grantwiscour
Contributor
Well it took me a little while to make all the videos and double-check log books and dive computers but I finally got the trip report for Guanaja finished. It is a bit lengthy, I apologize in advance but wanted to be thorough.
Guanaja, Bay Islands, Honduras
July 4-11, 2013
A friend dropped us off at DFW @ 5:45 am on Independence Day at the United Terminal. With our last giant batch of FF miles I had gotten us two First Class tickets to Roatan. DFW to Houston with a three hour layover in Houston and then the International Terminal for our flight to Guanaja.
The Roatan Airport was a bit different, small but very friendly. Baggage clerks were helpful with our five bags...getting them to the Honduras customs inspection area and getting us to the Lanhsa Air desk. We had a two and a half hour wait for our jumper flight to La Ceiba and then Guanaja. A quick flight of @ twenty minutes to La Ceiba with twenty minutes on the ground in La Ceiba.
La Ceiba to Guanaja was @ twenty minutes. Small plane with about 14 seats. We sait in the front of the plane so we could look at the cockpit. It was unusual to get to look at the gauges and watch the view from the pilot's view. Very interesting and a fun start to the trip.
Arriving at the airstrip in Guanaja and I mean an airstrip, not an airport from the US standards but appropriate for the locale.
George and Ginger were waiting at the airstrip to pick us up in the skiff and take us to Clearwater Paradise.
First impressions of Clearwater Paradise were very nice. The grounds very well manicured and maintained with lots of trees; almond, mango, plantain, palms and avocados. Tropical flowers were growing everywhere...a very nice set up.
The lodge has three floors with rooms on all floors. We stayed in a suite on the second floor next to the restaurant and bar.
Nice room with A/C, a large walk-in shower in the bathroom. We would have preferred a door separating the toilet from the bedroom but ok, we can adjust.
George and Ginger are ex-pats from Austin, TX. 2013 is their fifth year on Guanaja. Before moving to Guanaja, George ran the Clearwater Paradise
Dive Shop in Austin. His dream was to move to Roatan and start a dive operation. As he saw Roatan grow and more and more cruise ships come to Roatan, they realized that they may have to adjust the "dream" to someplace without the "stir" of Roatan; Guanaja was the place.
Talking with George about diving I quickly realized that he has a deep-level of experience and dive-knowledge.
It was fun and interesting to hear his stories of diving with the cave divers that kicked off the sport at Ginnie Springs and other cave spots. George is quite talkative and only takes a short breath between stories or sentences.
After a nice dinner of seared tuna, red beans and rice (not the cajun-style) and a strawberry sorbet for dessert we retired to the room to catch up on sleep. Comfortable bed and cold A/C made for a good night sleep. I woke up just after sunrise and realized that it was 5am. It gets light early on Guanaja.
Breakfast of fresh fruit, cheese omelets and plantains was another tasty meal.
We would quickly find out that food was served often and more than we were really used to eating.
After getting a good nights rest and some breakfast, our DM Witi and boatman Jonathan, took us to do a check-out dive at Blue Leak at Blue Leak Channel; just outside of the lagoon. Parrotfish, grouper, one barracuda, a Ray, a long and slim spotted moray, one lionsfish and many other fish were spotted on this dive. Witi lead the dive through the channel and back to the boat.
Very nice and easy dive. Max depth acheived on this dive was 48'. Since it was our first day I didn't bring the camera...that starts tomorrow.
Returning to the lodge for lunch and an SI we ate a very tasty fish-cake pastela lunch.
Second dive of the day was to Black Rock a dive with lots of topography. Three rays were spotted. Lots of small jellyfish that were quite innocuous and didn't sting or bother us. The dive took us through large cracks in the reef, some 30'-50' tall and wound us through several swim throughs. Another fun dive.
Day Two was filled with more food and diving.
Bayman Wall was a great dive with lots of cool structure. You'll get a good idea by the video. Start off on a reef that is thriving with corals and fish and drop down along the wall.
Our max depth on this dive was 82' with the water temp 82 degrees.
Viz was @ 40' where it started to "milk out". There had been recent storm and some light rain the day and night before.
We were happy with the viz and definitely with the dive site.
Bayman Wall Scuba Dive, Guanaja - Island Time - YouTube
Our guide was Witi from G&G's Clearwater Paradise where we stayed. Jonathan tended the boat and assisted us with our gear.
We were the only guests and only divers and that made it great. Private guide on a secluded and pristine island.
