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Trip Report Reefhouse Dive Resort, Oakridge, Roatan, Honduras
Roatan Diving, Honduras Roatan Diving, Honduras Scuba Diving, PADI Scuba Courses, Shark Dive, Scuba Diving, Night Dive, Night Diving, Reef House, Reef House Resort, Reefhouseresort, Reef Dive Sites, Scuba Vacations, Dive Vacations, Roatan Dive Resort
If any of you have read my more recent Trip Reports, you will know that Mrs. Stoo and I prefer to get off of the beaten path when we travel. After several fantastic trips to Turneffe Island Resort and Huracan Diving, both on the outer cayes of Belize, we decided to squeeze in an extra trip over Christmas this year.
I have been pondering a trip to Roatan for several years, and ReefHouse seemed like an interesting alternative to the busy West End of the Island. We have enjoyed vacations at Anthonys Key in the past, as well as Fantasy Island, but my recollections of the diving there was that it was ok but not spectacular. Reviews Id read of the diving further east looked promising. As what is essentially the only dive operation in the area, it made sense that the reefs would have seen less traffic, than in the more commonly dived areas. (During our entire week, we saw one boat from CoCo View and one from Fantasy Island when we were at the furthest western end of our range).
Another appealing factor was the very reasonable price. Our current favorite, Huracan Diving, suffered a significant price increase last year under new ownership. At the same time, our Canuck Buck has dropped in value adding insult to injury. Our booking was somewhat last minute, but effortless. Emails were answered promptly and they were happy to pencil us in for a few days while we confirmed flights and so on. When we arrived, we were met by a driver who quickly had us underway. The drive to Oakridge was perhaps 40 minutes and the scenery became more impressive the further from the airport we went. He dropped us at a small dock, where our bags were quickly moved into a panga and 10 minutes later, we were at the Reef House dock, which is across the laneway from the lodge itself.
First impressions of the lodge clean, well maintained, basic and essentially empty. We were greeted by Davey the boss (the son and/or partner of the owner). He immediately struck as being very laid back which can sometimes be a problem as laid back can sometimes translate into not giving a damn which was not the case at all, it turned it out.
We were given a welcome drink of our choice, a brief orientation, and directed toward our room. The room was older, and basic, but appeared to be clean and well-maintained. We met our room-mate, Norman, who was a four-pound wood-roach. (OK, Im exaggerating, but he was a good size.) Im not bothered about local bugs, and since he eluded capture, we made friends and he lived in our bathroom all week.
After unpacking a bit, we decided to check out the house reef, which is widely reported to be one of the best dives in Roatan. Staff delivered a couple of tanks and a stack of lead to the dock and we got suited up, in spite of being up all night and travelling all day from Toronto. The entry was a bit tricky, since it was essentially dark by the time we entered the water. It took a few minutes to navigate out to the wall, but we were rewarded with a very pleasant wall dive, with lots of critters. We soaked for about an hour, before climbing out and having a light dinner, a couple of drinks and off to bed.
Now compared to Huracan, Reef House is in a big city actually a tiny caye with a dozen little houses and lots of barking dogs, fighting cats and crowing roosters etc. Ive been carrying a bottle of sleeping pills in my toilet case for two years . We decided to open it that night and every night. But I digress
Breakfast came early and was delicious. Meals throughout the week were family style (Eat it or go hungry!) and very good for the most part. Mrs. Stoo, who judges all vacations on the quality of the food first and foremost, was not overly impressed with the meals. Basic fare, nicely prepared, but somewhat ordinary. This is where you do well to remember the low price of the place!
Diving begins at the dock across the laneway. For the first two days, there was only four of us diving, so we took the same panga that ferried us out from the main island. Subsequent days were on the Captain Morgan which is an older, wooden boat which proved to be perfect for our needs. Captain Choco and DM Davit were great guys and very accommodating. Our style of diving is to dive independently, away from the group, after earning the right to do so. By Day 2, Davit was calling me AquaMan, and he was happy to have us meet him back at the boat when we finished our dive.
Most of the dives were moored dives, out and back, along a nice wall. Overall, I would describe the diving as nice, although there was a distinct lack of big stuff, of any kind. We saw one small Hawksbill, but other than that, small fish prevailed, crustaceans and pretty nice corals. The diving was not nearly as nice as the outer cayes of Belize, but then I feel that's the best diving in the Caribbean. I was surprised to see some large areas of dead coral in the shallower areas, as well as areas of algae overgrowth. For the most part it was quite nice though and certainly beat shovelling snow!
The dive staff was excellent and very obliging as I mentioned. The guests that wanted to be shown around raved about Davits skills. He speared lionfish on every dive and there was no shortage of targets. I suppose thats the one downside of being away from the other dive ops only one guy trying to eradicate the poor things. Our DM, somewhat to my surprise, willingly lent his pole spear to guests who wanted to try their hand at spearing. It was mostly two teenaged girls that stepped up. They managed to maim a few sadly, resulting in their Mother being stung on her hand. Karma is indeed, a bitch!
