Roatan, Honduras 2010
In January, my old friends Pete and Amy Cohn ventured down to Roatan with two other divers from the National Aquarium in Baltimore. Located in the Bay Islands (map), it is about 27 X 5 miles and still relatively unspoiled by Caribbean standards but the inevitable is slowly happening so it was time to check it out.
(Above)
The Co Co View Dive operation is located on a peninsula surrounded by mangrove forests, just outside French Harbor. The only way to get there is by boat. The houses are strung out over a long sandy beach and bikes were provided to get to and from the dive operation/bar/restaurant. Numerous hummingbird feeders where on premises which also provided the nights entertainment. Every morning and evening this heron visited to dine in the tidal pool just in front of the house.
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We soon noticed this guy flying about and decided to contact him. It was a real treat for a pilot who has not flown very often since giving it up many years ago (except for occasionally harassing pilot friends for a ride!) $$.....but it was worth it for an intimate 1 hour flight around the island at barely 250 feet loping along at 70 MPH. The eastern end of the island is fairly pristine and there is a private 2000 acre island (right pic) with an airstrip, big house and forest. It has become a defacto parrot sanctuary since the birds have learned they are not harassed/trapped by humans there.
The reefs are in excellent condition with lots of healthy soft coral but are vulnerable to the increasing development. The large fish are scarce because of overfishing but recently about a quarter of the island's reefs are now protected in a marine park (to the extent a poor country can do). Perhaps this will give the larger fish a chance to return. However, the reefs team with small to midsized fauna and flora and provides the macro photographer a garden of opportunities. 1: banded coral shrimps setting up shop (cleaning station) 2: find the seahorse 3: find the stonefish 4: the incredible lionfish which is an invasive species from the pacific 5: the everpresent moray.
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sand flies 4 humans 1
As Doc (an american expat living in Roatan) sez nothin grows on roatan except sand flies! It's true.... there seems to be very little agriculture on the island but boy do some people get eaten alive by these tiny flies............... except me. I gave up the Deet by the fourth day when I realized they had no interest in chowing down on my body. Really queer how they go for some people and not others.
-The dive operation is second to none with attentive boat captains, dive masters and assorted personnel, all Honduran. Our DM and BC were Garifuna which is sub culture within Central America decended from a mix of africans and the arawak and carib indians. Two boat dives a day, unlimited shore diving to excellent reefs and the wreak of the Prince Albert just 400 ft offshore provided ample time to breath Nitrox. Some crazies like Pete and Amy (above left) logged 5 dives a day! I heard the night dives had lots of curious squid (they will come right up to your mask), some octopus and spiny lobster which occasionally come out during the day (see above). By the evening after 3-4 dives I was content to curl up with a cold beer.......................
The Latin culture continues to fascinate me. The local folk dancing troupe and the fire dancer (anybody tried this before?) perform. As with much of Latin America, poverty is endemic and on Roatan it does not seem to favor any skin color. It turns out that once a week our boat captain and dive master venture in to French Harbor during a surface interval to distribute items to the children of the very poor. This week it was small bags of candy assembled by the crew and divers that day. Last week it was small coloring books and crayons brought in by a diver. I felt a bit awkward about handing out dessert to a child who may not have had a decent meal. However, the smiles of the children and adults as they spotted the boat and rushed to the dock changed my mind. When visiting poor countries, I find a sustainable food project within that country to support before I go. Responsible dive operators should support local projects for the less fortunate and Co Co View is one of them. The personnel always ate the same food as the visitors and at the end of the day.were sent home with bags of leftovers.
Well that's it in a nutshell... Thanks for looking!
Fred
