Coco View or Anthony Key?

[Hintermann]

While at Coco View, don't limit yourself to night dives. My favorites there are dawn dives. Go in the water before daylight and watch the shift change on the reef from night to day. The other plus is that this means you can enjoy after dinner adult beverages.

Good idea. I did a very early morning (5am) dive in Fiji on the last day of the liveaboard cruise in July. Only 3 of us braved it with the divemaster and the Captain joined in. It was excellent.

I don't mind missing the 'adult beverage' in favour of a night dive. The latter gives me a better kick.

 

[Byte Me]

My wife (non-diver) and I were at CCV a few years ago. we both loved it. Easiest diving I've done - equaled only by an Aggressor trip and Capt Don's in Bonaire. Navigation on the CCV house reef is super easy as others have mentioned. It was a great trip and we're looking forward to getting back there.

I did my first dawn dive first trip to Bonaire and loved it. Very cool, especially when you can time it just right so you go out along the wall before sunrise, turn at sunrise and see everything switch and come to life on the way back! Get out rinse off, eat breakfast and get on the boat for your next dive!

 

[laurenceh]

what are your utila plans re. accommodation and diving? i've been living here six months a year since 2007 and will gladly answer questions.

 

[LiquidDivingAdventure]

Looking at the Bay Islands, there are more choices than have been mentioned. On Roatan, I often send folks to Reef House and get good reviews, Fantasy Island is so-so. On Utila, Deep Blue is a good resort along with Laguna Beach Resort and Utopia Village. My wife and I love the people and diving around the Bay Islands but for us, we are part of that 50% or so who get eaten alive by the sand flies on Roatan and no-see-ums on Utila. We now frequent the Caymans and Cozumel where there are no bugs. Number 1 thing to pack for the Bay Islands…bug repellant.

 

[Hintermann]

what are your utila plans re. accommodation and diving? i've been living here six months a year since 2007 and will gladly answer questions.

I have not made any specific decisions. At present I am looking at Deep Blue resort as the first preference, followed by Laguna Beach if the former are full. I have heard good reports about Utila Village Resort as well.
From what I can read between lines, Deep Blue seem the most "experienced diver friendly" (which is not usually the same as "novice diver friendly" in my experience) and in many ways not unlike Coco View in Roatan.

 

[laurenceh]

deep blue probably attracts the most hardcore divers and offers good basic accommodation and food. utopia has the nicest rooms and has a pretty out of the way location. lagunna beach is the biggest of the three resorts and is closest to town. however if you want a beautiful beach inside the reef with calm water for snorkeling right from your front door you should consider renting a home in the treasure beach/utila cays area and diving with utila cays diving. that area is very pretty and has a real desert island feeling and utila cays diving will pick you up from your house in their boat with your gear set up and ready to go. this area is also closest to the north side, which is the best diving on utila imho and its also closest to the utila cays if you want to picnic and/or snorkel around an uninhabited island. this Facebook page has lots of photos of that end of utila www.facebook.com/utilabeach

 

[CajunDiva]

I have not had the pleasure of diving Utila yet, but I can tell you that Steve at Deep Blue is somebody that I would absolutely want to do business with. Although there are many great dive ops there, Deep Blue would be my first choice in Utila because of his kindness and honesty.

 

[BDSC]

Another plug for Reef House Resort on Roatan. I have been to CoCoView and liked it but the area you dive with Reef House Resort was superior to the area you dive with CCV and the food at RHR was much better as well. You can night dive right off their dock. It's usually a few hundred cheaper for the week.

 

[Hintermann]

I can tell you that Steve at Deep Blue is somebody that I would absolutely want to do business with. Although there are many great dive ops there, Deep Blue would be my first choice in Utila because of his kindness and honesty.

I have spoken to him on the phone a couple of times on the phone and that is the impression I got too. Also, I like Deep Blue's, clear, well laid-out and very informative website. Such considerations might seem small but in my experience the impression created by the 'little' things is usually the correct one and reflects the overall operation of the set-up. So, as soon as I have my leave sorted out, I'll contact Deep Blue and Coco View as my first ports of enquiry. I consider myself a "die hard diver" and so these should suit me.

Incidentally, when I asked Steve to suggest a resort in Roatan for the following week, he mentioned Coco View.

 

[Doc]

I don't mind missing the 'adult beverage' in favour of a night dive. The latter gives me a better kick.

A night dive every night. That how I look at it, and that's why we return to Coco View Resort at least once a year. I manage 27 dives in a week, my wife settles for 20 or so. I am always amazed when other properties tout their "weekly night dive". Really?

There have been a few weeks at CCV that I never got on a boat, I just shore dived. The two walls and the wreck are just 250 off the shore- the shallow path to them is an aquarium in and of itself. Anybody who says that "it's the same old dive" is not observant and is going too fast. Go slow, stay shallow, get 1.5 hr BTs.

CCV is located in the middle of this very localized zone of shallow, Sunlit diving along the South shore... it is absolutely unique in the Caribbean.

It's a live aboard that doesn't make you sea sick.