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. 

---

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.

---

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!  

Am I Ready To Do My PADI Advanced Open Water Course?

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. Enthusiasm is not required, but it's a huge plus!

The Advanced course takes a minimum of two days and consists of five PADI Adventure dives.

PADI offers many types of Adventure Dives to choose from. Underwater Navigation and Deep Dive are required, giving you three more Adventure Dives that you can choose. Here at Roatan Divers, the most popular Adventure Dives we teach are the Night Dive, Drift Dive, Underwater Naturalist, and Peak Performance Buoyancy.

Classroom time: For the Advanced course, you complete the Knowledge Reviews for the Adventure Dives you have chosen, then after a thorough briefing from your PADI Instructor, you go on an open water dive to apply what you have learned. Unlike the PADI Open Water Diver course, there are no confined water skills.

Why should I become a PADI Advanced Open Water Diver?  

We love getting this question! One of the most common motivators for divers to pursue this certification is their desire to go on more elaborate, adventurous dives! Perhaps a deep dive to the El Aguila ship wreck that sits at 30m/100 feet? Maybe a night dive to catch the magical bioluminescence, or better buoyancy to give you control and confidence to avoid unwanted contact with the reef when looking at smaller marine life.  

The very popular Deep and Night Dives can be a bit more complex, so they require additional knowledge and safety aspects to consider. This course allows you to expand your skills and confidence to make you a more well rounded scuba diver. 

One of the biggest struggles for new divers is gaining better control their positioning and buoyancy on a dive. The Peak Performance Buoyancy dive is a great opportunity to experiment and challenge yourself in this area. It can even help improve your air consumption along the way!

Common misconceptions

Let's clear up a few of the myths that might be stopping you from starting your PADI Advanced Open Water course. 

• There is no minimum number of dives required if you're already a PADI Open Water or Junior Open Water Diver. 

• As a PADI Open Water Diver you are certified to a depth of 18m/60ft, so if you'd like to go deeper, additional training is strongly encouraged. 

• Open Water divers over 15 years old can participate in ALL of the Adventure Dives that are available in the PADI Advanced Open Water course. After completing the course, they will be certified to dive to a depth of up to 30m/100ft.

• Junior Open Water divers over the age of 12 can participate in many of the Adventure Dives as well. After completing the Advanced course they will be certified up to 21m/70ft, which will automatically upgrade to 30m/100ft when they turn 15.

Now that you have a better understanding of what the PADI Advanced Open Water course consists of now, you can talk to your local dive shop if this is the right course for you!

If you're interested in speaking to us or have any additional questions, please contact us today!

4 Great Reasons to Do Your PADI Deep Adventure Dive

Congratulations, you're a certified diver! As a PADI Open Water Diver, you are certified to plan and execute a dive on your own with a buddy to maximum 18 meters/60 feet. You are well on your way to an exciting underwater adventure and a profound relationship with the planet's waters.

While you will be planning and executing dives just with a dive buddy or under the indirect supervision of a dive professional in many places, especially in Europe and North America, there are also a lot of places around the world that you will be guided by a professional on all your dives. The dive centers will set your gear up, take it apart, brief you, and guide you. It's very easy to get complacent after your course when you don't have to lift a finger or plan your dives anymore.

At Roatan Divers, we're all about 60 minute dives, so we normally set our dives to maximum 18 meters/60 feet, unless a specific dive site warrants a deeper depth, for better air consumption and longer no-decompression limits. We're also very strict about sticking to the depth limits of each divers' certification levels, so we pick our sites based on certification and experience levels.

When we have divers that are Open Water certified and want to go to El Aguila wreck (or other deep sites), we always do the dive as a PADI Deep Adventure dive, for our divers' safety and future opportunities.

What is the PADI Deep Adventure dive?

The PADI Deep Adventure dive is one of the required dives of your PADI Advanced Open Water Diver course, and is the dive that certifies you to maximum 30 meters/100 feet. 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:

1. Extra training is always good

There are additional risks to consider when diving deeper, so it's always a good idea to get the proper training. In the theory for the PADI Deep Adventure dive, you learn more about no-decompression limits, decompression sickness, nitrogen narcosis, and about the protocols for deeper diving, all of which will benefit your diving and your safety in the future.

