Going to Roatan .. can someone help with some info?

[Knuspar]

As the topic states, me and two friends are planning to go to Roatan sometime may/june 2009. And i have a few questions id like to ask, just not 100% sure where to ask, but this forum seems to be filled with nice and help full people So here goes nothing =)

So far we have semi decided to go to Reef House resort. Read a lot of nice things about the place, and the dive master (David) from this forum. Though, we haven't booked anything yet.

So, were planning to stay on the island for around 7 days, were looking for a place/resort where there is all inclusive as in free food, and free diving (just regular air).

In short, we like to come prepared, and therefor we have a few questions

Question 1, is Reef house the right choice? Or should we go else where?
(The price is a small factor, we don't have unlimited funds, but we also know you get what you pay for) so it would be nice if it was around 900$ pr. person for the week.

Question 2, is there anywhere you can find a descent map of the dive sites on the island?
It seems the most dive sites are on the north side ( of the poor dive maps i have seen)? Or should we rely on the local dive center to have for for the area once we get there?

Question 3, how should we interpret what RoatanMan writes in another post?

The South Side wins 1st Place for beautiful critters, great for the more advanced divers with perfected buoyancy and observational skills, but others might have a better time again on the North/West side with the larger, more commonly observed and identified critters."

We are so far 3, 1 OWD and 2x AOWD. OWD guy has 10 logged dives, and us 2x AOWD have 25ish dives at the moment. We all consider us selves descent in buoyancy control, but we would rather be safe than sorry. So, are we taking chances by going south? Because we also read "Diving is rarely shut down on the South side, Diving on the North side (West End) does, quite often get shut down". Also, is it normal that you can shore dive 24/7 on the south side most places, but not on the north side, and if so, how come?

Question 4, anything above the water to look at, don't mind if its some pretty nature, anything will almost do, since we all 3 come from the cold and boring country of Denmark .. any suggestions?



Thank you in advance, for taking the time to read my post, and i hope you would bother to take some time to reply to on or more of our questions.

 

[Doc]

Question 2, is there anywhere you can find a descent map of the dive sites on the island?

www.manatmaps.com

It seems the most dive sites are on the north side ( of the poor dive maps i have seen)? Or should we rely on the local dive center to have for for the area once we get there?

If you were imagining that you will be able to pick your dive sites, understand that this is simply not going to happen. Not to any real degree. Factor in the price of fuel and the time spent bouncing around traveling, and they're going to want to take you to nearby sites. In that you are looking for an all inclusive, understand that not only will they likely not permit their tanks to be taken away, but there really is nowhere else for you to dive other than on their boats.

Big question here: How many dives per day and how many night dives were you looking to complete?

RHR will get you three a day, but it will take the entire day to do these. Other places you can get 4 a day in the same amount of time. Some other places offer only two a day. If you plan on diving more than twice a day, each day, an AI resort makes economic sense.

Question 3, how should we interpret what RoatanMan writes in another post? We are so far 3, 1 OWD and 2x AOWD. OWD guy has 10 logged dives, and us 2x AOWD have 25ish dives at the moment. We all consider us selves descent in buoyancy control, but we would rather be safe than sorry. So, are we taking chances by going south?

Interpret it literally: The South side is shallower and has less quantities of schooling large fish. What it does have are many more smaller, colorful juvenile fish, smaller and interesting crustaceans- it is universally known as a macro paradise. It is shallow and bathed in sunlight, a sure formula for lush growth. The "advanced diving" requiring excellent buoyancy and observational skills- that is necessary if you are going to have a good time diving there- the ability to get in close and look at things that are small. Think Seahorses, Garden Eels, Drums, colorful finger sized Crabs, take a look: http://www.scubaboard.com/gallery/showgallery.php?cat=3139

If you do not have these skill sets yet- if you enjoy looking at larger Parrotfish for example, you might want to dive the North and West. You will likely see Crabs and Lobsters on every dive. The Marine Reserve has been a great benefit in that regard. Advanced diving does not always mean deep diving and dealing with currents, inferior boats, etc. It may also have to do with other stuff we learn along the way. In my reference, it is not an issue of safety as you may have thought.

There are a lot of things to see on the North side, as well. The Odyssey is huge and it's a deep wreck dive (115') that provides a lot of divers with a memorable dive...

Because we also read "Diving is rarely shut down on the South side, Diving on the North side (West End) does, quite often get shut down".

During the months of your visit, this is a non issue.

