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| Image by Bill Harrigan |
Roatan has long been ruled by the dive flag. This 30-mile-long Honduran island has retained a remarkable balance between rustic eco-getaway and modern conveniences despite the onslaught of travel homogenization that has afflicted many other destinations. The people, the art and many aspects of the indigenous culture remain intact. January marks the end of the rainy season and the beginning of the dive season, which also coincides with the peak season for tropical yearning among North American divers.
This is when the Fantasy Island winter exodus begins. With more than 50 dive sites within minutes of Fantasy Island, it's simple to figure out how the resort got its name. Since its recent remodeling, the new owners are dedicated to the ideal that not all dive resorts are created equal. The upgraded Fantasy Island has been getting stellar reviews from longtime Bay Islands dive aficionados. But one thing that hasn't changed through the years is the diving. Nearby awaits one of my favorite dives, not just in Roatan, but in the world: Mary's Place.
| M U S T D O | Turbo Tree Dweller Take a zip-line canopy tour — the real deal. It features long, fast drops from the hilltops all the way to the beach. |
| M U S T D I V E | 1 Mary's Place 2 Valley of the Kings 3 Spooky Channel 4 Calvin's Crack 5 West End Wall |
This
magical site harbors an amazing abundance of marine life among its
tunnels, fissures, crevices and zigzags. The guys at REEF report that
almost all the creatures that inhabit the Caribbean find a home off
Roatan. If that's true, then this site is the arrival area. The place
crawls with lobsters, groupers (Nassau, tiger, black), angelfish, blue
runners, parrotfish, trumpetfish, basslets, octopus, about every known
snapper and damselfish and loads more. Jacks often swirl in the
whirlpool formations just above the entrance, and nurse sharks rest
under the ledges. Huge black coral trees and sponges line walls.
Sunbeams slice through like wispy, askew light pillars, and the
ambience of the site is whimsical. It has limited access to keep this
site pristine, so sign up early.
A little
closer, in fact accessible from shore, is the equally well-known wreck
of the Prince Albert. This 140-foot former island freighter sits
upright on a sandy bottom and has been down since around 1987, so the
variety of critters that have homesteaded this habitat for marine
humanity is worthy of several excursions. When the silversides are in
season (around the end of August), the wreck's cavernous interior
becomes a superhighway of gyrating, polarizing movement. Close to the
Prince Albert, be sure to check out the DC-3 airplane fuselage. While
swimming over the sand between the two, go slowly, because the entire
area is covered with garden eels.
Between
dives, meals at the resort are served buffet-style, and for off-gassing
there's a lovely sweep of white sand beach or, for the more energetic,
lighted tennis courts and every water sport imaginable are available.
Personally, I like taking a stealthy sea kayak and exploring the
mangroves, which are rife with activity both above and below the water.
And no matter how much of a sweat you work up, each and every room at
the resort has air-conditioning (not always the case in Roatan) to
luxuriate in for that most exquisite of vacations must-dos: naptime. Be
sure to bring some bug spray for between dives, since no-see-ums are a
part of life in these parts.
The on-site PADI
dive center has developed a reputation for a top-notch staff that will
help you stay wet, even after hours. Fantasy Island has a unique dive
gazebo, which provides a great launching site for night dives. The shop
will leave tanks for you. At the bottom there's a wreck, a plane (a
line will take you directly to each) and a nice little wall to explore,
all of which seem to explode with movement under cover of darkness.
Of
course, you can also go farther afield. There's an incredible zip-line
canopy tour, and a day at the funky dirt-road town of West Bay is a
must.
Just one word of warning: Don't forget about your return ticket. Sorry, didn't mean to remind you of that.
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