Where is Roatan?

[AllenG]

RooLuvsToDive wrote, "so, I'm curious as to where Roatan is????"

There is actually a T-shirt available on the island which answers this question. On the front, it says "Where the Hell is Roatan?" On the back, it says "Between Guanaja and Utila"

You know you're a hard-core Roatan type when you have to replace your "Where the Hell is Roatan" T-shirt!

Re CoCoView vs. AKR, don't sweat the decision. They are both great places. There are posts over the past year re some of the differences, but I can assure you that any person seeking lots of bottom time can have a great time at either place. I've been to both and enjoyed both. I tend to go back to AKR because it is more family oriented (my 12-y.o. daughter dives with me) and it has horseback riding 2x/day.

I have always found the waters on the west and north side to be calmer. The reefs on the west vs. south side are simply different and I would say that I prefer the south side corals as more varied and colorful, and I prefer the west side UW topography as more interesting (cut ins, swim throughs, unusual formations). Fish life is a draw between the two areas - I've seen "sleeping sharks" and lots of octopi on the west side, but then I saw seahorses at Mary's Place on the south side.

Damaged coral? Yes, there is some, but not enough to worry about.

Yes, AKR does have a boat go around to the south side. On a typical week of diving, you may hit the south side 2-3x (a trip to Mary's Place, a trip as part of the Tabiyana Beach party, and then maybe one more). And yes, the current is very slow on the north. The DMs will talk about doing a drift dive because of the current, and you wonder where the currents are!

And Dee is correct - If your goal is to max out bottom time, CCV is ideal. Dives at dawn, daily night dives on the wall, etc.

Be sure to read some of the other threads re Roatan and setting your expectations and No-See-Ums. Even after 15 years of going down there, Roatan remains my favorite dive vacation.

 

[Dee]

I've been to AKR several times...love their gift shop!...but have never stayed there. Those hills would kill my knees! I have friends who go who really like it, especially for their kids. You're right, CCV is an adult resort. Kids are only allowed if they dive and are accompanied with a parent. And that's also one of the things we like about it. There's also nothing else to do but diving and sunning unless you rent a jeep and get off CCV island.

There are seahorses galore around CCV lagoon and the Prince Albert always has a few. This year in March I found an Ocelated Frogfish which aren't supposed to be in Roatan...cool! The wreck is also home to a big Green Moray and you can always find a couple of Octopus on the upper deck at night.

If enough divers want it, they'll take you to the west end one day for diving. And we always see a AKR boat on Mary's Place sometime during the week.

Both a good resorts, just different.

 

[Paco]

Thanks a lot Dee and Alan. Very helpful info.

 

[Ber Rabbit]

Thanks for the info on the reefs. Sounds like my instructor just ended up going to areas that were pretty torn up. She did say the deeper ones were better.
Ber

 

[DivingDoc]

I just contacted Anthony's Key with various questions and they said that:

a) bring a strong insect repellant and

b) the ratio of divemasters to divers is 1:16, which seems awfully high to me.


On the other hand, I am very attracted to the idea of seeing a whale shark and also to their dolphin experiences.

Does CCV have the Dolphin experience thing?

How would any of you who have been to both Roatan and Turk compare them??

ET

 

[Dee]

We frequently see pods of wild dolphins around CCV that will come pretty close. That's my preferred dolphin experience!

If you prefer the captive dolphin experience, Rodi, CCV's activities director, will make arrangements for you to go to AKR for their dolphin program.

Whale sharks are also found on CCV's side of the island.

 

[KC_Scubabunny]

Dee once bubbled...
We frequently see pods of wild dolphins around CCV that will come pretty close. That's my preferred dolphin experience!

I am with Dee that wild dolphins in Roatan are the way to go. We were there in Jan 2002 and had two wild dolphin experiences in the week we were there. I would tell your boat captain that you are especially interested in seeing them and they know where you are more likely to go.

Regarding reef conditions, I agree that the deeper are better but I think that is true of almost anywhere because the shallow get more traffic and new divers. I was very satisfied with the amount of Marine life and Reef conditions that we experienced and friendliness of the people.

KC_Scubabunny

 

[AllenG]

I've yet to speak with anybody who did a "Dive with Dolphins" trip (not just at AKR, but also in the Bahamas etc.) and wasn't under-whelmed by the experience. Typical responses have focused on the following issues:

1. A dozen or so divers go down with one or two dolphins and the trainer/DM has you waiting on a sandy bottom for your 3-4 minutes of direct, one-on-one interaction with a dolphin. Any other interaction is discouraged because it may draw the dolphins away from the diver who is supposed to be having the one-on-one time.

2. The dolphins are visibly bored with repeating the same routine 12 times, so most of your one-on-one time is spent waiting for the dolphin to return to the trainer/DM. And it seems to take the dolphins a while to even settle down into initiating the exercises.

3. The dolphins can easily outswim you, so contact is limited.

4. You're trying not to rapidly ascend as you chasing after a dolphin for the briefest of unstructured encounter.

And just as interesting, the response of divers to a "snorkel with the dolphins" programs seems to be consistently positive (especially among those who have done a dive with the dolphins beforehand). Using the AKR program, the features that make the snorkel more enjoyable include:

1. Two to three people (usually two!) first get paired up with a dolphin in waist deep water for an initial interaction. The dolphin stays right by your side until the trainer directs the dolphin to do an "exercise." In this time, you get to do all the petting, up close inspection, holding, etc. that you want. The photo ops are fantastic. During this 20 minute period, the trainer will have you do certain exercises with the dolphin (animal rights folks will become enraged at this point!) including a ride holding on the dolphins fin and being pushed through the water by the dolphin (you lie on the surface and the dolphin pushes you with its snout). They will also do routines right by your side (i.e., walking on the surface). The trainer also does a one-on-one dolphin anatomy with you on the dolphin itself, as you are literally holding the dolphin.

2. This one-on-one period is followed by a 20+ minute snorkel in an enclosed, but large pen. The depth of the pen is deep enough to let the dolphins play, but not so deep that you can't snorkel down to the bottom and play with the dolphin for a while (i.e., the dolphin isn't going to play with you if you just stay on the surface). The more interesting you can be to the dolphins (typical 6 or so, and very often baby dolphins with their mothers), the more they will play with you. One never feels crowded in the pen or like you're tripping over the other snorkelers. It is just lots of fun!

I'd be curious to know if this parallels the experience of others on the board.