Diving in Roatan, Honduras, Part 2

Our Monday morning, December 5 started with a hearty breakfast then we were off to the equipment locker to get our scuba gear to the Andrea, our dive boat for the week. Because we were going to do three dives a day, Karen and I opted to use "enriched air" (Nitrox 30) during the week. We both were trained and certified to use this special air mixture which reduces the amount of residual nitrogen in the body over time. Our boat captain was Richard and our Divemaster was Hector.

We experienced a variety of diving conditions, both good and not so great. The water temperature was 82ºF every day but the viz (visibility) was not so great at 40 to 60 feet, about normal for this time of year during the rainy season.

The sea state varied from medium swells to relative calm, depending on our location. The maximum we dove was 105 feet, but most of our diving ranged from 80 to 40 feet where most of the life is located. I rated the dive sites between 4 and 8 out of ten in my dive log. I brought my underwater camera and lighting to capture some of the fascinating creatures we encountered.

Roatan lived up to the hype and we saw some unusual and bizarre marine life. Creatures included some larger species like Sea Turtles, an Eagle Ray and Moray Eels. We also found small critters like seahorses, the Juvenile Spotted Drum Fish, Banded shrimp and Arrow Crabs. But my favorite was the Splendid Toad Fish (below).

These ornate fish dig a hole at the base of the reef structure and back in to their home during the day. The are incredibly shy but I saw more on this trip than I have ever seen in all of my previous adventures. We ended our diving on Saturday, December 10 after a total of 16 separate dives during the week.