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Contrary to the above- Roatan is a HUGE island with extremely diverse underwater structure- it is absolutely different in each of several zones. It is a convoluted shoreline of 17 miles on each exposure, actually NW and SE. This indisputable fact of differences is caused by eons of weather- the North is stark and deep, the South is Sunlit and shallow. See larger pelagic Apex creatures on the North, look amid the abundant soft and hard corals of the protected South side for the Ocean's nursery.
Sea Horses are cool, but Pipefish... and Pipe Horses. That'll get you going.
I'm with CajunDiva, South side, shallow vertical florid walls, Sunlight all day. I've dived every bit of Roatan (being dragged around on an aquaplane for the most of it), and if you want to see something unique in the Caribbean, that's why I'm a South side devotee.
Ask your DM to explain the specific niche environment they inhabit, that's how you'll find them. I was a featured speaker for a week at the SeaHorse Festival, and I made it my business to teach that art. The other speakers in that month were all about their biology and identification, I taught what I thought was most valuable- finding them.
They aren't good swimmers. Thus, they are often found at the bottom of vee shaped formations, not usually in the prettiest of surrounding places.
Look here:
They eat these larvae, another good sign:
They come in all colors, yellow....
Lion Fish? Really? Like going to the botanical garden to see crab grass. The "hunting" program barely puts a dent in the population. It does seem however that something is eating the eggs or juveniles. Not many little young ones being seen any more. Only the hubris of man can let him believe that what ecological disaster he caused can be cured by some monkeys with pointed sticks. Hubris.
...............................................
[rant] One caveat: Trip Advisor is a wealth of information on hotels. The Bay Islands forum is bereft of any actual SCUBA info of value. It is extremely West-end centric and it's readership is the 10 dives a week (maybe) crowd. It is operated as a sales tool for interested parties, there are a huge number of shill reviews. 99.99% of the message board information is from people who have only dived West End or who are selling a related operation. [/rant]
Pipefish?
Now you're talkin'.
Sea Horses are cool, but Pipefish... and Pipe Horses. That'll get you going.
I'm with CajunDiva, South side, shallow vertical florid walls, Sunlight all day. I've dived every bit of Roatan (being dragged around on an aquaplane for the most of it), and if you want to see something unique in the Caribbean, that's why I'm a South side devotee.
Ask your DM to explain the specific niche environment they inhabit, that's how you'll find them. I was a featured speaker for a week at the SeaHorse Festival, and I made it my business to teach that art. The other speakers in that month were all about their biology and identification, I taught what I thought was most valuable- finding them.
They aren't good swimmers. Thus, they are often found at the bottom of vee shaped formations, not usually in the prettiest of surrounding places.
Look here:
They eat these larvae, another good sign:
They come in all colors, yellow....
Lion Fish? Really? Like going to the botanical garden to see crab grass. The "hunting" program barely puts a dent in the population. It does seem however that something is eating the eggs or juveniles. Not many little young ones being seen any more. Only the hubris of man can let him believe that what ecological disaster he caused can be cured by some monkeys with pointed sticks. Hubris.
...............................................
[rant] One caveat: Trip Advisor is a wealth of information on hotels. The Bay Islands forum is bereft of any actual SCUBA info of value. It is extremely West-end centric and it's readership is the 10 dives a week (maybe) crowd. It is operated as a sales tool for interested parties, there are a huge number of shill reviews. 99.99% of the message board information is from people who have only dived West End or who are selling a related operation. [/rant]
Pipefish?
Now you're talkin'.
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I suspect you are going to have the time of your life! Hopefully you will be a future Roatan freak like us...
