Thinking of Roatan for newish divers

[nldunn]

So you’ve seen everything?

No! We are going in November again! I'm thinking of Roatan after that trip!

 

[nldunn]

My wife and I went to Turquoise Bay in 2017 and had a very good, relaxing time. Subway Watersports, now Turquoise Divers, was a very good operator. The diving was extremely easy and reasonably good. They are a big enough operation that they may be able to put you on a boat with likeminded divers. You might communicate with them regarding your wishes.

Trip Report Thread 'Turquoise Bay Resort/Subway Watersports August 2017'

Aug 20, 2017

Undercurrent narrative from our August 5-12 visit:

Reservations: I was the high bidder on an auction to support Sea Save Foundation for this trip. Reservations were handled expertly by Caradonna Adventures. I had several changes in the base vacation that were handled perfectly by Cammie. Communication was flawless.


Travel: My wife and I decided to leave from our home in Florida as there is a nonstop to Roatan on American Airlines from Miami. We would have had a connection if we would have left from Philadelphia. The flight was perfect in both directions. We were picked...

• scubadada
• Replies: 15
• Forum: Bay Islands

• 

Great trip report! Thank you!

 

[nldunn]

My wife and I went to Turquoise Bay in 2017 and had a very good, relaxing time. Subway Watersports, now Turquoise Divers, was a very good operator. The diving was extremely easy and reasonably good. They are a big enough operation that they may be able to put you on a boat with likeminded divers. You might communicate with them regarding your wishes.

Trip Report Thread 'Turquoise Bay Resort/Subway Watersports August 2017'

Aug 20, 2017

Undercurrent narrative from our August 5-12 visit:

Reservations: I was the high bidder on an auction to support Sea Save Foundation for this trip. Reservations were handled expertly by Caradonna Adventures. I had several changes in the base vacation that were handled perfectly by Cammie. Communication was flawless.


Travel: My wife and I decided to leave from our home in Florida as there is a nonstop to Roatan on American Airlines from Miami. We would have had a connection if we would have left from Philadelphia. The flight was perfect in both directions. We were picked...

• scubadada
• Replies: 15
• Forum: Bay Islands

• 

Thank you! I will look into them!

 

[nldunn]

Roatan should fit your needs. There is plenty to see at shallow to medium depths [70 - 80ft]. The north coast is more sloping bottom while the south coast is more wall oriented. Both are nice. Currents are light and should not be an issue if you have tried Cozumel. My favorite time of the year for Roatan is February through May.

Thank you! That's the time of year I am looking to go next year! Probably March. I hate March in the northeast!!

 

[nldunn]

I spent a week in Roatan at the beginning of May with only 12 logged dives (just got certified last summer) and you should be fine. As USdiver1 mentioned, there is plenty to see without going to deep. Currents were minimal.

Thanks for that!! It makes me more comfortable that you felt safe!

 

[nldunn]

Hello, @nldunn

You might consider another approach.

Rather than take a watered down course that doesn’t really train you, hire a reputable, proficient instructor who can walk you through some select tasks in a crawl, walk, run methodology that helps ingrain appropriate muscle memory and develops confidence so those skills are repeatable after a long surface interval. A high performance diving coach will make good use of video to help you see yourself and zero in on areas for improvement.

Good luck in your training journey.

Good thought. I could do that in Curacao with a DM I really trust.

 

[yn37605]

Thanks for that!! It makes me more comfortable that you felt safe!

As with scubada, I too stayed at Turquoise Bay Resort and dove with Turquoise Divers. I would highly recommend them.

 

[Allen-1]

Thank you for that information. Wall dives get me nervous because of downcurrents - do they occur where you were diving?

No. I have yet to encounter a down current anywhere.

 

[CathyE]

I have visited Roatan several times, most recently in April. I have also stayed on both sides of the island, it makes a difference because generally the dive ops do most of their dives on their side, weather permitting. There are also ‘special’ dives that they will cross over for.
On the vertical wall dives I have never run into the down currents that I occasionally experienced in Coz.
Texas dive area usually had current, but it not a wall and not so strong that you couldn’t swim against it. They do drift dives, but that really just means that it’s a one way dive and the boat is going to follow the bubbles.
Most dive depths were between 75’ and 30’, with Mary’s Place, El Aguila wreck, and Odessa wreck, being +/- 100’.
Visibility was usually good, although the winds were odd this last trip so it was t as good. Still beats the St. Lawrence.

 

[Allen-1]

Thank you! That's the time of year I am looking to go next year! Probably March. I hate March in the northeast!!

Fixed that for you.

I lived in SouthEastern Connecticut from 1977 to 2015, then moved to Coastal Southern Georgia. You couldn't pay me enough to move back.

The land is beautiful, and I do miss the change of seasons. I miss riding the mountains in Vermont and New Hampshire - but I find no joy in winter, and the politics and fiscal management here are more to my liking.

Having discovered scuba diving only fairly recently - being within driving distance of Florida turns out to be a huge plus.