For people looking to scuba dive in North America, a lot of attention is focused on the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, the second largest barrier reef system in the world. And for good reason. This reef system straddles four countries (Mexico, Honduras, Belize, and Guatemala) and provides some of the best scuba diving in the world. When I finally decided on my diving destination, a friend asked, “Why to go scuba diving in Roatan?” The fact is, my research gave me several reasons for my choice. This article goes over the top five.
Affordability
Honduras in general and Roatan, in particular, has some of the most affordable diving packages in the world. And certain accommodations, such as the Blue Bahia boutique resort, where I booked myself for 2 weeks, offers a further discount when booking diving trips through their onsite dive shop. This has allowed me to spend more time away and get more dives in without breaking the bank.
Reef Proximity
As opposed to some of the other countries on the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, there are areas of Roatan where it’s actually possible to swim to the reef. No need for a lengthy and costly boat ride. In certain areas, the reef is less than 200 yards away from land.
Reef Health
Because of governmental programs and the efforts of non-profit groups such as the Roatan Marine Park, Roatan ranks at the top of the list of when it comes to healthy fish populations and coral beds. Diver’s are guaranteed to see some of the healthiest marine populations in the world when diving off the coast of Roatan.
Dive Sites
Roatan boasts over 175 distinct dive sites. And with the island being less than 50 miles long and 5 miles wide, all these sites are quite easily accessible. The sites feature a wide range of topographical features from caves and canyons to large walls and coral beds. There are several wrecks available for exploration and a healthy marine life population that even includes whale sharks. If nothing else, a diver in Roatan won’t run out of sites to explore.
Conditions
Roatan is also known to have quite calm conditions and excellent underwater visibility. The surface waters are typically flat year round and the underwater currents are quite manageable. Also, the fact that the island is so small, if conditions on one side are too rough, chances are that relocating to the other side will result in calm waters and a successful day.
Resource By: https://www.prlog.org/12742026-why-go-scuba-diving-in-roatan-bluebahia.html
Blue Bahia Resort Roatan 