Cayos Cochinos

Plantation Beach, February, 1995. "No whales, whale sharks, or mantas. But there are other encounters that make for a pleasurable dive trip. The Cayos Cochinos are part of a Smithsonian Marine Preserve and island development and commercial fishing are restricted. (An applied marine research laboratory is in the development stages on Little Pig Island near the airstrip.) We were overwhelmed by new creatures from our very first dive. Macro photography is more than six feet away from us. All manner of tunicates (those florate bluebell tunicates are a delight.) and tunicates, quillfin and sail fin blennies, cryphis teardrop and gaudy clown crabs, corallimorphs, upside-down jellyfish plus the 'usuals' captivated us. The variety and health of the reef were remarkable, only 15 miles off the Honduras coast. . . . The resort is not for those expecting Cayman Island comforts and distractions, but Plantation Beach Resort is well run, clean, comfortable and picturesque. We'll come back. That's more than we can promise for most of the other Caribbean dive destinations we've been to: Life is too short and there are too many other dive locations to discover when one begins this recreation at age 50+. (I'm torn between sharing the above with you and wanting to keep this place a secret so that it will remain as 'whole' as we knew it.)" Karl & Mary Schneider, Anchorage, AK

Guanaja

Bahia Resort, March, 1995. "I was generally disappointed with the diving around Guanaja. Much of the coral was damaged and it seemed to have been overfished. This is not to say that there weren't some fabulous dives, such as Black Rock. . . . Bahia Resort is new. Pietra, the owner, and the staff did everything possible to make our stay pleasurable. Manuel, the dive-master, was relaxed and did a great job. Dive operation is not fully operational yet. The dive boat was rented, air fills were from the neighboring resort and the marina was being approved by the government. Bahia Resort has great potential. I hope they are successful." Ted Colwell, Caldwell, ID

Bayman Bay Club, February 1995. "Dive operation good. Divemasters friendly and helpful. Accommodations rustic, like being at camp with critters in your room. Little water pressure, poor lighting (one 40-watt bulb in bathroom). Food was horrible. No variety or choice, slim helpings, no snacks, no seconds. Coffee could make your hair stand up. If you miss the gong you don't eat." Anon.

Bayman Bay Club, March, 1995. "Wonderful, away from it all resort. Treated divers as adults, let us use computer guidelines on all dives. Most areas fished out of large and medium fish. Good night shore diving. Resort and dive staff friendly and accommodating. Wonderful place for groups; 1/8" wetsuit needed to stay comfortable, many thermoclines. Would definitely return. Good value. Don't drink the water in San Pedro Sula." Anon.

Posada del Sol, August, 1995. "We 20 divers were met at San Pedro Sula Airport, escorted through that mess, taken to the commuter airlines counter and checked through. On Guanaja, we were met by Ron and Merritt and several divemasters. All our luggage did not arrive on the same plane; we were assured that it would arrive on the next flight and it did ­­ and was delivered to our rooms. . . . Briefed about the resort from Jennifer, registered and were assigned rooms. Ours was the largest of the group, with an extra sitting room where I spread my camera gear around. Cooling was by fans in both rooms. Water pressure was weak at first due to an extended dry spell but, after a heavy rain, improved. . . . Ron, dive operation manager, provided a detailed briefing on dive procedures. There was unlimited shore diving that was best just off and around the pier: we followed a rope lying on the bottom from the corner of the pier that took us to a sunken twin engine airplane, then to a small wooden freighter and back to the pier. Saw two black and white crinoids, numerous large arrow crabs, banded coral shrimp, small barracuda, a few upside­down jellyfish and an octopus. Lots of pink rope sponges all over everything. The bottom was sandy visibility murky. This was a night dive for me and micro­photography so the visibility was not important. . . . The divemasters (Luis, Allen, and Jorge) changed tanks between dives and provided escort service on each dive. They were in no way restrictive to us exploring on our own, they just led us and kept an eye on us (mostly to ensure we kept off the coral). They pretty much let us each do our own thing. When we got ready to make a dive, they helped us on with our tanks and provided support so that no one slipped. They also provided detailed, knowledgeable briefings about each site. Paul, the photo pro, was helpful and provided rental cameras, lens, E-6 development, other information as requested. . . . Saw two 5­7 foot Jew fish, a turtle, a few spotted eagle rays, several barracuda, one beautiful gold phase coney, several large groupers at the Jim's Silverload feeding station plus lots of macro life. Most days the visibility was in the 100+ foot range. Lots of coral but not lots of fish life compared to other locations. . . . food was well­prepared and presented; mostly seafood, a plus. There were no complaints. All in all, I would rate this a very good trip and would recommend it to anyone. The staff made us feel welcome and worked hard to make the trip a success. It was relaxing with no radio, TV, fax, computers, video games, loud music, news (good or bad), stress, etc. The only thing we did was eat, dive (I did 20), and sleep (plus occasionally a few adult beverages). By the way, thanks for the opportunity to discuss this trip." Tony Ciampa, Las Cruces, NM

