LIVEABOARD DIVING IN Honduras - Roatan

First couple of days the weather was pretty poor, fighting squalls and poor visibility. 2 days we have 3 dives on one site which I am not a fan of, no real explanation given to why we dived 3 times at one site. (Roatan sites are so close together). Hats off to the captain as we tried to escape the weather by going to the Seamount and to Utila but viz and current were a problem everywhere. Finished off the week diving at Mary's Place (my favourite dive site in Roatan) and it did not disappoint. Overall Ok week of diving , Roatan in November is always a crap shoot. The crew as always were awesome. And the free slideshow was a nice touch (instead of charging $40-50)

clean as we boarded Saturday afternoon. Initial welcome aboard and briefing occurred and we were shown our assigned tanks. Nitrox and steel 100’s were available for extra (paid at end of trip). After setting up our BCD’s and regulators we were shown to our assigned cabins. As a word of caution, pack light as you’ll have half of a deep drawer. The cabins were a little dated and showed some use. But that wasn’t an issue for me. I was there to dive. Only time I spent in the cabin was sleeping, or napping. The rest was diving, cooling off in the salon, or up on the sun deck. I can’t speak highly enough of the crew. Eddie was an amazing captain, and he’s right there with the DM’s and rest of the crew for the common busy work. Eddie, Steiner, Kevin, and Captain Eddie were the DM’s on the boat. There was always one to two of them in the water. They don’t “guide” dives (probably due to some BS lawsuit), but you are more than welcome to follow them in the water as they point out the abundance of macro life. I celebrated my 100th dive on board which was a special treat. And happened to earn iron diver, doing all 25 dives. Every day had four to five dives. They dive briefed every site and navigation was easy with the reef and walls serving as guides. I’d typically start the dive following DM’s and after 20 mins would wander off with my dive buddy. I can’t speak highly enough of the food. Breakfast was a continental breakfast from 0600-0630. Followed by a hot breakfast with made to order eggs and the usual stuff that goes along. Lunches were fantastic. Usually a freshly made soup, salad, a protein, and various sides. Dinners were the real deal and five star quality every time. Ms. Jana and Franklin were in the kitchen, and they were real culinary masterpieces. Always hot, and cooked to perfection. Fish, steak, pork, chicken… all of it was magnificent. My recommendation, be yourself, bring a good attitude, and be prepared to dive. The crew is amazing and there for you and all of your needs. They’re genuine, and care about your experience. I got to know them well and appreciate each of them to the point where they feel like family. I haven’t laughed been felt with this much love joy and peace in a very long time. The diving wasn’t difficult and Captain Eddie did a phenomenal job anticipating weather. We had two days of breeze/wind/currents and he would place the boat on the leeward side of the island so we could dive in better conditions. We saw it all expect whale sharks. Spotted eagle rays, nurse sharks, gray reef sharks, sea urchins, octopus, wrecks and the abundance of macro. The corals were vibrant and healthy. Especially in Utila where it’s less dived and less fished. I can’t recommend this boat highly enough. Epic people, epic boat, and epic diving.

And, one of those that probably bothered no one but me, the boat often had a bit of a list. The crew was friendly and welcoming, and the critter finders ("We don't lead dives!") are very knowledgeable and know the dive sites. They use yellow painted tanks so they are easier to locate, and stand out from the crowd. Ah yes, the crowd. The Aggressor model of diving from the mothership, and often having a single critter finder in the water, tends to concentrate the guests in a small underwater area. Not my favorite method of operation, your mileage may vary. If you are a serious photographer you're probably going to have to be... steadfast, to get your shots. Food was fabulous. Drinks were plentiful with a good variety, but the sodas are in a refrigerator on the sun deck. The dive day (and night) will take you up and down the sundeck stairs several times. Extra trips for a drink were not welcome. BUT if you ask a crew member, they will get a soda for you. I couldn't bring myself to do that except when seated for dinner. The Friday night dinner at the Yacht Club was delicious but it was a $50 (steak) dinner and an alcoholic drink. Don't get me wrong, if I can afford this trip I can afford that dinner, but I was glad that while they do take cards, I had plenty of cash. Dive sites visited. Of course that's a trip-by-trip deal due to conditions at any given time. And on my trip a couple of dive days started very early. But bottom line, that is what it is, we must work with the ocean and weather. I hope they can get you to Utila. Roatan is of course good diving, but the former has less runoff clouding the waters around it. Simply beautiful waters over there. It was good to see the west end and northwest side of Roatan after exclusively diving the south side since 2007