Roatan

[Ratliners]

Hello all,

I have been thinking of heading to Roatan to teach diving does anyone have any info on the place? Is it live aboard friendly... is it friendly??? Any information, suggestions are welcome.

[cwyckham]

Well, about 7 years ago it was chill, friendly, safe, and the best diving I've done anywhere. No idea about liveaboard. The rest of Honduras is scary and dangerous in a lot of place, but Roatan was great.

[denverd0n]

Consider also the business permits and/or work visas that will be required to run a business (or get a job) in a country where you are not a citizen. This is usually not a trivial matter, but nowadays you should be able to find all the information you need on the internet.

[atoll]

didn't they ban anchoring their recently?

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ing-79167.html

[rtbates]

they have a nice dolphin reserve. Anthony's Caye... Lately I've been hearing stories about anchor restrictions and the requirement to get a mooring, don't know the truth..

[Aslan]

I was going to sail there with my family. I talked to an acquaintance who grew up there. He told me with three young children and a yacht it was the last place on Earth I'd want to go. So I went to the Bahamas again instead.

[kriach]

I think that you need to do a lot of research before you plan on "going to Roatan to teach diving" When I was there in 2005 they had a large surplus of Dive instructors who were locals. I think that you will find it very difficult to get the necessary Visa's etc to take a job away from a local.

Just my $0.02 worth.

Ken

[belizesailor]

Lots of foreigners teaching SCUBA in Roatan and Utila (and Bocas el Toro, Panama). Not sure how, or if, they deal with the work visa issue. I suggest you contact a local shop and ask. I also suspect there may be a glut of instructors there.

I have friends who manage Coco View Resort you might drop them an email. See Roatan Resort & Diving | CoCo View Resort.

No restrictions on anchoring in Roatan, but the moorings in the West End have been removed (big political snafu). There are plenty of other places to anchor and a few small Marinas.

Only attack on a cruising boat that I know of ever on Roatan just occurred recently in Port Royal.

[Tellie]

Was down here a few months back, the people I met were friendly enough but one has to wonder about armed guards in the front of several businesses. Though the Isalnd is surounded by great reefs I'd think competion in the dive instructing business would be pretty stiff as there are an abundance of dive shops, dive boats and dive instructors. Now the cruise ships are starting to take more notice and from what I understand the local government is inticing more of them to come. Might be an opportunity for someone with connections to get the cruise ship business. But living there full time might become a bit boring for some one who likes a little excitment.

[RoatanTerry]

I'm on Roatan now, at the vacation home I've owned since 1989. Sailed down here on a Morgan Out Island 33 in 1981. Most of the sailboats moved from West Bay and West End to French Harbour. There's about 40 boats anchored out and the marina at Fantasy has a slew of them. And incidently, I have a Morgan Out Island 33 project boat for sale cheap.

[Jimmyd60051]

I miss Roatan! I spent two weeks anchored at Fantasy island march of 2010 and loved it. I can't wait to go back

[jeremiason]

We just got to Roatan yesterday and are staying in Barefoot Cay Resort & Dive Center. Three dive boats are going out twice a day and one at night.

I would be concerned about spending summers on a boat here. There is only one hurricane hole on the island and you would be competing for anchorage space with the largest Shrimp Fleet in the Northern Caribbean.

Today, there were four cruise ships in port. So I would image that 8000-12000 tourists stepped on the island today and even if only a couple hundred wanted to dive, that would keep everyone happy.

Last year some fellow cruisers stopped here and never left.. They started a Sail and Dive Charter business on their boat. So it can be done...