Roatan

Anthony's Key Resort, December, 1994. "AKR staff did everything to make our stay the most perfect, hassle­free week we have spent diving. They greeted us at the airport and whisked us to the resort. The staff briefed us on schedules for meals and dives and answered our questions. . . . The cabin, with modern bathroom, was simple, rustic, and well­built with screens on three sides. No air­conditioning, but a ceiling fan will make a blanket a necessity at night. Our cabin had a small ice chest, king­sized bed and built­in benches on two walls. . . . Dive gear is stored in a safe and convenient room on the boat dock and has two huge rinse tanks. Compressor room is next door and each dive boat has its own chalkboard and you write your assigned tank number on the dives you want and your tank is preloaded on the boat. The boat returns to change tanks for the second morning dive. The boats are roomy, never crowded, and have rinse tanks for camera equipment and large ice chest for your water, sodas, etc. The afternoon dive is a single tank, but there is unlimited diving in the lagoon, and two night dives per week. The dolphin dives cost extra. The boat crew was outstanding, and our divemaster, Alfredo, superb. He would gladly lead any who wanted to follow, but you were always free to use your computer. On the drift dives the boat was always there when we surfaced and crew ready to grab weight belts, etc. Three of our dives were taped by Video Roatan and were shown nightly at the bar. Water was near 80°, great visibility for drift and wall dives. Saw huge lobster and crabs, octopus, eagle rays, turtles, moray eel, large variety of small fish and large grouper. . . . The food was great. Breakfast was your choice and lunch and dinner always had at least two. Only complaint was their coffee ­­ strong and bitter; next time we'll take our own coffee pot. . . . The price seems high, but it includes all the diving, all meals, and accommodations in a beautiful and well­run resort. A true bargain." Jess and Lisa Phillips, Pickens, AR

Anthony's Key Resort, December, 1994. "Water temperature 81°; visibility 100­150 feet; could dive own profile, but don't miss the boat. Must bring bug stuff: sand fleas and no­see­ums are murder. My body was on fire for days after the trip. . . . Buy Honduran cigars, they're great." Mark Skolaski, Madison, WI

Anthony's Key Resort, 1995. "Staff was excellent. Cabins comfortable despite the lack of air-conditioning. The resort setting is unique and scenic. The food, while not outstanding, was consistently good. The choice of cabins (key, hillside, dockside) would satisfy any taste. . . . The dive operation is efficient and the dive sites are conveniently close. The diving is generally good, though not spectacular. The night diving was excellent with an abundance of crab, lobster and octopus. There is even a good night dive off the dock to an airplane wreck with a large lobster population. Day dives are mostly drift dives. Many varieties of eels are common as are turtles and rays. The terrain makes interesting diving with a nice mix of canyons, sand chutes, tunnels and walls. The dolphin encounters (both diving and snorkeling) are, by themselves, worth at least one visit to Anthony's key. . . . The daily dolphin shows, the Marine Center and the nature trails provide plenty of between dive activity. The photography shop is excellent. The atmosphere in the evenings at West End is worth a look. The main drawback is the short dive times and surfacing with 1000 to 1500 psi. The notoriety of Roatan's infamous sand fleas appears exaggerated. As long as I used repellent, I had no problem." Jim Parkhill, McAllen, TX

