Latest Roatan news? Re-open? Test requirements

[JohnTRN]

Recently returned from AKR, Roatan and had a great trip. As kwpw mentioned, they were all in masks, all the time and wiping everything down. We had a group of about 30 from the Southeast Missouri area and there were some other smaller groups there as well. Did not feel crowded. They are apparently opening cabins every-other-week between use.

For the PCR/72 Hour requirement, many of us did two tests.
One with a local medical clinic offering 'rapid' PCR test. For a Saturday, noon arrival in Honduras, we did this test Wednesday around 1400H CST. Had the results back Thursday around 1900H. This test cost us $135/each and we were told it would not be covered by insurance.
For the second test, utilized Pixel Lab Corp. Ordered the tests about a week before needed. Did the swab around 1300H CST Wednesday, dropped them off at FedEx for a 1700H pickup on the way to the above test. Got results back Friday around 0615H. Registered for this test on-line, inserted medical insurance information. Assumed we would be billed if insurance did not pay. Later heard that there may be some grant money available for Pixel for lab test that insurance did not pay for. YMMV

For the Immigration Pre-Check, filled out the form on INM - Prechequeo Migratorio. Has to be done under 48 hours before arrival; you can set up the account any time. I did if for five people in my family - my wife and me, my son and his wife and our daughter. Despite choosing the 'English' version, it's fun to sometimes choose things in English and sometimes pull from Spanish Language drop-down menus. Took several hours. I'm slow, but I do poor work.

For departing Roatan, I made everybody but my wife fill the forms out themselves the night before we left and it was a lot less hassle. <grin> Never got asked for the forms during departure, which we saved on our phones.

!!!TOOL CAUTION!!!

Due to changing flights (our Dive/Travel Organizer had to deal with four different iterations of flight changes - some with no cancellation notice give, departures from St. Louis, then Memphis and finally St. Louis; Roatan flights cancelled and having to fly into Honduras and catch a feeder flight to Roatan) our group was split into two, with one group departing Friday and the second on Saturday. Saturday morning we had checked our bags and were heading for the TSA checkpoint when one of the Friday group contacted our Saturday leader and told him they had all had carry-on tools confiscated in Honduras after picking up bags and then checking into the flight to Roatan. Things as small as nail scissors, trauma shears, wrenches, SCUBA Multi-Tools. Guess their TSA was kitting toolboxes out! So, be aware that there are variations in TSA from country to country and something you carry-on in the U.S., might not make it elsewhere.

AKR
The cabanas on the water are Da Bomb! My wife snorkels, does not dive. She enjoyed the hammock and relaxing. Snorkeled several times.

We did not have a meal that we did not enjoy the entire week. Nice breakfast choices; lunch was a soup or salad, rolls and two min course choices; dinner a different soup or salad, rolls and two different main courses. f I had to make a negative comment on it, we had wrap for lunch one day that it would have been really nice to have some sauce to add to it. Otherwise, flavors were great, food cooked well and the staff friendly and attentive.

If you get a chance to dive with Dive Master Ven, very nice guy. Also, Sergio that ran the shark dive did an excellent pre-dive brief and really enjoyed that experience.

The Ms. Cheryl is a larger boat, with a semi-enclosed seating area and was nice to dive from. Due to inclement weather our first several days (hurricanes to the north) we were unable to dive on the North side. They took boats and gear to the South side and bussed us to a dock to meet up. Three days were on the South side and the first two were only able to get two dives in; no shore dives from AKR due to the rough water.

I've attached a form with some information that can serve as a guide to filling out the Honduran Pre-Check form; change data as appropriate to your trip.

John

 

[ReefHound]

I've always heard that tools are a no-no for any flight. I had a multi-tool confiscated in Ft Lauderdale about ten years ago.

 

[drrich2]

Thanks for the info., including COVID-19 testing types and time frames.

I forfeited a scuba tool at the airport in Grand Cayman a few years back rather than take it back to put in checked luggage; yes, be mindful what you try to carry on! I was tempted to ask the security people if they should I was going to unscrew bolts with the tool during the flight and make the plane fall apart en-route, but I hear these people don't have much sense of humor. Sometimes 'Grin and say okay' is your friend.

Richard.

