Help! Big Ooops on Roatan

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Keep in mind CocoView Resort has a high volume of repeat business, often multiple repeat business, and if they consistently provided 'horrible customer service,' that would not be the case. Many love the place. Roatan has a range of dive op.s, including some with high brand recognition on Scuba Board (e.g.: Anthony's Key Resort and Turquoise Bay Resort).

Any large, long-term operation is likely to eventually have some snafus. In another thread, Boulder John shared some frustrations in dealing with Aggressor Fleet, and in this thread it's clear he paid more than others for a room that was supposed to be superior but...well... It's not the first time Aggressor Fleet has had criticism on ScubaBoard.

That said, I've been on 3 Aggressor boats with fine experiences, and really enjoyed CocoView Resort.

The testing mixup and associated costs sound highly aggravating. No question. It's quite possible people were acting in good faith based on their understanding of the info. they had, and sometimes in that context things still 'go to crap.'

My suggestion to people using this thread and others to research destinations is Look at the big picture. Read a number of trip reports, look for trends, consider which hassles are recurrent and which are one-off flukes.
 
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Keep in mind CocoView Resort has a high volume of repeat business, often multiple repeat business, and if they consistently provided 'horrible customer service,' that would not be the case.
There is no question that many people absolutely love the place. I posted some things I didn't like. There were many things I did like, but my goal was not to write a full trip report.
 
Keep in mind CocoView Resort has a high volume of repeat business, often multiple repeat business, and if they consistently provided 'horrible customer service,' that would not be the case. Many love the place. Roatan has a range of dive op.s, including some with high brand recognition on Scuba Board (e.g.: Anthony's Key Resort and Turquoise Bay Resort).

Any large, long-term operation is likely to eventually have some snafus. In another thread, Boulder John shared some frustrations in dealing with Aggressor Fleet, and in this thread it's clear he paid more than others for a room that was supposed to be superior but...well... It's not the first time Aggressor Fleet has had criticism on ScubaBoard.

That said, I've been on 3 Aggressor boats with fine experiences, and really enjoyed CocoView Resort.

The testing mixup and associated costs sound highly aggravating. No question. It's quite possible people were acting in good faith based on their understanding of the info. they had, and sometimes in that context things still 'go to crap.'

My suggestion to people using this thread and others to research destinations is Look at the big picture. Read a number of trip reports, look for trends, consider which hassles are recurrent and which are one-off flukes.
Just because there are tons of repeat business doesn't mean there's not bad customer service. The general population of vacation divers are clueless morons.
 
Just because there are tons of repeat business doesn't mean there's not bad customer service. The general population of vacation divers are clueless morons.
I would say the repeat customers on my boat were very experienced divers, and they showed good diving skills. They just seemed to have different diving interests.

I did find one thing interesting. My friends and I finished pretty much all our 60+ minute divers with about half the air in our tanks, and I would guess the rest of the divers in the group were not far off from that. Running out of air was not a super concern for anyone, especially when the last half of the dive is almost at safety stop depth. Despite that, two of those experienced divers carried spare airs, the first I have seen being used in many years.
 
So, could the Aggressor replace the gear that you forgot in your garage? That is how this started. I gotta know!

ScubaBoard is loaded with CCV trip reports- the read of ANY thread on Coco View will easily teach the indisputable facts, as @drrrich2 stated. I still do not understand why CCV guests seem to provide the highest volume of reportage on SB, although their total guest visit counts are far eclipsed by almost every other venue. Maybe they like to type? Maybe happy people like to babble.

1) September > December is the historical height of rainy season in the Bay Islands. Not much of a surprise, that’s one reason the BIA liveaboard offers deals. That’s why CCV offers their one & only yearly discount- Seahorse Festival. Pretty well public information that November “blows big time”, and it may even be windy.