Anthony's Key Resort March, 1995. "Well-run resort with variety of activities. Efficient and timely dive operations. Staff photographers, however, were more interested in their own portfolio than visiting divers, i.e. chasing away turtle and eagle ray trying to capture shot. Good and reasonably priced beer at bar." Larry Smith, Dallas, TX

Anthony's Key Resort, June, 1995. "Resort was great. Food was good, accommodations were rustic but clean and nice. Everyone was friendly and helpful. . . . Dive operation was organized and professional. Alfredo our divemaster was great. He was funny, friendly, helpful, safe and professional. Coral was plentiful and healthy. Lots of fish, great weather and calm sea. Diving was easy and relaxing. Boat was flexible if we wanted to go to a specific reef. Made 3-4 dives a day. . . . Great place for relaxing, and diving yet had activities and other things to do if you needed a break from diving. Met some really nice people, but we've been places with arrogant divers and jet setters. Only complaint was the no-see-ums were awful. Take good repellent. Pack light. Lived in our suits and cover ups. Great with no phones in room or TV's." Karen & Craig Lange, Yakima, WA

Anthony's Key Resort, July, 1995. "Overall resort did an excellent job. Carlos excellent divemaster with good briefing and awareness of divers ability ­­ Hector at the other end of the scale. Some places had much dead coral; others such as west end and wall had many fish (and some current). Night dives a disappointment ­- little to see, almost devoid of critters. Overall could not compare to the Brac. . . . Had a 13 year old in the dolphin discovery program that was excellent. No bug problems ­- used Skin So Soft. . . . TACA lived up to its reputation with many people with lost bags (including ours for three days)." J.S. Evans, Aliquippa, PA

Anthony's Key Resort, July, 1995. "Some large groupers, angel fish, puffers, snappers, basketstars, and beautiful sponges both tube and barrel. Most dive guides seemed bored or burnt out. Due to the 40-50 minute dives, we would return to the boat with over half a tank of air left. The boats were nice and roomy. Doesn't compare to the South Pacific. . . . The bungalows were quaint although warm a couple of nights. The food was good and plentiful. The staff was friendly. . . . We were covered with bites despite applying two bottles of repellent. . . . TACA airlines was two hours late leaving Houston and one hour late leaving Roatan, causing missed connections. Check in early. They are always overbooked. My friends spent a night in El Salvador because of this." Anon.

Anthony's Key Resort, August, 1995. "Excellent reef in good condition. Divemasters were friendly and helpful. Not as many large fish on the reef as in the Caymans, but the reef was active. Lots of pillar coral. Accommodations were Spartan. Unair­ conditioned bungalows were tough to get used to. Weather was hot, with high humidity. It took two days to get used to the weather conditions. Dolphin dive was interesting and fun. It is a unique selling point, but we would probably not go back because of the Spartan accommodations." W.R. Bowden, Jr., Odessa, TX

Bay Islands Beach Resort, May, 1995. "80 to 82 degree water, visibility up to 100 feet. Could dive own profile, 130 foot depth limit. Several turtles. Food good. Great trip." Stephen James, Malibu, CA

Bay Islands Beach Resort, September 1995. "Good: The resort and staff. Made our group of 21 from my Water World Scuba feel like family. No pressure. No time restrictions. 84­87 degree water, 60­200 foot vis. . . . Bad: Airport customs/baggage at Roatan. Crowded and unorganized. Watch out for "Orlando and his thugs" at the terminal. Handle your own baggage or make sure that the resort you are staying at handles your baggage. Otherwise you may be demanded money because Orlando or one of his thugs moved a bag of yours. The local airport authority should view this situation with interest. The tactics of these few individuals is going to cause a lot of conflict with tourists. . . . Mosquitoes and sandfleas can be bad for some. Be prepared." Jerry L. Portwood, Bullhead City. AZ

