Roatan Coco View trip report

[sys1wcb]

Just got back from a week at Coco View and thought I'd share my impressions.
First, the diving. The reef is in great shape. The wall is just covered in healthy coral. The shelf is healty, and runs out a few hundred yards from the shore, then drops down a wall to 100' +, with lots of cracks and overhangs. Calvin's Crack and Mary's Place offered some neat swim throughs. Plenty of fish, crabs, some sea horses. But it seemed I was doing the same dive in a different place every day. Little variety.

Boat crew was excellent. 3 good boats w/ 3 points of exit and 3 ladders - one in the middle of the boat for use in rough weather. Boats leave at 8:30 and 2 PM daily. They take you to a site for a 1 hr dive, then will drop you off at the house wall for a 2nd dive if you wish. The boat then goes to the dock and you swim back yourself.

Coco View resort - somewhat spartan. Air conditioned rooms were nice, but only had one chair - a desk chair, not comfy for relaxing. No TV or phone in room. Poor lighting. Lots of shelf space. Plenty of hot water and fresh towels every day. Outside deck had 2 adirondack chairs, which would be better with cushions, alas. Food was quite good - all home made and tasty. Except when they made beef, which was too tough. No DeCaf coffee or tea, so bring your own if that is your preference.

Resort facilities for non-divers are practically zero. Bar, game room with pool table, ping pong, board games... A computer and wireless internet available in the game room only. A shady place to relax is a scarce commodity. If your room's deck is getting sun, there are a few shaded adirondack chairs and hammocks available. Snorkeling off the dock is good.

Off site, I can recommend the canopy tour and the Carambola Botanical Garden.

It was the rainy season, but we had no rain during the day. No mosquitos, but the no-see-ums were VICIOUS, despite copious quantities of DEET. They waited for you at the dock and went after you as you doffed your dive suit. You never even felt them till you started scratching the welt.

I enjoyed the trip, but would have been happier with a shorter time there, since diving that wall over and over got boring.

Bill

 

[DiveMaven]

Thanks for the report and your thoughts. You echo a lot of people's feelings about the "summer camp" like feeling of the resort and accommodations.

We worried we'd get bored diving the same "front yard" area everyday until we realized we never got bored diving Bari Reef on Bonaire once a day for 2 weeks, so decided we'd be okay at CCV. We'll be heading there at the end of March and hopefully the bugs won't be as voracious as they were for you.

 

[Papa_Bear]

Take lots of Deet and stay off the sand! Spring is the worst time a lot of fruit trees are have fruit and the flies love the fallen fruit! From March to June is Bug season! The saving grace for march is it can be breezy and that helps! I recent years big fish and Sea horses have been coming back strong! Do the shark dive as well it one of the best!

 

[DiveMaven]

Thanks for the heads up on the bugs. We're planning to take a bug spray with deet plus a couple of Cactus Juice bottles.

We've done a couple of excellent shark dives so will likely pass on Roatan's. Plus we're heading to Beqa Lagoon in Fiji in July and will do the shark dive (hopefully with the Tigers) there....which I can't imagine any shark dive in the Caribbean can compare to.

 

[scuba e]

We have had very good luck with the cactus juice. Keep one in your dive locker/shelf and one in the room.
With the front yard consisting of grassflats, walls, a wreck and sandflats I really doubt you will get bored. The reef itself is much more interesting than Bari (which we dove alot as well) but does not seem to have the fish schools or turtles. The wreck is awsome at night or day. I have some shots on the flikr link of big eels and some arrow crabs out in the open on the wreck. One year we had a re-occuring bait ball every afternoon that grouper and jacks would ambush. It was an awsome show.
We went one year in march. Water was a bit colder but a 3/2 with a beanie was jsut fine (we did 30+ hours that week).
Have a great trip. Look forward to your report.
E

 

[fishmother]

I use 100% DEET an dont have a problem. Plenty of shade on top of the dining room there is a full clubhouse with chairs couches and a tv , attached upper deck screen deck with chairs and hammocks too. We have 3 times to CCV not one complaint !! We love the place. never get tired of the walls and the coral on the Prince Albert is breathtaking. what else could you want so close to shore ? Have you ever noticed how many of the pics in the Reef fish ID books taken in Roatan ?ac in the rooms, plenty of food choices on the buffett great dm's, someone (nora) to meet you at the airport and see you off every time. dive equip fill equip and boats all get regular service and the dive shop there is better than some ive been to on Grand Cayman !! Rustic accomodations are ok with me on a dive trip, I'm not planning on doing anything but sleeping in my room anyway. EAT DIVE SLEEP !!! REPEAT !!! happy diving