Quizzing Experienced Snorkelers...

I heard back from Infinity today...$25 pp for beach/pool, showers, restrooms and $25 pp transportation if you want them to arrange it. I think I'm going to take your advice and just wait until we arrive and then find something.

Thank you so much!! And..to you as well!:)

Holy hannah, $50 per person. I realize they have a pool and are very close to the reef but goodness.

Bananarama is $30pp. Mind you, I am not a huge fan of Bananarama but Infinity does seem steep.

Farther up the sand both Beachers (no web site, but said to have the best food on the beach) and Argentinian Grill both offer loungers and I think umbrellas.

I have little doubt you will enjoy what ever you decide. Cheers!

Granted, we went with a local guide (Victor Bodden tours) but he arranged for us to use a beach chair & facilities at Paradise for $2 per person and we had to buy some food there. It is about a 2 min walk to the great snorkeling area and Paradise was very nice. They do not have a pool, but we spent our time in the ocean.

Granted, we went with a local guide (Victor Bodden tours) but he arranged for us to use a beach chair & facilities at Paradise for $2 per person and we had to buy some food there. It is about a 2 min walk to the great snorkeling area and Paradise was very nice. They do not have a pool, but we spent our time in the ocean.

Thanks Amy! We will definitely check out Paradise. Did they have lockers? Although, like mitsugirly said, you can replace towels and shoes. We will have everything else in the water with us!

I don't remember them having lockers, but honestly we did not look because the guide just sat with our stuff. It seemed a very safe area....

Thanx for all the info! We'll be there in a few weeks and plan to head out there once we get off the ship for a few hours of snorkeling!

This is the area that someone pointed out to me in a thread months and months ago and where I plan on going in a few weeks:

 

We just returned from Roatan last week. We did the cruise package thru Bananarama ($30/pp) they picked us up at the port and brought us across the Island to the resort. Its an amazing place there on West bay beach. We had our lounge chairs and complimentary drink. Relaxed for about an hour then figured it was time to figure out how to get out thru the coral based on the pic above. We walked down past the pier to Infinity bay resort, the walk was less than 5 minutes down the beach. When you get down past the pier you will now see jugs out in the water. Someone has attached jugs as markers that guide you out thru the coral. Its impossible to miss. The coral even around the markers is the best I've ever seen and has all sorts of fish, conch, stingray, etc....We went out to the wall but it dropped off so fast that we were not able to see anything because it gets so deep so fast. You could spend the entire day snorkeling around the reef around the jugs/markers and see just about anything you want to. We loved it so much that we are planning on doing and an all inclusive at one of the resorts on the westbay beach in the next year or two.

If you dive catch a water taxi ($3/pp/way) to west end. I'd say that about every other shop was a dive store. We wanted to find some fresh conch and our water taxi driver (Big John) said to go to the Lighthouse restaurant. We found that and had some fresh conch sea food fritters. They were the best conch fritters I've had in many years, the fritters were the size of a baseball!!!! I have GoPro video that I'm still working on getting edited but will post up when I get done.

This is one place we will be back at for sure!!!!

Miss Rach, I am so pleased you had a grand time.

Thank you for coming back to tell us it all worked out. :0)

Oh man, I have read through this entire, three-year-old thread because I was looking for some good snorkeling to do in Roatan.

Hubs and I are taking a Royal Carib. cruise down there in October, and there's an excursion off the ship that I'm interested in taking.

My one question is how difficult is it to get through the kidney and into the outer reef for an inexperienced snorkeler? We've been snorkeling maybe 4 or 5 times (is that inexperienced?) Hubs also has a slight fear of "the big blue" and can get some vertigo if things seem too high. Is the Nemo drop off a frightening spot for a person like this? What kinds of "big" fish are out there?

So excited! Thanks to all of the participants for your input!

My one question is how difficult is it to get through the kidney and into the outer reef for an inexperienced snorkeler? We've been snorkeling maybe 4 or 5 times (is that inexperienced?) Hubs also has a slight fear of "the big blue" and can get some vertigo if things seem too high. Is the Nemo drop off a frightening spot for a person like this? What kinds of "big" fish are out there?

 

So excited! Thanks to all of the participants for your input!

I saw a post not long ago, I no longer remember where, that said they now have buoy markers to show the way out of the kidney. If you can float and swim, it is doubtful you will have a worry.

One can see the bottom for some distance, have a look at Google maps, the much darker is the big blue, the lighter is the sandy bottom, I think the water depth is only about 25ft til ya get to the outside reef and the deep blue. I have seen both turtles and huge parrot fish swim in.

As to when, where and if your husband will have a worry.. that would be for him to decide. I recommend people stay within their comfort zone depth wise, panic is not a useful thing in the water. There is plenty to see along the inside reef and all its delights. . My guess is few people get out to the deep blue where they can no longer see the bottom.

Have a grand time!