Coco View, December, 1994. "Hopefully the new Sanctuary will improve fish population. Corals, sponges great. Shore diving great. Overall: good place." K.P., Detroit, MI

Coco View, 1995. "I needed a stronger bug deterrent, but nothing bothered my husband. 100 ft. vis." Glee Cooley, Phoenix, AZ

Coco View, February, 1995. "A well-designed operation, boats left on time. Coral in excellent condition. Usual mix of Caribbean reef fish. Few large groupers due to spear fishing by locals. Shore diving could be great when and if Fantasy Island stops dredging their adjacent property. The water was silty in front of Coco View, but once you got out to wall it was clear." Anon.

Coco View, February, 1995. "Best land based operation we have ever used. Second trip." Georgia Williamson, Raymore, MO

CoCo View, February, 1995. "'No-see-ums were bad, especially for our nondiving wives. The 'unlimited' shore diving was on the same spot, dive after dive; got boring. Dive sites were all pretty much the same with only a few notable exceptions. Lack of fish and suspended particles in the water, saved me lots of film. My normal film consumption was cut by 80 percent. TACA lived up to its reputation. Cost us an extra day and overnight in Houston. Will not return" Tom Hower, Kingsford, MI

Coco View, March, 1995. "Shore diving unlimited, and their front yard is second to none. They have a 150 ft. shipwreck, an airplane wreck, and two beautiful walls right out front, 100 yards from the beach. Snorkeling is great inside the reef too: four ft. 'cuda, stingrays, goldentail moray, octopus. Dive operation smooth and efficient, honest fills, three different boats to three different sites. . . . Food: plenty, and a mix of island and American. Often choice of two entrees (fish, meat), fruit juice and iced tea always available anytime. Beer $1 at the bar. Rooms: cleaned daily, fresh towels, one change of sheets. Some rooms A/C. All have fans. Some on stilts over water: See an eagle ray glide past your porch railing. . . . Bad stuff: Sand flies (no-see-ums) bite and leave red itchy welts. Bring plenty repellent. Ammonia helps with the itching if applied soon after the bite. Nothing much for nondivers, and they actively discourage kids. Wish we'd known that TACA airlines is no-better than SAHSA for flying time." Randy and Jan Cooper, Glen Ellyn, IL

Coco View, March, 1995. "One of the best places we have dived. Shore diving was outstanding, food was good, rooms were excellent. Great vacation for diving, photography, and relaxing. Also snorkeling was great for experienced or beginners. Great value for price. Heard about no-see-ums, but none was present the week we were there." Gary & Carol Kehoer, Punta Gorda, FL

Coco View, May, 1995. "Rooms and bungalows clean and well kept. Good food. Good staff. Most dives only minutes away. Tanks always 3000 PSI. Can do five dives a day easily. . . . Boats not setup for photographers: no camera rinse tank and minimal area for cameras on boats. Boats do a morning and afternoon single tank dive. Second dive off boat is a drop-off dive on one of two walls in front of resort, both are great, but surface interval usually no more than 20-30 minutes from 1st dive to drop off. Night dives all beach dives in front of the resort. Would be nice if at least one was to one of the great sites nearby." Gerry and Linda Mac Donald, San Jose, CA

Coco View, July, 1995. "Coco View feels like summer camp. Shore dives really are excellent. Divers do their own profiles, left to themselves. No hassles." Lindon Crow, San Clemente, CA

Fantasy Island, October, 1994. "Excellent resort and service. Everyone was anxious to do their best to make our trip the best. Rooms were great. Good food and lots of variety. Great dive operation. Good equipment and an excellent facility for gear storage. A great place to relax and unwind. The bad: Just no-see-ums. One of the best dive trips I've taken." John Bittner, Austin, TX

Fantasy Island, November, 1994. "Food delicious. Served buffet style, was varied, plentiful. A couple of times they had live music with local dancers. Caribbean night the best with local specialties. Watch out for no­see­ ums ­­ Skin So Soft a must. . . . Dive operation excellent, geared towards intermediate to advanced. Had several covered, clean, well­equipped boats enabling dive groups to remain small. On wall dives saw crabs, lobsters, parrot fish and an occasional shark. Reefs have been fished out." Anon.

