Learn about Roatan and Scuba Diving
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Roatan offers a many different types of diving from wreck dives, wall dives, drift dives, and Tec diving. Here are the best dive sites in Roatan, grouped by certification requirement and type of dive.
Working as a dive professional during your gap year is a smart, fun way to fund your travels. Scuba divers are some of the most “travel-minded” people, and it is common to meet people from all over the world while diving.
The Advanced Open Water course is an excellent way to increase your confidence in the water, and simultaneously opens a whole new world of dive site options for you.
Even if you’re currently an Open Water diver, you can become a scuba instructor in only 4 months. Completing a GoPRO Program is a quick and easy way to change your career.
You might have heard that teaching in neutral buoyancy is harder, but actually teaching in neutral buoyancy is worth the extra effort because create better divers.
And just like that, Roatan Divers turned ten years old. Join us as we reflect on the invaluable life lessons we've learned after a decade of scuba diving.
It’s that time of year again! Prepare to embark on an unforgettable journey as the northerly winds guide us to this less traveled aquatic haven. Let's go diving off Roatan's South shore!
To celebrate Project AWARE Week 2018 and the start of our sixth season, we are offering some awesome Project AWARE specialty bundles from now through December 15th!
With fall just around the corner, it's time to talk about our low season specials with Caribbean Colors Vacation Rentals!
To celebrate the quieter months on Roatan, we have some awesome dive and stay bundles with The Beach House.
For those of you who are interested in coming to Roatan in the next few months and haven't booked accommodation yet, we have a super deal for you! Caribbean Colors Vacation Rentals is offering awesome specials for the summer, and even better last minute deals.
Skills and Techniques
Whether you’re a seasoned scuba veteran or haven’t been in the water since your certification, it may be time to ask… do you need a refresher before diving back in?
Let’s go macro diving in Roatan! Learn about the unique macro critters on Roatan’s reef - and get tips on where to find them.
Though CPR and first aid training doesn’t qualify you as a certified medical practitioner, having awareness of your surroundings and being able to assess and treat for basic medical emergencies is a skill that everyone should have.
Scuba diving is a huge part of what attracts people to Roatan, and we are famous for our abundance of both soft and hard coral, schools of fish and well-protected marine park.
But did you know that Roatan also has a very lively macro life? Though you may not think it at first glance, there are so many cool critters to find on our reefs, from pipehorses to nudibranchs to flatworms! Check out our 3 ways to become a better macro hunter and up your scuba game today!
You may have seen in our recent social media posts that we are all about sidemount right now. So it’s a great time to ask - what is sidemount diving, and what are the benefits of diving on a sidemount set-up?
Dive equipment can say a lot about a dive center. When equipment visually looks worn and tattered it might also speak to the care and maintenance that equipment may or may not have received in its lifetime. At Roatan Divers, we replace our rental BCD's every 1 to 2 years, not because we need to, but because we take pride in offering top-notch equipment to our divers. When prospective divers ask to see our equipment, we're always happy to oblige them.
Being a PADI Rescue diver is about giving you the knowledge and skills to better care for yourself as well as other divers both in and out of the water. Divers describe this course as the most challenging, yet rewarding courses they have ever taken. If you're considering diving in, here's what you need to know about becoming a Rescue Diver.
Enriched air contains a higher oxygen content and lower nitrogen content air does, giving a diver the ability to extend their no-decompression limit (or dive time). For a few of our dive sites, given their topography and depth, we find it more enjoyable to dive on enriched air Nitrox (EANx32).
For many Open Water Divers, the Advanced Open Water course can seem like an elusive or possibly intimidating certification. Do I have what it takes to be an advanced diver, and why should I even take a course like this?
Fear not, diving friends! Let's shed some light on what it takes to complete your PADI Advanced Open Water course.
You love the ocean and enjoy snorkeling. Sometimes, though, you wish you could get a little closer to the reef and all the fish, and you could do with a less less salt water in your snorkel. You've heard that it takes a few days to get your scuba certification, and you're just not sure you're ready to take such a big step. What options do you have?
How much of a bummer is it to get an ear infection partway through your scuba diving holiday? A big bummer, that's how much.
As an autonomous, certified diver, you can go to whatever depths you want, and many dive centers around the world will take you past your certification limits, but there are multiple reasons why you should do your PADI Deep Adventure dive before going deeper than 18 meters/60 feet.
It's important to have good fins, both for diving comfort and safety, so let's discuss how to pick the right fins for you!
So you're about to go off on a grand dive adventure. To make sure you can see crystal clear on every dive, you want get to get your own mask before you go! What should you look for when you buy a scuba mask?
Travel Tips
You’ve heard all about how good the diving is in Roatan, which means you have to try it. But can you scuba dive in Roatan if you aren’t certified? We answer all your certification questions and more in our latest blog!
While Roatan is known for her coral reefs, there is still plenty of wildlife to enjoy above the water. Check out these 6 species nature lovers should look out for when they travel to Roatan!
In March of 2020, Roatan Divers, along with most of the rest of the world, were forced to take a very long and unexpected surface interval.
Ears.
We need them to hear, we need them to equalize when scuba diving, and they make our faces look less weird. All important functions, no? Our ears perform incredibly important functions for us, and while they are resilient and sturdy, it’s important that we take care of them. When we’re scuba diving, it’s even more imperative that our aftercare is done right so that we don’t have any equalization issues or pain as the week progresses.
