Advice for new divers on Roatan

[Doc]

Deff not West End style, but hit the Googles for “st helene cave” or “elena”.

You’re within easy reach of something cool.

This is on the next island over to the right, only just by a few yards, East from Roatan. Doc Radawski took me there @1986. He knew Michael Hedges (the Crystal Skull promoter) and later Doc was interviewed by Science Channel (or Travel or ?) as an advertorial for the Indiana Jones movie. Like Doc said, “the check cashed”.

[this, coincidentally, is roughly the same comment Howard Ehrenberg and John Chatterton related after their big SCUBA dive appearance on Curse of Oak Island]

So if you get to Helena, not hard by water taxi, there are locals there who will take you to the cave that Hedges coyly alluded to as to where he found that (dubious) crystal skull.

Josh Gates did a segment there as well. If you see it, there are a lot of Easter Eggs in it that reflect on what Roatan is and isn’t. He’s very incisive without being overtly derogatory.

@GreggS - now this is nitpick trivia, but the chunk of what we simply call Roatan? It isn’t. That “municipal” ends at French Harbour, and further East (at CoCo View) begins José Santos Guardiola. Not to worry- most everyone knows what is being referenced. But- those are the actual, true and correct answers for the immigration form.

Like they care.

Also in the East end, pirate era remnant walls can be seen from the water on Fort Cay, also on foot above Old Port Royal, the site of many successful digs starting in the 1960’s.

 

[GreggS]

@GreggS - now this is nitpick trivia, but the chunk of what we simply call Roatan? It isn’t. That “municipal” ends at French Harbour, and further East (at CoCo View) begins José Santos Guardiola. Not to worry- most everyone knows what is being referenced. But- those are the actual, true and correct answers for the immigration form.

Yeah, I know. But as far as is concerning this conversation, the island itself is Roatan and that is what he is asking about.

Oh, and BTW, @rdogilvie, if you get out to the eastern end of the island and have the chance, stop at Kristi's Overlook. It's a restaurant/bar with great fajitas and one of the best margaritas we've ever had. And it does have a great view of the south side of the island. If you're staying in First Bight, you won't be far from it.

 

[rdogilvie]

I got lucky during my stay at the West End and was there without the cruise ship hordes. It was extremely uncrowded, relatively quiet, except for the clubs blasting Central American hip-hop to empty venues. Kids will be bored within the 30 minutes it takes to stroll from one end to the other.

Doc, above, is offering some good advice.

If you want to make the best of your diving experience I suggest getting a good grip on what you expect to see when underwater, and what you should look for. For example, I saw almost no large fish in the four days I dove with West End Divers, but saw tons of healthy looking barrel sponges and cnidarians. Most ecosystems shallower that 30 feet appear hammered with too warm water, SCTLD, and algae. There's a dive outfit out of West Bay that helps stem SCTLD by recruiting divers to paint diseased corals at selected locations, for example; that could be fun and extremely educational. I'd also check out the Stanley submersible While at West Bay: Roatan Submarine Ride

Also, I'd try to understand what the currents are doing at that time of year. In July, for example, seasonal current out of the east made visibilty pretty lousy on the south side of the island.

If you'd like an unvarnished view of the diving (I saw) you can check out some of my Roatan dive videos here:



...and don't forget to post up your dive experience here after you get back!!

Thanks so much- very helpful! Lovely video BTW- thanks for sharing! (The footage at about 24mins is particularly beautiful- very health coral + a chill the sea turtle- love it!) Were you using a red filter? Need to sort out my underwater photo gear at some point too. We're used to snorkeling- so going deeper w/ scuba- my latest goPros were way too blue and way too dark. I can fix this post- but would rather have it cleaner out of the camera. I'm sticking to an easy/ small goPro + will add new lighting for now until I have better buoyancy control and don't accidentally damage coral while trying to get shots!

 

[rdogilvie]

Deff not West End style, but hit the Googles for “st helene cave” or “elena”.

You’re within easy reach of something cool.

This is on the next island over to the right, only just by a few yards, East from Roatan. Doc Radawski took me there @1986. He knew Michael Hedges (the Crystal Skull promoter) and later Doc was interviewed by Science Channel (or Travel or ?) as an advertorial for the Indiana Jones movie. Like Doc said, “the check cashed”.

