Scuba Diving in Roatan on the Bay Islands
Trip Start
Sep 26, 2010
1
14
34
Trip End
Jul 26, 2011
West End, Islas de la Bahía, Honduras
Friday, November 5, 2010
Go through that door. Your life will never be the same.
If you have ever been scuba diving, you have probably read the above quote from the PADI Scuba Instruction Manual. If you haven't, I hope it inspires you to take the plunge into the unknown like I did.
I was a bit skeptical. The three-day course would cost 300 dollars with no accommodation or food, and we would only get four dives. 300 dollars is the equivalent of about two weeks of living down here for me, so it I had to look at it as an investment for life- the opportunity to dive any where in the world after getting my certificate. Also, this is one of the cheapest places to do it, so I went for it and couldn't be happier that I did.
It does feel strange the first time. Our first shallow water class started in the middle of a gusty afternoon in five foot water and two foot waves. After learning the basics, Marshal and I volunteered to go under first. As I floated on the surface ready to go under, I breathed slowly and deeply into my regulator, unsure of what to expect under water. I let the air out of my BCD and slowly began to descend.
My mask dipped below the water and I continued to sink. I inhaled deeply, unsure of what to expect out of my air. It continued flowing, and I continued breathing. I looked around, and locked eyes with Marshal when we both held down a smile. We were breathing underwater. However, the waves were rocking us back and forth and the visibility was low so near to the shore. Struggling to see my instructor, we worked our way through the movements we had to learn before going on our real dive. Ten minutes later we ascended ready to go on our open water dive.
Descending into clear Caribbean water, I found myself dumbfounded by the underwater world I had been missing out on. Life was abundant. I could see coral in all direction from the sand patch we descended on too.
If the giant lobsters, tranquilo sea turtles, colorful parrot fish, and hundreds of species of coral weren't enough, the warm water and reflection from the sun glistening off the colorful sea creating a magical setting had me hooked. As time went on, I felt more and more like I belonged underwater. The weight of my scuba gear soon disappeared, and I was floating around underwater, getting only a glimpse of this underwater world I am now inspired to see more of.
As we cruised through the neighborhoods of the different fish, they would watch us, and I couldn't help but wonder what they think. Are we just another fish to them? Or are we a cause of great displeasure? As human pollution and overfishing is killing extensive amounts of coral reef every year. Either way, I soon felt like a fish down there, coolly flipping around, maintaining buoyancy and breathing comfortably. The 14 hours of buses and one hour ferry ride during the onslaught of rain, and my apprehension towards the bad price, all suddenly drifted away, by osmosis maybe, into the Caribbean Sea.
They say that on an island time slips by a little quicker, and we found this to be true. Soon enough seven nights had gone by on this little Caribbean paradise. But it was hard to leave the little taste of home we had created.
The two Swedish girls we had met in La Ceiba, Matilda and Rebecca, stayed at the Mariposa Lodge with us. We shared a cabin with three bedrooms and a shared kitchen, which was essential to save money on this gringo-ized island. After our first grocery store run, we cooked every breakfast and most lunches and dinners, giving us a chance to become a regular old family. This was a welcome relief to life on the road never being certain of where your next meal is coming from and where you will be sleeping.
The weather may have also kept us there, as we waited two days in the rain for a nice sunny day, after our classes were over, playing Monopoly and card games. By the third day, we decided to take a forty-five minute jaunt to West Bay despite the rain, which is the even more touristy, and more expensive part of the island.
West Bay is known as the most beautiful beach in Roatan, but it actually quite disgusted me when we arrived. The beach was full of overweight Americans who would spend five dollars for a beach chair and another five for each drink. I left with a greater appreciation for the convoluted trail Marshal and I have been taking. Isolated beaches and local culture is clearly the route for me. Anyone can be a tourist, real travel is about blazing your own trail.
"I'd like to be, under the sea, in an Octopus's garden in the shade. We would be warm, below the storm, in our little hide away for you and me.. We would be so happy, you and me, no one there to tell us what to do. I'd like to be, under the sea, in an octopus's garden
with you.”
-The Beatles