I'm not a pro videographer or cameraman but I like to use video to log the dive. It certainly helps me remember a lot better. YMMV
We dived Michael Rock on the North Side of Guanaja 7/6/13. It was another great dive. Water temp of 82 degrees with viz @ 40'.
The rains the prior night brought down the viz but it didn't stop us. Anything better than the 5'-8' that we are used to in our Texas lakes is a blessing to us.
We spotted a nice green Moray, lionfish, angelfish, parrotfish, wrass, plenty of coral and sponges as well a a school of barracuda that followed us the entire dive.
Max depth on this dive was 55'. Dive lasted about 1 hour and 15 minutes. At Clearwater Paradise you dive your tank...a couple times we dove it down to the last few breaths.
Scuba Diving Michael Rock, Guanaja - Great Day To Be Alive - YouTube
The next day we went to Osgood Hole
Another excellent dive. This one was our of our favorite dives of the trip. My wife wrote "Great Dive!" in her dive log.
Water temp was 81 and viz was @ 25'. We were still happy to be diving. Great reef walls with lots of life. Spotted several lobsters and other cool critters. Giant swarms of fry swimming around and in the crevasses and holes. Dropped down to @ 77' and through some tight nooks in the rock. The fry were so thick the viz dropped to a foot...kinda like back home and kinda not.
Scuba Diving Osgood Hole, Guanaja - South Side of Heaven - YouTube
I can't say enough good things about our DM Witi. Kind and gentle Witi guided us through the mazes of underwater structure around Guanaja. He kept an eye on us and pointed out creatures we might have missed without intruding or being a buzzkill on our dives.
We dove our tanks...this dive lasted a little longer than an hour. Witi's assistant Jonathan stayed topside and alert in case of any issues.
No issues for us on this trip thankfully. They are a fun and happy crew above and below the water.
Later that afternoon we dove "The Pinnacle". This would be the deepest dive of our trip. We reached a max depth of 133' swimming through the canyons and caverns.
Scuba Diving The Pinnacle, Guanaja - Life Is A Highway - YouTube
We also went to Wonderful Reef...and it was. Lots of great life; fish and corals, spotted eel, barracuda, sand dollars, sea biscuits, a suck fish and a sea cucumber.
Wonderful Reef Scuba Dive, Guanaja - Lost In The Dream - YouTube
Black Rock was another site with great swim throughs and reef structure. Check out the video:
Black Rock, Guanaja Scuba Dive - Fit To Kill (And Going Out in Style) - YouTube
One rainy morning we set out for the Jado Trader on the South Side of Guanaja. A storm moved on us just outside the Cay and we had to retreat in "white-Out" conditions. After a short wait the storm passed and we moved on to the Trader. Cool wreck dive with some penetration. The lionfish were as bad as I have ever seen. More than fifty were hanging out in part of the wreck...we chose to go the other way and found other parts to explore.
Scuba Diving The Jado Trader, Guanaja - Gravity's Gone - YouTube
After a SI we went to Longreef Point. The coral was amazing. Large and healthy Staghorn Coral and Fan Coral.
Longreef Point Scuba Dive, Guanaja - Searching For A Rainbow - YouTube
We did a night dive at Blue Leak Channel and saw some interesting creatures. I filmed an Arrow Crab catch a worm and drag it off and a nice Purple-Mouth Eel showing his slender body.
Blue Leak Channel, Guanaja - Night Dive - Hwy 61 (Revisited) - YouTube
Tito's Labryinth and Black Rock Dog Leg are both full of cracks, crevices, tunnels and swim throughs.
Titos Labyrinths Scuba Dive, Guanaja - Childish Things - YouTube
Scuba Diving Black Rock Dog Leg, Guanaja - The Skies Are Turning Red - YouTube
We had a good time in Guanaja. The reef and Island are in good condition. There aren't many palm trees and the ones you see are fairly short. Many other trees have taken a hold adn the jungle is lush.
It was a little work getting there from Roatan but not too big of a deal. Sea life was abundant, large and small
The soft and hard corals are impressive.
Clearwater Paradise has enough space for up to @ 20 people but my wife and I were the only guests for the entire stay. That was a nice bonus! We also did all the diving without any other groups on the boat and we didn't see another dive boat or divers the whole trip.
The place is secluded. No road to the "resort/lodge" and only one short road on the island. Most travel is by boat.
I recommend Guanaja to those looking for something more remote and without other people everywhere. We hope to return soon.
I put together a video for our non-diving friends/family that summarizes the trip.
