Roatan Dive Shops

[scuba stan]

I am going to Roatan shortly
Does anyone know about Bananarama or TGI dive shops? They are near where I am staying.

 

[mruseless]

Have you done a search of these forums yet?

 

[jerlane]

We dove with Bananarama earlier this year and were very pleased. We are relatively new divers and they only take out small groups which we really appreciated. We liked pretty much all of their guides, especially Serena, Sofia, Mal, and Martin. Let me know if you want any other specifics. I would definitely dive with them again.

 

[scuba stan]

How were their boats? Were they very service oriented? Did you hang out at their pier during the surface intervals for close dives or elsewhere?

 

[jerlane]

How were their boats? Were they very service oriented? Did you hang out at their pier during the surface intervals for close dives or elsewhere?

I thought their boats were fine. Most of the diving is within five or ten minutes from their location. There is excellent diving from the shore and right out in front. I thought they were very service oriented. They hooked up and changed your tanks if you wanted them to. They have a little restaurant/bar right there called the Thirsty Turtle and we hung out and ate there a few times. Great coconut shrimp and chips and guac. We stayed a few doors down at Infinity Bay and hung out there a lot.

We felt well taken care of there. The staff was great and we felt very safe which was important for us as somewhat inexperienced divers. We did not want to be on a big cattle boat. I was not a huge fan of Nick, he was their only American guide and we didn't feel like he had the same attitude as the rest of their team.

I think a lot of it depends on what you are looking for and are used to. I think there are probably bigger, more intense, full on dive resorts, ala Anthony's Key, but we really liked everything about Bananrama. We may be heading back there this spring.

I can send you some pics of their boats when I get home.

Oh, I just re-read your question, for surface intervals we sometimes stayed out on the boat and other times would hang out at Banarama.

 

[WavyGravy]

I'll be going down to Roatan on the 12th to the 19th and staying at the Henry Morgan. I'll let you know how TGI is(and anyone else we use) when I get back.

Woo-hoo, 1 week and counting!

 

[jerlane]

Here are some photos of their boats and the restaurant/bar.

 

[ryssyr]

Bananarama doesnt just stick to the close spots. Bananarama took us out to mary's place on one of our days. We paid extra for the gas, but it was worth the trip. I have pictures of the dives here if you want to look at them.

We also got to do some blue water diving out at the Texas site to look for pelagics. A dive team right behind us saw a hammerhead, but we missed it. D'oh!

I had more fun with Bananarama than with Anthony's earlier this year. The boats were less crowded and the service seemed very personalized. The resort is a good place to stay as well.

 

[scuba stan]

we are also staying at Infinity Bay in unit 2 from 12/20 -27. How did you like it. Was the construction in the back a problem. Did you rent a car to get around?

 

[jerlane]

we are also staying at Infinity Bay in unit 2 from 12/20 -27. How did you like it. Was the construction in the back a problem. Did you rent a car to get around?

We liked Infinity Bay very much. The units were great. Construction was not a big deal and I imagine it's even better now. The staff were all very friendly and helpful. We hung out at the Palapa Bar quite a bit and ate a number of meals there. The food was decent, not amazing, but good for lunch. There is also a good deli sot of behind Bananarama off the main road that makes really good sandwiches and breakfast burritos. It's a good place to get some snacks and things for your place as well.

We never rented a car. Infinity Bay will pick you up at the airport. If you want to go into West End you can take a water taxi, Infinity Bay should have their boat going now as well. When we were there it wasn't quite ready. They were getting the insurance finalized on it. The advantage there is that they were planning on making trips back from West End later than the normal water taxis do. Otherwise you need to take a regular cab back and they cost a bit more. You might want to rent a car for a day if you want to explore the island. We dove so much that we never did. When we weren't in the water we were just relaxing by the pool or on the beach.

Keep the questions coming. You're going to have a great trip. By the way, the reef is right in front of Infinity Bay. Great snorkeling and that's where they go for the night dive.