mastakebob
Registered
Just posting another kudos for Coconut Tree Divers in West End, Roatan. Me and 3 friends (mid-20s to early 30's) dove with them from 21 May till 27 May, had a good time. Stayed in the Coconut Tree Cabins right behind the dive shop. Was a great time, can't wait to go back.
Below is further details about specific topics. I hope its helpful to people considering going to West End but not sure what to expect.
Diving:
Typical Caribbean diving. Did the generic sites along the west end. My favorite was the wreck (can't recall its name for the life of me, but its the one in about 90' split into 3 pieces with a bunch of swim throughs). Clear water, lots of coral, lots of brightly colored fish. Saw a bunch of turles (hawksbill?) including one that was very curious/camera friendly. Saw a coupla big Eagle Rays, usually swimming away. Apparently on one dive one of the DMTs saw a Hammerhead high tailing it into the distance. Coupla of lion fish that the DMTs took great pleasure in spearing. One octopus. Coupla of toadfish (including one spotted by yours truly). No seahorses, no whale sharks.
Water temperature was perfect. Me and my group dove in swim suits only and were completely comfortable. of course, we're from New Jersey so we're a bit more used to cold water than folks down south. Adjust accordingly if you're not cold tolerant.
I do have two gripes about the diving: 1. Lack of diversity. Besides the one wreck dive, every dive we did was exactly the same. Go down to about 70' on the wall, swim along for 15 minutes, then ascend to 30' and burn the rest of the hour/air. Then on the second dive just hang out at 30' for an hour. No matter where we went, everything looked exactly the same. Kinda made me think "why am I paying for a boat to take me out here when I could experience the same thing simply by swimming out 200yards and staying at 20' for as long as my air lets me?" 2. Cattle boat. Most of the trips we had about 10 divers on the boat, and the dive would consist of the DM/DMT out front leading, everybody strung out behind him in a line, and then a few DMTs in the back sweeping people along. Woulda been nicer if they simply said "there's the water, here's a briefing, see ya in an hour, have fun with your buddy." Granted, Coconut Tree only had 1 boat in service the week we were there. The other was being painted. I imagine that this had something to do with the mixture of OW checkout dives and slightly more experienced divers capable of going off on their own.
Bonus: If you're diving with the boat, you get free snorkeling priviledges on the boat. Just show up at the boat with your fins and mask, and go snorkeling for free.
Diving personnel:
All the CTD DMs and DMTs were great. very friendly, very helpful. Safety conscious. Ready to help out.
Gear:
I brought the majority of my own gear, but from what I saw, the loaner gear (free!) was your typical tropical loaner gear. buncha calypso regs and oceanic BCDs. 2 in my group used it, didn't have any problems. On a side note, I recently got my own reg. WHAT A DIFFERENCE. Night and day over rental regs (which was what I was using for the last few years). Breathing was easier, the mouthpiece was ridiculously comfortable (no more sore jaw after a day of diving), and the venturi valve thing actually seemed to work (no more free flowing when its upside down). Aqualung Glacia, if you're wondering. I'm not saying to get an aqualung, but pay the extra cash to get a top of the line reg. Is worth it when you end the day not hating your reg for destroying your gums and jaw muscles.
Lodging:
Coconut Tree Cabins, West End, was very nice. The cabin we were in (forget the number but its the 'big'one) had 2 bedrooms, 4 beds, a full bathroom, a large kitchen/living area/dining room, and a porch with a bench and hammock. AC was included. Full fridge, TV, stove, sink. All for $100/night. We could have possibly have found a better deal (such as Mi Casa which offered us an EXCELLENT last minute price unfortunately just a day after we locked into CTC), but there's something to be said for having lots of room and being directly next to your diving shop. A 30 second walk to and from the dive center (which is nice when you're carrying 40lbs of soaking wet gear on your back).
AC kept the house downright CHILLY. None of us caught anything from showering/brushing our teeth/washing utensils and cups in the water. However, we only drank bottled water (or salva vida and fleur de cana).
A note on cooking: the cabin did come with some cooking supplies (pots, plates, spaghetti spoon thingy, etc), and we fully intended to make use of them. At home we're big cookers. However, a mixture of cheap food, better things to do, and tiredness conspired to keep us from cooking. Basically, we didn't have the time or the willpower to stop diving/drinking/eating excellent cheap food to spend time making a meal.
