Roatan Advice Needed

[tiburon72157]

ok...here goes. plan on staying for 7 days. want to dive, dive and dive some more. serious diving. want 2-3 tank boat dives per day. want at least 2-3 night dives during my stay as well. and want option of unlimited shore dives also, in case i get really bored. want to see lots of critters and take pics. open to walls, wrecks, reefs, etc. typically the all-inclusive deals aren't a good value for me. i don't gorge myself on food continuously during the day, nor do i pound alot of beers/alcohol in general. would like a little night life. not exactly pinching-pennies, but don't want blow a huge wad either. accomodations don't need to be 5 star, but i don't want to stay in a dump fighting off insects and sweating my azz off all night. in summary, lots of diving spots/options, decent food, good, clean, secure and comfortable lodging and relatively close to other activities. does this help?

 

[getwet2]

From that description it sounds like an all inclusive with unlimited shore diving included is the way you are going to end up going. You might end up paying a little more up front but depending on the amount of shore diving you do it could be cheaper in the long run. I know when I went to FI all the shore diving you could take was included and they would even drop you off from the boat at the reef and you could make your way back to the shore. Night diving... Just make arrangements and they would leave you tanks at the Gazebo on the night you wanted to dive or they would leave them there for you if you wanted an early morning dive, the only thing you did have to do was carry your gear to your room or back to the dive shop at the other end of the beach.

We had to stay at a place called the Sea Grape Plantation Resort for one night while they fixed our plane. This place is located in West End and the Hotel was very nice but they don't have a restaurant, you just take a 5 min walk to town and there's lots to eat though. They have a dive shop, here's a link to it.......

http://seagraperoatan.com/

 

[Zebra mussel]

ok...here goes. plan on staying for 7 days. want to dive, dive and dive some more. serious diving. want 2-3 tank boat dives per day. want at least 2-3 night dives during my stay as well. and want option of unlimited shore dives also, in case i get really bored. want to see lots of critters and take pics. open to walls, wrecks, reefs, etc. typically the all-inclusive deals aren't a good value for me. i don't gorge myself on food continuously during the day, nor do i pound alot of beers/alcohol in general. would like a little night life. not exactly pinching-pennies, but don't want blow a huge wad either. accomodations don't need to be 5 star, but i don't want to stay in a dump fighting off insects and sweating my azz off all night. in summary, lots of diving spots/options, decent food, good, clean, secure and comfortable lodging and relatively close to other activities. does this help?

The dive sites in West are numerous and varied. You will not be bored by the variety. A reasonable amount of nitelife is available. The one thing they dont have that you seem to want is decent shore diving. It can be done....but is difficult. If shore diving is a main concern,FI or CocoView are your best options. You can get 4 boat dives per day with some west End Operators and night diving is no problem......but shore diving isnt really a realistic option. There are lots of lodging options of varying quality depending on your budget that vary in quality.

 

[erparamedic]

Check out www.cocoviewresort.com. The "Front Yard" as they call it is beautiful! My parents are very avid divers and are going there in September, and have spoken to several that have dove there and they don't have a single bad thing to say! And, the prices seem to be quite reasonable for the divers. I will be visiting within the next year or two.

 

[Dave Zimmerly]

For what it's worth, I'll throw my vote in for Fantasy Island. It is right across the "Front Yard" of CoCo View. We were there in May for our second time and plan on going back next year. Clean, comfortable, good food, great diving and more beach than CoCo View.

Dave (aka "Squirt)

 

[CODMAN]

hey Dave, how was the diving operations in fantassy? I'm also thinking of them for a trip cause the price seems very good... But I was wondering if they still had a good diving operation?

Can you give any feedback? Do they visit all the sites? How are they compared to others, if you have a reference experience with another operator?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Dave Zimmerly]

Codman,

Fantasy Island Dive operations are top notch. They took us to alot of good dive sites (Mary's Place for one) and the dive sites were no more than a 20 min ride away. On the dives (6-8 divers plus DM) we averaged 55-65 min. Viz was 80-100. The deepest we went was around 90 fsw. Fresh fruit, water and towles were always available. More fish in some places than others, but we always found something new on each dive. The only thing we didn't see alot of were turtles. After the first dive you back to the dock where you can chill out for about a hal hour then off to another dive. Get back around noon, eat lunch, back on the boat around 1:00. Off to another dive site. Back at the dock around 3:30. If that's not enough for you, you can shore dive (day and night) off the gazebo and check out the wreck of the Prince Albert, or head over to the Front Yard at CoCo View.

They also have Nitox for those wanting it. And they have the best showers at the dock. All in all, we have been there twice and plan on going back again. I'm not knocking Coco View, but Fantasy Island just has more room/beach and it feels like you are on a tropical island.

Hope this helps,

Dave (aka "Squirt")

 

[MGW1979]

If you want cheaper and a bit less touristy you could head to Utila (just a short boat or plane ride away). You can get an air conditioned room that's clean for $30/night, or a room with a fan at a dive shop for $3!! Diving is great, $20 dive. Food is cheap ~$12/day. Also Utila is the best place to see whale sharks (and apparenly the safest as all the other sharks are fished out).

 

[Doc]

Comparing FIBR and CCV is impossible unless you have experienced both.

The shore dive to the placed Wreck, it should be noted, is 200' closer from CCV than FIBR. CCV never motors anybody out to drop them over the wreck for a shore dive, because no-one would miss the critters who inhabit the zone from the steps of your over-the-water room to the 35fsw Wreck. From the wreck to the "FIBR Shore-dive Gazebo" is an aircraft cable to keep you on track.

FIBR and CCV are just across the channel from each other, yet worlds apart.

With your need for quantity of quality diving, I would steer you to one of the AI's. AKR and BIBR have very limited shore diving by any comparison, but is closer to the West End for partying. FIBR can also get a bit party-esque, but its dependant on whether its European/Italian holiday season or if the locals are tearing it up at their disco. They have a great beach, and the pool (if operational) is very nice. The boats are spotty.

The only night life at CCV is what you start. The bar can be pretty low key unless theres a "large" group there and they are celebrating their own club's Nude Wednesday. Night life at CCV includes a flashlight and flippers. It is fabulous, however. Every night it is common to see 12+ divers wade into the darkness. FIBR, by comparison fields an occasional pair, little more.

Say what you will about AI resorts, it's the only way to get shore diving, night diving and lots of it at any reasonable rate. For what you describe, it's really the only reasonable option. There is no one resort for everyone, but many who have only been to one feel that it must have been the best. For them, it may have been.

Sorry about the late edit, the SB System was acting wierd today

 

[divnlite]

My husband and I are going to Cocoview for the first time next week. Feel free to PM me after July 4th for our experience. Did a lot of research and this seems to meet our needs. We will have lots of pics and a very candid review when we get back.
We are NAUI AOW/Nitrox and have been to Bonaire/Fiji/Cozumel and dreary Texas lakes this year for comparison. Our needs seem to be like yours, diving, filling food, comfortable suroundings. I'll have a full report next month.