We managed three dives daily, plus a couple of shore dives, so we were suitably waterlogged, which left us happy. All in all, a nice little spot, especially for those on a budget. We would return I think, but Belize is next month, so it will be easy to compare!
One thing I should mention, is that if you are used to travelling in touristy areas, Oakridge will be a bit of an eye opener. We didnt spend anytime there, (since it required a boat ride to get there...) but riding past the local houses by boat each morning, this place is obviously pretty poor. Sanitation systems are absent (most houses seemed to have outhouses on the end of their docks, so you know where stuff is going!) There was unbelievable amounts of garbage and especially plastic, piled everywhere. I suspect there isnt a municipal dump near by, so garbage just piles up until the next storm surge takes it out to sea. We had a couple of big rains two nights, and it was really sad to be driving the boat through a plastic island that was perhaps 30 years wide, and 150 yards long. It was so dense that Choco reversed his engines a couple of times as we transited, to clear any plastic from the water intakes on the engine. Davit explained that there was a dump up the coast that was on the edge of a river and after a big rain, tons of plastic washes into the water, and makes its way down to Oakridge. Im skeptical of this, but it might be true. As a result, we saw large amounts of plastic on the reef and over the wall. Obviously we picked up all we could although with no place to recycle it, I suspect it was a pointless exercise. We also collected hundreds of yards of abandoned fishing line and hooks that had been snagged on the reef and lost. Clearly this area is not protected.
I normally try to avoid projecting my first world values when Im down there, but I spoke at length to Davit about the need to get people to start looking after their ocean, especially since they rely on it for sustenance and income. The government clearly has priorities other then protecting the ocean from these huge plastic garbage islands. I didnt see this near West Bay, so I assume that the Oakridge area just isnt a priority for pretty-ing. Oakridge is a commercial fishing centre, where I believe shrimp is a main harvest. Inevitably, this fishery will decline and if the area is going to try to develop tourism, they will need to address this huge problem. It saddened us knowing that sea turtles often eat plastic bags, mistaking them for jellyfish. We spotted a juvenile trunkfish using a piece of colour-matched plastic as a home as it drifted along, mid water. :-(
Anyway, apart from that, it was a great little spot for the budget-minded traveller. The diving was pretty decent, although I am anxious to get a few dives in again at West Bay for comparison.
If you do go, leave your North American standards behind, and replace them with a good sense of humor, and you'll have a great time!
Roatan Diving, Honduras Roatan Diving, Honduras Scuba Diving, PADI Scuba Courses, Shark Dive, Scuba Diving, Night Dive, Night Diving, Reef House, Reef House Resort, Reefhouseresort, Reef Dive Sites, Scuba Vacations, Dive Vacations, Roatan Dive Resort
If any of you have read my more recent Trip Reports, you will know that Mrs. Stoo and I prefer to get off of the beaten path when we travel. After several fantastic trips to Turneffe Island Resort and Huracan Diving, both on the outer cayes of Belize, we decided to squeeze in an extra trip over Christmas this year.
I have been pondering a trip to Roatan for several years, and ReefHouse seemed like an interesting alternative to the busy West End of the Island. We have enjoyed vacations at Anthonys Key in the past, as well as Fantasy Island, but my recollections of the diving there was that it was ok but not spectacular. Reviews Id read of the diving further east looked promising. As what is essentially the only dive operation in the area, it made sense that the reefs would have seen less traffic, than in the more commonly dived areas. (During our entire week, we saw one boat from CoCo View and one from Fantasy Island when we were at the furthest western end of our range).
Another appealing factor was the very reasonable price. Our current favorite, Huracan Diving, suffered a significant price increase last year under new ownership. At the same time, our Canuck Buck has dropped in value adding insult to injury. Our booking was somewhat last minute, but effortless. Emails were answered promptly and they were happy to pencil us in for a few days while we confirmed flights and so on. When we arrived, we were met by a driver who quickly had us underway. The drive to Oakridge was perhaps 40 minutes and the scenery became more impressive the further from the airport we went. He dropped us at a small dock, where our bags were quickly moved into a panga and 10 minutes later, we were at the Reef House dock, which is across the laneway from the lodge itself.
First impressions of the lodge clean, well maintained, basic and essentially empty. We were greeted by Davey the boss (the son and/or partner of the owner). He immediately struck as being very laid back which can sometimes be a problem as laid back can sometimes translate into not giving a damn which was not the case at all, it turned it out.
We were given a welcome drink of our choice, a brief orientation, and directed toward our room. The room was older, and basic, but appeared to be clean and well-maintained. We met our room-mate, Norman, who was a four-pound wood-roach. (OK, Im exaggerating, but he was a good size.) Im not bothered about local bugs, and since he eluded capture, we made friends and he lived in our bathroom all week.
After unpacking a bit, we decided to check out the house reef, which is widely reported to be one of the best dives in Roatan. Staff delivered a couple of tanks and a stack of lead to the dock and we got suited up, in spite of being up all night and travelling all day from Toronto. The entry was a bit tricky, since it was essentially dark by the time we entered the water. It took a few minutes to navigate out to the wall, but we were rewarded with a very pleasant wall dive, with lots of critters. We soaked for about an hour, before climbing out and having a light dinner, a couple of drinks and off to bed.