If interested it is here: Guanaja Scuba Vacation - July, 2013 - YouTube
I'll be happy to answer any questions. Now I have to start the search for our next trip, maybe December. Any ideas?
Guanaja, Bay Islands, Honduras
July 4-11, 2013
A friend dropped us off at DFW @ 5:45 am on Independence Day at the United Terminal. With our last giant batch of FF miles I had gotten us two First Class tickets to Roatan. DFW to Houston with a three hour layover in Houston and then the International Terminal for our flight to Guanaja.
The Roatan Airport was a bit different, small but very friendly. Baggage clerks were helpful with our five bags...getting them to the Honduras customs inspection area and getting us to the Lanhsa Air desk. We had a two and a half hour wait for our jumper flight to La Ceiba and then Guanaja. A quick flight of @ twenty minutes to La Ceiba with twenty minutes on the ground in La Ceiba.
La Ceiba to Guanaja was @ twenty minutes. Small plane with about 14 seats. We sait in the front of the plane so we could look at the cockpit. It was unusual to get to look at the gauges and watch the view from the pilot's view. Very interesting and a fun start to the trip.
Arriving at the airstrip in Guanaja and I mean an airstrip, not an airport from the US standards but appropriate for the locale.
George and Ginger were waiting at the airstrip to pick us up in the skiff and take us to Clearwater Paradise.
First impressions of Clearwater Paradise were very nice. The grounds very well manicured and maintained with lots of trees; almond, mango, plantain, palms and avocados. Tropical flowers were growing everywhere...a very nice set up.
The lodge has three floors with rooms on all floors. We stayed in a suite on the second floor next to the restaurant and bar.
Nice room with A/C, a large walk-in shower in the bathroom. We would have preferred a door separating the toilet from the bedroom but ok, we can adjust.
George and Ginger are ex-pats from Austin, TX. 2013 is their fifth year on Guanaja. Before moving to Guanaja, George ran the Clearwater Paradise
Dive Shop in Austin. His dream was to move to Roatan and start a dive operation. As he saw Roatan grow and more and more cruise ships come to Roatan, they realized that they may have to adjust the "dream" to someplace without the "stir" of Roatan; Guanaja was the place.
Talking with George about diving I quickly realized that he has a deep-level of experience and dive-knowledge.
It was fun and interesting to hear his stories of diving with the cave divers that kicked off the sport at Ginnie Springs and other cave spots. George is quite talkative and only takes a short breath between stories or sentences.
After a nice dinner of seared tuna, red beans and rice (not the cajun-style) and a strawberry sorbet for dessert we retired to the room to catch up on sleep. Comfortable bed and cold A/C made for a good night sleep. I woke up just after sunrise and realized that it was 5am. It gets light early on Guanaja.
Breakfast of fresh fruit, cheese omelets and plantains was another tasty meal.
We would quickly find out that food was served often and more than we were really used to eating.
After getting a good nights rest and some breakfast, our DM Witi and boatman Jonathan, took us to do a check-out dive at Blue Leak at Blue Leak Channel; just outside of the lagoon. Parrotfish, grouper, one barracuda, a Ray, a long and slim spotted moray, one lionsfish and many other fish were spotted on this dive. Witi lead the dive through the channel and back to the boat.
Very nice and easy dive. Max depth acheived on this dive was 48'. Since it was our first day I didn't bring the camera...that starts tomorrow.
Returning to the lodge for lunch and an SI we ate a very tasty fish-cake pastela lunch.
Second dive of the day was to Black Rock a dive with lots of topography. Three rays were spotted. Lots of small jellyfish that were quite innocuous and didn't sting or bother us. The dive took us through large cracks in the reef, some 30'-50' tall and wound us through several swim throughs. Another fun dive.
Day Two was filled with more food and diving.
Bayman Wall was a great dive with lots of cool structure. You'll get a good idea by the video. Start off on a reef that is thriving with corals and fish and drop down along the wall.
Our max depth on this dive was 82' with the water temp 82 degrees.
Viz was @ 40' where it started to "milk out". There had been recent storm and some light rain the day and night before.
We were happy with the viz and definitely with the dive site.
Bayman Wall Scuba Dive, Guanaja - Island Time - YouTube
Our guide was Witi from G&G's Clearwater Paradise where we stayed. Jonathan tended the boat and assisted us with our gear.
We were the only guests and only divers and that made it great. Private guide on a secluded and pristine island.
I'm not a pro videographer or cameraman but I like to use video to log the dive. It certainly helps me remember a lot better. YMMV
We dived Michael Rock on the North Side of Guanaja 7/6/13. It was another great dive. Water temp of 82 degrees with viz @ 40'.
