Coral Cay Conservation

[fungi3001]

hi, ive booked to go to Roatan with CCC this summer for 5 weeks and im really excited but have a few questions.

firstly has anyone ever been to it, either roatan or another of their bases? what was it like? (ive tried searching the forum but to no avail).

is malaria a problem there? ive heard various sources saying yes others saying no and some saying depends how worried you are. is it necessary to be taking anything for it?

i have a 5 mil wetsuit and they suggest a 3mil. what is the water temp around august and is 5 a bit overkill? i generally am not to worried about the cold but maybe over a few weeks itll be worth having the thicker suit?

hows the journey at the honduras end (im flying from london via houston and im only 17 - this is my first big trip alone) is it simple to get from san pedro sula to roatan or can it be a problem?

thats all i can think of right now, but any advice and info you have will be very much appreciated

thanks
guy

 

[Doc]

hi, ive booked to go to Roatan with CCC this summer for 5 weeks and im really excited but have a few questions.

firstly has anyone ever been to it, either roatan or another of their bases? what was it like? (ive tried searching the forum but to no avail).

is malaria a problem there? ive heard various sources saying yes others saying no and some saying depends how worried you are. is it necessary to be taking anything for it?

i have a 5 mil wetsuit and they suggest a 3mil. what is the water temp around august and is 5 a bit overkill? i generally am not to worried about the cold but maybe over a few weeks itll be worth having the thicker suit?

hows the journey at the honduras end (im flying from london via houston and im only 17 - this is my first big trip alone) is it simple to get from san pedro sula to roatan or can it be a problem?

thats all i can think of right now, but any advice and info you have will be very much appreciated

thanks
guy

The Malaria issue, and all of the others that you pose, have been discussed here before and well.

The website that CCC provides is very sketchy as to the location of the project, but it does mention the "Sandy Bay" reserves (a new one on me), and that would put it on the North side of the island. The pictures were of no identification value as they were fairly 'wide angle'.

That referenced 'sandy bay' location puts it in one of the more populated areas, but on the lee sheltered side of the island, near a lot of swampy flat areas with standing water. It is not too far from the West End and AKR, BIBR and IoLR.

I would carry enough DEET products with me to survive the entire time. Maybe even consider taking the quinine based drugs as a prophylaxis. Normally, I would not recommend this for most travellers to Roatan, but you have to know they're not putting you up at the best of the best. It could be buggy.

Read the archived posts under 'search' and look at the true predatory mennace of the Bay Islands, the Sand Fly.

You're going from Houston to the mainland to Roatan? No big deal, although for the same price they could have sent you from Houston to Roatan on Saturday with no stop. On Sunday the same route works thru Miami. I am not sure about your question... you do indeed have tix already, right? You will fly from SPS to Roatan with no problem. Mark your bags well.

The same puzzle in regards to your wetsuit. If you have a five, maybe a three would be more appropriate- but were you ready to pop out and buy one? August, a young person, probably not diving all that many times in a day.... wear a beanie and a lightweight 3 mil and you'll be fine. But- it's allways a personal thing. If all you have is the 5, bring it and just vent some cool water inside if needed.

After reading the website and knowing what I know about information that is issued by international study groups to Roatan, it sounds like you're about to attend a fairly pricey SCUBA camp with a naturalist in attendance. This is not a bad thing, just know that there are all sorts of ways to get this kind of experience, CCC is but one of them.

Keep us apprised of your decisions, progress and the events of your trip.

 

[fungi3001]

hey,

i just had the pre-deparure meeting for the trip.

the main thing that i found out is that the roatan site has now moved from sandy bay to St. Helena right in the east end of the island. ive been looking around but have not been able to find that much on it. whats it like there?

thanks roatanman for the info

guy

 

[Mincho]

Roatan is great and I personally don't think I would want to be cooped up at Coral Cay. I have never been there myself, but the DMs I know on the island call it jail because of what they perceive as a restrictive atmosphere. Anyway, I hope you have fun, but you might want to leave your options open to see some more of the island.

 

[Cornelius]

Coral Cay Conservation is certainly NOT a "scuba camp with a naturalist". CCC have been doing valuable conservation work around the world for many years now and Roatan is just one of their current sites.
Their work has been validated by the UN and the work they did in Belize over a period of 10 years was instrumental in the Belize Barrier Reef getting UNESCO World Heritage status a few years ago.
Be prepared for plenty of hard work..lots of learning and a whole lotta fun.

 

[Doc]

Your information that this Roatan/Sandy Bay (Hotasparrow)encampment was moved 17 miles East to St.Helena is a real blessing! You are in for a treat. Few divers to the Bay Islands get to experience what you're about to see.

Coral Cay Conservation is certainly NOT a "scuba camp with a naturalist". CCC have been doing valuable conservation work around the world for many years now and Roatan is just one of their current sites.
Their work has been validated by the UN and the work they did in Belize over a period of 10 years was instrumental in the Belize Barrier Reef getting UNESCO World Heritage status a few years ago.
Be prepared for plenty of hard work..lots of learning and a whole lotta fun.

