. It is, as has been said, "dive camp". If you don't dive, there's very little else to do. If you dive, it's easy to do four or more dives a day.

Lots posted in ScubaBoard about CCV, including posts from people who didn't enjoy it as much as I did. Lots posted about other dive operations as well.

 

[therookie]

You don't often get to experience diving on both sides of the islands on the same trip, unless the weather is uncooperative on the side you are diving from and they have an arrangment for diving on the other side - many shops do. When visiting Roatan I have occasionally seen Cocoview boats in the West Bay / West End area if the winds from the east are so strong that diving on the "south side" is impractical (or downright dangerous).

If I were looking for a "dive-resort" style vacation with a diving buddy (my wife is a non-diver) I would choose either Cocoview or Turquoise Bay. Cocoview gives you a good bang for your diving bucks - with the shore diving available 24/7 (and it is sheltered and protected so diveable in almost any weather) plus the available boat dives you can definitely do a lot of diving while staying there. Turquoise Bay, although they only do three dives during the day (two-tank morning and single tank afternoon) has the advantage of having easy access to north side dive sites that I generally can't reach with an op in West End or West Bay - it's just not economical for them to travel that far up-island so they usually don't unless you are paying for private charter.

For a dive-centric vacation not at a resort, I would go with Coconut Tree Divers in West End. Two-tank dive in the morning and two single tank (separate dives) in the afternoon. They have been around forever and have a great reputation. No end of food and drink options in West End

Pretty much everyone does night dives on request (although with Cocoview for night diving I believe you are on your own in the Front Yard meaning you can do it any day and time you want) - generally with a minimum number of divers signed up (four is pretty typical). Nitrox is also widely available, but often at a surcharge ($8 to $10 per tank is common).

Full disclosure - I haven't dove with any of these operations. I'm basing these recommendations on what I've read over the years and heard while visiting Roatan over the past 30-ish years. But if I were looking for the kind of dive vacation you are describing (as opposed to the vacation with diving that we usually do) that would be my short list.

 

[Painter]

I have gone with Coconut Tree Divers on two trips and they are top notch. I will go with them on my next trip, but may go for a day with one of the other ops if there is an opportunity to go to Mary's Place.

 

[Scratch_Monkey]

We use Splash Inn in the West End pretty regularly (most every year). They do three dives per day (as low as $35 per dive if you do at least 10 over the week). They offer Nitrox at an extra cost and provide free breakfast to divers.

They have an "all inclusive" option which would give you included lunch and dinner (I think you just order food off their menu) as well but there are a lot of restaurants/bars in the West End which you may want to try instead of every meal at the hotel restaurant. We never use the all inclusive option because we want to go out to eat. I have asked them if they can do an all inclusive option that just includes lunch and breakfast but no luck so far!

The rooms are basic but comfortable (with AC) and everything is right there on the property so it's easy to get up, go to breakfast, go back to your room for whatever, then hit the dive shop for the dives. If you need to run back to your room in between dives, it's no problem, either.

They will try to put similarly experienced people in the same boats/groups but it's not always a guarantee. It depends on who's staying/diving there at the time.

Another issue for you is that they only do three dives per day with the occasional night dive.

If you are doing research, some suggestions are:

• Anthony's Key - all inclusive near the West End, not terribly far from town but not super convenient to town either. Large boats. No personal experience but they are popular.
• Cocoview - all inclusive on the other side of the island. Again, no experience but is also popular. I think you are kind of stuck there which may be exactly what you are looking for? I think they offer unlimited shore diving.
• Splash Inn - I've talked about this place and this is where we stay but it doesn't fit all your requirements.
• There are also dive shops on West Bay Beach (I've heard good things about Bananarama but, again, no personal experience outside of having some drinks on their deck). This resort is on West Bay Beach which is super nice so if a great beach is important, look into it.
• There are other dive shops in the West End besides Splash Inn but I'm going to guess that they will all be similar into where they go.

 

[Painter]

We use Splash Inn in the West End pretty regularly (most every year). They do three dives per day (as low as $35 per dive if you do at least 10 over the week). They offer Nitrox at an extra cost and provide free breakfast to divers.

They have an "all inclusive" option which would give you included lunch and dinner (I think you just order food off their menu) as well but there are a lot of restaurants/bars in the West End which you may want to try instead of every meal at the hotel restaurant. We never use the all inclusive option because we want to go out to eat. I have asked them if they can do an all inclusive option that just includes lunch and breakfast but no luck so far!

The rooms are basic but comfortable (with AC) and everything is right there on the property so it's easy to get up, go to breakfast, go back to your room for whatever, then hit the dive shop for the dives. If you need to run back to your room in between dives, it's no problem, either.

They will try to put similarly experienced people in the same boats/groups but it's not always a guarantee. It depends on who's staying/diving there at the time.

Another issue for you is that they only do three dives per day with the occasional night dive.

If you are doing research, some suggestions are:

• Anthony's Key - all inclusive near the West End, not terribly far from town but not super convenient to town either. Large boats. No personal experience but they are popular.
• Cocoview - all inclusive on the other side of the island. Again, no experience but is also popular. I think you are kind of stuck there which may be exactly what you are looking for? I think they offer unlimited shore diving.
• Splash Inn - I've talked about this place and this is where we stay but it doesn't fit all your requirements.
• There are also dive shops on West Bay Beach (I've heard good things about Bananarama but, again, no personal experience outside of having some drinks on their deck). This resort is on West Bay Beach which is super nice so if a great beach is important, look into it.
• There are other dive shops in the West End besides Splash Inn but I'm going to guess that they will all be similar into where they go.

As I said in an earlier post, I like Coconut Tree, but I also have been to Anthony's Key twice. They are a first class operation, but I can no longer afford to go there. If you can afford them, you will be happy with them.
I should point out that I went to pretty much the same dive sites with AKR that I did with Coconut Tree. AKR has some shore diving, too.
I have not been to Cocoview, but being on the other side of the island they go to some different sites. They have some shore dive options as well.

 

[diverswifey]

I have been reading this and while I do not mean to hijack this thread I do wonder if anyone has had any experience with or opinion about Tranquilseas? thanks.