 

[DazedAndConfuzed]

Recently went to the Roatan Aggressor (in Oct). The requirement from Honduras was Rapid or PCR test with 98% sensitivity. I searched most places for PCR test and nobody could guarantee that I could get the result back in 2 days (need 3rd day as travel day since requirement is that it has to be administered 72 hours before arrival). There was one where they had their own lab and could get the result by the next day, but I had to go their doctor for a visit in order to take the test, which I thought they put as a roadblock to prevent people from taking the test (and extra cost that they said my insurance does not cover).

I eventually went looking for the rapid test route. On one where I could make an appointment way ahead of time, they also said it was a Sofia test (it meant nothing to me at that time, except that it was a reputable test). Another had multiple test sites, plus they indicated their test had a 98% sensitivity, but their appointment system starts at 12:00:01 AM for the following day (not the same day), and it gets booked up fast. 2 of the sites has a $50 surcharge for rapid test that would not be covered by the insurance (plus they were farther away). So I booked the closest site for 63 hrs ahead, then 40 hrs ahead, then 18 hrs ahead. If I can book the 40 hrs ahead, I would cancel the 63 hrs ahead appt, and if I make the 40 hrs ahead appt, I would cancel the 18hrs ahead appt...complicated, but with the dearth of appts available, I had to hedge my bets. Anyway, took the test and got the result, but it does not indicate sensitivity. The people there said the doctor specified that it was 98% sensitivity, but their word would be useless to immigration at Honduras. I looked up the test method, which was Abbott ID NOW and had a publication of a new trial that said it was 97% (after getting a real low rating in earlier trials). I wasn't sure if that was good enough, so I called Aggressor and US embassy in Honduras to no avail. What the embassy did tell me was that they were looking for molecular test, which I did see in my test result. I felt a relief, and after some digging around, I found out PCR is a molecular amplification of the viral DNA. Most rapid test are antigen type, which looks for the viral proteins. But there are ones that test for viral DNAs, just that the amplification method is different from the standard PCR tests. The world is too stuck on the 2 buzzwords, PCR and rapid test, with tests being either/or, but the reality is not so straightforward. Anyway, my result has the word "molecular" and no "rapid test" in sight, so I am good for entry. The testing location didn't ask for reason for the test, but I did indicate I had the sniffles/cough, which I did have, thus I did not get charged by the insurance company (so far, some charges were covered, others disappeared from my insurance statement). I thought the more testing, the better, so why are people still being charged for tests, regardless what it is for. I also felt lucky that I didn't schedule the other 'Sofia' rapid test, since that is an antigen test. I heard people getting the wrong test and getting stuck once they arrived.

My flight was a odd mix of NWK to Miami to mainland Honduras and then the local flight to Roatan, and direct from Roatan to Miami/NY. Would have preferred in/out from NY to Roatan, but they were sold out and the only way to even have 1 such flight was to book each way separately (with the local flight separately again). The domestic flights consists of people who took the test and who didn't, depending on your destination, so plenty of mixing going on, but at least, people moved to the unsold premium economy seats once the plane took off, allowing us to not have to be sit next to other passengers (not on the return flights though, this was AA, whom books every seat possible), and the local flight was just like being in a crowded airport shuttle van. So even with the covid19 test requirement, anybody could have caught something on those flights. Plus, people could have had layovers and caught it during that time, like the passengers that were heading to the very first cruise (they called it charted yacht) that was taking place in the Caribbeans. Those careless passengers effectively wiped out the industry for the foreseeable future.

The liveaboard had pretty strict requirements like no stay or day trips allowed on the island prior to boarding (good thing I negated on a planned 11 day trip to just did the basic 8), mask required at all times, and they will have a vehicle pick you up from the airport to the marina. But none of them were strictly enforced. Examples include we came by cab on our own since no vehicle was there to pick us up, we saw a few passengers with cornrows, which we suspect they got locally, masks were specified as optional, and nobody wore it given most were from the midwest (and some anti-maskers), but with the boat at less than 50% capacity, we stopped wearing it after the first hour. Maybe they were getting more lenient on some of the procedures that they view as low risk. There were earlier posts somewhere where the passengers said they had to mask up while suiting up. I even read on a recent capt log that passengers went on a land excursion on their last day onboard. During our orientation, they said they took it seriously because if they had just one case, that would be it and they would probably shut down. So any lax in enforcement is a risk they seem to be willing to take. During our cab rides, pretty much every local were masked up, which surprised us, since we did not know there were that many national mandates in the world, or they would even follow the rule.

