CoCo View Resort, Roatan Honduras

CoCo View has the best run dive operation I have ever seen. The dive boats go out twice a day. You do a boat dive on a great site and a drop off in front of the resort swimming in. That is four no hassle dives. At night it looks like close encounters of the third time as the divers head out to the reef with their lights. That means five dives a day if you have the energy.

Tanks are available day and night for shore diving. The shore dives at CoCo View are the same sites that the Aggressor Dives. In the front door in less than a 10 minute swim from your doorstep are a Shipwreck, two beautiful walls, sand chutes, grass beds full of small fish, octopus. and you name it. It is said that there are 56 species of corals in the Gulf of Mexico and 54 have been found right in front of the resort.

By mid week, I often do not go on the boats as they slow up my diving and by the end of a week I usually have over 20 hours in the water.

The resort treats you as an adult and expects you to act as one. You can dive alone if you shore dive, but buddies are expected if you boat dive. If you haven't been there a number of times, I strongly recommend that you follow the divemaster as he will see and show you more than you will find on your own.

In Feburary of 2002 I took a rebreather down and had a great time diving it. You can read this report on rebreather diving at CoCo View.

What about kids? Kids are not encouraged at CoCo View. When I asked about taking Patrick at age 12, they were not encouraging. It is not set up for kids who are boisterus in their play. Patrick was a more quiet kid, prefering a chess game, his gameboy, and reading to running and screaming. He got along fine with the adult crowd and played a number of games of chess untill they got tired of being beaten by a 12 year old with a 1500 rating. Know your kid and make plans accordingly. Non diving spouses can get bored and maybe eaten alive by the no see ums if they sunbath on the beach. Even downtown shopping is minimal.

Patrick at Age 12 checks his
computer and gauges on his first big
Tropical Dive Trip.

You find lots of these these guys in the sand chutes to the left of the entrance through the reef.
A barracuda pretends he is a deck rail on the sunken ship Prince Albert. I have also seen numerous 'cuda in waist deep water getting cleaned on the little coral heads just in front of the resort.
Silversides in the front compartment of the Prince Albert. This picture was taken in January. The ship was full of silversides that would flow around you in a ball.
One of the divemasters blows bubble rings. While there are many great divemasters in the business that make the diving fun. This group is as good as it gets.
For the last couple of years there has been a school of squid that hang around about 5 feet below the surface just in front of the reef face. If you take your time, control your bubbles, and relax they will come up close to look at their reflections in your camera housing. One fast move and they are gone.
Soft corals abound. Just be glad that you are not the size to be prey for all of those mouths.
Banded shrimp can be found all over. Especially at night.
And of course there are lots of Rock Beauty, a type of Angel Fish.
We usually rent a cottage. Here is the view out of the front of Beach House 5. Tough life huh.
One of the weekly treats is a visit by Oscar. He is a black coral artist. His material comes from the shrimp nets so it is legal. His work is found from Cozumel to Cayman at much higher prices. Cut out the middleman and get a beautiful work of art. Not this one, however, as I am looking at it on my desk right now.
There is an island tour that I recommend. I takes place on the last full day on the island and gives your body some time to dump some nitrogen. Here we are at the bird sanctuary.
Last but not least. Every time I go there I discover something I haven't noticed before. Last time it was the giant tunicates on the stern of the Prince Albert. If you are not familiar with tunicates, they are our most primitive relatives in the chordata class meaning critters with spinal cords.
One of my favorite subjects ... they don't run away.