Roatan weather around July and August

[tc_rain]

What kind of weather can be expected in Roatan (Cocoview to be specific) around the end of July and the first part of August?

 

[KevinG58]

I typically visit the south side of Roatan in March/April or July/August. I switch off between The Reefhouse resort and Coco View.

I don't have numbers but my experience has been July/August is a little warmer (HOT). All CCV rooms have very effective AC! Some sort of footwear is a must unless you are tolerant of hot surfaces when walking around during the day.

There may be infrequent rain showers. Probably nothing to the point of ruining viz.

The only time in 12 trips this has happened, so a bit of an outlier to me; in July 2015 the trade winds roared the entire week... Even then the walls were enjoyable as long as you didn't mind a bumpy boat ride, but shallow (typically the highlight of Roatan south side diving) was meh.

You should have a great time, spending maximum time submerged will help you to stay cool and to avoid the infamous Roatan noseeums.

 

[laurenceh]

great weather and viz at that time of the year and water temps typically around 85f

 

[kelemvor]

great weather and viz at that time of the year and water temps typically around 85f

Good thing! A hundred or so scubaboarders are invading Roatan at the end of June.

 

[Doc]

What kind of weather can be expected in Roatan (Cocoview to be specific) around the end of July and the first part of August?

A delightful time of year, especially in terms of the kinds of critters you'll see in the water column. The Ocean is alive with stuff to eat, so there's other bigger stuff out there gorging on it.

This is especially visible on night dives, and at Coco View, you're at the premier resort-based shore dive (and thus Night Dive) location in the Caribbean.

As below:

Your flashlight might attract a volume of underwater "flies" that might seem annoying, until you learn to use your light to feed the open Coral feeder polyps, and everything else from Crabs to Basket Stars that are lined up at the dinner table. Find them, feed them. Be amazed.

At the end of every dive, sit quietly along the anchor chain that links the Prince Albert Wreck to CCV, anywhere in 35 to 3 feet of water. Point a flashlight straight up in the sand, then back off and see what appears!

Here's what you might see:

We bang out 27 dives in a week at CCV, with 5 night dives. Sometimes we do 2 night dives per night. No "invading" recommended. Shut up and dive. Drink when back at Bennigan's in Ohio.

Good thing! A hundred or so scubaboarders are invading Roatan at the end of June.

Roatan is a large island for being so small. TC RAIN, the OP, is going to Roatan's South side, and the weather is always different on Roatan depending on where you are standing.

The SB Invasion will be during the dark (new) of the Moon. The calmer and more settled (less rainy) weather, at least from what Bay Islands commercial fisherman say, is on the Full Moon.

It will be quite warm, everywhere.

Some sort of footwear is a must unless you are tolerant of hot surfaces when walking around during the day.

Or don't mind blisters LOL

There will be the very standard breeze from the ESE, or none at all. Consider the geography of Roatan. The South side will be bathed in this breeze, CCV will get it square, yet lying behind two barrier reef walls, diving and shore diving will continue unabated.

The night dive program at AKR is very limited by a boat dive sign up, their shore dive or access is not great. The AKR basin is a superb 'muck dive', but that's an acquired taste, a step beyond night diving. At Coco View, the shore night dive looks like a steady parade every evening at 8. Shore night dives are the norm rather than exception.

The geography of Roatan features a 650' high ridgeline that divides the 5 mile wide island into the North and South sides, 17 miles long.

On the North side of this ridge, it will be what might be called "still". Humid, very warm, and no breeze. This side is largely un-cleared, not used for agriculture, you find a lot of standing water and rotting vegetation...sand flies love it. Northside BONUS: Calm, dead flat Seas, with any luck.

The South side will be breezy, and you may likely find 1 - 2.5' rolling seas, or maybe less. That breeze is kind of nice because it keeps the sand flies to a minimum, and you sweat a whole lot less.

CCV is known for it's very shallow profiles, lengthy BT's and Sunlit drenched vertical walls loaded with critters, it is the micro/macro nursery of the reef. Go slowly, always take a flashlight, and have a small glass lensed magnifier. It is generally so shallow, I do my 27+ dives on plain air. Rebel that I am.

It can get really warm in the shallows! Like, this warm....

 

[tc_rain]

Thanks everyone; looks like this is it then. Just didn't want to end up going during the rainy season.

 

[gregm11]

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