Text and Photos by Steven Anderson
Fantasies come true when diving off the island of Roatan. The dreams of endless walls, moments from shore and clear blue water make this an underwater wonderland. Coral gardens of every type and gorgonians, seafans, sponge and soft corals are all part of this reef system which stretch the distance of the Bay Islands. The reef system is considered the second largest barrier reef in the world. Divers will find walls just a couple hundred yards off the shore that are home to huge barrel sponges, some large enough to fit an adult. Roatan is 30 miles off the northern coast of Honduras and 4 miles in width. The length of the island is 30 miles long. The terrain of the island is winding hills and jungle that are a beautiful shade of green. Other islands in the Bay Island chain include Guanaja and Utilla and these islands all share the same reef system. There are some 60 little cays that sit scattered throughout the island chain. Roatan is believed to have been discovered by Christopher Columbus and is the largest of the three settlements in this tropical island chain.
We chose Fantasy Island Beach Resort for our accommodations, located on the south side of the island. The resort covers 21 acres. This is a private island accessible through a security check point and entry bridge. Fantasy Island is by far the closest to a resort by American standards. Upon our arrival, we were greeted by Nick Palandra, who is in charge of bookings and runs the U.S. office. Nick met us and organized all transportation and luggage transfer. All of our luggage was easily retrieved after its arrival at the resort.
Amalia Vidal, is the General Manager for the resort. Amalia manages the resort with a hands-on approach and speaks to each guest upon arrival as they check in. The resort is a two story wood frame structure. The main building consists of the lobby and bar on the lower level and restaurant on the upper level. The guest rooms are situated on both sides of the main lobby, and they too are two story structures. All rooms are very spacious and clean and have either a balcony or patio. Each room is equipped with Satellite TV, phone, small refrigerator and ceiling fan. The air conditioning worked very well and there was always hot water and lots of water pressure for showering. Meals are served 3 times daily, and they are served buffet style with a wide assortment of choices. We found the food to be really good and unlike some of the other resorts we have visited.
The diving operation is a divers dream with 6 dive boats venturing out 3 times daily, 9:00am, 11:00am, and 2:30pm and in the evening there is one boat which takes divers out for a night dive. The resort has a photo shop on the premises and a dive shop. Instructors are available for training courses. Diving may also be done from a Gazebo at the waters edge, where lines are placed to lead divers to a shipwreck and airplane wreck just off the hotel. It’s also a perfect spot for night diving.
The dive shop does put full tanks out for all who wish to try this added attraction. This particular dive is perfect for a checkout dive and boasts of a shipwreck and airplane wreck. Overseeing the dive operation is veteran diver, Robert Melendez, who took very good care of us and all the divers visiting the resort. The resort is also equipped with a doctor and with one of two decompression chambers on the island for diving emergencies.
Our first morning, breakfast was served at 7:00am. After breakfast, all arriving divers were requested to attend an orientation for the dive operation’s introduction to the week of non-stop diving. A briefing on what the dive operation has to offer and expectations of each visiting diver. Directions for claiming a locker, rinsing equipment and boat departures were all discussed in the orientation. After the orientation, we were off for our dive gear and the fantastic week of diving.
While in Roatan we logged 17 dives. Our goal was to dive 3 times daily. Our first day of diving was much like we anticipated it would be…fantastic! All of the wall diving is done a couple hundred yards form shore. Dives were always started on a shallow reef where there was a mooring and if a mooring was not available we would start the dive by drifting and finishing the dive at the mooring once another visiting dive boat was finished. Divers will see by the use of a mooring how preserved and beautiful the reefs are. Coral gardens, which covered large areas with sandy patches in-between, would lead to the walls with just a few fin kicks. Swimming along the walls was just effortless and amazing. The fish life, other than the deepwater tropical fish such as Blackcap Basslets, Royal Grammas, and Creole Wrasse, was not the same as the fish life on the reefs.
There were a few exceptions during the week such as Juvenile Spotted Drums, French Angelfish, and Queen Angelfish on the wall, but most of the beautiful fish were found on the reef. Large lobsters and crabs were found on every dive, positioned in the holes and cracks in the wall. Sponges of every type were seen. Basket and Barrel Sponges hung from the side of the wall. There were Seafans, Gorgonians, and Black Coral attached to the walls and enjoying the flow of clear and clean water. We saw several Moray Eels that were residents along the wall and they were very photogenic and were always very curious.
All of the diving was great with the best being the well known dive site, Mary’s Place. Mary’s Place is the site where a split was created during prehistoric volcanic activity. This movement created an elbow shaped split in the wall, and now is a maze which measures some 12 feet wide and in most places 100 feet deep. The walls of the split are covered with Azure Vase Sponges, Orange Elephant Ear Sponges, and Rope Sponges. There are huge bushes of Black Coral and deep water Gorgonians that make their home on the walls outside and inside of the split. This dive is definitely a must and is part of the dive program with Fantasy Island Resort. Visibility was never less than 80 feet and there were a couple of sites where the visibility was 100 feet. The water temperature was always in the 80s and the air temperature was near 90 degrees on the surface during the day.
Towards the end of the week, we ventured out for a shark dive, which we booked through the Fantasy Island Resort Dive Shop. The company we used was called Waihuka Shark Diving. Their Zodiac for 12 divers was small, but the dive was large and action packed to 70 feet on a reef called Cara Cara, (which means “face to face”). The water temperature there was about 10 degrees cooler where these cold blooded animals live. I lost count of the Reef Sharks, ranging in all sizes, and all of them female. There were several large grouper and jacks which joined in the feeding frenzy as well. This dive is definitely a must when visiting the island of Roatan.
The last full day, we were able to dive in the morning the two scheduled dives. That afternoon, we spent enjoying a Canopy Tour, which was arranged by Fantasy Island Resort tour desk. We traveled through the jungle, connected to a 5/8 inch steel cable and harness high above the trees and bush on 13 different zip lines. The longest was 1,200 feet. This was quite a lot of fun and took the depression of no more diving away.
Fantasy Island Resort has a lot to offer at the surface as well. There are two beautiful beaches with beach volleyball and kayaks. A swimming pool, basketball, lighted tennis courts, and a Natural Zoo that would be fun for the whole family. Roaming around are playful monkeys, peacocks, iguanas and agoutis. There are even quiet hammocks in the shade for reading or napping. The tour desk also has many excursions to offer from Dolphins and shopping, to bar hopping tours.
The week was fun and a great diving experience was had. We were treated well by all resort and dive shop staff. We’d recommend Roatan and Fantasy Island Resort to families, non-divers, and divers alike. We’re already planning a return trip!