Also, is it normal that you can shore dive 24/7 on the south side most places, but not on the north side, and if so, how come?

The only real shore dive on Roatan is from FIBR or CCV, it is 24/7. It's a matter of terrain and underwater geography. There is Spooky Channel on the North side, it's quite a hump for not a lot of return. The shore dive at AKR is universally regarded as a non-starter. Oak Ridge area, way East on the South side, does also offer shore diving, albeit unprotected from any weather~ this is where Reef House Resort is. It can be a good night dive if the weather is favorable.

Question 4, anything above the water to look at, don't mind if its some pretty nature, anything will almost do, since we all 3 come from the cold and boring country of Denmark .. any suggestions?

Here's a compendium: Activities at CCV and around Roatan - CoCo Chat
Understand that Reef House Resort is about as remote on Roatan as one can currently get and still be in an AI Resort. The one reliable restaurant (and it's great!) within easy distance is "The View". All other touristy type stuff is located West End and the nearby North properties, that includes zip lines, monkey & iguana center, the captive Dolphins... all of the stuff that is of interest to cruise ship passengers- guess where that is? Convenient to the docks, but about a 45 minute ride from RHR.

I see by your web page that you are interested in Sharks. On Roatan, there is a Shark Dive that is well discussed here on Scuba Board. It is also well regarded, too. From RHR it is an all day adventure, versus 1/2 day from most other resorts.

There really isn't much going on above water in Roatan, so don't get your hopes up. Roatan is pretty quiet, Oak Ridge is beyond that.

Remote can be good!

 

[Bay Island Diver]

"Diving is rarely shut down on the South side, Diving on the North side (West End) does, quite often get shut down"

That is way off the mark. I would say that on the North side it is too bumpy to dive outside the lagoon maybe 10 days a year. These ten days fall in the onths of Nov, Dec and January. In contrast the prevailing winds often great a swell in excess of 3-4 feet during the summer on the south, which doesn't shut down diving, but makes it uncomfortable for those susceptible to seasickness.

HTH

Will

 

[James Bond boat entry]

May want to investigate Cayos Cochinos as well, wonderful place!!!

http://www.plantationbeachresort.com/

 

[mrlipis]

While I have not been to the Reef house, you need to understand that once there, you are basically stuck. I am not a big fan of AI, although I have heard the food is good there. You might want to check out Los Rocas or Bananarama on West bay. I have seen Los Rocas advertise a week of diving and room for under $500.00. That leaves you with $400.00 for the week of dining where ever you like. Lot's of good dive sites, a beautiful beach and access to West end and other resorts.

Bruce

 

[Knuspar]

First of all, thank you for the input RoatanMan .. really appreciate it ( you other guys as well off course).

We plan to do 4+ dives a day (that's including a night dive) so AI will be cheapest im sure

I think were somewhat sure not to go RHR since its so far away from everything, alsro from what we read theres 3 dives a day from there by boat, and that takes up pretty much all time for the day. So were considering FIBR or CCV at the moment. Both places have nice reviews, though some complaing over the food on FIBR =/ Anotehr issue for us, is that we prefer not to dive in over crowded places, i mean, fantasy island has boats that carry up to 30 divers, and sometime ( so i read) they are packed .... were just not interested in diving to see air bubbles =/


As for the shark dive, it sounds interesting indeed. Read a nice review on another divers blog about the trip, with the whole story of who this italien insurance guy became "shark master" =) It annoys me though that i appears to be such a commercial thing (2 dives a day with ~20 divers paying 90$ a day) one thing is the fact theres 20 divers, that IMHO too many in the water for it to be pleasant. But commercializing it as much is a bad thing.

Here in Denmark, well, scandinavien, we have a diving magazine called DYK ( DIVE translated to danish) they had a travel special from december 2007 where i read about Roatan, and that was done by a guy who dove Roatan 15 years ago, and went back late 2007 to see the place for the review, he said there were hardly any scools of fish .. and he even told a horrific ( to me at least ) story of DM Greg from AK who blocked a Sea Turtles escape just for ~20 divers to finish taking pictures of the poor thing bathing in Flashes .. I dont hope we get to see behavior like this once we get to Roatan, but again you never know

Point beeing, is it really THAT "dead" in the waters around Roatan ( and Utila for that matter ) compared to 15 years ago? You must know RoatanMan

 

[Doc]

Point beeing, is it really THAT "dead" in the waters around Roatan ( and Utila for that matter ) compared to 15 years ago? You must know RoatanMan

Sure I know, and yes- it has degraded. Just like every other place that you can dive. I read DYK, or try to, as well as three other European magazines. Most people here in North America do not understand the wide range of different areas and operations that are marketed to Europeans versus our limited, high dollar view.

