West End Trip Report

[zubaz]

First, thanks to everyone for the great advice when I was planning our honeymoon in West End. We ended up staying at the Posada Arco Iris from Jone 24 through July 7 and diving with Coconut Tree Divers. We had a great time and are working feverishly to earn enough money for our return trip.

Posada Arco Iris,

We stayed in a single bedroom apartment with AC which was very clean and spacious. It was on the second floor which I recommend to get up above the bugs and catch a little breeze. The Argentinian Grill has good food and is right there. Also next door is a store where they were very friendly and had reasonable prices. Since going out to eat gets old, we often boiled eggs for breakfast, had peanut butter and crackers, and ate canned soup which we were craving for some reason. The cost of most of our lunches and breakfasts was almost nothing.

One thing you have to remember is that you are in Honduras and that nothing works. The knives were bent and dull, the cork screw was broken, the faucets worked but were cracked and fragile, etc. Also, keep the place clean and don't leave food out or you will get ants. This is just a fact of life down there that one must get used to.

Over all, we had a great experience at Posada and will definitely stay there again. It is very close to everything and convenient.

Coconut Tree

This shop is the best! I know there are almost an obscene amount of good reviews for this shop on scubaboard but I have to agree that they are great. The reason.... They work harder than anyone I have seen. When the boat comes in, the whole shop jumps up runs out to the dock and swaps out cylinders, helps with gear, and does anything else that needs to be done. It is quite a site! We did our open water, advanced, and nitrox with them as well as a bunch of fun dives and really enjoyed the experience of the instructors and divemasters and the atmosphere at the shop. I will definitely be diving with them next time I go down there.

I can see where the real anti-social, hard core bottom timers might get impatient with the high level of instruction, attention to safety, and social group atmosphere that West End and Coconut Tree has to offer. For those people, the all-inclusives may be a better choice when in Roatan.

Food,

Mavis and Dixies was the best hands down. Great for lunch and dinner. The Indian place is a must visit. The guy who runs it is a gourmet chef and you feel like you are in a 5 star restaurant. The pork there is very, very hot. Rudy's is great for smoothies but the service is typical island apathy. You will find apathetic service at many of the restaurants. Just another thing to get used to. Ask around for other good restaurants. Those who live and work there will point you in the right direction.

Nightlife

We were tired most nights, but follow the music and laughter........ Every nights a weekend in West End!

Diving

The diving was great! Look for the small stuff. Then look for the even smaller stuff.

We had a great time and wouldn't have wanted to go anywhere else. Roatan is not very developed and has that third world feel so it is not for everyone but if you have a taste for adventure, this is a great place to go. Like anywhere, the best part about it is the people you meet and spend time with.

 

[SoSiouxme]

Thanks for taking the time to write a trip report. I read every one for the information that I can use for my upcoming trip.

Congratulations on your marriage!

--Sioux

 

[dcs917]

Great report, but just curious:

"We did our open water, advanced, and nitrox with them as well as a bunch of fun dives and really enjoyed the experience of the instructors and divemasters and the atmosphere at the shop."

How did you find the transition going from uncertified to Basic Open Water to advanced back-to-back? How many dives did you end up with total for the trip? Also, what agency were you certified with?

 

[Scuba-Bill]

Posada Arco Iris and Coconut Tree are our favorites. Thanks for the report. We are heading down on the 11th and will post our report following our return.

Eleven days and counting!!!!

Thanks,

 

[zubaz]

PADI Certification.

In my experience, the open water is primarily to make sure you are safe and there is so much thrown at you that you hardly have time to grasp it all other than "Don't hold your breath". You are always over weighted and really don't learn how to dive until you get some futher instruction or learn through trial and error experience.

The Advanced Open Water, especially the peak performance bouyancy, is well worth it as it taught us how to be better divers and really enhanced our diving experience. My wife was much more comfortable with diving in general after going through the advanced course and the subsequent dives were much more enjoyable and relaxing to her. I wasn't sure if it was going to be worth it or not as I am a learn from experience type of guy, but it really was. After the advanced course, I used less air and was able to hover and get closer to things without worrying about touching the reef. I also had a better sense of where I was after the navigation course which is very important when not diving in a guided group. It really enhanced my diving experience which it is really what it is all about.

The nitrox was thrown in for not much more money and is good for extending bottom time on deeper dives. Not something I am going to use every day but it was handy on the wrecks.

If I were running PADI, I would add some of the advanced modules, namely peak bouyancy and navigation to the Basic Open Water. I think new divers would enjoy the experience more with these courses taught by a good instructor. We certainly did.

We did 24 dives each. I also did a lot (I mean a lot) of snorkling including some great night snorkling. I think we dove every day except 1 for two weeks. Snorkling and recreational freediving is easy, cheap, and often overlooked. Almost everything I saw diving I also saw when snorkling and I could stay out for two or three hours and really get to know some of the creatures. Diving in a group with a limited air supply, there is not time to hang out with a turtle or octo for a couple hours.

About my first post.....

I didn't intend to put down any of the other dive shops in West End. Eveyone I talked to and met in West End were diving with or worked at a bunch of different shops and I didn't hear any complaints that I can remember. I think most of the shops would be excellent. Remember that the people who work there in any of the shops dive nearly every day and usually several times a day. Anyone who has worked there for any length of time at all is generally an absolute expert at diving the reef.