Do You Need A Scuba Refresher?

You love scuba diving. I love scuba diving.
We all love scuba diving!

But as much as we may love diving, sometimes life gets in the way, preventing us from getting in the water as much as we’d like. So 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?

What Is A Scuba Refresher?

Our Scuba Refresher consists of a light theory review, followed by a reintroduction to scuba equipment, and ending with basic skills practice in Half Moon Bay. The purpose of a Refresher is to ensure you remember how to do those essential underwater skills, like:

• Clearing your mask

• Clearing and recovering your regulator

• Hovering/buoyancy control

• Buddy breathing in the event of an emergency

• Signals, descents, and ascents

After all, the longer you spend out of the water, the easier it becomes to forget the basic skills you need to be a safe and competent diver.

Who Needs A Refresher?

At Roatan Divers, our policy is that if it has been more than one year since your last dive, we may require you to complete a Refresher before going into the open water. However, the reality is a bit more nuanced than that. For example:

• Experience. How experienced was the diver before going on a hiatus? A diver who only does one to three dives in a year, and then takes a break, is a lot different than someone who does twenty to fifty dives in a year, and then takes a break. 

• Outdated Training. Refreshers don’t just clear out the cobwebs. Those who were certified a long time ago may also wish to complete a Refresher, as new skills have become part of the program that they may not have learned! Take SMB Deployment, for example.

• Environment. Keep environmental experience in mind! If you’re used to diving in lakes, a Refresher can help detect any weighting or buoyancy adjustments that need to be made before going into the ocean.

• Certification Level. If you were freshly certified and haven’t dove since your certification - even if it was only three to six months ago - you should definitely complete a Refresher! This is because the skills you learned weren’t repeatedly practiced. However, a certified Divemaster who took a two year hiatus due to, say, COVID, likely would not need a Refresher.
  If you’re an Instructor that’s been out of the water for a while, sites like Jooble may be able to help you find a job and get back in the water!

The Final Conclusion

When in doubt, refresh it out! In order to react quickly, calmly, and safely during an emergency, both muscle memory and comfort come into play. Practice makes perfect, and will ensure you can easily complete these essential skills in case they are needed. After all, concern and awareness for yourself, your buddies, and the environment are all the ingredients that make for a great diver! 

Are you in need of a Refresher?

Macro Diving In Roatan: Unique Critters

Going diving in Roatan? Find joy in the little things! While eagle rays and large schools of fish are certainly fun to look at, the reef is also teeming with small creatures that are easy to miss. Next time you’re in the water, try searching for some of the unique macro life that calls Roatan home. It’s not only a wonderful exercise for your eyes, but a surefire way to impress your dive buddies too.

Photo By Tam Warner Minton

Painted Elysia (Thuridilla picta)

Who knew so many colors could exist on something so small? While the main body of the Painted Elysia is green, there are also vivid lateral bands of orange, red, blue, yellow, and neon green. This sap-sucking slug can be found in shallow sand patches or on certain kinds of algae. But look closely! They average a size of 1.25 inches.

Photo By Jeff Hamann

Cassiopea Dondice (Dondice parguerensis)

If you’ve ever been diving with Roatan Divers, you’ve likely been taken to our favorite macro site ever - Shallow Blue Channel! Within this dive site you can find a plethora of upside down jellyfish. And within those upside down jellies, you can find the Cassiopea Dondice. A beautiful type of nudibranch that can grow as large as 2 inches.

Photo By Adrien Weckel, DORIS

Common Squat Lobster (Munida pusilla)

Don’t be intimidated by their outstretched claws - this crustacean is only about the size of your thumb. Appearing to be an interesting mix of crab and lobster, the Common Squat Lobster enjoys hard, rocky bottoms and can often be found in rubble created by tilefish.

