Snorkeling off shore in Roaton?

[nicole_p]

We will be in Roaton in the beginning of June, and we have heard that the snorkeling there is incredible. We're trying to decide whether to book an excursion or just go snorkeling off the beach. Any ideas on (1) whether the snorkeling off the beach is just as good as the places the excursions go, and (2) if snorkeling off the beach is good, any suggestions about which beach to go to? Thanks!

[elldav7]

Was just at Tabyana beach last week, and I thought the snorkeling was fantastic. Put my head in the water right when I got in and I thought it was going to be nothing. Swam out about 20 feet and all of a sudden you are at this great reef. We snorkeled in Cozumel (Chakanaab), Belize, Grand Caymen and Roatan and Roatan was my favorite for sure.

 

 

[kitkat9438]

Thanks for sharing your pictures. We'll be there in December and can't wait!

[nicole_p]

Was just at Tabyana beach last week, and I thought the snorkeling was fantastic. Put my head in the water right when I got in and I thought it was going to be nothing. Swam out about 20 feet and all of a sudden you are at this great reef. We snorkeled in Cozumel (Chakanaab), Belize, Grand Caymen and Roatan and Roatan was my favorite for sure.

 

 

 

This look great! Thank you!

[proy]

Tabayana Beach is on West Bay beach. The snorkeling is amazing and you only have to go out about 40 feet from the beach and you are in beautiful reef. There are many other places around the island with equally beautiful snorkeling if you're not interested in going West Bay Beach. Do google search and you will find them.

[cruisingtrish]

Tabayana Beach is on West Bay beach. The snorkeling is amazing and you only have to go out about 40 feet from the beach and you are in beautiful reef. There are many other places around the island with equally beautiful snorkeling if you're not interested in going West Bay Beach. Do google search and you will find them.

 

Sounds good I think that is what Mike and I are going to do.

[adventuregrrl]

Those are great pics. We'll have to try that next time we're in Roatan.

 

We went out on a snorkeling excursion with Upachaya Snorkel Tour and it was absolutely amazing. They take you on a small boat, so the max is 8-10 people. We had six in our tour. Our guide was a PADI divemaster and we saw a lot more with him than we would have seen on our own - he pointed out an octopus and a lionfish. He also helped us navigate some difficult currents so we could see an amazing drop off. If you're interested our Upachaya pics are here:

 

[COLandlocked]

elldav7 and adventuregirl,

 

Can you tell me what type of camera yuo are using to get these amazing pictures? I have an Olymbus that is waterproof, but my pictures never come out as clear and colorful as yours.

 

Thanks!

[Cherlynn]

We just got back from the Legend and took the Maya Key excursion. You can walk out to the end of their pier for fabulous snorkeling. We think it was our best ever.

[soccercoach1]

Hi Cheryl

We are traveling on the legend in August

Can you tell me more about the Maya Keys excursion you took?

Was the snorkeling you think as good as other area’s?

[Cherlynn]

We enjoyed the excursion. They picked us up and took us on a 10 minute boat ride. They have an animal rehab center that is interesting. There is a pool, but the water was way too warm for us, so we stayed down on the beach. We had a yummy buffet lunch and there was sweetened tea available the whole time we were there. There was a bar we could buy drinks. The beach was clean and well groomed with lots of shade if you didn't want to be in the sun. They had a pier and if you walked to the end there was really good snorkeling. This is the only place we snorkeled, so I can't speak for the rest of the island. We saw lots of different corals and loads of colorful fish. You can rent snorkel gear at the gift shop if you don't bring your own. The restrooms were kept very clean and there are several outdoor showers to rinse off in. We thought it was well worth the money.

[movinout]

I agree, Tabayana beach was great snorkeling last week...a short walk into warm, clear waters and we saw a great variety of fish, included what I believe were several small squid. Loved it. We took a ship's tour which included a barbeque lunch. The facility is nice, clean and very much like what you find on the cruise line private beaches. Lots of chairs, a fair amount of shade, no pushy vendors and the best of our cruise. It's about a 20 minute drive from the pier.

[adventuregrrl]

elldav7 and adventuregirl,

 

Can you tell me what type of camera yuo are using to get these amazing pictures? I have an Olymbus that is waterproof, but my pictures never come out as clear and colorful as yours.

 

Thanks!

 

 

Sure - We took underwater pics with two different waterproof cameras. Our primary camera is an Olympus Stylus Tough 8000 which we love. We were also using a much cheaper waterproof camera (FujiFilm Z33WP)that we picked up from Amazon for $125. To be honest, I can't tell the difference in the underwater quality between these two cameras. Both are waterproof to 30 feet.

[elldav7]

elldav7 and adventuregirl,

 

Can you tell me what type of camera yuo are using to get these amazing pictures? I have an Olymbus that is waterproof, but my pictures never come out as clear and colorful as yours.

 

Thanks!

 

I have a Panasonic DMC-TS1. You should be able to find my Glory review in the Carnival section (sailed May 2nd). In that I have a lot of pictures from this camera as well as my Nikon D40. The Panasonic takes great pictures above and below water, as well as great 720p HD video. This was the first trip I took it on, and I was so happy with the results.

 

One other thing about my snorkeling photos, our weather was fantastic on our cruise. Sunny every day, with ZERO clouds (except very few one day). So that really helps with the underwater pictures no matter what camera you use.

[RoadTripFanatic]

We love West Bay! It's definately the best snorkeling we have ever seen in the Caribbean! We just take a taxi to the beach and crash for the day.

[tdhcc33]

Has anyone tried snorkling off the Mahogany Bay beach that the magic chair goes to?

[Roatan1]

There is some great snorkeling all around Roatan yet I do not think Mahogany Bay would be considered one of those places as it is very much a bay and a large amout is recently man made.

These were taken just east of West Bay on the South side of the island a couple weeks ago

[Shay_Ole']

There is some great snorkeling all around Roatan yet I do not think Mahogany Bay would be considered one of those places as it is very much a bay and a large amout is recently man made.

These were taken just east of West Bay on the South side of the island a couple weeks ago

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What gorgeous pictures THANKS for sharing...now I can't wait to go!!!