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I got this PM, and the spirit of SCUBABoard is the spreading of info- it saves bandwith and typing. Also- I'm not the only opinion out there! Join in, people!
Oh man- so many questions. Let me repost this on the open forum! Look in the Bay Islands section.
So, you are inquiring as to AI Resort properties, first week of June, interested in how the diving is, and asking specifics about CoCoView. You've been to Bonaire and Cayman.
First- what a great thing that you want to expand your dive vistas. Bonaire is one of those "must do" islands, certainly well placed in my top 5 of the Caribbean. Cayman used to be, but it has slipped to the top 10 due to long term degradation. We are sadly wearing the planet out, from the reefs on up.
Roatan diving on the North and West side is similar to what you have seen in Cayman. You'll see many of the same larger more easily noticed and identified fish and crustaceans. The South side is what makes Roatan different- it rewards those with good buoyancy and patient, well developed observational skills. The S side is where you do your surface interval with Paul Humann's Reef ID books on hand! CCV and FIBR among a few others are on the South side.
That week should be perfection. It's before the rainy season and if you are refering to this year, 2007, it will be a full moon which is indicative of calm seas. Otherwise, it might rain and bluster all week, but I wouldn't bet on that outcome!
CoCoView is a resort for divers. If you want maximum bottom time and easy breezy access, that's the place. Food is good, plentiful and designed to get you back diving right away. Other places make a pretense that you are there for something else and wish to be entertained by lengthy meals and long surface intervals. At CCV, it is not uncommon to have people eating happily dressed in lycra dive skins. Gotta get back to diving. You will likely meet a lot of interesting people who will share experiences.
The real trick to the South side are the shallow reef structures that break in 2-3 feet and drop to the first sand shelf at 90'. There you will find a nursery of little creatures. The on premises dive shop sells small magnifying glasses. Oh- the wonders that you will see- even in two feet of water at the steps of your room!
You have to decide what you want out of the trip. Unfortunately (?), Roatan is not yet one of those islands where there is much else to do other than dive. Others will add in their non-dive ideas, the lists of restaurants and more- but understand- Roatan is no Cozumel or Bonaire in terms of restaurants, it is no Cayman in terms of shopping. Not even close. Roatan is on the tip of being developed. Come there to dive, do not be disappointed. If your SO wants to sunbathe, that they have. If you want golf, jet skiing, parasailing... well~ some stuff comes and goes, but there is one fancy franchised chicken place. It's called Bojangles. Get the idea?
At CCV, they have essentialy a juried art show that comes through every day as individual merchants arrive with some pretty spectacular stuff, some of it exclusively displayed at CCV. You can get SPA services and there is a wireless internet, an exercise room and whatever else... but it gets in the way of my diving. It is on its own private 10 acre island off the coast of Roatan. You will see no-one there other than employees and guests. Not a big security problem.
Bar none- there is no finer layout of any resort and dive locker, dive boat design that I have seen anywhere. I've seen a lot. The location of the place was pure synchronicity. Two walls within a short swim, the dive begins at your cabana, the intact 140' wreck.
There are other AI resorts on the Bay Islands, CCV is where nitrogen junkies go.
There are other less expensive ways to do the island as well, notably the ala carte possibilities of the West End, but you did inquire as to resorts, and one specifically.
There is no one way for everyone, but the best advice comes from those who have seen most all of it. There are quite a few people on SB who fall into this category, some that do not. Beware the poster who says, "Gee we just got back from Club Med and the diving was spectacular". You yourself must decide what you want out of your vacation, but as I said, Roatan has precious little to offer (yet) other than diving.
Get it while you can. Remember my comments about Cayman? We went there extensively in the 1970's and with good reason. It had the infrastructure and the great diving. With modernization, ships, and siltation run-off, they needed to create "Stingray City" just to keep the place alive. That one dive alone might be worth the trip, but other topside activities fill in for the degraded diving.
In Roatan- it's still there, but you better hurry. They just announced plans for a cruise ship mega port. Go now.