Photo By Mau Riquelme

Juvenile Shortnose Batfish (Ogcocephalus nasutus)

If you’ve ever wanted to see a teeny tiny underwater unicorn, look for a juvenile shortnose batfish. While difficult to find, you may be able to come across this thumbnail sized juvenile in sandy patches or coral rubble.

Striped Bumblebee Shrimp (Gnathophyllum americanum)

Next time you’re swimming past a sea cucumber, double back and take a closer look. If you’re lucky, you will be able to spot the sea cucumber’s resident Bumblebee Shrimp. Dressed to impress, this pea-sized crustacean sports an eye-catching outfit of yellow and black stripes, accentuated with a pair of goggley blue eyes and a wispy translucent tail — the epitome of cute. These commensal shrimps also have symbiotic relationships with sea stars and sea urchins.

Ready to take your macro game to the next level? Look for these creatures using our Macro Hunter Tips next time you come diving in Roatan.

3 Ways To Become a Better Macro Hunter

Roatan. With its azure waters, sandy white beaches and some of the best scuba diving in the world, it’s no wonders it’s an island on the up and up! 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! Learning how to hunt for macro critters is a great way to make each dive more interesting and to up your scuba game, but it takes some skill and time to master it. Here are our top 3 ways to become a better macro hunter!

Focus on Better Buoyancy

When it comes to searching for critters, maintaining good neutral buoyancy is absolutely key. You need to be able to hover in one place with your face close to the sand or reef for an extended period of time, and kicking and flailing about to do so will tire you out and damage the reef. Focus on keeping your hands close to your body, using your breathing to control your buoyancy, and using your fins sparsely to move.

If you’re not confident in your buoyancy, have no fear! Participate in the PADI Peak Performance Buoyancy Adventure Dive or the full PADI Peak Performance Buoyancy specialty course to really hone in your buoyancy skills. We recommend all divers to do a PPB dive as it improves your buoyancy and air consumption, but now you get the additional bonus of becoming a better macro hunter!

Take Your Time

In the spirit of better buoyancy, it’s also really important to take your time when you’re looking for macro critters. Part of what makes finding macro animals so special is the time and energy it takes to find them, and you definitely won’t see the tiniest, most well-camouflaged animals by zooming along the reef! So while good buoyancy is important, taking advantage of that good buoyancy by taking it slow is also key. Kick minimally and take the time to study all the nooks and crannies of the reef and sand for anomalies.

Learn From The Best

This may be the most important tip! If you want to learn how to snowboard, you would take lessons from a snowboarding instructor to get the most out of it, right? In the same way, using a professional dive guide to spot things and to teach you how to spot critters yourself is really important. Dive guides have hundreds, if not thousands, of dives on their reefs and have learned where things like to live and hide. Debriefing and going through a reef life book after the dives can give you more insight to specific critters’ habitats, their behaviors, and they can even pique your interest in animals you never knew about before!

If you’d like to see more of our stunning macro life in person, make sure to contact us and set up some diving with our experienced macrotastic guides!
Can’t make it to Roatan yet but yearning to see more of Roatan’s macro world? Follow us on Facebook and Instagram and see what cool critters we find every day!

Why We Love Mares Dive Equipment

Roatan Divers is a proud Mares Dealer

As a Mares partner and dealer in West End, we are very proud to offer all Mares equipment for our rental gear. Mares is one of the biggest scuba equipment manufacturers in the world, and it's not hard to see why! While they have a reputation for high quality equipment ranging from BCDs to regulators to dry bags, they are most famously known for their masks and fins. The Mares Avanti fins (both full foot and open heel) are considered some of the best fins on the market - there's a reason why most scuba instructors use the Avanti open heel fins! They are durable, strong and last forever. When Roatan Divers first started, we knew without a shadow of a doubt that the Mares Avanti would be our rental fin of choice, regardless of what other brands were available for other rental gear.

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.  

