Instant Reader Report on Diving
Fantasy Island in
Honduras/Roatan in
2003/03

 Anthony's Key - Roatan, Capt. Don's - Bonnaire, Ocean Frontier - East Grand
Caymans, St. Maartan 

Dive Conditions

Generally we kept to less than 60 minutes in order to get in more dives,
and back to the boat at 500 psi.  

Each boat had seperate rinse tanks for masks and for cameras. In addition,
on shore there were also seperate rinse tanks (2 each) for cameras and
equipment. They were kept full, and always had fresh clean water. I used
digital so did not use processing.  

Overall Rating

Our group went to Fantasy Island knowing several things to be aware of:
sand fleas/no-see-ums, good food, unlimited shore diving, friendly/helpful
staff, and laid-back atmosphere. And we were not disappointed on any of
these, though the sand fleas seemed to be less antagnostic than usual -
probably to liberal doses of DEET.

On Wednesday, we had a rare opportunity to observe Orcas - a pod of 8
killer whales appeared on the south side of the island. We rushed out to
observe, and got several great above water shots as they swam toward and
under our boat. Some of the videographers captured some great underwater
footage. Truly a rare occurance so far south. Was told that they appear
about the same time the last 5-7 years.

The boat captain (Kelly) and divemaster (Robert - also Dive Shop Manager)
were helpful, friendly, kind, cheerful, and went out of their way to make
sure we all had the best experience - from the least experienced (<30
dives) to most experienced (> 300 dives). The videographer (Luis) also
assisted, pointing out critters while we cruised underwater.

Robert made sure we saw plenty of stuff - sea horses, morays, squid,
octipus, crabs, lobsters, and pointed more fish than I can name or find in
our ID books. We conducted several REEF fish counts as a group. Even the
most experienced divers were satisified with the opportunity to see
critters. Actually saw a spotted moray eat several fish on a night dive.
Not too many big fish other than groupers.

We tried to dive one day on the north side around the west end, but the
water was so rough that several boats from the north side came around to
the south to dive. We aborted, and did one dive in that area and the second
morning dive back at Mary's Place. We were able to dive any site that we
wanted, and did dive several twice as there was an aboundance of critters
to see. Most of the dives were close to the resort (10-20 minutes out),
making best use of our time. Had we wanted to go farther from the resort,
all we had to do was ask.

To shore dive, the staff would ferry you and your equipment around to the
Gazebo, along with tanks, give a slight breifing, and you were off. They
would leave tanks there for divers to dive after hours (8 PM). The same
area was great for snorkling, and on our off day we saw almost as many fish
as we saw diving, including a free swimming green moray that stayed around
under the Gazebo.

The food was plentiful, hot, and the variety was remarkable - fish, beef,
chicken, pork every night, an amazing salad bar, several vegtables, breads,
and of course, many desserts, including several types of icecream.

The only hitch in the whole trip was checking in for the return flight on
TACA - we were listed as open seated due to down computors, which meant
that our group boarded last, and had to find seats where-ever. Lesson: have
the resort verify your flight/seats midweek.

Understand that the ownership has changed in the last several years. There
is evidence of renovation of the dive shop area, the dining rooms, and
general maintenance. Was told they had spent 3 million in updating water
system, kitchen, and additional buildings. Some rooms could use a face
lift, but all in all a good place to dive. Looking forward to a return
trip.   

Questions?
Send an email to the author of this report

Note: The information here was reported by the author above, but has NOT been reviewed by Undercurrent prior to posting on our website. It is presented here to provide Undercurrent readers with timely information on dive operations worldwide. The material may contain errors, typos, ... Please report any major problems by writing to us and referencing the report number above. An edited version of this report will likely appear in the next Travelin' Divers' Chapbook, which will be sent to newsletter subscribers and published online for Online Members.