I began recreational diving in warm waters/pretty fish while in Cayman in the 1970's. By 1985 it was absolutely unrecognizable. That's why they cultured the Sting Ray City dive. I went back in 1990 and although I thought I had seen the worst of it 5 years earlier, I was wrong. Development run-off and reef siltation decimated what was left of the area South of Georgetown early on. Now the rest looks the same.

I have seen Roatan take this turn, comparatively in a much accelerated manner.

So, yes- it has degraded. But from the report the writer offered, from what I could tell- he took a rather myopic view of the island by only diving with that one outfit. I think you'll find some very eco-firiendly operations on the West End and with CoCoView. DM's everywhere are trying to impress their guests (and get better tips) but it tells you a lot about the type of guest divers that an operation regularly attracts if a DM makers that part of his standard behavior pattern.

With the advent and early success of the Marine reserve, the North & West sides have taken what was geographically dramatic and stark, rugged walls, formerly devoid of fish life, and repopulated them with the Apex predators- the larger Fish, the easily seen Crustaceans, Moray Eels, etc. The pelagics and the hunters own the place. It was headed toward underwater desert and oblivion, but now it boasts the best in the Caribbean for that particular type of niche environment and the critters it attracts. It reminds me on the North and East of Cayman in the 80's... and is getting better every day.

Many FIBR DM's (among others) regularly feed surreptitiously on every dive. Is that so different than the Canned Shark Dive and Rodeo? I still think it's one of the best I have ever seen- referring to the pre-dive brief, the boat's rigging lines for current, the location with the reef wall as a nice shadow in the currents... but it's still a Shark feed. I don't think that they take more than 10 on a boat ride, and for advanced divers (those with the experience of small boat diving and recovery), this is not a big deal. Otherwise, I'm not sure what you were getting at. Either go and have that experience, or take a pass. If you're jealous of their lifestyle and success- take a number

My wife, aka "Herself", had seen a Shark or three in the Galapagos and a few in the natural reef environment, not really all that many. She flopped in on the Roatan Shark dive, moved to the down line- and from the surface, 65' below, she saw the Sharks circling for dinner. She thought, "OK, Sharks, can we go now?"

The DYK writer never noticed what my wife and many others have figured out- Roatan's unique offering is in the small and macro life. You crack open the Paul Humann Fish and Creature ID books, and you can tick off all of the entries if you go slowly and close along the shallow South side. Hurry and see this before it is degraded to a point where it's just another Caribbean dive.

I went to the Maldives and watched it change with the warmer waters and bleaching. The Europeans veered away and started going to the Seychelles and the Southern Asian areas. It still looked pretty good to most of us Americans! I think the DYK writer was writing about a destination that he knew few would bother going to from Scandinavia- so he was safe in showing you how critical and mature his tastes were. There is still plenty to see on Roatan.

You were going to wait what? - another 15 years?

The only other place in the Caribbean that offers similar unique creatures is Klein Bonaire, the small island offshore Bonaire. The shore diving in Bonaire has taken a similar turn as Cayman, leaving the house reefs from the classic dive lodges to the North of town a mere shadow of what they were.

It's the ocean, we're in the process of destroying it- even as we show up to love it.

As to your wanting 4x a day plus a night dive? The only place on Roatan for that is CoCoView. That's because they do two boats a day, with two tanks each. Any other method is impractical both in terms of time and cost. The night dive is right there at your feet. This is well discussed here on SB.

See it now, before it's all gone.

 

[Knuspar]

Sure I know, and yes- it has degraded. Just like every other place that you can dive. I read DYK, or try to, as well as three other European magazines. Most people here in North America do not understand the wide range of different areas and operations that are marketed to Europeans versus our limited, high dollar view.

I began recreational diving in warm waters/pretty fish while in Cayman in the 1970's. By 1985 it was absolutely unrecognizable. That's why they cultured the Sting Ray City dive. I went back in 1990 and although I thought I had seen the worst of it 5 years earlier, I was wrong. Development run-off and reef siltation decimated what was left of the area South of Georgetown early on. Now the rest looks the same.

I have seen Roatan take this turn, comparatively in a much accelerated manner.