Now compared to Huracan, Reef House is in a big city actually a tiny caye with a dozen little houses and lots of barking dogs, fighting cats and crowing roosters etc. Ive been carrying a bottle of sleeping pills in my toilet case for two years . We decided to open it that night and every night. But I digress
Breakfast came early and was delicious. Meals throughout the week were family style (Eat it or go hungry!) and very good for the most part. Mrs. Stoo, who judges all vacations on the quality of the food first and foremost, was not overly impressed with the meals. Basic fare, nicely prepared, but somewhat ordinary. This is where you do well to remember the low price of the place!
Diving begins at the dock across the laneway. For the first two days, there was only four of us diving, so we took the same panga that ferried us out from the main island. Subsequent days were on the Captain Morgan which is an older, wooden boat which proved to be perfect for our needs. Captain Choco and DM Davit were great guys and very accommodating. Our style of diving is to dive independently, away from the group, after earning the right to do so. By Day 2, Davit was calling me AquaMan, and he was happy to have us meet him back at the boat when we finished our dive.
Most of the dives were moored dives, out and back, along a nice wall. Overall, I would describe the diving as nice, although there was a distinct lack of big stuff, of any kind. We saw one small Hawksbill, but other than that, small fish prevailed, crustaceans and pretty nice corals. The diving was not nearly as nice as the outer cayes of Belize, but then I feel that's the best diving in the Caribbean. I was surprised to see some large areas of dead coral in the shallower areas, as well as areas of algae overgrowth. For the most part it was quite nice though and certainly beat shovelling snow!
The dive staff was excellent and very obliging as I mentioned. The guests that wanted to be shown around raved about Davits skills. He speared lionfish on every dive and there was no shortage of targets. I suppose thats the one downside of being away from the other dive ops only one guy trying to eradicate the poor things. Our DM, somewhat to my surprise, willingly lent his pole spear to guests who wanted to try their hand at spearing. It was mostly two teenaged girls that stepped up. They managed to maim a few sadly, resulting in their Mother being stung on her hand. Karma is indeed, a bitch!
We managed three dives daily, plus a couple of shore dives, so we were suitably waterlogged, which left us happy. All in all, a nice little spot, especially for those on a budget. We would return I think, but Belize is next month, so it will be easy to compare!
One thing I should mention, is that if you are used to travelling in touristy areas, Oakridge will be a bit of an eye opener. We didnt spend anytime there, (since it required a boat ride to get there...) but riding past the local houses by boat each morning, this place is obviously pretty poor. Sanitation systems are absent (most houses seemed to have outhouses on the end of their docks, so you know where stuff is going!) There was unbelievable amounts of garbage and especially plastic, piled everywhere. I suspect there isnt a municipal dump near by, so garbage just piles up until the next storm surge takes it out to sea. We had a couple of big rains two nights, and it was really sad to be driving the boat through a plastic island that was perhaps 30 years wide, and 150 yards long. It was so dense that Choco reversed his engines a couple of times as we transited, to clear any plastic from the water intakes on the engine. Davit explained that there was a dump up the coast that was on the edge of a river and after a big rain, tons of plastic washes into the water, and makes its way down to Oakridge. Im skeptical of this, but it might be true. As a result, we saw large amounts of plastic on the reef and over the wall. Obviously we picked up all we could although with no place to recycle it, I suspect it was a pointless exercise. We also collected hundreds of yards of abandoned fishing line and hooks that had been snagged on the reef and lost. Clearly this area is not protected.
I normally try to avoid projecting my first world values when Im down there, but I spoke at length to Davit about the need to get people to start looking after their ocean, especially since they rely on it for sustenance and income. The government clearly has priorities other then protecting the ocean from these huge plastic garbage islands. I didnt see this near West Bay, so I assume that the Oakridge area just isnt a priority for pretty-ing. Oakridge is a commercial fishing centre, where I believe shrimp is a main harvest. Inevitably, this fishery will decline and if the area is going to try to develop tourism, they will need to address this huge problem. It saddened us knowing that sea turtles often eat plastic bags, mistaking them for jellyfish. We spotted a juvenile trunkfish using a piece of colour-matched plastic as a home as it drifted along, mid water. :-(
Anyway, apart from that, it was a great little spot for the budget-minded traveller. The diving was pretty decent, although I am anxious to get a few dives in again at West Bay for comparison.
If you do go, leave your North American standards behind, and replace them with a good sense of humor, and you'll have a great time!
Attachments
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Pipehorse cropped more © FB DSC_5784 Resized.jpg -
Poo Horse PS © FB DSC_5582 Resized.jpg -
Moray Attack © DSC_5277 Resized.jpg -
Juvenile Trunk © DSC_5501 Resized.jpg -
Goldentail Moray Juvenile © DSC_5405 Resized.jpg -
Foureyes Feeding © FB DSC_5522 Resized.jpg -
Christmas Tree on Polyps © DSC_5825 Resized.jpg -
Chimney and Kelly recomp © DSC_5284 Resized.jpg -
Neighbors © FB LLC5050 Resized.jpg