Some liveaboard rules seemed to be not realistically implementable without negatively impacting the experience such as the crew not throwing the all dive towels in the dryer between dives, resulting in a cold and very damp towel welcoming you after you come out of the night dives. They made some adjustments like drying towels of divers from the same room, but if there were much more passengers, they would run out of dryer time.

We found out Utilia was not issuing permits for diving (at least to us), and there were rough weather on the north shore, thus we were stuck diving on the south shore and the Cayos/Coco. Even our Cayos/Coco trip was cut short due to the extreme current encountered (tough on the first dive where we swam into it, not fully reaching our turnaround point, but real easy on the second dive where we drifted against it). We came to Roatan before and did mostly the north side, so it wasn't the end of the world if we did not go there, but we wished we could have dived Utila, some big wrecks in the north and dolphin's cove. Last time, due to high fuel prices, we did not get to do any dives in the south, which I was a little upset about. Now, its the reverse.

 

[drrich2]

The liveaboard had pretty strict requirements like no stay or day trips allowed on the island prior to boarding

Thanks for the substantial pertinent info. for trip planning. Got a follow up question here. Unlike land dive trips, live-aboards put us in a position where 'You either make the boat on time, or...you don't make the boat.' At least I imagine that's sometimes the case. So it's often recommended to fly I the day before and overnight at a hotel, to allow for flight and baggage delays.

Is that a prohibited 'no stay' thing now? Do you have the fly in the day of boat boarding?

 

[Doc]

The Roatan Agg plans their first days very near the embarkation point. This is a common practice for most liveaboards when the environment and dive geography allows,

It is a very easy process to move a straggler to an appropriate pier and have them picked-up by the RIB. The Roatan Agg simply does not really venture all that far from Coxen Hole access. It spends most of its time on the Southern Shore within sight of Barefoot Key to Coco View.

The alluring itinerary that the RoAgg (teases/promises) might be useful for is highly weather dependent. Other than gentle moorings on the South shore, getting to Utila, Cayos, and anything on the West/North is nowhere near guaranteed.

Being delayed should not be overly concerning.

Your delay is most likely if you schedule your final US gateway city too tightly. Plan on lunch sitting in Miami, Houston (etc). DO NOT plan short layovers, even an hour is tight. Leave home early, enjoy the ambiance of the transit lounge.

All that being said, would you rather do that? Or get our internet advice on best practices of the Roatan “Hilton” in regards to its rigid COVID protocols?

I remember the long bygone era when you’d check into any US motel and be assured by that cellophane sash over the toilet, “sanitized for your protection”. We don’t see these anymore, but there’s gotta be a few dusty crates of them on their way to the Coxen Hole Ritz.

 

[DazedAndConfuzed]

Thanks for the substantial pertinent info. for trip planning. Got a follow up question here. Unlike land dive trips, live-aboards put us in a position where 'You either make the boat on time, or...you don't make the boat.' At least I imagine that's sometimes the case. So it's often recommended to fly I the day before and overnight at a hotel, to allow for flight and baggage delays.

Is that a prohibited 'no stay' thing now? Do you have the fly in the day of boat boarding?

Most liveaboard seem to linger near the departure port for the first day or two, so late arriving passengers could still board somehow. We had T&C liveaboards where passengers that missed their flight were picked up on the next day from a beach via zodiac. I suspect they could also do that in Galapagos since the first day or two are dives on nearby islands.

You can stay pre-boarding, but you would have to provide a negative covid-19 test from the last 48 hours. If one is arriving on the same day as boarding, the same covid-19 test would suffice, but ours were never checked. I guess some of they many precautions are falling by the wayside because it is redundant. Although the pre-disembarkation excursion on the last day seems to be a high risk violation of their rule, unless they assume that if any of the guests did catch the virus on the excursion, there would not be enough time for the virus to incubate and transmit from the guests to crew.