Chaseh:
One other aspect, the seas. It seems that the dive sites are relatively close for both resorts, but what about the typical conditions in the summer? Are they much calmer on the AKR side than Coco? If so, how hairy is the sea by Coco, are we talking about 1 ft seas vs. 3ft, or does the swell get pretty big by Coco?
It's all a matter of prevailing breezes. They run from the ESE pretty much so all year long. On the S side you can get seas that run from 1-1.5' any day of the week, all year long. On the North side, you can get dead flat calm.
When
any weather comes in, the N side is shut down. There are a few resorts on the North side which are equipped to deal with this. They may put you in a boat and thrash around the West end to dive the South, they might cab you over to meet their boats... or not.
In the 52 or so weeks of diving I have done out of the South side, we have been blown out maybe a total of 3 days. My S.O. (aka: "Herself") was down on her own one week getting her OW Cert, dive #3, and she successfuly dove aboard a CCV boat in 8' rollers. I woulda' said, "Fuggedaboutit", but she was on a mission and had no major difficulties what with the most unique 'center moon well' boat access. See one picture of this unusual feature at
http://www.cocoviewresort.com/boats.html and here's an underwater view:
http://www.allenhost.com/albums/album15/lynn_in_moon_hatch_1.sized.jpg
If it's too rough for me, a 'fair weather diver' (jaded by so many dives?), I do a shore dive and stay within the confines of the 'Front Yard" and Channel. Having been down there as many times as I have, I know that I can see just as much in the Front Yard as on any boat dive. I will start to consider this option in 4+ seas, but just understand,
that if it's over 2' on the South side, this is because the North side is absolutely shut down with a "Norther".
I have looked at about everything on these islands, sometimes with two 80's on a tow board behind a boat, looking for new dive sites. There are dive possibilities on this island (way to the unpopulated East) that will someday make travelling diver's eyes pop. But for today, we are largely limited to a range on the South from Oak Ridge- heading W to CCV, FIBR, Mary's Place, West End... up and on the North side now heading back East past AKR FIBR IOLR and further E to Punta Gorda and Paya Bay. That's it. And the further afield you get to the terminus points I mentioned, the less you will find any dive moorings. Lots that most divers will never see in the next ten years of predictable development.
Certainly all different underwater geography and terrain, certainly all different conditions. I laugh when I hear a roatan
expert say that this place or that has better marine life for this or that reason. What a load of whale poop. Roatan has the greatest diversity of Caribbean critters of any dive island, and what you can find on one coastline is the same thing you find on another.
The critical issue in Roatan is to find the macro stuff. Most of us travellers can't find anything smaller than a yellow school bus, much less an Arrow Blennie. What do people rave about? Big stuff. Why? Because that's the only thing they can find.
Answer? Stick close to your DM, perfect your buoyancy and carry a magnifying glass. That's how I pick out a diver who has "graduated".
To return to your exact question: I would rather "suffer" a continous 1-1.5' sea, along with it's causative breezes, enjoying the effect it has on the State Bird of Roatan, the Sand Fly. On the S side, the effect of this blood sucker is much less felt on the South than on the North Side. The little devils thrive on wet, decaying vegetable matter, which is pretty much so a description of the terrain to the North of the high ridgeline that divides Roatan. Look for a place that has no still standing water, ongoing removal of low hanging vegetation, consistent wood-deck replacement policy, continuous raking of the sand and removal of fallen vegetation. Look for one that is constantly bathed in the prevailing breeze.
For any other discomfort cause by these lovely breezes, I rely on the boats that "have holes in their bottoms". You can get other opinions at
http://www.websitetoolbox.com/tool/mb/ccv where you will find many other ScubaBordians yacking it up.
Want to see the
weather on the South side, LIVE during daylight hours ? Take a look at
http://www.cocoviewresort.com/webcams.html See for yourself.