Roatan vs Utila again again

[Sodgaard]

We are going to one or both of the bay islands here in 10 days time. We have still not decided on which one.

I have browsed though the various R vs U threads in the forum and read other sources as well, and must say the difference in diving activities is not yet clear to me. Here is what I have read in literature and websites in positive (+) / negative aspects (-):

Utila
+ Better probability of seing whale sharks - in season.
+ Town and atmosphere more traditional, and less touristy
+ More current along north side which is what leads to more whale sharks.
+ Excelent snorkling at the end of airport road
+ Cheaper diving and accomadation than Roatan
- Distance to northern wall/drift/deep divesites long to the extent of 1-1½ hrs each way, meaning the morning dives starts 1½ hr earlier than Roatan. You are often taken to less attractive (south) dive sites in the afternoon in Utila to save time and gas.
- Town being more concret
- There is $3/day reef tax

Roatan (West End)
+ You have to be more selective in Roatan than Utila.
+ Best beaches
+ Close proximity of divesites (15-20 minuts boat drive)
+ Shallow 45ft/15m dives with lots of critters
+ More diversified / rich sealife
+ Diving described as "turely a divers paradise, with endless variety and near-perfect diving conditions."
+ There is $5/year reef tax
+ Smaller Diving classes than on Utila
- Whale sharks
- Cruise ships dock at the island, leading to tourist

I would be very greatfull if you experienced people could complement/correct.

Cheers

Stephen

 

[Doc]

and must say the difference in diving activities is not yet clear to me

I say you have it nailed precisely.

Anybody ever accuse you of over-analysis?

You are going to agonize over your choice always suspecting that you had made the wrong selection.

Your analysis is fairly complete- curious that you believe that West End diving is representative of all of Roatan, but possibly there were factors that led you to focus on the that zone.

Do both- spend a week on each island~ or at least split your vacation.

 

[Sodgaard]

Smile - I like to get the facts right so you have an idea what you can expect. Im not an engineer for nothing...

If what I assembled of data is more or less complete, then it seems that the major reason for going to Utila would be the whalesharks. Im just surprised that no other advantages of Utila has surfaced in any of the threads.
As you can see I took a couple of quotes from yourself with a preference of Roatan. I havent stumbled across any similar preferences for Utila, which surprises me.

Further Im not saying that West End is representative for Roatan - I just focused on it as I see this as my main alternative in terms of reasonable prices. From what I see, there are lots of other (mostly higher end) alternatives along the north/south coast, which if I had a different budget, would love to go for.

Thanks for your comments

 

[Doc]

Further Im not saying that West End is representative for Roatan - I just focused on it as I see this as my main alternative in terms of reasonable prices. From what I see, there are lots of other (mostly higher end) alternatives along the north/south coast, which if I had a different budget, would love to go for.

Ok then, let me speak to you as the engineer that you are.

Do the math. If you think "ala carte" day dive ops are cheaper, the only way that would be so is if you were diving 1 or two dives a day. When you are buying dives one at a time and taking time to go obtain food- this will take away from your bottom time.

If I can do a dreaded AI choice for $900 or so (some less) for an entire week, get 5 dives a day including a night dive, be fed good food so that it doesn't take away from my dive time... well- the math works for me.

There is no one vacation nor one dive resort/option that will fit everyone's needs. I can only speak from the perspective of what suits our needs as a dive-dive-dive kind of vacationer. We stay wet 5+ hours each day!

 

[Sodgaard]

LOL - Fair enough, definately another option to consider...
The idea of just wading into water as the CoCoView does seem intriging.
Exact location http://www.wikimapia.org/1777065/

Where do their boat trips go, and how long is the sailing time?
Playa Miguel Cabins are described as nearby, and are using the same facilities.

Adjacent to CoCoView is Fantasy island resort.
Similar deals seems to be available eg. on the north coast in the area around Sandy Bay.

Thanks

 

[divergalinla]

I went to Utila for a week and stayed at Deep Blue...diving 3 X day, night dive and unlimited shore diving. You can walk out of your room onto the beach and if you have told the staff you want to do a shore dive, your equipment is waiting on you. They also pick it up, clean it and have it on the boat waiting for you. I cannot say enough about how great Steve and Jasmine are! The food is great, rooms have small refrigerators, showers and A/C, balcony with hammock etc. I would love to go back, but have to save a while longer. I believe their website is www.deepblueutila.com

kathy

 

[Doc]

The idea of just wading into water as the CoCoView does seem intriging.

Convenient would be the word. The opportunity for a free night dive on a wreck every night? How can you beat that?

Where do their boat trips go

They go into the Caribbean Sea. Honestly- if someone were to answer this, what would you do with the data~ and how would one process the information? CCV does dive sites from Dixon Cove (just E of the Airport) to Oak Ridge (about 10 miles E of CCV)

, and how long is the sailing time?

Most dive sites are 5~7 minutes away. We advise our dive trip buddies to be gearing up as we are just getting underway. If you do this, you will be comfortably ready to go as they are getting moored. Listen to the briefing and watch the crew. When they start getting ready, you should be doing the same.

Some CCV trips, certainly to Mary's Place (25 minutes) or to my personal favorite, Calvin's Crack (40 minutes) are offered at least once a week and are worth the trip. Otherwise, surprisingly few divers show up for the boat dives. The boats might be set up to accept 24+ divers, but they are only assigned 17 divers at the very most. Rarely do they go out (after the first day) with more than 14 divers. They are quite roomy. Everyone else is doing the shore dive!

Playa Miguel Cabins are described as nearby, and are using the same facilities.

True on both counts- your satellite map hotlink shows that.

Adjacent to CoCoView is Fantasy island resort.

Right across the channel, yet a world apart.

Similar deals seems to be available eg. on the north coast in the area around Sandy Bay.

In terns of raw dollars, yes- they are similar.

Thanks

Again- there is no one resort for everybody. Research and plan well. Understand that Roatan is at early stages of development- there really is nothing else to do but dive or drink. Do not let the salespeople try to fool you.

 

[Gussy]

I went to Utila for a week and stayed at Deep Blue...diving 3 X day, night dive and unlimited shore diving. You can walk out of your room onto the beach and if you have told the staff you want to do a shore dive, your equipment is waiting on you. They also pick it up, clean it and have it on the boat waiting for you. I cannot say enough about how great Steve and Jasmine are! The food is great, rooms have small refrigerators, showers and A/C, balcony with hammock etc. I would love to go back, but have to save a while longer. I believe their website is www.deepblueutila.com

kathy

Does Deep Blue have a beach? I'm going with my non-diving wife and two kids. Currently I'm leaning more towards Roatan because I can't seem to find any resort in Utila with a nice beach.

 

[chotzinger]

One other thing to consider. I have been to Roatan twice and am headed back in May. I would love to do a week in Utila, but I can't work out the logistics to get there from Denver in one day. Spending another 2 of my 7 days traveling just isn't an option. Where ever you go, I hope you have a great time.
Cheers,
Curt

 

[rainmaker]

I agree with Chotzinger. I'm going in June, and chose Roatan over Utila mainly because of travel considerations. There is something to be said for boarding a plane in Houston and landing in Roatan, instead of landing in San Pedro Sula and having to make your way to Utila via puddle jumpers, or maybe a long taxi ride and a ferry. A night on the Honduran mainland because of a missed connection doesn't exactly fit into my travel plans, either.

By the way, Continental Airlines guaranteed lowest price ticket from Charlotte, NC to Roatan was $957. I got the same ticket (flying Continental) later in the day at Orbitz.com for $682.