Weather:
Was hot. And humid. You acclimate pretty quickly, though. I overpacked. Shoulda brought 2 pairs of shorts, 10 t-shirts, a polo or two, sandals, and lots of underwear. No shoes (nothing fancy enough to wear to), no sneakers (too hot to jog even in the morning), no long sleeve shirts/pants (too hot to ever need one). You get the picture. Only rained once, and that was at like 10 at night so it wasn't a big deal. One power out, but the cabins have a backup generator so it didn't really bother us.
Food:
Lots of restaurants. Personal favorites: Bowl of Noodles, Rotisserie Chicken, and the Chapa Catrachas stall (banging baleadas for $1.50? YES PLEASE). I personally brought a coupla boxes of granola bars/trailmix/energy bars/candy for the trip, just to have something to munch on. The grocery stores stock similar items to convenience stores in the states. Pro-tip: a salty snack such as potato chips or fritos or something after diving is key.
Social life:
Awesome. Seriously, the town is one dirt road running along the water. All the buildings are either dive shops, hotels, restaurants, or bars. At night, you basically walk down the strip looking into each bar (they're all open air) to see which is happening. One note: People seem to go right from dinner to the bars, so the high point is generally 9pm to 10pm. If you're used to not going to bars till 11, adjust accordingly. Sundowners is nice during the day cause its right on the water and you can drag a reclining deck chair into the water and drink a beer halfway submerged. feels like a Corona commercial.
Sub category: Beers: Salva Vida, Imperial, Port Royal, and Barena. All are cheap, all taste the same. Go with whatevers cheapest.
Miscellaneous:
ATMs: A coupla are in west end now. We didn't have any trouble using them. Although, the one outside of CTDs wasn't on my network, apparently, but the one by one of the pizza shops was.
Water taxis: don't bother negotiating, its $3/person one way to west bay (basically a developed version of west end where everything is an all-inclusive or resort type place. west end was better. West Bay is worth a trip once just to walk along the beach (which is nicer than West End's, but whatever) and do the tiki bar thing).
Sand flies/fleas: never had a problem with them. I brought some cactus juice along and used it most of the time, but i forgot it a coupla times, didn't have any issues. Course, i wasn't rolling around in the sand, either. At night, however, there are bugs flying around that will give you a nasty welt. I used some 30% DEET from Deep, worked pretty well.
Language: everyone who needs to speaks english.
Taxis: Really shouldn't need one if you stick to West End (only a half mile long, MAX). Otherwise, they're fun to ride in cause they CRAZY.
Right, this is long enough. Bottom line: If you're considering going, GO. Is fun. Its a tropical paradise for dirt cheap. Get it while the gettings good.
Below is further details about specific topics. I hope its helpful to people considering going to West End but not sure what to expect.
Diving:
Typical Caribbean diving. Did the generic sites along the west end. My favorite was the wreck (can't recall its name for the life of me, but its the one in about 90' split into 3 pieces with a bunch of swim throughs). Clear water, lots of coral, lots of brightly colored fish. Saw a bunch of turles (hawksbill?) including one that was very curious/camera friendly. Saw a coupla big Eagle Rays, usually swimming away. Apparently on one dive one of the DMTs saw a Hammerhead high tailing it into the distance. Coupla of lion fish that the DMTs took great pleasure in spearing. One octopus. Coupla of toadfish (including one spotted by yours truly). No seahorses, no whale sharks.
Water temperature was perfect. Me and my group dove in swim suits only and were completely comfortable. of course, we're from New Jersey so we're a bit more used to cold water than folks down south. Adjust accordingly if you're not cold tolerant.
I do have two gripes about the diving: 1. Lack of diversity. Besides the one wreck dive, every dive we did was exactly the same. Go down to about 70' on the wall, swim along for 15 minutes, then ascend to 30' and burn the rest of the hour/air. Then on the second dive just hang out at 30' for an hour. No matter where we went, everything looked exactly the same. Kinda made me think "why am I paying for a boat to take me out here when I could experience the same thing simply by swimming out 200yards and staying at 20' for as long as my air lets me?" 2. Cattle boat. Most of the trips we had about 10 divers on the boat, and the dive would consist of the DM/DMT out front leading, everybody strung out behind him in a line, and then a few DMTs in the back sweeping people along. Woulda been nicer if they simply said "there's the water, here's a briefing, see ya in an hour, have fun with your buddy." Granted, Coconut Tree only had 1 boat in service the week we were there. The other was being painted. I imagine that this had something to do with the mixture of OW checkout dives and slightly more experienced divers capable of going off on their own.
Bonus: If you're diving with the boat, you get free snorkeling priviledges on the boat. Just show up at the boat with your fins and mask, and go snorkeling for free.
Diving personnel:
All the CTD DMs and DMTs were great. very friendly, very helpful. Safety conscious. Ready to help out.
