zeppelindiver
Contributor
Hello Zeeb,
As far as diving Roatan is concerned, like many places you have to know where to go to get the best diving. The diving on the south shore & east end of Roatan is better than in the West End/West Bay area in our opinion, and we do liveaboard charters in all of the Bay Islands including Roatan, Cayos Cochinos, etc. The recommendations for both Coco View & Barefoot Cay are excellent & they both operate in that area.
Since you have teenagers along you may also want to spend at least a part of your time in the West End area, there are lots of great little restaurants and shops etc in that area and many dive shops to choose from, we would recommend Scuba Roatan or Reef Gliders for good shops with small groups. There are also lots of options for accommodations there, from small hotels to larger resorts in the West Bay area. Bananarama in West Bay is a good operation & your kids would have a great time there. Cayos Cochinos is a stunning marine park with some excellent diving, however it is very isolated & difficult to access from Roatan, most people get there from the mainland via La Ceiba. There is only one resort there, a nice small eco resort called Turtle Bay Eco Resort, it's a good place to stay & they have their own onsite dive operation.
The reefs are very healthy and the coral off the south shore of Roatan is outstanding, dramatic walls full of color that plunge from 30 feet to over 140, with overhangs, swim throughs, canyons and chimneys. Roatan's reputation is built on the vibrancy of its coral reefs & they are the main reason divers come here, but again you need to get off the beaten track away from where most divers go. It's also important to go to dive sites at the right time of day, in general you want mornings on the south side & afternoons on the north, no light equals no color. If you would like to see some examples take a look at the photos on our Facebook page, we are far from professional photographers but they will give you an idea of what we dive in daily.
Roatan also has a huge variety of things to do on shore when you're not diving. A great place to look for deals & info about Roatan & Utila dive shops, hotels etc. is actually on Facebook, many of the resorts & dive operators, especially the smaller ones, primarily use Facebook to communicate and do not keep their websites very current. The Facebook pages however are often current right up to that day.
The island is beautiful & once you get away from the touristy western end much of it is untouched. There is a mixture of cultures that is quite fascinating and areas like Port Royal, Henry Morgan's old stronghold, are full of great history as well as terrific diving on pristine reefs. The biggest challenge our guests face is trying to balance diving with sailing, exploring, relaxing, and taking part in the many activities available. Even with all that, many people come here for a week & leave with no idea that 2/3 of the island is still undeveloped jungle and once you leave the tourist zone in the West End of the island you can spend days exploring the East End of the island, where much of the area does not even have roads & is only accessible by boat. The locals commute from village to village through channels cut through the mangroves, it is a complete contrast to the modern resorts of the West End of the island.
If you take a look at our website Zeppelin Dive & Sail | Roatan Live Aboard Sailing & Diving Charters it will give you a good starting place for information about Roatan & all the island has to offer. Even if you have no interest in our services please feel free to contact us with any questions about Roatan & the Bay Islands at zeppelinsail@gmail.com. We are more than happy to help anyone with questions about the area. Good luck with your decision & if we can help with any questions about Roatan & the Bay Islands just let us know!
As far as diving Roatan is concerned, like many places you have to know where to go to get the best diving. The diving on the south shore & east end of Roatan is better than in the West End/West Bay area in our opinion, and we do liveaboard charters in all of the Bay Islands including Roatan, Cayos Cochinos, etc. The recommendations for both Coco View & Barefoot Cay are excellent & they both operate in that area.
Since you have teenagers along you may also want to spend at least a part of your time in the West End area, there are lots of great little restaurants and shops etc in that area and many dive shops to choose from, we would recommend Scuba Roatan or Reef Gliders for good shops with small groups. There are also lots of options for accommodations there, from small hotels to larger resorts in the West Bay area. Bananarama in West Bay is a good operation & your kids would have a great time there. Cayos Cochinos is a stunning marine park with some excellent diving, however it is very isolated & difficult to access from Roatan, most people get there from the mainland via La Ceiba. There is only one resort there, a nice small eco resort called Turtle Bay Eco Resort, it's a good place to stay & they have their own onsite dive operation.
The reefs are very healthy and the coral off the south shore of Roatan is outstanding, dramatic walls full of color that plunge from 30 feet to over 140, with overhangs, swim throughs, canyons and chimneys. Roatan's reputation is built on the vibrancy of its coral reefs & they are the main reason divers come here, but again you need to get off the beaten track away from where most divers go. It's also important to go to dive sites at the right time of day, in general you want mornings on the south side & afternoons on the north, no light equals no color. If you would like to see some examples take a look at the photos on our Facebook page, we are far from professional photographers but they will give you an idea of what we dive in daily.
Roatan also has a huge variety of things to do on shore when you're not diving. A great place to look for deals & info about Roatan & Utila dive shops, hotels etc. is actually on Facebook, many of the resorts & dive operators, especially the smaller ones, primarily use Facebook to communicate and do not keep their websites very current. The Facebook pages however are often current right up to that day.
The island is beautiful & once you get away from the touristy western end much of it is untouched. There is a mixture of cultures that is quite fascinating and areas like Port Royal, Henry Morgan's old stronghold, are full of great history as well as terrific diving on pristine reefs. The biggest challenge our guests face is trying to balance diving with sailing, exploring, relaxing, and taking part in the many activities available. Even with all that, many people come here for a week & leave with no idea that 2/3 of the island is still undeveloped jungle and once you leave the tourist zone in the West End of the island you can spend days exploring the East End of the island, where much of the area does not even have roads & is only accessible by boat. The locals commute from village to village through channels cut through the mangroves, it is a complete contrast to the modern resorts of the West End of the island.
If you take a look at our website Zeppelin Dive & Sail | Roatan Live Aboard Sailing & Diving Charters it will give you a good starting place for information about Roatan & all the island has to offer. Even if you have no interest in our services please feel free to contact us with any questions about Roatan & the Bay Islands at zeppelinsail@gmail.com. We are more than happy to help anyone with questions about the area. Good luck with your decision & if we can help with any questions about Roatan & the Bay Islands just let us know!
