Trip Report Seagrape Plantation Resort, Roatan - Trip Report May 2024

[mattfish]

I was genuinely surprised at all the development that has happened in the 1.5 years between my trips. That can’t be helping the reefs at all

 

[mattfish]

@MrChen noted the coral structures, and I’ll add that I had a similar experience. I couldn’t help but imagine how truly mind-blowing it must have been 20 years ago when everything was thriving.

It’s still very fun to dive the area due to the structure that remains. And it’s still very fishy. I saw massive schools of reef fish along with groupers and eels on almost every dive.

 

[USdiver1]

@MrChen I couldn’t help but imagine how truly mind-blowing it must have been 20 years ago when everything was thriving.

And when I first went to the Bay Islands 40 years ago it was world class diving.

 

[MrChen]

And when I first went to the Bay Islands 40 years ago it was world class diving.

Where is the world class diving at now? I want to see a healthy reef, and I'm ready to give up on the Carribean.

 

[Joneill]

Where is the world class diving at now? I want to see a healthy reef, and I'm ready to give up on the Carribean.

Indonesia!

 

[rmorgan]

Where is the world class diving at now? I want to see a healthy reef, and I'm ready to give up on the Carribean.

Indo, certainly. We just returned from North Sulawesi and were very pleased; Wakatobi National Park has outstanding reefs; Bali has pretty good reefs, A+ muck, and is an amazing place). For corals — Philippines, Fiji (easiest to get to, plus some bigger things), PNG, Tanzania. Maldives, GBR are reported to be desperately bleached. It’s going fast.

 

[mattfish]

world class tropical diving:

• Indonesia
• Philippines
• Polynesia & South Pacific islands
• Red Sea
• Maldives

Definitely nowhere in the Caribbean though. Nice diving? Fun diving? Good for what it is diving? Easier to get to from the US? Yes, for sure. But not world-class, not any more

 

[Catito]

I ask myself, would I return to Roatan? Would I return to Seagrape?

Yes to Roatan, but probably not. No to Seagrape, but let me explain why.

Why wouldn't I return to Seagrape? I dive every weekend. I also like to do macro photography. I really don't want to follow a guide on every dive. I like to find small critters, which means you have to go really slow, and it can take several minutes to line up the shot you want. I can't do this comfortably if there's pressure to stay with a group. I'm also not happy that no one briefed us on how they operate and what our options were. My cousin was really upset about being double charged for nitrox on the way out and not receiving a refund after it was mentioned we did 3 dives on air (the comments were simply ignored).

If I were a vacation diver and only wanted to follow a guide, I couldn't recommend a better guide than Kevin. On Day 2, the captain didn't show up. Kevin was alone to work the boat. He recruited someone who worked in the dive shop (but not the boat) to help him moor the boat. There's some risk here, but I can't fault Kevin's work ethic and effort to get us in the water. He drove the boat and guided us divers. He was also amazing on the String of Pearls night dive, which was no easy effort in lights out pitch black no visibility conditions to see bioluminescent effects.

On the plus side, the food was decent, and the stiff beds were actually comfortable.

Thanks for the report. To me, sounds like a place to avoid. Seems you made the most of it!

 

[Tunaman68]

Where is the world class diving at now? I want to see a healthy reef, and I'm ready to give up on the Carribean.

Just got back from diving Fiji. After diving the caribbean a lot my buddy and I were looking for the 'next level' beyond Coz and Bonaire. A direct 11 hour flight from LAX plus 4 hour cab ride and 1 hour boat ride will get you to some very healthy reefs out in the Fijian islands especially the Bligh Waters. Lush thriving reefs with immense fish populations and diversity from tiny to large. However, at times closer in at both Beqa and Volivoli there were reefs that showed a lot of damage from past storms, bleaching events and being close to humans. Going back to Coz in July and Roatan next year. Will be interesting to look with new eyes after Fiji.

 

[Scubafitravers]

I used to work on Roatan, great diving if you go with one of the awesome shops and time it right! If you're only into resort diving it is a little harder to find a good set up on the island, but Roatan Divers is a little boutique shop that knocks it out of the water every time. It's one of the few shops in the world I have consistently returned to. They have excellent staff, always on time, great customer service, always work hard to meet requests, etc etc. If you return I would highly recommend checking them out and staying somewhere cute in West End! It allows you to get a feel for the island and you will feel like you've made a million new friends by the time you've left. A lot of shops in Roatan can be hit or miss, especially because so many of the instructors are freelancers, but Roatan Divers has it figured out. Boats are never overcrowded and they take great care of you.