[this, coincidentally, is roughly the same comment Howard Ehrenberg and John Chatterton related after their big SCUBA dive appearance on Curse of Oak Island]

So if you get to Helena, not hard by water taxi, there are locals there who will take you to the cave that Hedges coyly alluded to as to where he found that (dubious) crystal skull.

Josh Gates did a segment there as well. If you see it, there are a lot of Easter Eggs in it that reflect on what Roatan is and isn’t. He’s very incisive without being overtly derogatory.

@GreggS - now this is nitpick trivia, but the chunk of what we simply call Roatan? It isn’t. That “municipal” ends at French Harbour, and further East (at CoCo View) begins José Santos Guardiola. Not to worry- most everyone knows what is being referenced. But- those are the actual, true and correct answers for the immigration form.

Like they care.

Also in the East end, pirate era remnant walls can be seen from the water on Fort Cay, also on foot above Old Port Royal, the site of many successful digs starting in the 1960’s.

Wow- very, very cool- thanks Doc! That is the kind of thing that really piques my interest (and the kids would likely be all over that). Not sure we can fit it in- but I will be researching this one more for sure- very unique- and we're fairly close if we venture East...

 

[rdogilvie]

Yeah, I know. But as far as is concerning this conversation, the island itself is Roatan and that is what he is asking about.

Oh, and BTW, @rdogilvie, if you get out to the eastern end of the island and have the chance, stop at Kristi's Overlook. It's a restaurant/bar with great fajitas and one of the best margaritas we've ever had. And it does have a great view of the south side of the island. If you're staying in First Bight, you won't be far from it.

Awesome- thanks @GreggS !

 

[Gdog]

Hey, best of luck on your travels. We are lucky to have someone like Doc in this forum with the knowledge he is able to share. The video he shared is one I really like to watch.
I agree with him on Barefoot, and I think that they would fit you really well. Nice dive op, boats, and with Silver Sides Restaurant right there, would work out good. They do a good job.
West End may be more your jam on the topic of topwater activities. Check it out while you are there. Plenty of good food, and some nice beaches. Doc is also correct, Roatan is not eaten up with tons of topside activites, but there are some fun things to hunt out for the family. We certainly love it, we stay there for 4-6 weeks every year.
Report back! Also, consider a day trip to Cayos Cochinos...a nice fun family adventure.

 

[Gdog]

Big PS>...the sand fleas are no joke. Especially in the evening. Bring good bug spray. We have the best luck with Skin so Soft from Avon actually, but be sure to get something. Cant stress that enough...!!!!!

 

[chillyinCanada]

I'm curious - other than diving, what is it you plan to see or so in Roatan?

I've been there many times, and outside of diving, eating, drinking, sleeping, and nursing the many wounds inflicted by the local bugs, I can't think of anything else we've done. I've read several books during surface intervals, but I don't think that counts as a local attraction.

I always stayed in West End and treated myself to a drive up island to Punta Gorda for lunch, then maybe to Port Royal and back down. The views are spectacular.

 

[chillyinCanada]

Hey, best of luck on your travels. We are lucky to have someone like Doc in this forum with the knowledge he is able to share. The video he shared is one I really like to watch.
I agree with him on Barefoot, and I think that they would fit you really well. Nice dive op, boats, and with Silver Sides Restaurant right there, would work out good. They do a good job.
West End may be more your jam on the topic of topwater activities. Check it out while you are there. Plenty of good food, and some nice beaches. Doc is also correct, Roatan is not eaten up with tons of topside activites, but there are some fun things to hunt out for the family. We certainly love it, we stay there for 4-6 weeks every year.
Report back! Also, consider a day trip to Cayos Cochinos...a nice fun family adventure.

Eaten up, you say? Lol, you don't say! Bug spray! Take extra and cortisone cream and Benadryl, for bedtime.

 

[scrane]

Alvin Jackson, owner and operator of Native Sons Divers and Chillies Hotel is an avid biker and often can be found on the roads around West End. Check out Native Sons and Chillies and ask if Alvin can find a bike for you to join him on his rides. I've been diving NS and staying at Chillies for budget priced visits to west End for around 10 years. Nice place and friendly people. Alvin is one of the pioneers of Roatan diving.