Mares Roatan Store in West End

Luckily for us, Mares has a store conveniently located in West End, so we have been able to provide a full range of Mares equipment for rental. The Mares store is fully stocked with a range of masks, fins, exposure wear, BCDs and regulators, so it's easy to find something that will work for you, whether you're a casual snorkeler or an avid diver.

For many of our guests, they love the ability to try one of our Mares masks to find which one might be the best fit for them before purchasing. The prices here are competitive to the prices in the US, and it's nice having a professional to talk to before buying! 

Check out Roatan Mares Store's Facebook page to see what deals they're running, as they often have great sales. For more information about some awesome deals we are now able to offer our Divemaster and Instructor candidates through our partnership with Mares, make sure to check our dedicated Divemaster website! 

How Being a PADI Rescue Diver Changes You

Being a 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 course they have ever taken. If you're considering diving in, here's what you need to know about becoming a PADI Rescue Diver. 

It Changes Your Perspective

The PADI Rescue Diver course teaches you how to prevent and manage problems in and out of the water. We teach you how to spot warning signs that a diver might be nervous, unwell or potentially about to panic. This ability to anticipate a risky situation, whether it's from other divers or yourself, is extremely valuable. Now you're aware and engaged in a whole new way when you go diving - and we don't just mean in the water! From being on land, to the boat, to equipment, you now see things from a different perspective. Even your outlook and criteria on how you choose dive centers may be different. Together, all of these elements lead you to going diving with far more freedom and increased capabilities as a PADI Rescue Diver.   

It Increases Your Confidence

With this new perspective, expect to feel a new level of confidence as a recreational diver. We teach you how to identify possible scenarios like a tired diver, panicked diver and even a non responsive diver and how you would respond to each accordingly. By learning these skills, you are now equipped with the knowledge to help others, and a greater self-awareness in recognizing your own potential problems. This increase of confidence, and knowing that you can help others if needed, is a priceless feeling you can take with you anytime you go diving.  

You Become a Better Buddy 

Which divers have you admired? All divers have, at some point, wanted to become a better diver. For many, it's the desire to improve buoyancy or air consumption, but as more experienced divers can tell you, it's all about having a good dive buddy. During this course, you learn to become a better buddy by practicing problem solving skills until they become second nature. Keep in mind, that even when you go fun diving, there will likely be more qualified diving Professionals around you like a PADI Divemaster or Instructor. For those divers interested in becoming a PADI Professional, the Emergency First Response & Rescue course is usually the first step in doing so. 

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Breaking Down the PADI Rescue Course

Rescue students on a dive with Roatan Divers

The PADI Rescue Diver course takes roughly three to four days.

Through knowledge development and rescue exercises, you learn what to look for and how to respond. These scenarios take place underwater, at the surface, and even extend to the shore. Finally once you have practiced how to handle these scenarios, you will go on two open water dives to reinforce your new knowledge and skills.

One of the most fun elements to the PADI Rescue Diver course is the instructor's ability to get creative in how they test your response time and thought process. The goal is to simulate as closely, but safely as possible, potential rescue situations. The Emergency First Response (EFR) Primary & Secondary Care is a prerequisite along with being a PADI Advanced Open Water Diver or PADI Adventure Diver. As for minimum age, younger divers between 12-14 years old are able to work towards a Junior Rescue certification.

Short on time? If you'd like to cut down on course time to take advantage of your time on the island, consider doing PADI eLearning through us to get all your bookwork done ahead of time so you can dive in right away! 

If you're ready to start in on a challenging but fun scuba course that helps change your perspective, increase your confidence and generally makes you a better dive buddy, contact us today to get started!  

3 Roatan Sites You Should Dive on Nitrox

One of the many perks of diving on Roatan is the high volume of dive sites available in close proximity to land, with calm conditions and reefs starting shallow so that that we can easily dive on air.
Despite that fact that most of our dive sites are conducive to diving on air, we have a lot of Nitrox certified divers who like to dive on enriched air because of its many benefits. While it all comes down to personal preference, there are a few dive sites here on Roatan that we highly recommend diving on Nitrox in order to enjoy longer bottom times. 