Fantasy Island, June, 1995. "TACA Air is a disaster; held baggage in Miami for day and a half; when it arrived it had been pilfered. Hotel was really not interested in helping. . . . No large fish, in one week saw one moray, four crabs, two lobsters, one school of blues. Poor. Walls and reefs OK but you can get the equal plus fish in lots of other places. Would not go back." John B. Haley, Jr., D.D.S., Charleston, WV

Fantasy Island, June, 1995. "Private beach was beautiful but needed more beach chairs. . . . Food was good but took forever to get served. first day lunch took 1 1/2 hours (for a hamburger.) and as a result we had to miss the 2:00 dive boat. Enough guests bitched to management and they finally switched to buffet. . . . Dive boats comfortable, but only one rinse barrel for photographers and no table. Divemasters were friendly, fun and competent. Pre-dive briefings were informative including an excellent map of each dive site. When the dive-masters learn to trust your judgment and abilities they'll let you do your own thing. On one night dive, the divemaster saw our group go over the wall and turn right to descend. As a favor, he took the other 12 people over the wall and went left, leaving us in glorious solitude for most of the dive. . . . No photo pro on site; he (she, it...) comes to the resort by appointment. No E-6 processing on sites; your film gets picked up the next day and returned two days later; expensive -­ US $10 for a roll of 36; you get back strips only ­- you mount them yourself. Coco View Resort (right across the lagoon -­ five minutes kayak ride) has same day, on site processing." Weinstein, NY, NY

Fantasy Island, June, 1996. "Plagued with wind all week; boats never ventured far beyond south shore. North shore was rough first day, calmer the second. Divemasters not attentive, definitely not safety oriented. Dive assistants did not wait on divers like Cozumel (hand and foot). . . . No water in room for a couple of days. Construction next door ruined naps. . . . Return journey on TACA was 15 hour ordeal. Bumped from 2:40 hour nonstop, resulted in Roatan, San Pedro Sulu, San Salvador, Guatemala City, Houston 10:30 tour. Got round-trip to Belize as compensation."Rex McDonnell, Austin, TX

Fantasy Island, July, 1995. "Shore dive great, but inconvenient from where equipment was stored. You can get some good dives, but boats are too crowded. Too many inexperienced divers jumping in the water at once. Great place if spouse does not dive. For divers, Coco View is better." Lindon Crow, San Clemente, CA

Fantasy Island, July, 1995. "Went with a family of 20, ages 18 months to 63. Fantasy Island is the perfect spot. Diving is excellent - coral as beautiful as we've seen in Caribbean. Shore diving and snorkeling easy and excellent, and include Coco View's famous wall. Dive operation professional yet personal. . . . White sand beach with roped-off swimming area and ocean kayaks, waterskiing, and sailing available. . . . The hotel program is excellent. Staff friendly and helpful, food plentiful and good. Guided island tours available and baby-sitters available. Overall atmosphere is relaxed and laid back, with no pressure to join activities. Everyone loved it. Only drawback was the difficulty of transportation." Jean & Bob Kirkpatrick, Russellville, KY

Fantasy Island, July, 1995. "The visibility was not what was expected (50­80 feet). Great that we were diving with no wetsuits, and no Lycra. The water was warm (85 to 88 degrees) and calm. Fantasy Island was the only resort with AC on the island. The service was mediocre at best. Nice staff, the food great. . . . Two kinds of rooms ­- standard and deluxe. We spent one night in standard. Dark and damp ­- no hot water. Deluxe was great with balcony over the ocean. Great AC. Very clean. All the hot water you could want. I loved the room. Hotel manager was great so was diving staff." K. Caryn Spear, N.Y.C., N.Y.

