Roatan...Was I expecting too much?

[The Professor]

Next time you try Roatan stay at Anthony's Key Resort and dive with them on that side of the island (the north coast). The reef structure is intricate. You can see drowned stream cuts made during the last ice age maximum as well as a now submerged waterfall at a site called the Bear's Den. The nite dives are very good with hosts of invertebrates, Do not expect "big stuff" at Roatan. Schools of reef fish like blue tang, grunts and spadefish are common. If you decide to stay at Anthony's Key make certain that you request a cabin on the "key". I have over 200 dives at Roatan Iand I was never disappointed.

 

[getwet2]

Next time you try Roatan stay at Anthony's Key Resort and dive with them on that side of the island (the north coast). The reef structure is intricate. You can see drowned stream cuts made during the last ice age maximum as well as a now submerged waterfall at a site called the Bear's Den. The nite dives are very good with hosts of invertebrates, Do not expect "big stuff" at Roatan. Schools of reef fish like blue tang, grunts and spadefish are common. If you decide to stay at Anthony's Key make certain that you request a cabin on the "key". I have over 200 dives at Roatan Iand I was never disappointed.

I will most definetly keep that in mind. Thanks!

 

[getwet2]

Now I understand why Roatan was ho-hum.

You mentioned Los Roques. Now that the only liveaboard is gone (Hughes Antares III), you really can't dive there to any real extent. But if you asked "what one doesn't belong" in a list of Aruba, Cuzumel, San Andres, Los Roques... I would have to say "San Andres".

Then I would say the one that really absolutely doesn't belong in that list is "Los Roques". Shallow, currents occluding the viz with sand, great ancient wrecks (when they appear uncoverd from the drifting sand) and absolutely nothing going on in the small town of Gran Roque. Try Maragaitte, the Cozumel of Venezuala, just E of Los Roques.

Most came home from Los Roques and hated it. I spent a total of four weeks there over many years. If you go there expecting Roatan, you'd hate it, too. If you go there expecting anything in your past experience- you'd be in for a real eye opener. As I said, many many ancient wooden hulled wrecks.

Aint no one place for everybody. The previous mention of FIBR DM's chumming? Maybe a bad idea, but at least it gives everyone a chance to see something, anything without a lot of tedious searching by the DM's and creating easy stuff to see. They do a great job.

Roatan is best for the patient diver. Other islands have great bars and taco joints.

Just to clarify a couple of things.............:06:

In your opinion....

Why would you remove San Andres from the list?

When you say Los Roques would be "A real eye opener" do you mean that in a good way or a bad way or does it depend on the conditions at the time you are there? (If you get to see the wrecks it's good if not it sucks?) What was the marine life like when you were there?

Are you saying that Roatan is better overall then Los Roques?

 

[SaraFowler]

We are going to Roatan the first week of May. Would you mind telling me who you dove with so I don't make the same mistake? Sure wish this thread had been posted before we booked our trip......We may have decided on a different local. Well we will make the best of it anyway, I am sure there will be somthing that interests us. Just getting wet after a long snowy winter will be reward enough. Sorry you were disappointed.

Happy Diving!!!!!!

A friend and I were in Roatan for a couple of weeks in January and had a fantastic time. Saying that, we were new to diving and so were excited about everything we saw! But despite being told (after the tickets had been bought!) that it would rain every day and visibility would be awful, it was great weather for the whole 2 weeks and visibilty was great. Saw green morays on 3 dives, an eagle ray, octopus and loads of barracuda.

We were with a great dive school- Reef Gliders. Staff were friendly, thorough and loads of fun and really made our holiday.

It seems that Roatan is just a little unpredictable!

Hope you have fun in May.

 

[Doc]

Just to clarify a couple of things.............:06:

In your opinion....

Why would you remove San Andres from the list?

Aruba and Cozumel. Lots to do on topside, some diving below.

San Andres... hope you came to dive (by comparison) little topside.

When you say Los Roques would be "A real eye opener" do you mean that in a good way or a bad way or does it depend on the conditions at the time you are there? (If you get to see the wrecks it's good if not it sucks?) What was the marine life like when you were there?

Anything new is what most of us crave. And new it would be for most!.

Take into account my general description. the place is a huge number of shallow sandy ridges and tables. Who knows- maybe 60+ are islets with vegetation. Hundreds lie just below the current driven waters. Not a whole lot of reef life- certainly not in terms of walls. Shallow coral heads and the like. You saw Tarpon and other warm water Apex predators, but otherwise what critters there were came out at night. No great shakes.

Yes, it was largely dependant upon the skill and motivation of the dive staff. Kind of like the Keys of Florida- one day a wreck is there, the next day it is drifted over with sand. they had to know the area, the wrecks and when to move on.

Are you saying that Roatan is better overall then Los Roques?

No, and there is just the point of what I am saying.

There is no "better". Each locale can have its benefits (barring the ravages of reef degredation by run-off etc.)

You can go to any specific Island and be exposed to the diving that 98% of the people see and walk away having seen what 98% of the people see. Or, it might be explained that you go to an island and see what you can see, and walk away knowing what you saw. Most divers to Nassau or Freeport are only exposed to 10% of the possible dive sites. Conditions of the sea and distance from any given dive op precludes visiting divers from seeing anything remarkable.