Dear Gentle Reader:

You may, or may not, have misunderstood my comments.

Though, if the mark of worthiness is found in being validated by the UN, we may have a disagreement.

Certainly, more raw 'good' could be done by simply donating the entire monetary cost of the airflight, food and CCC participant fee to a worthy preservation organization.

In this case, if it is nothing more than SCUBA Camp with a great naturalist- there is nothing wrong with that. One young mind will be opened to the reality that we must see. We are killing our heritage. The reefs have seen a dramatic decline in the short 40 some years that I've been diving. Even the most remote Caribbean reefs have gone from virginal, untouched and pristine to "basic Nassau", or they're on the obvious path.

The very same reality that caused this operation to be moved from the now polluted North West side of Roatan, depeleted by development, run-off, dive operation effluvia, and location of the Island's garbage dump... to the unspoiled St Helena island that lies off of the far East end of Roatan.

After seeing what UNESCO status has done for Belice, I dearly hope they don't extend it the 90 miles to Roatan.

I encourage all to participate in these enlightening programs- but remember- you yourself become part of the problem. In the strictest sense, you are now degrading this environ merely be treading upon it.

Tread wisely.

 

[Cornelius]

Dear Roatanman

I agree with much of what you say. However, by suggesting that more good could come from donating the money to a "worthy preservation organisation" you are implying that CCC does not fall into this catergory. Who exactly would you suggest gets all this cash? I beg to differ and I think that if you knew a little more about the work they do and have been doing for many years your view might be different.

I do not suggest that the mark of worthiness in simply UN say-so, but I certainly wouldn't discount it either. The fact that the CCC founder was this year awarded an MBE by the Queen for "services to coral reef conservation" may also be an indicator of the good they do.

 

[fungi3001]

hi,
firstly thankyou roatan man for PMing me, its much appreciated.

secondly has anyone here been on a CCC expedition to roatan or anywhere else and can talk about their experiences.
i went to my LDS and spoke to someone who went to the phillipines. he said it was the most amzing experinece and it changes your whole outlook on diving. u learn to appreciate and understand the reef as a whole because you learn how it works as an ecosystem rather than just looking at thepretty fish.

also ive looked around for information on ST helena and have come across very little. can anyone give me a source to where i can find out more.

thanks
guy

 

[Doc]

Dear Roatanman

I agree with much of what you say. However, by suggesting that more good could come from donating the money to a "worthy preservation organisation" you are implying that CCC does not fall into this catergory. Who exactly would you suggest gets all this cash? I beg to differ and I think that if you knew a little more about the work they do and have been doing for many years your view might be different.

I do not suggest that the mark of worthiness in simply UN say-so, but I certainly wouldn't discount it either. The fact that the CCC founder was this year awarded an MBE by the Queen for "services to coral reef conservation" may also be an indicator of the good they do.

You're missing the point. Write the check to CCC and skip the trip. That's where I was headed.

Think of it- a pure donation and saving the overhead.

This is not to discourage young divers from participation. It more is directed to older divers, with established lives- wanting "to make a difference".

The best difference that one can make is to donate no strings attached cash.

 

[Doc]

also ive looked around for information on ST helena and have come across very little. can anyone give me a source to where i can find out more.

thanks
guy

There is no information on Helena because it is not inhabited except by subsistence fisherman, Garifuna and apparently the CCC.

From the Roatan airport (RTB), it is a solid 1 hour van ride, then maybe another hour by open dory boat. The roads to the East in Roatan get pretty sketchy at about Oak Ridge or Diamond Rock- iffy to Jonesville, and that's only about 2/3 the way to the Eastern end of the island of Roatan. The next town East is called Port Royal (S Side). On the North side you can pretty well drive to Alligator Nose where Paya Bay resort resides. From there, you gotta take a boat!

The "Isla de Santa Helena" is technicaly seperated from Roatan- but by only 6 feet. A North-South narrow canal was hacked thru the mangroves many years ago, and Helena (Elena) is now its own island.

It's maximum peak is 292 feet and in 1985 had 15 structures upon it, measuring 2 nm x 3/4 nm. Just south lies Isla Morada with one known dwelling and just NE lies Morat, then the privately owned island of Barbareta. If you see "Pepper" there, tell him that we met on the internet. He prolly won't shoot you, either way, but there's an edge for you.

Helena is so very remote that very few have dived there other than Moskito Divers in searech of lobster. I dove it to a large extent in the 80's and late 90's- and although it was enticing and inviting, there is absolutely no commercial infrastructure at this time to support habitation. Too bad (or maybe not) that it isn't serviced by liveaboards. You'll have the opportunity to see lots of critters.

If you want it, bring it.

Get a copy of "The Bay Islands, a political history" (or something like that), or the book titled, "An Evening Amongst the Headhunters" (Millman) for the few references to Helena that I have ever seen in print.

Either way- you're in for a treat.