The rains the prior night brought down the viz but it didn't stop us. Anything better than the 5'-8' that we are used to in our Texas lakes is a blessing to us.
We spotted a nice green Moray, lionfish, angelfish, parrotfish, wrass, plenty of coral and sponges as well a a school of barracuda that followed us the entire dive.
Max depth on this dive was 55'. Dive lasted about 1 hour and 15 minutes. At Clearwater Paradise you dive your tank...a couple times we dove it down to the last few breaths.
Scuba Diving Michael Rock, Guanaja - Great Day To Be Alive - YouTube
The next day we went to Osgood Hole
Another excellent dive. This one was our of our favorite dives of the trip. My wife wrote "Great Dive!" in her dive log.
Water temp was 81 and viz was @ 25'. We were still happy to be diving. Great reef walls with lots of life. Spotted several lobsters and other cool critters. Giant swarms of fry swimming around and in the crevasses and holes. Dropped down to @ 77' and through some tight nooks in the rock. The fry were so thick the viz dropped to a foot...kinda like back home and kinda not.
Scuba Diving Osgood Hole, Guanaja - South Side of Heaven - YouTube
I can't say enough good things about our DM Witi. Kind and gentle Witi guided us through the mazes of underwater structure around Guanaja. He kept an eye on us and pointed out creatures we might have missed without intruding or being a buzzkill on our dives.
We dove our tanks...this dive lasted a little longer than an hour. Witi's assistant Jonathan stayed topside and alert in case of any issues.
No issues for us on this trip thankfully. They are a fun and happy crew above and below the water.
Later that afternoon we dove "The Pinnacle". This would be the deepest dive of our trip. We reached a max depth of 133' swimming through the canyons and caverns.
Scuba Diving The Pinnacle, Guanaja - Life Is A Highway - YouTube
We also went to Wonderful Reef...and it was. Lots of great life; fish and corals, spotted eel, barracuda, sand dollars, sea biscuits, a suck fish and a sea cucumber.
Wonderful Reef Scuba Dive, Guanaja - Lost In The Dream - YouTube
Black Rock was another site with great swim throughs and reef structure. Check out the video:
Black Rock, Guanaja Scuba Dive - Fit To Kill (And Going Out in Style) - YouTube
One rainy morning we set out for the Jado Trader on the South Side of Guanaja. A storm moved on us just outside the Cay and we had to retreat in "white-Out" conditions. After a short wait the storm passed and we moved on to the Trader. Cool wreck dive with some penetration. The lionfish were as bad as I have ever seen. More than fifty were hanging out in part of the wreck...we chose to go the other way and found other parts to explore.
Scuba Diving The Jado Trader, Guanaja - Gravity's Gone - YouTube
After a SI we went to Longreef Point. The coral was amazing. Large and healthy Staghorn Coral and Fan Coral.
Longreef Point Scuba Dive, Guanaja - Searching For A Rainbow - YouTube
We did a night dive at Blue Leak Channel and saw some interesting creatures. I filmed an Arrow Crab catch a worm and drag it off and a nice Purple-Mouth Eel showing his slender body.
Blue Leak Channel, Guanaja - Night Dive - Hwy 61 (Revisited) - YouTube
Tito's Labryinth and Black Rock Dog Leg are both full of cracks, crevices, tunnels and swim throughs.
Titos Labyrinths Scuba Dive, Guanaja - Childish Things - YouTube
Scuba Diving Black Rock Dog Leg, Guanaja - The Skies Are Turning Red - YouTube
We had a good time in Guanaja. The reef and Island are in good condition. There aren't many palm trees and the ones you see are fairly short. Many other trees have taken a hold adn the jungle is lush.
It was a little work getting there from Roatan but not too big of a deal. Sea life was abundant, large and small
The soft and hard corals are impressive.
Clearwater Paradise has enough space for up to @ 20 people but my wife and I were the only guests for the entire stay. That was a nice bonus! We also did all the diving without any other groups on the boat and we didn't see another dive boat or divers the whole trip.
The place is secluded. No road to the "resort/lodge" and only one short road on the island. Most travel is by boat.
I recommend Guanaja to those looking for something more remote and without other people everywhere. We hope to return soon.
I put together a video for our non-diving friends/family that summarizes the trip.
If interested it is here: Guanaja Scuba Vacation - July, 2013 - YouTube
I'll be happy to answer any questions. Now I have to start the search for our next trip, maybe December. Any ideas?
