West End Dive Operations
We are not going to sing the praises of one particular dive operation. If you want that feel free to visit BayIslandsDiver.com. Unlike some, we have no financial interest in any of the dive operations in West End so aim to give you a more honest assessment of those operations. The information below is FACT, nor does it omit important information about the competition to give misleading impressions about certain dive centers..  This information was compiled from the following sources:
- Speaking to the dive centers in question
- Diving with most of those dive centers
-
Internet research on web sites such as Thorntree (the Loney Planet online forum), Scubaboard.com (the biggest forum dedicated to scuba diving) and the PADI website. The good thing about the online forums is that you get to hear what previous customers have to say about dive operations rather than instuctors who work for them and obviously have a beneficial interest in promoting their own dive center.
- Years of experience in teaching scuba diving courses, whether PADI, SSI or NAUI.
In this section we provide details on the following:
Dive Centers
The dive shops are listed in REVERSE alphabetical order. Why reverse you ask? Everyone always lists things in alphabetical order so by doing so in reverse you actully get to read about the dive shops that usually come at the end of the list for a change!
West End Divers
Under new management who are turning it from a bit of a mess into a good operation. They are investing heavily in new equipment, compressors, tanks etc. all of which were badly needed. Out of all the operations below they seem to have the smallest range of dive sites they visit, despite what you may read in the tourist guides. Maybe a new, faster boat would be a good investment? OK website but seems a little out of date, particularly with respect to prices.
Tylls Dive
Run by a German couple who were some of the nicest people we've ever met. Equipment is in very good condition. They focus on small groups, and have a nice, fast boat. There always seems to be a very good atmosphere. Don't visit the more distant dive sites very often. Very popular with German, Swiss and Dutch people, due to the owners coming from those areas.
Sueno del Mar
Now located at the very end of West End in a new resort complex. Have by far the biggest retail operation of any dive shop on the western side of the island. If you need any diving accessories then this usedto be the place to go (now there is also a Mares store in West End and Coconut Tree Divers sell dive accessories. Reef Gliders was also in the process of setting up a retail side when we last visited). Considering the size of the operation, their boat (they only seem to have one) is a big letdown. It is easily the slowest of any of the dive boats in West End and because of that their range is somewhat limited. Poor website.
Reef Gliders
One of only two small dive centers that are also a PADI Gold Palm Resort. Out of all the dive operations in West End this one had then best feedback on the online forums. We have all dived with them and agree with everything that was said online. Safety was their number one priority! The most positive feedback was their small group philosophy. They never have more than 4 people in a classs and never more than 6 qualified divers per dive guide. Will take you to any site within the Marine Reserve even if the boat is almost empty. They also appear to have a very thorough Divemaster Internship according to some of our friends in Utila. Our definite favourite of the smaller shops. Great website.
Pura Vida
PADI Gold Palm Resort. This is a big operation - probably the biggest in West End. They have the biggest boat and also have two smalller boats (although one of them is still bigger than most of the dive boats in West End).They cater quite a lot for Spanish speaking clients. They are part of a resort so are great if you want an accomodation and diving package. Tend to have large groups per dive guide. Poor website.
Ocean Connections
This PADI Gold Palm resort has improved greatly over the past year but still has a little way to go. It has a nice looking building and the owner is slowly replacing what was very poor quality equipment. Last time we dived with them the tanks we looked at had not been inspected in 16 years. This would be illegal in North America, Europe and Australia. Since then they have started to replace some of the older tanks. They do tend to overcrowd their boats when its busy. A small boat is only allowed a maximum of 12 people (including boat captain) under local regulations and we've seen 16 on their boat!! Hmm! They also had 4 divemaster trainees when we were there, which seems like too many to be able to give a high quality internship for such a small operation.
Native Sons
Owned by an islander and his English wife. Have a good reputation and have cheap accomodation available onsite at Chillis hotel. They have two nice, fast boats - not to big, not too small. Both are well designed and make great dive boats. Dive center is in a nice setting surrounded by a small garden. Equipment seemed pretty dated though - especially tanks. Very popular with repeat guests so they are obviously doing something right! Website is average.
Happy Divers
Poor equipment and poor boats. Substandard reputation compared to the other operations in West End. You may get a better deal on price but at your own risk! None of us have been willing to dive with this operation due to safety concerns.
Coconut Tree Divers
The second biggest dive operation in West End. They are a PADI Gold Palm Resort. They have 2 large boats - one slow and one very fast. They have a very good reputation, have experienced instuctors and have 3 classrooms- more than any other dive center. Their equipment is in ok condition but not fantastic. If you prefer a larger operation and don't mind larger groups then this would be our recommendation. Website is great.