Fantasy Island, August, 1995. "Booked after finding out that Coco View was full. We were not disappointed. Diving was efficient and hassle­free. Staff eager to please. Beautiful place with great food. Good shore diving but shop closed at 10 p.m. Departure tax was $25 per person. Otherwise, great value for money spent." Clay Coleman, Baton Rouge, LA

Fantasy Island, August, 1995. "Our group of eleven novice to experienced divers stayed in the standard rooms located near the dive shop. Although construction was underway, this was never a nuisance. Took one day off to do a jungle river rafting trip with Rios Rafting in La Ceiba on the mainland. It was reasonable and offered a great diversion. The flight from Roatan to the mainland was low altitude. . . . Good stuff: The lodging and dining room are air conditioned. Rooms have tubs, TV's, phones, and refrigerators. The gift shop is nice. The staff is friendly. There is plenty of shade. Palms are everywhere. The beaches are clean and well maintained, nicely protected with a breakwater, which also forms a beautiful placid lagoon. The lunch specials by the beach bar were great. There are a monkey, lizards, peacocks, chickens, a turkey, and plenty of timid short-haired rodents called wild rabbits on the premises. Shuttle to/from the airport was on time (A/C). Concierge service was helpful. Food was good, and our group was well attended to by Leno. The dive operation was efficient and on time. There was plenty of space to store dive gear at the shop. The dive spots were seldom more than 12 minutes away. The boats were dependable and well designed for divers. The diving was superb; computer divers frequently had 60 minutes of bottom time: the first 45 minutes on the wall, the last 15 minutes on top of the reef in 20 feet of water. Water temperature was 84-86 degrees. On our initial dive, we were all asked to remove/replace regulator and flood/clear mask while remaining neutrally buoyant. Afterwards, we were free to plan our own dives. . . . Bad stuff: The pool was lousy (too much shade, too far from the bar, aboveground, not always clean, and generally uninteresting). No hot tub. The monkey attacked all the women; he was only around one day. There was an irritating problem with running water being turned off and on. Some added costs were unexpected for an all-inclusive resort (examples: use of the Sunfish and a crab boil). Service was generally slow and some requests were ignored. Some rooms had poor lighting and were not always cleaned to our expectations. The freezer compartments in some refrigerators were iced-over, and the ice machine outside our rooms seldom worked. There was little storage space, but the rooms were big enough to spread out belongings. We were put on the hillside instead of on the beach level where we had booked. Although the 49 steps to our rooms were a strain, being away from everyone else gave us our own private veranda for parties. The dive orientation was comprehensive, but it ate into our dive time on the first morning. It would be nice to have the rules ahead of time as well as the paperwork that had to be completed. The dive boats are showing signs of wear; paint chips are everywhere and one of the ladies in our group scraped her shin when a combination storage container and seat collapsed under her." Gary Kuchcinski, Houston, TX

Reef House Resort, January, 1995. "Friendly staff, good food, basic accommodations. Reef 50 yards from front door. Visibility 25'-75' because of storms. The corals are wonderful, but there is a lack of large fish -­ like a visit to the city but not people to see. Over fished. Also dove with Anthony's Key Dolphin Dive. Excellent fun but costly and worth it. Manager Lonnie plans dive sites 2-3 weeks in advance. No flexibility. Ask and you won't get if dive site is more than 15 minutes from dock. Divemaster is given no flexibility even if weather has cut visibility to 25'. Bring bug repellent - they bite." Jerry Palmquist, Lincolnshire, IL

Reef House Resort, January, 1995. "Quiet, small, rustic setting, excellent diving, good meals, wall dive accessible from resort. Dolphins followed the boat excellent attention and service. ." Dennis Spinelli, Castroville, TX

Reef House Resort, February 1995. "Good coral, not as many large fish as we expected. 80­85 degree water, 75­100 feet vis." Jim R. Toothman, Bellevue, ID

