Things we learned during our dive month in Roatan

[JossRincon]

Great summary @JossRincon!

I will add that also Sun Divers in West End is a ScubaPro dealer, I believe. They don't carry larger items like fins or BCDs due to space restrictions though.

It's good to know that West Bay Divers is another shop that arranges for dives on the south side when bad weather is coming out of the north. Did they bus you over or take you around the point on their boats?

I think we were there the same week that you are talking about - our dive shop canceled three days of diving in a row due to the winds and resulting heavy seas, which is something they almost never do! I think it was the tail end of that system that brought so much cold and snow to the southern US in January...

@therookie at some point we've gotta end up in the same dive group!

We do travel with BCDs and fins - mine is a travel BCD though and it fits in a fairly small sized bag. But we've been considering making travel kits for hopping on smaller planes, which don't always accept dive bags depending on weight and # of people. Not having my fins would make me sad, though....

West Bay Divers drives divers out to Barefoot Cay, I think, where they have the boats docked during rough weather on the north side. I've read about folks being taken on boats but I can't say I would have enjoyed the ride in the last weather front. But on good days, they have some crazy good dive spots around the point (Pablo, for instance, was really amazing.)

I bet it was the same week - the water was SOOO angry. Beautiful, but... nope, I'll stay in and enjoy the indoors

 

[JossRincon]

We went in Late March, early April and conditions were dang near perfect! Next trip booked for May 2026 back to CoCo View Resort for 8 days!! Our boat captain and DM both said May is a good time to go. We were just there a couple of weeks ago and for the first time since we have been going to Roatan, we couldn't dive for a day because 21MPH sustained winds, 33MPH gusts and 8-10ft seas. Tried a shore dive. Well, I will tell you the same thing we told the Dive Ops Manager: we dive in quarries in Missouri and have about five feet of viz. We had about an arms length and that is stretching it a bit.

Sounds like you were here at the same time as @therookie and us - wow, it was rough. I hope you got some dives in, though!

 

[KatieMac]

That's great to know, thanks! We'll definitely be back for a month or so next winter - we love escaping the cold, so any dives are just a bonus - but our best time in the water here was in September last year.

I've been in July as well - hot, quiet. There seemed to be a bit more crime, perhaps because there are so few tourists at that time.

 

[wlecyt40]

I've heard a LOT of good things about CoCo View - we should check them out. But I must admit I'm hooked on the reasonable prices of West Bay, the very good diver to instructor ratio, and the flexibility that have with sites. And man - full service.

CoCO View is full se3rvice from the time you arrive at the airport until you go back to the airport.

 

[KatieMac]

CoCO View is full se3rvice from the time you arrive at the airport until you go back to the airport.

Absolutely, nobody would dispute that. However, many don't want to be on a remote resort that is so far from anything else. Great place if you just want to eat, sleep, dive though.

 

[Cornbread O'Malley]

I stayed in West End at Bananarama in March 2024 and dived most sites from Texas at the tip of the island and as far north as the Aguila wreck. The diving was mediocre, mostly dead coral, and very little marine life; I was disappointed. My group's one highlight was going around the tip of the island to Mary's Place. If I visit Roatan again I would like to try CoCo View and its surrounding reefs.

 

[JossRincon]

My wife abd I attended the Scubaboard Invasion at AKR in June, '23 but we stayed in West End both before and after to make a total time of 4 weeks. It was glorious. Like you, we explored the island and just relaxed while stying in West End, diving with Coconut Tree Divers when we felt like it.

And I 2nd your recommendation to stay for an extended time if possible. If I can ever sell my business and fully retire, we would like to go there for up to 2 or 3 mo

Absolutely, nobody would dispute that. However, many don't want to be on a remote resort that is so far from anything else. Great place if you just want to eat, sleep, dive though.

This is super helpful - admittedly we have enjoyed the many options for food (including our own kitchen) this month. I think for a shorter stay, we'd be good with on-site/inclusive options... but for the long-haul stays, there are SO many good places to go!

 

[JossRincon]

I stayed in West End at Bananarama in March 2024 and dived most sites from Texas at the tip of the island and as far north as the Aguila wreck. The diving was mediocre, mostly dead coral, and very little marine life; I was disappointed. My group's one highlight was going around the tip of the island to Mary's Place. If I visit Roatan again I would like to try CoCo View and its surrounding reefs.

Wow - thanks for this - we are experiencing something so different! Plenty of coral and good life here on the north side. I do remember Mary's Place (south side) as being particularly vibrant last year - but compared to most of where we have been diving in the Caribbean, this reef has been beautiful. Rays, sharks, turtles - but also some of the amazing smaller-sized critters. It's all luck, in a sense, day-to-day - and of course, time of year.

 

[Cornbread O'Malley]

...compared to most of where we have been diving in the Caribbean, this reef has been beautiful...

Where else have you dived in the Caribbean? I'm always looking for ideas for future trips.