Roatan- Just how bad are the bugs?

[tammymacb]

My dh and I were set to take a trip to Roatan this year. I'd "kinda" narrowed down on lodging and had figured out the air.

Then, while standing in line at customs in Grand Cayman, we met this nice British couple, who were on a 1 month dive vacation ( hopping from place to place ). They had just flown to GC from Roatan, and said they absolutly hated it, they had multiple issues that wouldn't concern DH and I ( as in lack of nightlife etc ) but she DID look like a contestant on Survivor. She was literally covered in bites and said she'd gotten them all in 2 days! :11:

Now, I'm not one who gets a lot of bites ( or at least doesn't all swell up ) and bugs don't bother me much. I live in coastal SC so we have our summer bugs here, also. But she looked bad.

We're now going to Bonaire for that sheduled trip, but I can't get Roatan out of my mind. I really want to go.

Are the bugs really that bad? Do you have to wear spray all the time? ( Hate adding the chemicals to my body as well as into the water ). I've heard of so many folks who love it, I just wonder if you've seen any extremely bitten folks like that- or you've been there yourself?

Thanks.

 

[24940]

Are the bugs really that bad? Do you have to wear spray all the time? ( Hate adding the chemicals to my body as well as into the water ). I've heard of so many folks who love it, I just wonder if you've seen any extremely bitten folks like that- or you've been there yourself?

Thanks.

They really are that bad, at least when I was there in March.

I'm not much for chemical baths, but DEET was my cologne of choice for the duration of my stay there. I was fine during the day, but as the sun set, the bugs came to feed.

I did see some rather spectacular displays of bites on people who didn't use or missed some hard to reach areas. Those people only made that mistake once, but the bites seemed to persist for a day or two as I recall.

 

[diveski01]

Resorts that hover at the edge of the land mass are really built over mangrove "swamps", if you will. No-see-ums live there.

If staying at CoCoView, Fantasy Island you will definitely need to keep the DEET on at all times - especially if just coming out of the water and still wet.

Anthony's Key was not quite as bad with the exception of the Nitrox room which had skeeters more than the no-see-ums.

 

[Doc]

Are the bugs really that bad?

yes.

Do you have to wear spray all the time?

Yes

( Hate adding the chemicals to my body

A common misconception. External sprays when properly applied do not migrate and change your intrnal DNA

as well as into the water ).

Shower off first

I've heard of so many folks who love it, I just wonder if you've seen any extremely bitten folks like that- or you've been there yourself?

Everywhere in the Caribbean there are sand flies. The Bay Islands have the best Sand Flies.

Thanks.

No problem

Here's todays similar topic from CoCoChat: bugs on dock? - CoCo Chat

I believe, contrary to the above post, that the South side- because of its prevailing breezes, are less buggy than the North. Just my experience. Both FIBR and CCV are upwind of the mangroves, AKR resides inside one. The math aint workng. You're gonna get chewed no matter where. Anybody that says otherwise has simply not been there long enough. After three weeks, most people become resistant and develop natural antihistamines anyway.

You'll love Bonaire. It has Scorpions. Aint nowhere perfect

 

[diveski01]

CCV's dive lockers aren't always breezy enough to keep them critters off. Love the place and we were very faithful about the DEET - for the most part. I forgot to rinse and reapply after playing with the resident golden retriever in the water just before dinner. My ankles got bit that night.

I've gotten worse at dinner in Grand Cayman at a very nice place - that was right at the sea's edge.

Go where you desire to dive but always pack DEET

 

[tstonedvr]

When I went to AKR in '99 we had heard all the horror stories, so we picked one of the hillside rooms to stay off the water....this worked for us, that and we also had good tans which made our skin tougher, that always helps....the pale, tasty German's that were staying on the water were just plumb eat up, I gave them my hydrocortisone. As an aside...the resort (AKR) was great, however I was not impressed by the diving.
Yarg

 

[BTravlin]

My wife and I have spent two weeks at Fantasy Island on two separate trips and had no problems with bugs at all. Someone suggested we take a vitamin B complex starting about 10 days before our trip and continue taking it until leaving Roatan and the bugs would not bite. We did just that and had no problems at all while many people around us had many bites to show. People who spent a lot of time at the beach got the worst of it. We dove 4-5 times a day so that probably reduced our exposure as well.

 

[sbaggs]

We were there last Mar/Apr and I was pretty obsessive about using bug spray, and therefore had 0 bites upon my return. There were people at our pool who had obviously not used spray and had tons of bites all over their legs/backs. Once I saw that, it made me even more obsessive especially since I didn't even notice any bugs. I will admit that after two weeks of applying suntan lotion and bug spray that I was happy when I returned home and didn't have to lather up anymore. We just returned from Cozumel and weren't expecting bugs there, but got eaten up at dusk time there as well. Just take some spray, use it, and you'll be fine.

 

[Dave C]

I was there in March 2006 for 2 weeks and didn't find the bugs to be that bad. I stayed at Las Rocas next to West Bay Beach. It was pretty breezy when we there, plus March is one of the drier months, so perhaps that could have been a factor. There were some days I didn't even put on bug dope. I did notice that people who did a lot sunbathing or lounging on West Bay Beach showed quite a few bites. I wouldn't recommend Roatan for someone who wants to sit on the beach all day and read a book; you will get bitten. I hung out sometimes on docks going out from shore (Luna Beach Resort was very nice for this), and bugs were non-existent there. I don't think you should use bugs as a primary factor when deciding to go to Roatan for a dive vacation. Roatan is a beautifully green and lush island (the greenery is one reason there are bugs) with great diving, and I highly recommend going there before it gets overrun with cruise ship visitors.

 

[hopefulist]

We tried the Vitamin B bit and decided it only helped us in areas where there weren't bugs. ) I've heard oil of any kind (vegetable oil, mineral oil) will keep them from biting but we've never had to use it as in 1 trip to Belize and 2 to Honduras, no sand flies and few mozzies. I say pray for a breeze - we're sure that's what has saved us on previous trips.