“Cara a Cara” is the Roatan Shark Dive.
As with most any canned, pay-per-gawk dive, it attracts divers who are of every level.
If you embrace that fact, operating this dive in a way that might cause some to hang the titles of “cattle boat”, as ill-defined as that may be... running it as a cattle boat is likely the single most appropriate way to do this.
The DMs have any number of divers who:
- have difficulty in organizing their pre-dive routine
- entering the water upon command
- can not safely execute a negative entry or
- require exaggerated time on surface before descent
- require additional time equalizing
- have buoyancy issues at bottom during the show
- inability to space out on the ascent line
- difficulty in re-entry of ladder
- challenge throughout by mild current often found at dive site
All this is complicated by heavy air consumption likely due to the above, plus the Sharky-Sharks excitement.
Then, the DMs have to control the Go-Pro Pros. Stop flailing, don’t leave your assigned position...hey...what are you doing?
There are several ways to access the Shark Dive. TBR is but one. They are essentially all the same.
The differences between the various charters become apparent when you see the specific competence levels of divers that they attract or service. Some simply will not bring “walk-ins”, such as cruise ship divers or divers they have not hosted on previous dives. TBR requires only that you show up.
The original guys who did this were referred to as “the Italians”. They put 10 divers in a small, open boat, at the dock you were instructed to “get yourself together”, and off you went. At the mooring, “get in, go down”. Ascend on the mooring line at 1000psi minimum, or earlier. Get yourself into the boat with the assist of the Captain.
That methodology works well if all have adequate skills. Since that is no longer the case, since the dive now attracts (and accepts) divers with paper c-cards, the world has to slow down to accommodate.
it has become, as with any similar tour dive, similar to Mary’s Place, into one of those “ok, kids, hold the string” outings.
This is not to defend or attack any dive op, nor diver, it’s just the way things have to be.
Many visiting divers ask for (want) an “extra special experience” over and above the norm.
This “good stuff” is really only offered by knowledgeable DMs who have evaluated your abilities over multiple trips, over some years. Then they know (hope, believe) they can handle our ineptitude in difficult situations.
On Roatan, right next to your well known dive spots, there are hidden environments that include crazy-tight squeezes, prolonged overhead environments, stuff you simply are not even told about. Many DMs have never themselves seen them, they’re so busy leading tourist dives.
Whether it is their reluctance to taking you near delicate shallow coral gardens or not knowing that you by-god will hold onto that line in current, they avoid complications. Normal.
The Roatan Shark Dive, just as any Shark dive, worldwide, is best handled as a cattle boat.
All that being said...I’ve been along on maybe 20+ Shark Rodeos. The Roatan model is among the best experiences, to a great degree due to the serendipity & confluence of a number of factors, not the least of which is the local reef structure.
It is well worth the experience. But, the first time you have a chance, in “the wild” encounter, you will quickly relegate this to a been-there-done-that got-the-t-shirt experience.