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). Having your Enriched Air Diver certification and diving on Nitrox will allow you to explore these sites to their fullest and to ensure a conservative profile.

1. The Odyssey Shipwreck

This cargo ship measures 300ft/100m in length, is about a 20 minute boat ride from West End. Sunk in 2002, the wreck sits on the sand at 110 ft/30.5m, and diving on Nitrox allows you to explore the length and structure of this ship with ample no-decompression time to spare.

For example, according to the NOAA (National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Association) no-decompression dive tables, a diver using Nitrox 36 (or NOAA Nitrox II) may stay up to 50 minutes at 90ft/27m of sea water, while a diver using air may only stay a maximum of 30 minutes at this depth.

2. The Point

This is a top requested dive site from divers and a staff favorite, too! Less than a 10 minute boat ride from West End, this site encompasses the southern point of the island. It is famous for its giant barrel sponges, sea fans, and its nutrient rich water that brings in tons of fish ready to feed. Due to the topography of this site, we like diving it on Nitrox because it allows us to explore the wall, as well as the large plateau area (the area of this site that The Point is famous for) with an average depth of 50ft/15m. 

Weather conditions for this site can vary daily, so we like to check the conditions to ensure the wind and potential currents are appropriate to still make it a fun and enjoyable dive! 

3. The Seamounts of Cayos Cochinos 

The seamounts of Cayos Cochinos lie 18 miles off the point of Roatan and can be reached by special two-tank charter trip (weather permitting), and simply phenomenal when the conditions are right. None of the seamounts break the surface, and the diveable mounts peak between 70ft/21m and 40ft/12m in depth. To get the most bottom time out of each dive, we strongly encourage Nitrox for at least the first dive. The coral at the seamounts is healthy and vibrant, and you have the opportunity to see lots of different schools of fish hanging off the reef as they feed.

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Now, just because we recommend Nitrox for these dive sites does not mean you can't dive them on air. We simply think that these sites in particular are more enjoyable when you can spend longer enjoying the deeper topography of these sites!

Not a certified Nitrox diver yet? No worries, it's a fun, easy and enormously beneficial course! The PADI Enriched Air Diver certification can be done in a few hours, so it won't have to take up your entire vacation. Check with your local dive shop or drop us a line, and we would be happy to get you diving on EANx32!  

How To Prevent Ear Infections

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. The best treatment for an outer ear infection (a skin rash) is to stay out of the water, and the treatment for an inner ear infection is antibiotics and staying out of the water, and neither of these bode well for a hard earned holiday under the sea.

However, there's hope: like with most other things, prevention is easier than treatment. If your ears are especially sensitive, letting seawater, which contains bacteria, just sit in your ear all day creates an ideal environmental for more bacteria and fungus to grow, so you need to make sure to clean your ears out after each dive. There are ear drops on the market that you can purchase, or it's easy to make your own as well.

The best homemade ear treatment is a 50/50 mix of rubbing alcohol and white vinegar. Pour some of the mix into your ear, let it sit for a minute while you massage it around, then pour it out. The rubbing alcohol dries your ear out, while the vinegar balances the pH so that it's harder for bad bacteria and fungus to grow. You'll smell like a salad, but your ears will be fresh and clean.

If you don't have rubbing alcohol and vinegar on hand, you can also at least rinse your ears out with warm water. If you don't have access to a hot shower, mix hot and cold drinking water and pour it into your ear. The most important thing is to get rid of the salt water.

And no matter what anyone says, please don't pour hydrogen peroxide in you ear. The bubbles might feel cool, but you may be doing irreversible damage to your ear.

So there you go, it's super easy to prevent ear infections! We hope you have a wonderful holiday filled with lots of diving, and with none of that painful ear nonsense.

Happy diving!

