Roatan Recommendations

[Roman_66]

I also looking to spend about week to dive in Roatan in May. Due I don't have buddy, I try to reach confirmation from dive shop that they can provide stage or just additional AL80 or able to fill air to 30cu stage, which I will bring with me.
Most agents doesn't understand what I am asking and can''t confirm and provide price.
I had long mail conversation with Reefhouse, but looks I spoke with sell agent and not with diver. It was very difficult my needs and mails suddenly has been stopped.
Did somebody see in any dive shop in Roatan boats where people use stages or dive shop knows what is it?
Doubles will be even better.
I am missing hope to find.
P.S. This why I so like Cozumel Diving with Deep Exposure Dive Center Cozumel in Cozumel.

 

[JohnN]

I also looking to spend about week to dive in Roatan in May. Due I don't have buddy, I try to reach confirmation from dive shop that they can provide stage or just additional AL80 or able to fill air to 30cu stage, which I will bring with me.
Most agents doesn't understand what I am asking and can''t confirm and provide price.
I had long mail conversation with Reefhouse, but looks I spoke with sell agent and not with diver. It was very difficult my needs and mails suddenly has been stopped.
Did somebody see in any dive shop in Roatan boats where people use stages or dive shop knows what is it?
Doubles will be even better.
I am missing hope to find.
P.S. This why I so like Cozumel Diving with Deep Exposure Dive Center Cozumel in Cozumel.

Have you checked with Coconut Tree Divers Scuba Diving | PADI 5 Star Instructor Development Center | Roatan, Bay Islands ? They do the PADI TECxx series, so they're a pretty good bet. I dove with them a couple years ago (pure recreational). Two thumbs up

 

[Doc]

RHR is a 45 minute drive away from CCT, and a world apart.

.... I try to reach confirmation from dive shop that they can provide stage or just additional AL80 or able to fill air to 30cu stage, which I will bring with me.

Reef House, I would guess, could care less if you kept an extra one of their tanks as your own private slung 80 for the week. Their boats are very small, so that might be a minor issue.

Are you also expressing concern that they would have issues filling a 30 that you brought? Non issue. A tank valve is a tank valve, unless you have one of them new-fangled 30cuft SpareAirs. Understand and obey the airline rules. If you do get though that "open bottle" requirement, then all you have to do is violate the accepted practices of the SCUBA industry by not jumping through all the inspection hoops when re-installing the tank nipple. Easy breezy.

So, this is a redundant air supply that is needed because you "don't have a buddy"? You'll get one. If you want, hang near the DM. The South shore of Roatan is all about shallow diving profiles. All the air you'll ever need is right above you by 50 feet maximum. Do your best to not run out of air, keep your DM intimately apprised of your SPG reading. All is well.

Doubles will be even better.

Maybe so, but that aint gonna happen on Roatan, not at RHR. Yes, you can bring a doubles BPW, yes you can bring two reg sets and run them as independents (you aren't going to do any plumbing) but the locals will laugh at you. They don't laugh at much, but that ought to get 'em going.

This is easy warm-water-pretty-fish diving. Approach it that way, you'll enjoy it more.

 

[ReefHound]

Peter Hughes, the head instructor at AKR, mentioned that tech training is available since the second tier of reefs drops to several hundred feet pretty close to shore. Whoever does tech training would likely have doubles. I think that's overkill for recreational diving there. Sidemount would be better. Just bring your rigging and use a couple AL80 tanks.

 

[Roman_66]

Finally booked with Reef House resort May 16-24.
They promised DIN connection available and can rent me additional tank as stage.
Is it current/stream around Roatan? Are dives in open ocean ? I just ask with concern to take with me Nautilus lifeline or not. Dive operator told me that they should have VHF radio on boats.

 

[Doc]

Good, ok, no, yes, no, yes they should.

Additional posts will follow in this thread regarding alternative resort recommendations (very few read the entire thread before posting), but some very minor searching SB on your part will assure you of the relative ease of local Southside diving. Reef House Resort will be a 3 on the 1-10 Scale in terms of technically challenging diving. Most commonly visited dive sites in Roatan hardly rise above that score.

On Roatan, there are some deep dives commonly done, these are at 115fsw to the West/North placed wrecks. South side wrecks are in the 35-65fsw depth, they are a hump from the RHR, but they can take you to them. (Prince Albert and Mr Bud, near CCV in the middle of the S side) Other local RHR sites may require a quick blip to 75' to get the full effect, but I can think of only 3 such dives in that area. (Calvin's Crack, Hole in the Wall, and another...uhhh...ummm?)

In regards to that preceding depth comment... You can dive those offered to you at RHR to whatever depth you feel that you must, but honestly you're not going to see much worth absorbing Nitrogen past 55'. I believe not yet seeing or believing this incredible fact might be what is driving your interest in a extra tank.

Let go, be free.

There is very little current to be found, again on the common Roatan-wide dive sites. You might encounter some mild current at the far Western tip, also at Cara a Cara, the Shark Rodeo site. I have never noticed much current on the South side's common resort dive sites. Some divers confuse surge with current, and what with it being very shallow on the South, surge becomes more common.

If you want to carry a SMB, it would be nothing I would discourage, but in thousands of dives off Roatan, with prevalent conditions, I haven't even bothered with that. I appreciate that you're doing what I counsel- tailor your dive kit to the conditions and task at hand. In the case of RHR and environs, rig like you were in a pool. Yes, I think the slung bottle is overkill, but again- your chosen level of redundancy and safety is not going to be criticized by me.

This is simple easy breezy diving. The greatest challenge I think you'll face is to slow down and get in close to observe the macro and micro. This may well present you with a dive situation you may have yet to experience. Many people walk away from this unique area quite unimpressed- they were either too busy diving or couldn't see the cool "small stuff".

Stick with that DM from RHR, they can show you a whole new world.

 

[Roman_66]

Reef House resort 3 on the 1-10 Scale is scare me. But I didn't have too many options.
Dive shops (also suggested in this thread), who answered on my mails doesn't have DIN connectors or word "stage" was confused them.
Doc , I understood that you say that SMB will be more than enough for Roatan dive condition.
And diver radio is not needed, even dives are in open ocean.
Other Q about additional fees in Roatan: I understood that to agreed price with dive shop I need to add local Tax (how much ?) and I will need to pay some amount (how much ?) in RTB airport before departure. Something else except tips to crew ?

 

[Doc]

Reef House resort 3 on the 1-10 Scale is scare me. But I didn't have too many options.

Whoa, whoa, whoa, back the truck up, Chuck.

Read with care what I wrote. You asked specifically about the difficulty of diving, that's what I was answering with a "3".

This IS IN NO WAY a rating of the resort itself.

 

[KathyV]

Finally booked with Reef House resort May 16-24.
They promised DIN connection available and can rent me additional tank as stage.
Is it current/stream around Roatan? Are dives in open ocean ? I just ask with concern to take with me Nautilus lifeline or not. Dive operator told me that they should have VHF radio on boats.

Have fun! Please post a report when you get back it has been many years since we stayed at Reef House.

 

[ReefHouseResort]

Love to have you! Let us know when. The ACs work fine, tho no one ever uses the one in room 12 cause it gets such a great breeze. 3 dives a day and unlimited shore dives, just like always. If not, come have a dive while you're down ;P