Scuba Geek

Roatan: A Scuba Diver’s Dream March 15, 2006

Posted by Andy Carroll in : Travel, Uncategorized , trackback

I saw this great article on the street.com, by Jennie Lay. Roatan is a island near Honduras, which lies between Guatemala, El Salvador and Nicaragua, which is known more for all the political troubles and unrest, than as a holiday and scuba diving destination.

Many years ago the area was a haven for pirates, shipwrecked slaves and colonizers from England, but now it seems that Roatan is becoming more popular with scuba divers, and there are plenty of diving facilities available for visitors;

An untold fortune teems below the sea around Roatan. Therein lies a healthy, world-renown coral reef, and Islanders are determined to keep it that way. Devoted local dive-shop owners and dive masters took reef protection into their own hands a couple of years ago with a grass-roots revival of the Sandy Bay and West End Marine Park. The marine park now shelters the stunning reef along Roatan’s most heavily used stretch of coastline — including West Bay, West End and Sandy Bay — and includes a patrol staff that organizers say has virtually eliminated poaching on the reef.

But what of the diving? What can a scuba diver expect to find at Roatan?

The description Jenny gives of the diving sounds fantastic and it seems that Roatan is yet another diving destination to place on the wishlist;

Roatan’s underwater visibility is outstanding. The variety of soft and hard corals is immense and vibrant, and there are two fine wrecks to dive just offshore. Wherever you swim, the variety of fish is astounding, from bitty coral-banded shrimp to elegant spotted drum fish, chummy grouper, turtles, eagle rays and even whale sharks (the world’s largest fish). Some of the best dives, though certainly not all of them, include Texas, Pablo’s, Spooky Channel, El Aguila and the Bear’s Den. Night dives feature the globally rare phenomenon called “string of pearls” — imagine tiny strings of light, each a lightning bug floating in the dark sea as far as you can see, like a 3-D version of the introduction to Matrix or the twinkling tails of a gigantic firework. Phosphorescence is lovely, but Roatan’s string of pearls is even better.

Jenny goes on to talk about places to eat and other things to see, so go take a look.