Balance this with the plain fact that most divers who arrive at these Bahamian destinations are most always inexperienced. They have the times of their lives, nevertheless. If they say that diving in the Bahamas sucks, maybe they don't undrestand that the Bahamas is a country of many islands, including Andros and San Salvador (among others) that offer a vastly different view of the sea than Lucaya or Nassau.

You know what you know.

Conversely, you can't know what you don't know.

People went to Los Roques and (a) didn't much care for shallow wreck dives with a lot of sand in the water columns, or maybe fairly clear, or (b) the crew couldn't find or couldn't get to any exposed wrecks that week. Either way, those who went had a less than expected experience. They sure didn't see any big fish The trip sucks, Los Roques sucks, etc.

We go to places with expectations. If you go to Roatan expecting masses of fish, large fish, or... whatever, you are going there for the wrong reason.

The list I posted previously is not my list. It is a list comprised from a week of snorkeling on the South side of Roatan

If you go to Roatan, dive with slowly and with a sharp eye- and in selected areas, you will see the most amazing collection of micro and macro critters. If you don't, you won't.

The same applies to any locale. I have a Hydro-Optix mask. I can't really see stuff closer than 6' away all that well. Distance? No problem. I select it when I am doing wrecks with no penetration. Truk, Bikini, etc. I leave it at home when I go to Roatan (and other places I need my close up skills).

Equipment changes and adaptability are just as important as physical skill sets. No one is universal.

That's why SCUBABoard is such an invaluable tool. I am going to the Red Sea in July. I didn't go to that forum and ask, "What wetsuit should I bring?", I asked "What are the water temps in July?". I got the answer within minutes. I searched first, and was amazed at what I learned.

In answer to your original title, were you expecting too much? No, just the wrong thing.

Now I know what to expect that I might see in the Red Sea. I will not be disappointed, I will be prepared.

There are delights everywhere!

 

[getwet2]

There are delights everywhere!

THANKS!

 

[marcus8]

Interesting, I have seen similar posts on a few boards about Roatan but this is perhaps the most informative. We did a week of diving there at Bay Island Beach Resort in 2003. It's about a half mile from AKR and they dive many of the same sites. We did do Mary's place and a few others on the south side but mostly stuck to the North and West sides. One side trip to Utila for a shot at the whale sharks which didn't happen.

I have to agree with the original post. That one trip is why we've been to Cozumel 5 times since. The marine life just isn't there for us, and perhaps that is because we like the larger fish....sharks, rays, eels, dolphins, etc... The walls and coral are truly beautiful for sure. But we got bored with that after a couple days. I kept poking around for lobsters under rocks the way they hide in Coz, and man! they just weren't around. I think macro life is more interesting these days as I'm more into photography now, so perhaps I'd enjoy it more today. But overall, we just weren't that crazy about the diving. Viz was about 50-60' all week, worse in Utila. I won't be back there unless I win a free trip. Coz is always a cheaper and better option for us.

If it helps those headed out there, I'd definitely recommend Mary's Place, West End Wall and the Odyssey wreck on the north side. Those were our favorites from our 6 days underwater there.

Mark

 

[Butch103]

I was down to CCV the end of Feb 1st of Mar and the diving was interesting, I saw just about everything I wanted too (small critters and the larger ones cuda, lobsters eels, octopus, small shrimp etc). I didn't think the reef was as colourful as they were in Cuba (Bay of Pigs). I will go back again sometime in the near future. There is nothing for the non-divers (such as my wife), but we still enjoyed ourselves. I would recommend to go and try it. It is rather inexpensive and I did like the way CCV ran their operation. Our DMs certainly did not have to chum for any wildlife.

 

[cardzard]

Well as with any thing in life it's all about timing and the way you look at things.
We spent a week at Fantasy Island in early April last year and will be going again in the near future. The coral and the walls IMO are some of the best anywhere in the Caribbean and yes I have been to Coz,GC and Bonaire and live in Florida. The quantity of fish is not as great as other places but there is a Varity of species that does rival anywhere Caribbean. Like other have said this is a place to DIVE and relax this is NOT a party destination. The dive op at FI is top notch(3 sch boat dives a day and hot showers on the dock) and the shore diving is awesome with walls and the Prince Albert just a short swim from shore all included in the price. We logged 26 dives in 6 days ( try that in Coz or GC ) possible but be prepared to shell out $$$$. You can do this in Bonaire but you will work to accomplish that total. I feel Roatan is one of the best bargains anywhere and although some will complain about the airfare (there are deals if you look). This place is a macro photographer paradise and if you get lucky like we were you may need a wide angle to shoot a whaleshark. The only bad thing I seen in Roatan was the cruise ships have started to arrive. So if you want see and feel the real Roatan go soon before it's to late. Thats my 2 cents

 

[Darnold9999]

You know, I read statements like "viz seldom exceeded 60 feet" and I realize that diving habitually in the PNW has its real benefits. Any time I can see the bottom from the surface, I'm ecstatic about the viz.

Yes it does give one a different perspective doesn't it. 60 feet would be awsome vis here. Yesterday it was 10' until you got below 50 feet and then it was an incredible 25 feet but we had our lights out it was so dark - on a sunny day.