Scuba Diving in Isla Roatan

[Wennfred]

We booked our Beginners Scuba excursion with Carnival. The company they hired was Anthony’s Key Resort, We met in the Ivanhoe Theater on the ship to fill out all of the paper work, waivers etc. Then we took a bus to Anthony's Keys Resort it was a 15 minute ride. There we went into a class room and they taught us the basics of scuba diving. Im already and Advance Diver with Padi, so this was mainly for Wendy, It would be her first time. After the class and the slide show, we got on the boat, they already had our size fins and masks if you needed them when you got on the boat. We took a short ride to Tayabana Beach, a very beautiful beach. The boat docked at a small pier, we donned our Scuba equipment and we were on our way. Their Scuba equipment is in great shape, no problem found. We walked over the dock and onto the beach. On Carnivals website you can see a picture of the Boat at the dock and a scuba group in the water on the beach. Once in the water we were able to hold each other and put our fins on. There were no more then 4 persons per instructors. They had enough instructors to go around and these guys were very good, very knowledgabe. Once we got our fins on, we are suppose to do 3 things before we headed out. 1. Remove your regulator (mouth piece) and recover it and breath while under water. 2. Remove our mask, partial and then fully flood the mask and clear it. 3. Buddy breathing, show the out of air sign with your hands then the instructor will give you his other Regulator (octopus) or spare breathing source, hold arms and act as if we were accending. Once you pass those 3 things we were ready to continue with the dive. At this point Wendy was freaked out and said she wasn't going to be able to do it, so she headed back to the boat to remove her gear and just relax on the beach until we were done.

 

The rest of us, just 3 now were ready to go into the drink for some fun. We started to snorkle out abit and around 9 feet we descended and once at the bottom, the instructor checked us all to make sure we were ok. My mask since it was new started to fog up big time, So I told the instructor to hold on while I flooded my mask and cleared it so I could see. I had 2 underwater Kodac disposable cameras on me to shoot pictures, we started to head down to a beautiful reef that parted on both sides, it was like diving through a cavern, nice white sand in the middle while surrounded by 2 walls of beautiful lush reef. At around 15 feet he stopped and checked us again, we all signal ok to him and we headed down some more around and over some more reefs. At one point it got pretty cold I would say around 68 degrees, we were now at 40 feet. the water turned a darker blue. we stood there for a few minutes checking out the reef wall while the instructor checked us out. Thats where he took a picture of me. Then we went around the reef and started to head back, in all the dive was around 45 mintues, still had over 2000 psi left and it was a totally amazing. I cant wait to do it again. The guys that did the 2 Tank Dive also went with Anthony's Keys Resort, they went somewhere else but did their dives off a boat at around 70 feet. They said it was also amazing.

 

I highly recommend that you take some sort of Scuba Instructions before taking this resort course, They were willing to privately stay with Wendy at no charge to teach her while the rest of us dove, but she just gave up, but the truth is that for just a few mintues of in water instructions there is no way that a beginner could learn to clear a mask and or remove their regulator out there. Most beginners feel safer in a pool environment. I felt this was too much for the adverage beginner.

 

Check out my pictures on this link, if you have any questions feel free to ask me. http://members.cox.net/wennfred4/Dive

 

Fred

[DiveCruiser]

My buddy :confused: and I went off ship with Sueno del Mar Diving Resort, they picked us up at the dock. They used the shallow beach to get all that done so they felt more secure when they went out. He loved it and will now get certified. I am like you already certified. :)

 

Bob

[Wennfred]

[cruzegirl]

Fred,

Glad you had a good time. I agree about most of the resort courses for scuba.... It can get some interested in Scuba but can also get them scare to death.... Please tell Wendy to not give up. And I would see if she'll do regular scuba or even do a discover course in the pool first to learn some of those things.

I did accel at first either. I had problems with clearing my mask and taking off my BC and putting it back on in the water. I did a private session with my instructor, who I loved, and it made a world of difference. I hope she'll do the course and enjoys it as much as the rest of us.... You go Wendy....You can do it.......

[Geoshar]

Interesting posts..and very good points raised.

 

I took lessons...many lessons, and was certified when I was 15 years old.

(I really did know how to "swim with the fishes".;) )

 

BUT I have not used a tank since I was 18.

 

I am now 63, and not only would the water temperature be a problem, I know it would not be a safe venture for me.Too many years..too many things forgotten.

Snorkeling works just fine for me now.

I have have already run into some strong island currents, and know I am far safer, and far more comfortable being near shore.:)