Roatan Dive Sites

[pigletfish]

Thanks to those who responded to my question about the Native Sons dive shop. Based on a couple of things that were said - mainly that the boats tend to return to shore after each dive - I realized that these shops may not typically go to sites on the other side of the island. So I e-mailed Native Sons again and also two other shops (West End Divers and Coconut Tree). Sure enough - sounds like they can try to hook us up with a shop in the other side for dives to Mary's Place, Calvin's Crack, and the Prince Albert, but they don't typically go there themselves. I also get the impession that the shark dive is on the other side and only through one operator, so we would have to book that separately as well.

We'll be staying in West End with no car, so how problematic is it going to be if we end up wanting to do several of our dives through an operator on the other side of the island? Should we doggedly pursue these sites despite the possible inconvenience - are they definitely worth it? Is the water on that side really as rough as the West End operators are hinting at? What about the shark dive - anyone done that?

Finally, what sites do you recommend around West End? (We'll be there Saturday 8/27 - Saturday 9/4).

Many thanks!

 

[hurleyskis]

Well I'd say it's not a big deal to head to the other side of the island to do the shark dive and Mary's Place etc. Pretty much any one of the many shops in the west end will hook you up with that, and taxis are plentiful and cheap. The water can be a bit rougher over there, but nothing major.

As far as west end sites there are so many great ones within a 5 minute boat ride.
My favorite one was canyons reef which is a series of swim throughs starting at 15feet and coming out at around 60feet. There are about 5 of these that you can do in a row! : )

If you're not dead set on a dive operation, check out sueno del mar. They have a great setup. The shop, boat, fill station, rest. is all out on a dock (see the photo on the website). This means that at the end of your day instead of hauling all your gear up the beach, across the street, and back to the shop all you do is get off the boat at the dock and throw it into the rinse bins, then if you'll be there for a while hang it in your spot in the "locker room". If you're doing multiple dives / day (they run 3 per day) then as soon as you get in they'll be a tank ready for you to swap over your gear and then your all set for the next dive. It was super convenient, and the place is top notch. They have the most and best selection of gear in the west end and an excellent staff. The prices are pretty much the same all over the west end, and these guys are very reasonable. I highly reccomend these guys. If you do go there tell them I (John Hurley) recc. it to you and say hi to Ray, Barry, and the rest of the crue for me.

Have fun, I'm jealous....just got back in June, not going again until May

 

[Doc]

Thanks to those who responded to my question

To your querry specifically:

Always hire a driver on Roatan. Liability issues for driver far outweigh the convenience of rental vehicles.

The best "day" dive operation on Roatan is in my estimation the "Subway Watersports" located at French Harbour Yacht Club, nearby Mary's Place (East of Coxen Hole).

They are located near the Wiakula (sp?) Shark dive (aka 'the Italians') who will take you out to see Mr Grey. These guys have the drill down pat. Pay attention to the dive breifing.

I would skip Mary's Place if you could dive Calvin's Crack (some 25 minutes East of CCV, the only resort regularly diving that site). It is an unknown treasure. The Prince Albert Wreck (right in front of CCV) is a fabulous night dive.

The issue of weather is kind of a Salesman's Playground of a discussion. The seas on the West and North are quite often placid. There is usualy a running sea on the South side. That means it's nice and flat where you're going to stay, but this means that the bugs are really at their worst on the N & W sides, versus at one of the manicured AI's on the South. The South has running seas of 1-1.75' pretty much so all of the time... but way fewer bugs when on shore.

When a "Norther" comes in, and they often do, it absolutely shuts down diving on the N&W sides, while life on the South goes on as normal. Hurricane season in the Caribbean translates to rainy/trop storm season in the Bay Islands. Expect crappy weather for diving on the N&W during that season.

Many resorts on the N&W shuttle divers to other ops on the South side, most dive ops do not.

I would play the sides of the island like a good poker player, but remember that other divers are in the game, too. Don't expect to jump sides at the last minute- the dive op may well be booked before you called. Think ahead.

 

[champ]

I second the Canyons dive site. Also I would consider Tyll's Dive shop. It is a smaller dive shop with a smaller boat so you will have more control over which dive sites you will go to. The problem with the bigger shops is that there is frequently a person doing a check out dive on the boat - this will restrict the dive sites you can go to (a shallow dive with a sandy bottom).