Inland on Roatan can't be too far from shore because you'll soon be approaching the other shore. It is a very very narrow long island.
Maybe you are saying she lives way down on the East end?
The only real shore diving is from CCV and FIBR or from RHR
Reef House Resort Roatan pictures by Doc_Adelman - Photobucket RHR might be a winner if indeed she does live down East, as it's a very nice operation and one of the few in that neck of the woods. These three are South side AI's. The one you mention, AKR is an excellent choice for an AI, and altho they allude to a shore dive, you can't prove it to me, not by what is available on the South side, anyway. AKR is also very near the West end, which is a great place for restaurants, but kind of a contradiction since AKR is an AI resort.
I'll just need to compare some of the characteristics (reef, walls, wrecks, etc) of each side of the island for diving and then for accommodations, I'm sure it's all good, we just need to compare to our preferences.. I'll also need to get an idea of what changes (current, seas, animal life, etc), how and when during the course of the seasons since our time of year is also open.
That's where you might indeed want to pursue that search button. The story on island variations between North/West and Southern shore are many and various. In short- the
North side is more prone to weather out during the months of Sept>February, it features stark but memorable landscapes and larger critters, deeper diving, a few tattered wrecks at 90+ feet, the reef structure is sloping and starts quite aways out from shore. It may be dead flat calm from April>August, and due to the geography and vegetation, the bugs are a bit more prevalent. The
South shore is usually getting a breeze, good for bugs, but the seas can be a constant 1' rolling at minimum. It is diveable 365 days a year, and the profiles are very shallow, leading to longer BT's. The walls start close in to shore and break very shallow, dropping straight vertical to sand at 110', there are three intact shallow wrecks, and the walls are full of Sunlight and brightly colored things, soft corals, small diverse crabs and juveniles of every description.
Once I get it narrowed down a little bit I'll ask around, I know enough of the dive ops, instructors and DMs here locally that have lead trips to Roatan.
Unfortunately, when one talks to local dive shops in the US, they will tell you what they know... which might not seem like a bad thing, but we only know what we know. Roatan is an amazingly diverse island, depending on where you stay and dive from. Add to this equation that many US dive shops are swayed by factors that you never see- usually the economics of comps in large groups. The best of the dive ops do not offer the best comps, so you will hear glowing reports of some relatively third rate operations. Why? Because your source went there, once or a few times.
All of this and your research must be tempered by one crucial factor- is an AI resort your best choice for beginners and some non-divers? Likely not, at least not in terms of the cost per dive factor. Most Roatan AI's are rather distant from the concentration of restaurants which are on the West End zone. Many guest houses and day dive ops are in that area to provide that kind of option. AI's are the logical choice if you want any more than 2 dives in a day, both in terms of expense as well as time spent chasing down meals... AI's make the most sense. Otherwise, a day dive op and guest house arrangement would be a condsideration.
Search, and read- you will find many questions answered, including that one about current.
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