Gear:
I brought the majority of my own gear, but from what I saw, the loaner gear (free!) was your typical tropical loaner gear. buncha calypso regs and oceanic BCDs. 2 in my group used it, didn't have any problems. On a side note, I recently got my own reg. WHAT A DIFFERENCE. Night and day over rental regs (which was what I was using for the last few years). Breathing was easier, the mouthpiece was ridiculously comfortable (no more sore jaw after a day of diving), and the venturi valve thing actually seemed to work (no more free flowing when its upside down). Aqualung Glacia, if you're wondering. I'm not saying to get an aqualung, but pay the extra cash to get a top of the line reg. Is worth it when you end the day not hating your reg for destroying your gums and jaw muscles.
Lodging:
Coconut Tree Cabins, West End, was very nice. The cabin we were in (forget the number but its the 'big'one) had 2 bedrooms, 4 beds, a full bathroom, a large kitchen/living area/dining room, and a porch with a bench and hammock. AC was included. Full fridge, TV, stove, sink. All for $100/night. We could have possibly have found a better deal (such as Mi Casa which offered us an EXCELLENT last minute price unfortunately just a day after we locked into CTC), but there's something to be said for having lots of room and being directly next to your diving shop. A 30 second walk to and from the dive center (which is nice when you're carrying 40lbs of soaking wet gear on your back).
AC kept the house downright CHILLY. None of us caught anything from showering/brushing our teeth/washing utensils and cups in the water. However, we only drank bottled water (or salva vida and fleur de cana).
A note on cooking: the cabin did come with some cooking supplies (pots, plates, spaghetti spoon thingy, etc), and we fully intended to make use of them. At home we're big cookers. However, a mixture of cheap food, better things to do, and tiredness conspired to keep us from cooking. Basically, we didn't have the time or the willpower to stop diving/drinking/eating excellent cheap food to spend time making a meal.
Weather:
Was hot. And humid. You acclimate pretty quickly, though. I overpacked. Shoulda brought 2 pairs of shorts, 10 t-shirts, a polo or two, sandals, and lots of underwear. No shoes (nothing fancy enough to wear to), no sneakers (too hot to jog even in the morning), no long sleeve shirts/pants (too hot to ever need one). You get the picture. Only rained once, and that was at like 10 at night so it wasn't a big deal. One power out, but the cabins have a backup generator so it didn't really bother us.
Food:
Lots of restaurants. Personal favorites: Bowl of Noodles, Rotisserie Chicken, and the Chapa Catrachas stall (banging baleadas for $1.50? YES PLEASE). I personally brought a coupla boxes of granola bars/trailmix/energy bars/candy for the trip, just to have something to munch on. The grocery stores stock similar items to convenience stores in the states. Pro-tip: a salty snack such as potato chips or fritos or something after diving is key.
Social life:
Awesome. Seriously, the town is one dirt road running along the water. All the buildings are either dive shops, hotels, restaurants, or bars. At night, you basically walk down the strip looking into each bar (they're all open air) to see which is happening. One note: People seem to go right from dinner to the bars, so the high point is generally 9pm to 10pm. If you're used to not going to bars till 11, adjust accordingly. Sundowners is nice during the day cause its right on the water and you can drag a reclining deck chair into the water and drink a beer halfway submerged. feels like a Corona commercial.
Sub category: Beers: Salva Vida, Imperial, Port Royal, and Barena. All are cheap, all taste the same. Go with whatevers cheapest.
Miscellaneous:
ATMs: A coupla are in west end now. We didn't have any trouble using them. Although, the one outside of CTDs wasn't on my network, apparently, but the one by one of the pizza shops was.
Water taxis: don't bother negotiating, its $3/person one way to west bay (basically a developed version of west end where everything is an all-inclusive or resort type place. west end was better. West Bay is worth a trip once just to walk along the beach (which is nicer than West End's, but whatever) and do the tiki bar thing).
Sand flies/fleas: never had a problem with them. I brought some cactus juice along and used it most of the time, but i forgot it a coupla times, didn't have any issues. Course, i wasn't rolling around in the sand, either. At night, however, there are bugs flying around that will give you a nasty welt. I used some 30% DEET from Deep, worked pretty well.
Language: everyone who needs to speaks english.
Taxis: Really shouldn't need one if you stick to West End (only a half mile long, MAX). Otherwise, they're fun to ride in cause they CRAZY.
Right, this is long enough. Bottom line: If you're considering going, GO. Is fun. Its a tropical paradise for dirt cheap. Get it while the gettings good.