Reef House Resort, March 1995. "A great place to get away from it all. A small resort, (30 people maximum) the staff sees to every need of their guests. Accommodation are simple (this is after all, a third world country) and clean. Meals are good and food is plentiful. Every effort is made to accommodate special dietary needs and preferences. . . . The diving is very good - particularly if you enjoy corals, sponges and small fish. Reef House has two well-equipped dive boats and runs an excellent dive operation. The wall in front of the resort provides the opportunity to get in an additional two or more dives as shore dives, on top of the two boat dives offered each day. The staff is friendly and attentive, so much so they become family." Daniel Brady, Palo Alto, CA

Romeo's, August, 1994. "The diving was excellent. The staff friendly. The food was fair to poor, but I'm a picky eater. No-see-ums were annoying but manageable with Skin­So Soft. Accommodations were less than expected. A couple of hundred more at one of the other resorts would be well spent in my opinion - which is what I'll do next time." Terry Bettridge, Sandy, UT

Romeo's, January, 1995. "Noisy generator at one end of rooms, noisy compressor at the other, noisy dining room, bar in center. Hard to find quiet. . . . Boats in disrepair, one couldn't turn right, one had to be hot-wired to start. Except for protected west end park, reefs seemed fished out. . . . Friendly and fun dive crew made the most of the situation, though. Resort sold to absentee owners who seemingly didn't care about deferred maintenance on facility that was run down. Inexpensive, but not a bargain for value received. Sad to see signs of over development impacting reefs." Michelle Ginsburg, Tampa, FL

Romeo's, January, 1995. "Food was abysmal. Horrible fried garbage every night. Found a great place in town called Gio's. Ate there every night after we found it, even though we had paid for all meals at Romeo's. People nice and accommodating at Romeo's. We had a slow draining bathtub and told the management -­ the next morning they had someone out to fix it. . . . Divemasters friendly and helpful. Night dives great - saw what had to be at 4-ft. supermale parrot fish asleep in coral. Day diving seriously lacking in anything large. Nice assortment of smaller tropicals, but still quantity of these smaller fish lacking compared to South Pacific. You just don't see endless clouds of anything here. Coral formations very nice in some areas - coral in good shape in most areas. However, Caribbean diving in my opinion does not hold a candle to - Fiji and Palau. Roatan a beautiful island ­- rent a jeep for a day and explore the island. We enjoyed it. . . . Did Anthony's Key Dolphin Dive. Certainly worth doing once and it wasn't the trained dolphin show I feared, however, people snorkeling reported more interaction/touching with dolphins." Anon.

Sueno del Mar, November, 1994. "On the way down, we had a 'free' over-night in San Salvador, at a fabulous hotel, El Camino Real. Wish more divers could roll with the punches and accept that half the fun of visiting the Third World is the unexpected side trips. The food was unlimited and delicious, the water was safe, all the hotel employees spoke excellent English. We're dying to go back to San Salvador - it was so clean. And modern. We were treated like royalty. We also carry toiletries and a change of clothes on board. Hey, stuff happens. . . . Sueno del Mar has two small dive boats. Excellent dive operation and great staff. They do a lot of business strictly as a hotel/restaurant and we had the diving to ourselves almost all week. . . . Sueno del Mar refuses to allow the unlimited diving the place at the other end of the island is famous for. Jim Cronish, resident owner, does not want the liability and he is aware of a record of divers that get bent down the road, winding up at Anthony's Key's chamber. . . . Another great thing about Sueno del Mar is that it is part of the community ­­ you are not held hostage the way you are at most resorts. You can mix with the locals, the Europeans, or just hang out. On Wednesday night, there was a night dive. There was nothing stirring in the water. No brittle stars, no flamingo tongues, one lobster, a couple of squirrel fish. That night, there was a big storm and it took two days for the water to clear ­­ you could stand in knee­deep water and not see your feet. They probably would have taken us around the island if we had insisted, but we found other things to do. We get tired of meeting only other Americans on vacation. That's why we always use our passports on vacation. Americans are lousy travelers ­­ they go to Central America and expect Hawaii. Hawaii is beautiful, but it's dull." Peggy Lindow, Houston, TX