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1a) Liveaboards are generally refrigerated to polar standards. This is done to de-humidify the environment so it doesn’t stink so badly. I have been on LOBs that maintained Surgery Suite type standards- total seawater decontamination and exclusion from internal spaces, it worked well, but cumbersome. (The Hughes Antares III)

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2) Sand Fleas can completely consume your existence. Bay Islands has ”the best sand fleas”. Common knowledge. Every thread warns of prevention (DEET early & often) and also the cure (fluocinonide) is easily known, if you prepare in advance. Most simply do not, preferring to complain on Trip Advisor.

3) The itching after a dive without rash guard? You are NOT describing a Sand Flea attack, that’s a classic description of “Sea Lice” (aka larval Thimble Jellies), endemic to the Caribbean and the bane of (esp night) divers. Wear a tight rash guard, shower with soap ASAP.

3)
I would say the repeat customers on my boat were very experienced divers, and they showed good diving skills. They just seemed to have different diving interests.

Dive profiles offered at Coco View are often and quite simply delineated by prior threads. Hard copy predictable and easily understood. Deviate if you tell the DM, but the cool stuff is macro, the cool stuff is shallow. No big surprise here.

4)
Running out of air was not a super concern for anyone, especially when the last half of the dive is almost at safety stop depth. Despite that, two of those experienced divers carried spare airs, the first I have seen being used in many years.

No less or more curious than any equipment decision not particularly grounded on expected conditions, some people dive with side mounts and large pointy knives.

As I have written 100+ times, at CCV if you run out of air, stand up.

5) As to the bottle of wine that has ”turned”, it matters not because of Caribbean heat- it should have been “made right”, if not with the bartender, then with the resort manager himself. What resolution did you ask for and was it provided?

Overall, you can spend less for a week and say you have “dived Roatan”. Using the BIA or CCV is going to cost you, more than a week on the West End. Many people believe that AKR is cheaper, but- do the math. CCV and BIA become viable cost-wise ONLY for the visitor who wants to get 15+ dives in a week, then it is indisputably the only two best opotions.

You get multiple dives, at CCV I get 27 in a week and I’m a crip. At CCV you can solo dive, at night if you like (i do), and you are, as they say, treated like an adult unless your prove otherwise.

The way I describe these two best options to see the Bay Islands? The Bay Islands Aggressor has no Sand Fleas, so- less itching, and Coco View doesn’t rock, thus- less puking.
 
Despite that, two of those experienced divers carried spare airs, the first I have seen being used in many years.
I can't speak for them of course. If you'd been there my week in May, you might've seen me with mine, but I was doing some solo diving and used it as my redundant air source.
 
I can't speak for them of course. If you'd been there my week in May, you might've seen me with mine, but I was doing some solo diving and used it as my redundant air source.
Yeah, but was it nitrox 02 clean?
 
My Daughter and I spent our first trip at Coco View, last July. We had a great experience. We would go back in a heart beat. They were so laid back. They would leave my Daughter and I go on our own. Hunt Lion Fish. But I am over 1,000 dives and she is over 600. But I spend 6 months in Aruba, so money wise, its alot cheaper for me to go to Bonaire. I really love Bonaire, but I really liked Coco View!!!! Just my 2 cents. Aruba Bob
 
I am home now, and perhaps anyone still reading this might be interested in some random thoughts about my 18 days in Roatan.
  • On the Aggressor, we got out of the water chilled after the dives and then spent the surface intervals in the walk-in refrigerator they called a boat. I guess they like that amount of air-conditioning, but by the end of that week, I was thoroughly cold.
On a recent trip the AC was colder than many on the boat liked. That was solved by asking the crew to set the temperature higher. The rest of the week was fine.

On trips when things have not been up what I think they should be there have been discussions with the crew/owner. The majority of the time the problem was solved, and when it was not in some cases there was no tip. Instead, it was noted as to why.

For your next trip try Utila we had good luck there.
 
I spent most of a summer on Roatan about 15 years ago, maybe a little more, when I did my DM course with Coconut tree. I've never been back. I just didn't think the diving was that great, and that applies to both north and south side.

Different people have different expectations and likes/dislikes.
 
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