DavidH from a PM:
Oh man- so many questions. Let me repost this on the open forum! Look in the Bay Islands section.
So, you are inquiring as to AI Resort properties, first week of June, interested in how the diving is, and asking specifics about CoCoView. You've been to Bonaire and Cayman.
First- what a great thing that you want to expand your dive vistas. Bonaire is one of those "must do" islands, certainly well placed in my top 5 of the Caribbean. Cayman used to be, but it has slipped to the top 10 due to long term degradation. We are sadly wearing the planet out, from the reefs on up.
Roatan diving on the North and West side is similar to what you have seen in Cayman. You'll see many of the same larger more easily noticed and identified fish and crustaceans. The South side is what makes Roatan different- it rewards those with good buoyancy and patient, well developed observational skills. The S side is where you do your surface interval with Paul Humann's Reef ID books on hand! CCV and FIBR among a few others are on the South side.
That week should be perfection. It's before the rainy season and if you are refering to this year, 2007, it will be a full moon which is indicative of calm seas. Otherwise, it might rain and bluster all week, but I wouldn't bet on that outcome!
CoCoView is a resort for divers. If you want maximum bottom time and easy breezy access, that's the place. Food is good, plentiful and designed to get you back diving right away. Other places make a pretense that you are there for something else and wish to be entertained by lengthy meals and long surface intervals. At CCV, it is not uncommon to have people eating happily dressed in lycra dive skins. Gotta get back to diving. You will likely meet a lot of interesting people who will share experiences.
The real trick to the South side are the shallow reef structures that break in 2-3 feet and drop to the first sand shelf at 90'. There you will find a nursery of little creatures. The on premises dive shop sells small magnifying glasses. Oh- the wonders that you will see- even in two feet of water at the steps of your room!
You have to decide what you want out of the trip. Unfortunately (?), Roatan is not yet one of those islands where there is much else to do other than dive. Others will add in their non-dive ideas, the lists of restaurants and more- but understand- Roatan is no Cozumel or Bonaire in terms of restaurants, it is no Cayman in terms of shopping. Not even close. Roatan is on the tip of being developed. Come there to dive, do not be disappointed. If your SO wants to sunbathe, that they have. If you want golf, jet skiing, parasailing... well~ some stuff comes and goes, but there is one fancy franchised chicken place. It's called Bojangles. Get the idea?
At CCV, they have essentialy a juried art show that comes through every day as individual merchants arrive with some pretty spectacular stuff, some of it exclusively displayed at CCV. You can get SPA services and there is a wireless internet, an exercise room and whatever else... but it gets in the way of my diving. It is on its own private 10 acre island off the coast of Roatan. You will see no-one there other than employees and guests. Not a big security problem.
Bar none- there is no finer layout of any resort and dive locker, dive boat design that I have seen anywhere. I've seen a lot. The location of the place was pure synchronicity. Two walls within a short swim, the dive begins at your cabana, the intact 140' wreck.
There are other AI resorts on the Bay Islands, CCV is where nitrogen junkies go.
There are other less expensive ways to do the island as well, notably the ala carte possibilities of the West End, but you did inquire as to resorts, and one specifically.
There is no one way for everyone, but the best advice comes from those who have seen most all of it. There are quite a few people on SB who fall into this category, some that do not. Beware the poster who says, "Gee we just got back from Club Med and the diving was spectacular". You yourself must decide what you want out of your vacation, but as I said, Roatan has precious little to offer (yet) other than diving.
Get it while you can. Remember my comments about Cayman? We went there extensively in the 1970's and with good reason. It had the infrastructure and the great diving. With modernization, ships, and siltation run-off, they needed to create "Stingray City" just to keep the place alive. That one dive alone might be worth the trip, but other topside activities fill in for the degraded diving.
In Roatan- it's still there, but you better hurry. They just announced plans for a cruise ship mega port. Go now.
and the rest of us "nuts" CoCoNuts that is.....I am going to miss it this year going to T&C....join us on cocochat
we will leave the light on for you.... 
