My wife and I are returning to Roatan this winter. We largely snorkeled on last trip. This winter we’d like to complement our vacation with some diving. I am open water certified. She will need retraining. Can you recommend a diveshop in Westend area? We also plan a few days on Utila. fyi on our last trip we brought medical supplies to donate to Clinica Esperanza. It is a worthwhile cause.
Dive shop recs in Roatan, Utila
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Hey there! We were in West End this spring and used Reef Gliders. We really liked the shop, owners, boats, and guides. We did have a DM-in-training lead two of our dives, and he was (understandably) not as polished as a seasoned guide. Family members have also used Sun Divers in West End and speak highly of them as well. One advantage of Reef Gliders to some other shops is they have a dock and two boats, so they can divide divers by experience level.
Welcome to ScubaBoard @Pudgy !
Last November a long-time SB member that has been diving Roatan for years posted something about West End that based on my own conversations with other divers on and off the boat is spot on (my own Roatan diving has been exclusively with shops in West Bay, not West End):
So really it's a question of the "vibe" you are looking for and to some extent where you are staying - West End (as I'm sure you know since it's not your first time on the island) isn't very big but even so if you're staying at one end you don't necessarily want to be diving with someone at the other end.
Utila is a similar story - a lot depends on where you are staying. "In town" there lots of options. If you are staying on the South Shore or one of the Cays then We Dive Utila has been highly recommended.
If you haven't already, check out the ScubaBoard Bay Islands forum here. You'll find a lot of helpful insight into both destinations.
Last November a long-time SB member that has been diving Roatan for years posted something about West End that based on my own conversations with other divers on and off the boat is spot on (my own Roatan diving has been exclusively with shops in West Bay, not West End):
So really it's a question of the "vibe" you are looking for and to some extent where you are staying - West End (as I'm sure you know since it's not your first time on the island) isn't very big but even so if you're staying at one end you don't necessarily want to be diving with someone at the other end.
Utila is a similar story - a lot depends on where you are staying. "In town" there lots of options. If you are staying on the South Shore or one of the Cays then We Dive Utila has been highly recommended.
If you haven't already, check out the ScubaBoard Bay Islands forum here. You'll find a lot of helpful insight into both destinations.
Scratch_Monkey
Registered
We go to Roatan almost every year and stay at Splash Inn. We like it. It's not luxurious but it's reasonably priced, air conditioned, well located, and you can get dives for as low as $35 if you do a certain number (I think it's 10?).
They do three dives a day (plus a night dive sometimes). For me, it's almost like a shore-based live-aboard where you wake up, get your breakfast (free for divers), go dive, come back and eat a snack at the shop, go dive, come back, get lunch (not free), go dive, come back take a nap, go to dinner, and then repeat the next day.
They also have an "all inclusive" package but we like to go out to the different restaurants for dinner and have never tried it.
But probably a lot of shops/hotels in the West End are similar so maybe narrow it down to a few and look up reviews here and on Scubaboard.com?
On Utila, I've only stayed at Alton's Dive Center which mainly caters to younger divers. You can actually stay at Anton's for free if you are diving with them but it's in a shared dorm without A/C.
They also have a few private air-conditioned rooms for very reasonable prices (I think I paid $40 a night back in 2019?) but those rooms are small. I was solo so not a problem for me. But if all you want is a bed and a place to put your stuff, it's a great bargain.
I was in Utila when the Covid sh*t hit the fan (March 2020). I remember getting back and my boss telling me that I picked the worst week to go on vacation. I responded that I thought I picked the BEST week to go on vacation as I actually got a vacation in before that was all shut down.
They do three dives a day (plus a night dive sometimes). For me, it's almost like a shore-based live-aboard where you wake up, get your breakfast (free for divers), go dive, come back and eat a snack at the shop, go dive, come back, get lunch (not free), go dive, come back take a nap, go to dinner, and then repeat the next day.
They also have an "all inclusive" package but we like to go out to the different restaurants for dinner and have never tried it.
But probably a lot of shops/hotels in the West End are similar so maybe narrow it down to a few and look up reviews here and on Scubaboard.com?
On Utila, I've only stayed at Alton's Dive Center which mainly caters to younger divers. You can actually stay at Anton's for free if you are diving with them but it's in a shared dorm without A/C.
They also have a few private air-conditioned rooms for very reasonable prices (I think I paid $40 a night back in 2019?) but those rooms are small. I was solo so not a problem for me. But if all you want is a bed and a place to put your stuff, it's a great bargain.
I was in Utila when the Covid sh*t hit the fan (March 2020). I remember getting back and my boss telling me that I picked the worst week to go on vacation. I responded that I thought I picked the BEST week to go on vacation as I actually got a vacation in before that was all shut down.
I'm a big fan of Native Son. Very chill shop. Great team of DM's, instructors, and captains. Family owned and operated. Also, the baleadas at Yahongreh are amazing!
SuperSeaMonkey
Contributor
Roatan:
I really liked Seagrape Plantation when I went there. The rooms are fancy like American style resorts like Anthony's Key or Coco View, but you also don't have the high prices. I really liked the dive staff there. Very friendly and good dive guides. The dive shop and dock to the boat was about 100-200ft walk from the door steps of the ocean view bungalow that I stayed in. You can literally roll out of bed on onto the dive boat. They also have modern and fast boats to get you to the dive sites quick.
Really great value and it's a couple min walk from the main drag where all the other dive shops and restaurants are on the West End. I didn't mind the walk since if you stayed on the main drag you would have loud music and noise in the evenings when everyone hits the bars to party and get wasted.
I really liked Seagrape Plantation when I went there. The rooms are fancy like American style resorts like Anthony's Key or Coco View, but you also don't have the high prices. I really liked the dive staff there. Very friendly and good dive guides. The dive shop and dock to the boat was about 100-200ft walk from the door steps of the ocean view bungalow that I stayed in. You can literally roll out of bed on onto the dive boat. They also have modern and fast boats to get you to the dive sites quick.
Really great value and it's a couple min walk from the main drag where all the other dive shops and restaurants are on the West End. I didn't mind the walk since if you stayed on the main drag you would have loud music and noise in the evenings when everyone hits the bars to party and get wasted.
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