Roatan, Honduras – The Bay Islands

Date: June 1995

Note: Over 12 years after the trip as I incorporate the old Sundivers web site into ShadesOfNature, I find there is no trip report for Roatan. I don’t know what happened. Perhaps it was never written; perhaps it was lost somehow. So, years later, I will try to give some of the many highlights of this wonderful trip.

CoCo View Resort had to be one of the more picturesque resorted we encountered in almost twenty years of dive trips. In a "jungle" setting that went right up to the shore, three cabanas on stilts without A/C were literally on the water and two buidlings were set further back in the jungle.

A large main building, the Clubhouse, was the gathering place for meals, games, and a gift shop. A resident parrot in the Clubhouse, José, "attacked" our friend Susan on one occasion for no apparent reason. They became enemies for life, and José became the source for numerous parrot jokes.

For a couple of non-diving friends who joined us, a walkway leading to a gazebo and a sun deck out in the bay was a relaxing place to snooze and be in or out of the sun.

The diving was unique at CoCo View. Boat dives went out in the morning and afternoon for up to two tanks each trip along the wall. The second dive of each trip, however, was a "drop off" from the boat on the way back to the resort. The bay in front of the resort was impossible to miss, so you could spend as much time as your bottom time allowed in swiming back.

Also right in front of the resort in 50-60 feet of water was the wreck of the Prince Albert. An anchor chain leading from the wreck terminated at the resort dock, so divers could easily find their way back. This was especially helpful during night dives.

The shore diving, whether by day or night, was quite good, and very convenient, too.

We chose a special touring day at the end of our trip. It included a tour in small boats to see some of the island villages, and a special stop at Anthony’s Key Resort (AKR), another dive resort on the other side of the island. The draw to AKR was a dolphin dive! After a briefing, our dive group descended to wait for their dolphins to be released. For the entire dive, we were entertained by these curious animals as we kneeled (for the most part) on the bottom. This dive was a perfect ending to a great trip.