Roatan Trip Report - Photos and Videos

[jenth]

I'll echo Chris and say that this trip was awesome! Wouldn't have changed a thing. Two best decisions we made were staying with Bananarama and bringing our drysuits. This was my first warm water trip...and I've learned that "warm water" doesn't mean that the water is warm...only that the water is warmer. 79F in my books is stil cold.

Bananarama was the perfect place for us to stay. The dive shop caters to divers, but even if you're not a diver, you'll have a great time at the resort. It was the perfect combo. Chris's mom stayed parked on the beach the whole time and the boats would come back to the resort during the surface intervals, so we were able to spend more time with her and tell her about our dives. The dive shop also recognizes that there are divers of different levels...and put Chris and I on the more "advanced" boat...so we were able to maximize our bottom times.

The diving on Roatan was AMAZING! Reefs were gorgeous...and the marine life there is beautiful. It was sad to see the lionfish on the dives (at one point, we saw 5 in one area)...but hopefully they're doing what they can to keep the population under control.

Chris,

Just heard from a dive buddy of mine who arrived in Roatan on Saturday and it's been raining non-stop since Sunday. He got in one dive on Saturday and two on Sunday. Yesterday and today's dives were canceled due to rain with many roads washed out last night.

It appears that you've taken the good weather back to CA with ya.

Sad to hear about the cancelled dives! I agree, Chris and I were lucky to have the weather we had...it was absolutely gorgeous! Though...I don't know what you're talking about with the good weather here in CA...it's supposed to rain today!!

 

[ScubaSam]

Jen - Your trip definitely sounded awesome from the videos, pics and write-up.

Congrats to your sister-in-law on her certification.

Dunno why you brought rain back to CA.

 

[Doc]

...Yesterday and today's dives were canceled due to rain with many roads washed out last night.

I guess it depends on where you are. FI & CCV ran regular schedules.

 

[Rainer]

Great pics and videos, as always!

I'm so glad you guys enjoyed diving dry in warm water....and that both drysuits were dry

Thanks, Nicole! After hearing Jamie's stories diving dry in Coz and your stories diving wet in HI, I think Jen was pretty set on trying the drysuits!

Chris,

Just heard from a dive buddy of mine who arrived in Roatan on Saturday and it's been raining non-stop since Sunday. He got in one dive on Saturday and two on Sunday. Yesterday and today's dives were canceled due to rain with many roads washed out last night.

It appears that you've taken the good weather back to CA with ya.

So sorry to hear! Sounds like indeed we just missed the rain. It was there the day before we arrived and returned just after we left. Now, if we could only get rid of it here in LA (yes, thankfully it's rare!).

I'll echo Chris and say that this trip was awesome! Wouldn't have changed a thing. Two best decisions we made were staying with Bananarama and bringing our drysuits. This was my first warm water trip...and I've learned that "warm water" doesn't mean that the water is warm...only that the water is warmer. 79F in my books is stil cold.

Bananarama was the perfect place for us to stay. The dive shop caters to divers, but even if you're not a diver, you'll have a great time at the resort. It was the perfect combo. Chris's mom stayed parked on the beach the whole time and the boats would come back to the resort during the surface intervals, so we were able to spend more time with her and tell her about our dives. The dive shop also recognizes that there are divers of different levels...and put Chris and I on the more "advanced" boat...so we were able to maximize our bottom times.

The diving on Roatan was AMAZING! Reefs were gorgeous...and the marine life there is beautiful. It was sad to see the lionfish on the dives (at one point, we saw 5 in one area)...but hopefully they're doing what they can to keep the population under control.

Indeed, wonderful trip. It was easy to get in three dives / day (we did four dives once, the day we did the night dive) at Bananarama, without feeling like the entire trip was *just* about diving. For us, this was a good compromise, especially given we had a non-diver with us.

Definitely, sad about all the lionfish. We saw them on most dives.

Jen - Your trip definitely sounded awesome from the videos, pics and write-up.

Congrats to your sister-in-law on her certification.

Christina did great! She really enjoyed it (after getting over her initial fears!).

 

[Thiad]

Beautiful pictures. Heading to Roatan in June and your pictures make me wish the trip was tomorrow.

 

[billmosel]

That was a GREAT report. Pics and all.

Bananarama is a fantastic stop. I stayed there last March after a week on Fantasy Island and I must say that I made a good choice. They run a beautiful operation. It seems that a family run op runs best. They really want to make things happen...And they do.

Glad you enjoyed your time in Roatan.

 

[Rainer]

Beautiful pictures. Heading to Roatan in June and your pictures make me wish the trip was tomorrow.

Thank you!

It's a wonderful dive location. You're going to have a great trip!

That was a GREAT report. Pics and all.

Bananarama is a fantastic stop. I stayed there last March after a week on Fantasy Island and I must say that I made a good choice. They run a beautiful operation. It seems that a family run op runs best. They really want to make things happen...And they do.

Glad you enjoyed your time in Roatan.

Much appreciated!

Bananarama exceeded our expectations. Yes, family run operations tend to often offer superior service. The personal investment is obvious.

 

[fab50diver]

Thanks so much for the report! We're headed to Utila Saturday and I get more excited every day!

 

[Rainer]

Utila sounds amazing. My sister is planning her next dive trip there. I'd love to go at some point!

Thanks so much for the report! We're headed to Utila Saturday and I get more excited every day!

 

[tkscuba]

Nice report. My wife and I were at Anthony's Key Resort from the 10th to the 19th and lost a day and half of diving in the middle of our trip due to the rain. Still a great trip! We actually did our OW cert dives on Fri and Sat and managed to get in 19 dives during our stay. We also saw a lot of Lionfish (on all but one dive, the El Aguila dive, I think).