So without further ado, here are our Top 3 Tips To Take Care Of Your Ears When Scuba Diving!
Let’s talk about proper beach etiquette! If you practice a little mindfulness and follow these 3 important rules for proper beach and reef etiquette, you can do your part as a responsible tourist (or resident) to help keep our island amazing!
So you're coming to visit Roatan for a week or so, fantastic! When it comes to travel expenses like food, transport, lodging and activities, many travelers want to have an idea of how much to budget. One thing to note: costs here on Roatan might not be what you expect.
Roatan is often called the jewel of the Caribbean because of its many amazing features - its lush, hilly landscape, azure waters, the friendly people and diverse and rich culture. With direct international flights from Houston, Miami, Atlanta, Cayman and San Salvador, it’s also never been easier to get to paradise. Here are 5 great reasons we think you should go scuba diving on Roatan!
We'd like to share with you our top gift ideas that can allow you to take a piece of Roatan back home with you, all while shopping responsibly and supporting local artists and business.
An important thing to take into account when you're planning your dive holiday is your flight dates and times, which will determine your diving schedule.
Storm preparedness is imperative to surviving a storm (in style). After three years of storm power outages, we finally bit and bought a generator, which was immensely helpful. We will, however, be omitting ideas like that, as we're just focusing on affordable and easy ways to prepare for a storm. Let's have at it!
The need for first aid will inevitably be part of your holiday. Whether you have a bug bite, a scrape, an allergic reaction or a headache, a good, travel-friendly first aid kit is a must when you travel. Let's discuss how to make a good first aid kit for when you're on the go.
We have family visiting with a 15 month old baby, so we thought this would be the perfect opportunity for another Top Five Tips! We’ve talked about what to remember when visiting Roatan, but what about when you’re visiting Roatan with a baby?
Whether you get your lionfish from restaurants like Blue Marlin and Cannibal Cafe in West End or prepare it yourself, here are 5 delicious ways to eat lionfish!
Scuba Videos
Join us for a dive at Fish Den, a great dive site that's only about five minutes away from our private dock in West End.
The Spearing License workshop to teach you more about the lionfish invasion and how to spear them in an environmentally conscious way.
Conservation
Diving is amazing on Roatan no matter what time of year, but let’s be honest, we all really look forward to eagle ray season. Nothing can make a dive like seeing a spotted eagle ray (or three!) glide gently along the reef, or watching them dig through the sand with their noses for food. We know you already like these cool creatures, but to make you fall even more in love with them, here are 3 Cool Facts about spotted eagle rays!
Moray eels are weird. They come in an crazy amount of shapes, sizes and colors, can look really goofy or really intimidating, and all have a variety of behaviors that often means the only thing they have in common is their lack of appendages.
But moray eels are as interesting as they are weird, so let’s learn 3 cool facts about moray eels!
Parrotfish - the unsung heroes of the ocean. Sort of.
Parrotfish are very common around the world and are often viewed as less interesting than turtles or eagle rays. Granted, you see a lot of them on a dive so they’re not exactly rare, but did you know that parrotfish have some pretty cool superpowers?
To show these important and under-appreciated animals some love, check out our 3 Cool Facts About Parrotfish, and see why they, and other herbivorous fish in the Caribbean, are so important for our reef!
Roatan Divers and Roatan Divers Sandy Bay are proud to announce that we are now 100% AWARE!
Congratulations, you’re almost on your way to our beautiful island! As a responsible tourism operator, we endeavor to keep Roatan as beautiful as when we first got here. You can help!
With Go Blue Bay Islands’ help, we’ve put together our Top 5 Tips before you visit Roatan.
Every year on June 8th, the world gets together to celebrate World Oceans Day. Today, we'd like to discuss 3 big issues facing the planet this World Oceans Day, and easy ways that you can make a difference.
Happy World Turtle Day!
Let's face it, who doesn't like turtles? That's probably what gets requested the most from our divers, and with a well-protected marine park, it's very easy to deliver. Turtles are interesting animals, with personalities and fun quirks, so what are 5 Cool Facts that you should know about turtles today?
Demand for lobster is high, and the restaurants will continue to serve illegal lobster as long as patrons continue to request it. It's our responsibility as visitors to encourage responsible and sustainable seafood consumption so that local providers providers will follow suit, benefiting both the environment and the local economy.
Whenever you visit somewhere new (or even at home), it's important to think about responsible consumption when you're making your dining choices. The Bay Islands developed a helpful visual guide to point out which fish in these waters that are the best options and which are ones that should be avoided. Have a look before you dig in!
As a marine reserve, it's illegal to spearfish in the Roatan Marine Park. Lionfish are the exception, since they have no natural predators in the Americas and their venomous spines provide a strong defense against potential predators.
To be responsible tourists, we must make the active effort to think about the local laws and regulations, and expand on that by refraining from supporting the illegal wildlife trade. Think before you buy.
Did you know that 8 million metric tons of plastic is dumped in the ocean every year? To give you a reference, 1 metric ton is 2204.62 pounds. 8 million metric pounds is 17 billion-637 million-200 thousand pounds. 17,637,200,000. That.is.bananas.
Rejoice, Team RD-ers! After searching the streets of Tokyo for the perfect eco gear, we have finally found what we were looking for.
PADI Master Scuba Diver, or just MSD, is a rating that fewer than 2% of all PADI divers accomplish. The MSD rating is a fun and challenging way to become a better diver, open up more diving opportunities, and right now until December 31st, you can win a trip to dive the Maldives!