vicnluke
New
Hi there, you all are a great resource for newbies! I have been reading past posts but haven't found all of the information I need so I hope you can give me a hand.
I am looking to get my OW certification and was drawn to the Bay Islands for the price and reputation of having quality dive instruction. I will be traveling with my boyfriend, who is already certified. He won't want to dive more than every other day, but he is very active and will want to snorkel and kayak and wander around town on his non-diving days, while I am getting certified.
We are in our 40s and 50s, and while we like to have a good time we don't need to be in a crazy party environment. We both like staying on or very near a nice beach with good snorkeling off shore. So, I have pretty much narrowed our location down to West Bay, although I would consider West End if there was a place with kayaks for us to use.
We are budget travelers, and usually never spend more than $100-125 per night for accommodations, and would like to keep it much lower if possible. On Roatan, where accommodations can be had pretty cheaply, I would only consider approaching that level if there were kayaks to use, a nice beach and good snorkeling off shore. I could find something without bothering you all, but I realize that this vacation will be a lot more enjoyable if our accommodations are near the dive operator I choose, so I can't choose a place to stay without thinking about the diving instruction nearby.
For my OW certification, the highest priority for me is safety. I am the type of person who loves adventurous activities (whitewater canoeing, sea kayaking, etc.), but researches all of the safety issues and has all of the safety gear. I like to challenge myself, but I don't like to take short cuts, and while I am learning I want to know that if I get scared or something goes wrong, someone will be right there to help. I would like to find a dive operator that has a small instructor/student ratio, excellent equipment standards, and lots of patience for newbies. A 4 or 5:1 ratio, or less, for students to instructors would be ideal.
Any thoughts from the experts on whether I can meet both my accommodation and diving goals in Roatan? Thanks!
I am looking to get my OW certification and was drawn to the Bay Islands for the price and reputation of having quality dive instruction. I will be traveling with my boyfriend, who is already certified. He won't want to dive more than every other day, but he is very active and will want to snorkel and kayak and wander around town on his non-diving days, while I am getting certified.
We are in our 40s and 50s, and while we like to have a good time we don't need to be in a crazy party environment. We both like staying on or very near a nice beach with good snorkeling off shore. So, I have pretty much narrowed our location down to West Bay, although I would consider West End if there was a place with kayaks for us to use.
We are budget travelers, and usually never spend more than $100-125 per night for accommodations, and would like to keep it much lower if possible. On Roatan, where accommodations can be had pretty cheaply, I would only consider approaching that level if there were kayaks to use, a nice beach and good snorkeling off shore. I could find something without bothering you all, but I realize that this vacation will be a lot more enjoyable if our accommodations are near the dive operator I choose, so I can't choose a place to stay without thinking about the diving instruction nearby.
For my OW certification, the highest priority for me is safety. I am the type of person who loves adventurous activities (whitewater canoeing, sea kayaking, etc.), but researches all of the safety issues and has all of the safety gear. I like to challenge myself, but I don't like to take short cuts, and while I am learning I want to know that if I get scared or something goes wrong, someone will be right there to help. I would like to find a dive operator that has a small instructor/student ratio, excellent equipment standards, and lots of patience for newbies. A 4 or 5:1 ratio, or less, for students to instructors would be ideal.
Any thoughts from the experts on whether I can meet both my accommodation and diving goals in Roatan? Thanks!
