Little French Cay - bad behavior

[KatieMac]

It seems that Little French Cay is doing such good business they want to expand their land - at the expense of the reef.

Samuel Leo Arch

@Doc do you have more information about this? Anybody else?

 

[Doc]

This has been ongoing ever since LFK became commercialized by turning it into a destination for cruise ship visitors.

The Arch family has lived their lives protecting the dwindling Conch, most notably in this exact marine zone environment. I would ascribe to anything he states, all his posts are likely understated and nowhere near attributing the amount of damning culpability that these people have earned.

It's Honduras. Money can trump any law, most certainly an environmental regulation.

There is nothing to be done about it. The damage has been done, it was visible and obvious for years coming. Nothing got done then, nothing will be done now. It's over. More coming.

You can try to influence behaviors by voting with your wallet, but the best it will do is delay the inevitability by a week. The Pod People have arrived in our formerly natural paradise, they want to be entertained, the true jewel of Roatan- the diving, it's not what they can do...ooh, wait, there's the "resort course SCUBA experience".

[As providence would have it, the diving just offshore of LFK is quite spectacular but protected by being decidedly in the "advanced" category due to quite a bit of very deep hard bottoms between lovely chutes, easy to get stupid deep, just out front. Also, to the West, it's the Mr.Bud placed wreck, it begins in a 70' bottom and the walls break from there. Not tailored for their likely guest profiles, but that should present no barrier if they decide to sell that thrill ride.]

Enjoy Roatan while what is left still lasts. If people want to pay serious dollars to swim with chained and de-toothed Jaguars, how can you beat that? The only other options is the originally named Black Pearl Golf Course, one of the zip lines, the Dolphin Pester or Shark Rodeo.

I started diving Cayman in 1972. It was essentially virginal. Now it's a moonscape, I don't care what Muffy and Buffy have to say about their dive vacay on Trip Advisor. Same for Nassau and Grand Bahama, many and most others. Roatan began a precipitous spiral downfall about 1992. The most highly touted diving zones are mere shadows of the way it was. Still for the Caribbean, it's the best of what's left.

/rant

 

[laurenceh]

sadly the same guy has now destroyed Diamond Cay on Utila. Concrete walls built out on top of the surrounding reef and tons of sand dumped on top of the reef to make the cay bigger. its scandalous but nothing has been done about it, most locals and all dive shops have boycotted it. I have attached before and after images .

 

[KatieMac]

sadly the same guy has now destroyed Diamond Cay on Utila. All the trees removed, concrete walls built out on top of the surrounding reef and sand dumped on top of the reef. its scandalous and nothing has been done about it, most locals and all dive shops have boycotted it. I have attached before and after images . View attachment 472516View attachment 472517

oh my god.

 

[grantwiscour]

We just got back from 17 days on Roatan. We stayed the first week in the West End and the rest of the trip at Barefoot Cay.
Generally, good diving on both sides of the island.

The ecological attacks in Roatan were really sad to us. The reef damage at LFK, the massive Conch Kill and not to forget the butchering of the Turtle and her eggs really gave us pause. The large amounts of trash piling up on the remaining cays and along the roads, the increase of violent crime and overall population growth issues will most likely rule out RTB for our future vacations.

 

[Doc]

If that's the criteria for scratching an island off "the list", you've pretty well described most of the "easily travelled to" places in the Caribbean.

In that category of Caribbean Dive destinations that are "even just fairly easy" to make the trip, Roatan is still in my top 3.

It's also interesting, that after a stay at Barefoot Key, what enormous impact and damage they themselves caused is not so easily noticed...it occurred years ago, it looks very neat, and now that they've been surrounded by a commercial shipyard, it's really hard to notice in the midst of that mishegas.

As to physical security, I'm not myself noting a great Roatan threat level unless you engage in certain behaviors, and this list might apply to varying degrees in any country: Avoid alcohol environments, avoid drugs, avoid "most chance encounters" with locals, do not drive any vehicle. Pretty simple.

Barefoot Key and Coco View add the extra element of isolation from such negatives as they are still a short boat ride away from all of that hilarity.

 

[RTC'83]

I was not aware of the severity of the destruction, I have been primarily in Cozumel and I heard from some in the dive industry of the damage there. Me and my kids have noted the importance to be proactive, in any way we can, to save as much as possible for future generations. It might be a loosing battle but we will fight it, the more that join the better our chances are.

 

[laurenceh]

despite the bad behavior of little french key, the Honduran bay islands are still in the top 1% for diving in the caribbean, I would be hard pressed to think of anywhere better that didn't require at least a 5 hr flight from either coast of the usa

 

[KatieMac]

despite the bad behavior of little french key, the Honduran bay islands are still in the top 1% for diving in the caribbean, I would be hard pressed to think of anywhere better that didn't require at least a 5 hr flight from either coast of the usa

Sort of sad though. The reality is that the government will be forced to act when tourist dollars are in jeopardy. But they aren't in jeopardy because of this top 1% factor.

 

[grantwiscour]

Attacks and robberies on tourists, locals, expats and even the police have become far too commonplace.
It is unfortunate but a reality.

We have enjoyed our trips to Roatan and were considering retiring on the island next year...not the case now.
Too many issues, mostly related to population growth...issues nonetheless.

I hope the residents of Roatan can eventually get the crime and ecological issues under control before the island becomes an extension of the Honduran mainland.