Hubs also has a slight fear of "the big blue" and can get some vertigo if things seem too high. Is the Nemo drop off a frightening spot for a person like this? What kinds of "big" fish are out there?

Ummmmm, I'd say "yes it can be frightening for someone like that". I have been there twice and had an INCREDIBLE time snorkeling (in part thanks to Guest 2000 for the info a couple years ago!! ;) ). Both times I did snorkel out to "the wall". It is amazing. Shocking. Overwhelming. Incredible. Can't wait to go again even though it takes my breath away.

I have snorkeled on a couple of "boat trips" where you go out in the ocean and jump off a perfectly good boat into the open water. That is a different kind of feeling. I think the reef off the beach lulls you and reassures you because you can see the bottom, then WHAM there is nothing below you (well, there is but you can't SEE it).

As far as "big fish" go.... there are amazing amounts of fishes over the reef. When I first snorkeled there I thought "omg I am IN a Nat Geo documentary". It seemed unreal to me. Schools of 50, 100 or more fishys swimming right by me. I saw turtles and my son saw rays.

Bigger than that? I confess I am TERRIFIED of sharks. Overwhelmingly petrified. I have not seen one while snorkeling.... anywhere. And that is how I like it! lol When I swim out over "the wall" I have not seen ANYTHING swimming out there with me (again - that's FINE with me). I admit I do NOT linger in the deep blue... I scoot right back over the reef for the wonderful "false sense of security".

My most recent trip there was 2 years ago. At that time there were "guides" in kayaks that would help you find your way around the reef. When my youngest son and I went out to the wall, he kinda freaked out and wanted to head immediately back to shore. The kid on the kayak could tell my son was uneasy and offered him a "lift" back to shore. Lickety splity up my son went (I think he levitated out of the water onto the kayak) and off they went! I made sure to tip him well for the ride! If these guides are still there, you can probably pay someone to hang with your hubby as a comfort measure for a bit. Just an idea.

Anyway... have an awesome time! And be safe...

Amy

If you are concerned get a snorkeling vest. I'm out of shape and an average swimmer. I didn't have any problems getting all the way out there. It is so worth it. We've seen so many amazing creatures out there. (We've been to West Bay at least 6 times. One trip was a 10 day stay on the island. We are getting ready to go in October for 7 days) Manta Rays, parrot fish, sea turtles, coral that is amazing. It's just hard to put it in words. Yes, there are Lion Fish that are an invasive fish but they are really cool to see! My biggest fear is when I hit what I call the "Big Blue" where all you see is blue and nothing else. I refuse to go any further once I hit that point.

Ok, finally made it all the way through! This is a great thread and it took me a while to read the whole thing. I'm 99% convinced that we want to snorkel the kidney, but my daughter is only 4.5 and doesn't know how to swim yet. Will there be enough interesting things for her to see close to shore? She will obviously be wearing her life vest the whole time.

Yes - there will be things for her to see. Every time I have been there, I wade in knee deep and begin monkeying with getting my mask and fins on. Look down and there are fishys swimming round and round my legs.

This is what I did when my boys were young and we went snorkeling (anywhere)... get a cheapie blow-up float ring (pool toy). Dollar Store sells them. Easy to pack with you and at the beach, blow it up. When snorkeling I had my kids hold the ring in front of them while lying face down in water. I would put MY hand over TOP of their hand so we both held the ring. In doing this, I was free to relax and enjoy the snorkeling while KNOWING my child was with me and nobody was drifting away or getting separated, etc. Many times I would have one kid on my right side and other kid on my left side with me placing hand over top of one of each of their hands and off we'd go.

Does that make ANY sense to ANYONE but me? lol

It's an incredible place for kids - you'll have a great time!:D

There is so much great info in this thread - makes me so excited for our upcoming cruise. We went to West Bay beach last September and will be there in 3 weeks. Yay!!!

The snorkeling is amazing. Last year we went to Bananarama and the boat guys made us a great deal to take us out around the rocky area at the end of the beach. It was hands down the best reef and the most sea life we have seen. The wall was exhilarating - I felt like Nemo going into the deep blue - ha! As I swam over the wall, I saw divers descending along the face of the wall and neon jelly fish with nothing but dark water with streaks of sunlight. Absolutely stunning!

This time I want to snorkel from shore and explore the kidney bean area and then head out to the wall. Praying for a beautiful sunny day in Roatan.

I also read all the posts and thank you for the great information & after trip feedback.

Mitsugirly love the pics as usual. I went to Sapphire Beach based on your review & saw my first jellyfish.

Loved the shot from the air.

So I just booked the cruise for Nov 15th. One question. How long it takes to get to the beach from Mahogany Bay?

Thanks Again All

 

 

So I just booked the cruise for Nov 15th. One question. How long it takes to get to the beach from Mahogany Bay?