5 Ways to Find the Right Fins for You

Last time, we discussed the importance of finding a good mask for you. Fins are a pretty important of your scuba diving set-up, too. They are the reason you can move about easily underwater, and without them, you would certainly be much less graceful underwater and on the surface! 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!

Tip 1. Full foot vs open heel

Ah, the great debate. Full foot fin versus open heel fin - which is better? Well, that really depends on your preferences. We're going to weigh the pros and cons of each fin type, but remember, in the end it all comes down to preference.

Full foot fins tend to be light and flexible, so they're great for travel and don't put much strain on your legs when you kick. Each fin manufacturer has different foot pocket shapes and sizes, so it's easy to find a pair that will fit your foot shape. The downside is that since they're flexible, they don't have the same propulsion as an open heel fin, and it's safer to shore dive with boots on. Until your feet get used to them, full foot fins can also cause rubbing on your feet, but it's pretty easy to deal with it by wearing socks (while neoprene socks are ideal, you can also use gym socks). Full foot fins tend to be more affordable than open heel fins, so if you're just wearing them a few times a year and diving in mostly tropical places, they're perfect.

Open heel fins are great in colder waters because you need to wear boots with them and ideal for shore diving or diving in more difficult climates with strong currents. They're versatile, because you can have one pair of fins and then multiple boots to match each environment (3mm booties for warmer waters, 5mm boots for colder), and tend to be more durable than full foot fins. The downside is that they're not as easy to travel with because they are bulkier, they are generally more expensive than full foot fins and you have to have boots. The nice thing is that their sizing is more broad, so they are incredibly versatile in that sense.

Tip 2. The newest fins on the market are not always the best

Some fins are classics for a reason. The fins that we consider to be the best on the market are the Mares Avanti series. You'll notice a lot of instructors use the Mares Avanti open heel fins, and that's because they are good, strong, and never break. The Avanti series has been around for years and years, and their style hasn't changed (for good reason). Personally, I feel like the more bits and bobbles the fins have, like high-tech hinges, the quicker they are to break. Talk to your experienced diver friends and dive professionals to see what they recommend.

For us, when it came to rental fins, it was always going to be the Mares Avanti full foot fins, regardless of what other brand we were going to use for the rental equipment. The Avantis, whether they're full foot or open heel, are the ideal fins for long term use and rental because they are just.so.durable. We've had our Avanti full foot fins in commission as rental for over two years now, and not single foot pocket has ripped. The fins still look and feel new, and that's saying a lot considering the amount of use they give us.

Tip 3. The perfect fit may not be perfect for you

For some of you, having fins that fit perfectly before your dive are exactly what you need. For others, including myself, fins that fit too perfectly at the beginning will only cause problems as your dive progresses. Your feet might swell a bit when you dive, same as any other form of exercise, and those fins that fit oh-so-perfectly at the start of the dive might start cutting off your circulation 40 minutes in. For those of you whose feet swell, you should aim for fins that are a little loose, but not so loose that your heel pops out when you lift your heel. If you're between sizes, get a pair of socks and size up. Your feet will thank you.

Tip 4. Take your environment into consideration

You need to take your environment into consideration when getting fins. Think past the point of just full foot fins and open heel fins and start thinking about whether you're diving tropical water, cold water, caves, technical, currents or leisure. If you know that you are planning on doing mostly tropical, easy diving, then you don't need to get heavy duty cave diving fins. In the same way, if you plan on doing mostly technical and wreck diving, you shouldn't get long free diving fins because they aren't the best suited for your needs.

Tip 5. Take your travel style into consideration

If you're a light traveler, a backpacker or are a leisure diver, then getting heavy, cumbersome fins are probably not the best option for you. If you're a hard core diver that's going specifically on a dive trip, you're planning on stay in one place for your an extended period of time and you have the appropriate bag for it, then your fin options are greater. Figure out what kind of trips you'll be going on most and plan your fins accordingly.

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And there you have it, our Top Five Tips for finding the right fins for you!