Sueno del Mar, 1995. "Helpful hotel staff, pretty good dive masters, good food. Relaxing week. Large comfortable rooms. No air conditioning, but fans and screens made it unnecessary. Friendly locals. Unfriendly sand flies." Samuel R. Wheatman, Colorado Springs, CO

Sueno del Mar, May 1995. "Good stuff started with a 400-yard snorkel to the reef; we were accompanied by a manta who was delighted to lead the way. Other discoveries included upside down jellies, conch, and lobster living in a discarded tire. . . . Over the week, the various dive sites on the west side (we dove roughly from Anthony's Key to West End, and around the south side to Coxen Hole), yielded a staggering variety of sponges, all in excellent condition with colors ranging from the usual dull grey/brown to vibrant purples and oranges. Coral formations were as varied, including plate, brain, staghorn, fire, and several varieties of black. . . . Fish were typical of the Caribbean - all the usual small tropicals. Jacks, tuna, and larger groupers schooled off West End Wall. Huge lobster and crab (six inch claw.) were plentiful, as the area is a marine preserve. . . . resort was comfortable and service was good. Jim Cronick is the 'partner in residence' and keeps things running smoothly. The food was good, but not 'inspired.' Since the trip included all meals, there was some incentive not to venture out, but West End offers some eclectic options. Alcohol is billed separately, but was not expensive. (Try Hermie's Double Margaritas.) . . . . Our last afternoon was spent on the trimaran Genesis. It's operated by Rick Biddle, Far Tortuga Charters, and can be found in West End. It's a great way to relax, sail, and fish. . . . Bad stuff: Roatan's infamous and fleas were a bother. Skin-so-Soft did the trick, but got old after a week. West End Beach is an archetypal tropical beach, but the fleas eat the tourists alive. . . . Only one night dive is scheduled. If you ask they will run additional. There are many potential sites. Shore diving does not exist here due to the distance to the reef and the fact that local boats cut between the reef and the resort at high speed. . . . There's a constant breeze through rooms 1,2,5 and 6. We were in 9, which was dependent on the ceiling fan day and night. Mid-afternoon got uncomfortable as the sun was on our wall and roof. The good news was that it was on the end, upstairs, so we had no traffic. The well advertised 10 percent gratuity and 7 percent tax added on at the end of the trip covers anything you buy at the resort - and if you pay with a credit card they hit you for an extra five percent. Take traveler's checks and small change. There seems to be a shortage of small bills. Would we go back? Yes. What would we do differently? Eat out and do more night dives." Mr. & Mrs. J.A. Parker, Charlotte, NC

Utila

Utila Lodge, October, 1994. "Excellent diving and dive operation. Others on the island are cheaper, but with unsafe foods, water, etc. Utila Lodge is run by an American couple who eat the food and drink the water. They run a great operation. 82 degree water, 75­150 foot vis, dive your own profile, but don't go deeper than 130 feet." Bill and Patricia Duryee, McLean, VA

Utila Lodge, April, 1995. "A mecca for poor Euro-divers. Funky place. Utila Lodge the only full resort. People were living and diving on US $25 a day. Island has been heavily fished and coral wasn't in great shape but some dives were very nice. Left for Roatan after five days. Much better. . . . After 15 years without problems, Continental Airlines lost all my luggage for four days. Many items stolen." J. Ware, Port Lavaca, TX

Utila Lodge, September 1995. "The Lodge will go out of their way to make your stay what you want it to be. Diving freedom exists here. Water 82, Visibility 40­80 feet." Robin Crown, Palo Alto, CA

Copyright 1996 by DSDL, Inc., publishers of Undercurrent. All rights reserved. No portions of this report may be reproduced in any way, including photocopying and electronic data storage, without prior written permission from the publisher. For more information, contact DSDL, Inc., P.O. Box 1658, Sausalito, CA 94966.