2. You have greater opportunities for your future diving

A lot of dive centers divide groups up based on their certification and experience levels. If you are an Open Water Diver with 50 dives but don't have the training to go deeper, then you may be put in a group of less experienced divers and taken to easier dive sites. If you have the training to go to 30 meters/100 feet, then that will certainly open up your diving opportunities.

3. It counts as credit for future courses

The PADI Deep Adventure dive counts as credit towards your PADI Advanced Open Water Diver course, as well as your PADI Deep Diver specialty course. So on top of the extra training that you get and the opportunities it opens up, you also have the opportunity to get more certifications in the future! It's a win all around.

4. Insurance purposes

While good diving insurance will cover you with regards to diving accidents, there is a very high chance they won't cover you if you exceed the limits of your training, so if you are a PADI Open Water Diver and get into an accident at 30 meters/100 feet and haven't completed the PADI Deep Adventure dive, then your insurance may not cover you because you made the choice to exceed your own limits. It's a bit of a bummer of a reason to do the Deep dive, but an important reason to consider.

---

As a scuba diver, you should never stop learning. Never stop your pursuit of continuing education, never stop practicing. Scuba diving is a fun experience that brings groups of people together, but it's also a sport, so it's important to keep your skills updated. There is always more you can learn to become a better scuba diver.

Happy diving!

5 Ways to Pick the Right Mask 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?

So many masks, so little time!

Tip 1. Price is not top priority

There are millions of masks out there to fit millions of faces. Some brands are better than others, of course, but don't assume that just because it carries the highest price tag, that it's the best mask for you. My first scuba mask was a $100 thing that leaked so I had to basically cement it to my face. I later discovered a $25 mask that fit my face like a glove, so I've been using that one for six years now.

Tip 2. How you test fit is important

When you're testing a mask at the store, don't put the strap on. The best way to test for fit is to hold the mask up to your face without putting the strap on, suck in and see how it seals to your face. If it makes a suction-y noise when you pull it off, that's the ideal fit.

Of course, things might change when you're underwater and under pressure, but the on-land fit test is a pretty accurate one. Ideally, you'll find a rental mask that you just love when you're on vacation, and then you know exactly which one to buy when you get home!

Tip 3. Don't wear the mask too tight

If a mask fits you properly, it should actually stick to your face when you're under pressure without having the strap on. The strap is essentially there so that the mask doesn't come off on land, and so that you can clip it to your BCD, but your mask shouldn't fall off your face if your strap happens to break underwater.

Unfortunately, too many people wear their masks way too tight, and that can alter the grooves in your face, which can cause leaking. So you wear your mask tight so that it doesn't leak, and then it has the opposite effect. No bueno.

Tip 4. De-fog your mask the right way

When manufacturers make masks, they line the inside of the mask with silicone to preserve the masks in transit. If you don't get rid of it, your new mask will fog up every time you dive, even if you put the most expensive de-fog in the world in it.

Use toothpaste to get rid of the silicone inside the mask. You don't want a gel toothpaste because there are no abrasives in it, you basically want whatever cheap toothpaste you can find. Put it in the mask and rub it around for a while. We've discovered that using ScotchBrite to rub the toothpaste around speeds the process up significantly, but make sure the gentle kind so that you don't scratch the mask.

You'll often hear people recommending burning the mask with a lighter, but unless someone is really, really experienced and really, really careful with it, I would strongly advise against it. If you burn too much, you'll ruin the temper of the glass and it's not as strong as it's supposed to be.

Tip 5. Store your mask properly

Rinse your mask after every dive. After every dive or snorkel trip, you should wash the mask with dishwashing soap, let it dry, then store it in a cool, dry area. Sunlight and heat age the silicone skirt of the mask really quickly, so you want to avoid that. If you treat your mask well, you'll get years and years out of it, so it's just good investment practices to keep it well-maintained.

And those are our Top Five Tips for buying a scuba mask! We'll have more posts coming up about other pieces of scuba equipment as well, so stay tuned!