Thats just sad, not unforseeable, but sad.

So, yes- it has degraded. But from the report the writer offered, from what I could tell- he took a rather myopic view of the island by only diving with that one outfit. I think you'll find some very eco-firiendly operations on the West End and with CoCoView. DM's everywhere are trying to impress their guests (and get better tips) but it tells you a lot about the type of guest divers that an operation regularly attracts if a DM makers that part of his standard behavior pattern.

i totally agree, but imo, the DM "falling" for their tricks ain't better than the ones who will actually tip for that kid of behavior. And true, the reporter only visited AK which makes it kind of a narrow POV, i agree.

With the advent and early success of the Marine reserve, the North & West sides have taken what was geographically dramatic and stark, rugged walls, formerly devoid of fish life, and repopulated them with the Apex predators- the larger Fish, the easily seen Crustaceans, Moray Eels, etc. The pelagics and the hunters own the place. It was headed toward underwater desert and oblivion, but now it boasts the best in the Caribbean for that particular type of niche environment and the critters it attracts. It reminds me on the North and East of Cayman in the 80's... and is getting better every day.

Despite the sadness of it all, its a very good thing that something is being done to prevent it, so that makes me happy to read

Many FIBR DM's (among others) regularly feed surreptitiously on every dive. Is that so different than the Canned Shark Dive and Rodeo? I still think it's one of the best I have ever seen- referring to the pre-dive brief, the boat's rigging lines for current, the location with the reef wall as a nice shadow in the currents... but it's still a Shark feed. I don't think that they take more than 10 on a boat ride, and for advanced divers (those with the experience of small boat diving and recovery), this is not a big deal. Otherwise, I'm not sure what you were getting at. Either go and have that experience, or take a pass. If you're jealous of their lifestyle and success- take a number

Thrills me to hear we are only talking 10 persons pr. boat. And not, its not about being jealous I just think its somewhat sad that the sharks in the area, which are most likely the same bunch of sharks always, who keep returning for this chumming. Sure its somehow cool to be able to get to see sharks up close, but still ...

My wife, aka "Herself", had seen a Shark or three in the Galapagos and a few in the natural reef environment, not really all that many. She flopped in on the Roatan Shark dive, moved to the down line- and from the surface, 65' below, she saw the Sharks circling for dinner. She thought, "OK, Sharks, can we go now?"

Hehe, well saw some blacktipped reef sharks in the red sea,they were just a whole lot more shy than these appear to be, and they always came alone. I wouldn't rule out, going though, still an experience of a life time for sure, but im really torn over it =/

The DYK writer never noticed what my wife and many others have figured out- Roatan's unique offering is in the small and macro life. You crack open the Paul Humann Fish and Creature ID books, and you can tick off all of the entries if you go slowly and close along the shallow South side. Hurry and see this before it is degraded to a point where it's just another Caribbean dive.

I totally agree on that, he don't mention macro/micro in anyway at all. I just took it as a guideline anyway, which is how its meant if you ask me. Would be silly to just fall head ofver heels over one article in a magazine. But thats where one can see the true value of places like SB, where you can ask and get feedback on stuff like that I guess i need to get that Paul Humann Fish and Creature ID book so i can start ticking

I went to the Maldives and watched it change with the warmer waters and bleaching. The Europeans veered away and started going to the Seychelles and the Southern Asian areas. It still looked pretty good to most of us Americans! I think the DYK writer was writing about a destination that he knew few would bother going to from Scandinavia- so he was safe in showing you how critical and mature his tastes were. There is still plenty to see on Roatan.

You were going to wait what? - another 15 years?

Absolutly not, were going 2009

The only other place in the Caribbean that offers similar unique creatures is Klein Bonaire, the small island offshore Bonaire. The shore diving in Bonaire has taken a similar turn as Cayman, leaving the house reefs from the classic dive lodges to the North of town a mere shadow of what they were.

It's the ocean, we're in the process of destroying it- even as we show up to love it.

Tell me about it .. i dont get why we (humans) have such destructive behavior

As to your wanting 4x a day plus a night dive? The only place on Roatan for that is CoCoView. That's because they do two boats a day, with two tanks each. Any other method is impractical both in terms of time and cost. The night dive is right there at your feet. This is well discussed here on SB.

See it now, before it's all gone.

Thank you for that, im pretty sure CCV is where we need to go

And thanks for the detailed answers and explanations again, we really appriciate it