 

Thanks Again All

Mahogany Bay to West Bay Beach is 35/45 mins

So I really really really want to snorkel here on our trip in January! We are planning to do a private tour with Victor Bodden - take in a little sightseeing and visit the monkey's before we hit West Bay Beach.. However, my DH does not snorkel due to an ear problem, so I will be snorkeling by myself...I usually try to stay close by when I do that, but looks like if I want to snorkel the kidney it may be a little ways out...will I be OK going out there by myself? I am sure there will be plenty of people around and if they have the buoys and "guides" in kayaks, surely I will be OK on my own??? :rolleyes::D

So I really really really want to snorkel here on our trip in January! We are planning to do a private tour with Victor Bodden - take in a little sightseeing and visit the monkey's before we hit West Bay Beach.. However, my DH does not snorkel due to an ear problem, so I will be snorkeling by myself...I usually try to stay close by when I do that, but looks like if I want to snorkel the kidney it may be a little ways out...will I be OK going out there by myself? I am sure there will be plenty of people around and if they have the buoys and "guides" in kayaks, surely I will be OK on my own??? :rolleyes::D

Save you and your wife from worrying and use a snorkeling vest. You will be snorkeling others nearby. I think I remember seeing some guys on paddle boards watching over people.

Can anyone tell me what you do with any personal items while you're snorkeling? If you do a cruise package with bananarama, do they have lockers you can use?

We were at Bananarama last week and did the $30pp cruise package. They have lockers available for $5 per day and they provide a dinky little padlock with physical keys you'll need to keep up with. What we actually did was just carry our phone/camera/etc with us in DryPak waistbelt bags when snorkeling and I locked our backpacks to our chairs with a cable lock. No the lock wouldn't survive 30 seconds of a determined thief or someone rifling through them, but my intent was to prevent a "walk-by" grab-and-go theft.

The walk down the beach to the best snorkeling was not far at all. Make sure you go all the way down to the end to see the iguanas sunning on the rock wall and the fish that school around you in the water there.

BTW, I used a waterpoof camera (Olympus Tough TG4) and it was great to have on the trip since I just carried it with me when in the water.

Oh also, the instructions from Bananarama to meet the driver weren't entirely clear; you have to actually go past all the kiosks and out of the entire port complex to the street. You'll find the driver there holding the Bananarama sign.

Came back to this thread to offer and update after our trip!

We were on an RC cruise and stopped at Roatan on 10/15. It was a cloudy and rainy day, sadly. We booked the trip through the cruise ship. When we got to Tabyana Beach, we had access to chairs and to security guards that would watch your stuff and who didn't allow the folks selling braiding/jewelry/shells etc. up into the chair area. There was lunch, a shop and a pavilion and bathrooms etc. The guard in our area was named George and he was very nice. It rained much of the day; we huddled under a tree. We were wet anyway so it didn't really matter, but it wasn't the best day. The sun came out a bit for a couple of hours in the afternoon, so we got some sun lounging in for a bit.

It was too bad that it was such a gloomy day, but we still had great snorkeling. We had a guide take us out and give us a little "tour" of the reef. I think* we went through the kidney bean but I can't be sure, as the water was high enough that we could swim over much of the top of the reef so you didn't necessarily have to go in any particular direction to get to the outer reefs.

The guide took us out to the drop off straight away, hubs saw it, said hey that's cool, and immediately swam back over the reef. Hahaha. He thought it was cool but seeing it once was enough.

There were TONS of fish, more fish than I've ever seen snorkeling any other place and they swim right up to you. We went out a second time and saw a gorgeous school of light and dark blue fish and an ENORMOUS midnight parrotfish. If it were sunny and the light had been shining into the water I bet we would have seen more.

Of course, I took photos the first time we went out, then when hubs and I went for just a swim by the shore, I left the lock on my Olympus Tough unlocked and water got into my camera and I totally destroyed it. Thankfully my SD card survived. But I didn't get any shots of the school or that big blue midnight parrotfish. Ah well.

Thanks for the info! Great pics, too. I had an Olympus WP camera several years ago for snorkeling, and it leaked while I was snorkeling in St. Thomas. I got it fixed, and it happened again in Aruba! Apparently luck is not with me with these...

Also, do you have to pay for Bananarama when you book it, or that day?

Thanks, I bought the camera not long before the trip and will use it also for beach and backpacking trips. Crossing my fingers that on the fourth generation they have it right, it's survived so far. Best part is it supports RAW format allowing you much more latitude for after-the-fact changes to the images.

I'm afraid I don't know exactly when Bananarama does the charge vs booking as I called them at the last minute before we sailed. They do have a refund-if-ship-doesnt-show-up policy and a scaled cancellation penalty though. Best to email them and ask the specifics.

Guest 2000, is this the general route to follow and return from the rock (not shown) via the same path? Is this considered the safe zone in terms of currents and deep enough reef so as not to get tangled up?