Bo Bush in Guanaja

[rufous]

My wife and I will be celebrating our 10th Anniversary in late November and I am starting to research possible vacation destinations. We did our honeymoon at a Sandals resort in Jamaica and I am considering doing that again, but probably at a different spot just to see something new. Sandals is a possibility but it is also probably more money than we can afford so I am looking at other options as well. One option I am seriously considering is to go to Guanaja and stay and dive with Bo Bush.

It seems to be quite difficult to get to Guanaja so I wonder if someone can provide some info on how to get there without too much hassle or expense. I got an email from them that one of the family could transport us via boat from Roatan to Guanaja and back for $360 US total for the two of us. That seems to me to be pretty darn expensive. Are there other water taxis or airplane services?

One report I read on Tripadvisor indicated that Bo was perhaps not the best diving guide in that he was so laid back that he was not very attentive to his clients during dives. We are not very experienced divers (we have only done about 15 dives each) and our last diving was in April of 2005 so we could sure profit from an attentive dive master.

I am also concerned about the political issues in Honduras. Are US citizens at risk to travel there at present? Should we head for Cozumel instead? We have not dove in Cozumel either and sure would like to do that sometime but for some reason I am leaning toward the remote and laid back aspect of Guanaja (except that we do need an divemaster who will not leave us in his wake). Thanks for any tips or advice, Brian.

 

[Doc]

Guanaja would certainly be "something new" when compared to Sandals or Cozumel.

Trip Advisor is not the best place to get SCUBA advice, but by simply looking at the operation's website- you gotta wonder... where are the pix of the dive boats and dive op? Click for resort link How about more than one interior pix of the rooms?

In paradise, a dive guide is just that. There is no requirement for any certification, but if they have one, usually that is a highlighted selling point.

It would seem that $360 round trip (Roatan to Guanaja) might be about the going price (it's a really long haul from Roatan airport), maybe somebody here knows how it could be done cheaper, but don't get your hopes up about an airplane being any less expensive.

Roatan Charter does book trips to other resorts on Guanaja- they could set you up with transfers from Roatan if you called them. 800 282-8932

If you are concerned about "political issues", is there is anything that could be said here that could allay your fears? In short, what "strife" that there was occurred 200 miles away and has long since settled down to day-to-day life.

In terms of "laid back and remote aspect", you really can't find much in the Caribbean that would come close to Guanaja. It is, for right now, the end of the line. Not a bad thing- just understand that you are in for an adventure by any description!

 

[hopefulist]

You probably read my review on tripadvisor, too - I LOVED diving with Bo. It was just the 2 of us (my husband is usually off flyfishing) and the dive sites, incredibly varied and just plain incredible, were all within 5 minutes of the dock. Bo was a blast to dive with - the guy practically has gills. He was a divemaster at a different resort for many years and has well over 5000 dives under his belt. He was great at giving predive talks and took me to some incredible places, like inside a grotto with thousands of little silver fish swirling and racing around us; you could move your arm and they always stayed about 6 inches away. He found great joy in showing special places like that.

The cabin was nice, roomy, comfortable, not fancy. We ate our meals with Bo and sometimes other family members and the food was good - not as much fruit as we fix for ourselves when we're in the tropics but homemade and flavorful. It's a great value and in addition to the amazing diving, the snorkeling from shore was phenomenal. I think I was wet more than I was dry the week we stayed there. From there we headed to the south of the island and stayed at Graham's Place (not a dive place).

Getting to Guanaja can be a challenge and I haven't been there for nearly 2 years so can't help much with specifics. We flew from San Pedro Sula (SAP) to Guanaja via La Ceiba and from Guanaja back to La Ceiba, then crossed on a ferry to Utila and flew from there to SAP a week later. The flights are fairly limited but are likely still available (probably not daily - not sure). Be sure to confirm your flights a day or 2 ahead (or both!) and show up early to the airport; others we met on Guanaja were bumped though they'd had their tickets for weeks. I wouldn't plan on a boat crossing - long and could be rough depending on the weather.

Hope that helps! Let me know if I can answer more questions. Here's a link to my photos and blogs/travelogues. Happy trails!

 

[castaways01]

Hey Rufous,
Seas are unpredictable in November so you might want to consider flying. I took a new airline last week (when my Islena flight was cancelled 3x). It is Lanhsa. It was a small plane (8 passenger) but seemed well maintained. The schedule shows they fly to Guanaja from LaCeiba 2x day 6 days a week. The late afternoon RTB-LCE flight appears to align with the Guanaja flight. See Lanhsa Airlines | Inicio and turn on your Google translator. Of course, it could be here today and gone tomorrow...so keep that in mind when booking. Also, there was Guanaja Airlines running folks back and forth a year or so ago. I'll PM you some contacts for boats I know that go there.
Happy Travels!
Marcia
Caribe Pointe vacation rental by owner: 1 bedroom House rental that sleeps 3. Secluded - Caribbean at Your Door! - 2010 Inflation Fighter!

 

[aRea]

if you want superb service and a unique and private dive resort, with PADI certified dive master go to Villa on Dunbar Rock. villaondunbarrock.com :cool2: