Anthony's Key Resort has a great operation, you will be met at the dock by their bus and taken to their excellent run dive op. They definetely have some of the smartest dive boats. Most of the DM's are local guys with loads of experience (they tend to keep their staff around for a long time) and they will certainly take very good care of you.
Good decision not to go for the shark dive, it is an Advanced dive. Most of the dive shops in West End, that offer the shark dive, will only book it for customers whose dive abilities they are familiar with. Also the South side is a lot rougher than the North side. It's not a good option if you only have one day.
The diving in the Marine Park sounds more like what you are looking for. Which is on the West/North side of the island. Lots of turtles, very rarely sharks! The corals whilst still very healthy in many spots, may not be quite as spectacular as some South side sites. But you will see much more marine life. (AKR will take you to one of these dive sites)
West End is a sand beach road, dive community, dotted with dive shops, restaurants, Central American souvenir shops. West Bay has the most beautiful beach on the island, it does become much busier on cruise ship days. But that is usually down at the far end by Infinifty Bay. Some of the best dive sites are right off the shore.
Most of the dive ops in West End/Bay will provide you with a very enjoyable, safe dive experience. Unlike the AI's like Cocoview, FIBR, and AKR most of your dives will be lead by a PADI qualified “Instructor” with local knowledge of the dive site. The comment that you will not be looked after properly is very pessimistic! The standard of safety and customer service in West End/West Bay is very high. Go onto the PADI website, search the dive shops and see which one appeals to you, some of them cater to cruise ship arrival/departure times. They will usually have a separate button for Cruise Ship visitors.
Cocoview is a pretty hefty journey from the cruise ship dock, by the time you’ve got off the boat, thru the traffic, along the road to cocoview, onto another boat. I don’t see you making it in less than an hour, probably less coming back, but that’s almost two hours of your day travelling. It’s about a 20 minute drive to West Bay, West End or Anthony’s Key Resort. I am sure whatever decision you reach you will have a wonderful time on Roatan..