Dive Boats
Is big better in this case? Or is small better? The honest, totally non-biased answer is neither! Its purely a matter of personal preference. Don't believe any instructor who tells you a big boat is always better, or a small boat is always better. You can guarantee that they work for a dive center with the type of boat they are singing the praises about.
 The first thing you should be aware of is the close proximity of the reef to the shore in Roatan. This means that boat journeys are very short so a large boat is not necessary from a distance point of view. the large and small operators do the whole boat thing very differently.
With the large boats you nearly always do a 2-tank dive. This means that you go out, do a dive, and then spend the next 45 mins - 1 hour on the boat before going out on the next dive. A 2-tank dive on a large boat is fine as they are big enough to make all that time on the boat reasonably comfortable.
The small operators with smaller boats do single tank dives. They go out, do the dive, and then return to shore for the surface interval. Personally we would rather spend our time between dives on shore so we can grab a snack, lie in a hammock and get a quick refreshment. However, its totally up to you! Some people prefer staying on the boat, some on the shore.
All of the big boats have shade as you need somewhere to get out of the sun when you are spending your surface interval on the boat. Some of the small, faster, boats have shaded areas, but it is not really necessary as you won't be in the sun long enough to get burnt. Boats such as those owned by Tylls, Reef Gliders and Native Sons (the three fastest of the West End crowd) can get to the far end of the Marine Park in about 10 minutes, so shade really isn't necessary (although Reef Gliders and Native Sons do have some cover on their boats).
Getting in and out of boats is straightforward, irrespective of size. To get in the water from the large boats you do a giant stride entry. On the small boats you do a backwards roll. Both are very easy to do. Getting back on the boats on the larger ones is actually harder than on the small boats. On the small boats you take your equipment off in the water and the boat captain will lift it onto the boat for you. You then simply climb a small ladder onto the boat. On the larger boats you often climb the ladder with your weights, BCD and tank still being worn. This means that you are carrying a lot of weight to get up the ladder.
Boat safety
They key thing about boats is SAFETY. No matter what size the boat, it should contain the following:
- Emergencey oxygen
- VHF radio
- First Aid kit
- Spare equipment
PADI Gold Palm Resorts are also required to carry life vests (although we know of one that doesn't, so ask to make sure - ask to see them as they will always say "yes" if you ask if they carry them), a drop tank, fire extinguisher and display a dive flag.
 There are laws in Honduras about the maximum number of passengers boats are allowed to carry. All boats are required to be registered and display a registration number on the boat. The licence will also state the number of passengers the boat is legally allowed to carry. Check to see how crowded the boats are - small boats should not carry more than about 12 people including the boat captain, and larger boats about 20-25 depending on size. If the dive boat does not have a registration number on it then it is operating illegally. If dive shop owners can't be bothered to obey simple local laws, what else are they ignoring?
Rough weather
Occassionally, mainly during rainy season (Nov-early Feb) the winds come from the north strong enough to mean that dive operators cannot dive on the North shore. This is not necessarily a problem, depending on the dive operator, as the best ones take their boats round to the south shore for the duration of these "Northerlies".
The following dive centers usually take their boats round the other side of the island when the weather is too rough to dive the north side of the island:
- Reef Gliders
- Native Sons
- Coconut Tree
- Pura Vida
The real advantage of having the boat on the other side iis that you don't have to shore dive from Flowers Bay! Trust us - you really don't want to be shore diving there if you can avoid it. Unfortunately it is the only area close to West End where there are some shallow sandy patches close to shore where you can take your training dives. Without the use of a boat you have to wade out with all your equipment on across rocks full of all kinds of rubbish - nappies, drug needles, garbage etc. Not nice!
Use of swimming pools
Most of the dive centers in West End have swimming pools available to them when the weather is too bad to do your confined water training just off the beach.
Coconut Tree Divers have a small, dedicated swimming pool outside of West End.
The other dive operators use a place called the Pool Bar, also just outside of West End. The Pool Bar is exactly what it says - a nice bar/BBQ area with chairs, tables, shade, food and drink and a large pool that is 14 feet deep at the deep end and about 4-5 feet deep at the shallow end. It is perfect for training sessions as you can get food and drink when you need a break and the pool is large enough to accomodate a number of groups at once. It's also a great place to hang out in the evenings.
The following dive centers (in no particular order) definitely have the use of a pool:
- Reef Gliders
- Tyll's
- Native Sons
- West End Divers
- Coconut Tree Divers
- Ocean Connections
- Pura Vida
Web site and all contents © Copyright The Greater Good 2008, All rights reserved.
|
