Little French Key Snorkel the Reef- Anyone?

Can someone tell me about their experience snorkeling the reef at LFK? I know you have to take a boat to the reef. How deep is the coral? Is there a current? Is the coral healthy and did you see much wildlife?

I'm trying to decide between LFK, Maya Key, or West Bay.

Thanks

Anyone out there?

I have not been there but I can offer a few thoughts.

Little French Key is on the wind ward side of the island, depending on weather you may well be fighting the sea.

I have snorkeled several areas of the opposite side of the island and CocoView's "front yard" that is on the same side of the island as LFK. I can tell you of the places I have snorkeled around the island West Bay keeps my attention year after year after year.

I have not snorkeled Maya Key which people seem to love, though there is an account of someone being dragged out by the current. Hard to know the truth of it. It is also very close to both the cruise dock and the airport.

Roatan Marine Park runs the north-ish end of Sandy Bay to the south-ish end of West Bay. This means fishing is restricted, I truly believe the reason there is more marine life in this area is due to the Marine Park.

There is little to no current in West Bay and if for some crazy reason you were to get in to trouble, there are plenty of people about to help.

I have confidence no matter what you choose you will be happy.

Enjoy the island.

Can someone tell me about their experience snorkeling the reef at LFK? I know you have to take a boat to the reef. How deep is the coral? Is there a current? Is the coral healthy and did you see much wildlife?

 

I'm trying to decide between LFK' date=' Maya Key, or West Bay.

 

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I was at LFK on a Sunday this past February while I was staying on the island at Infinity Bay. The coral is colorful, vibrant and alive here. Brain coral, elkhorn, tubes and fans were numerous. I went out with Donatelli one on one, and he first showed me a lobster and later an octopus. There weren't many fish there until we rounded a coral head and come across a school of maybe 250 - 300 black fish.

The current was fairly strong and there were some waves while I was snorkeling, making my decision to wear the available life vest a wise choice. We were out for almost an hour, making the $10 additional fee a bargain. Donatelli told me the beauty of this spot was in viewing the coral, and it rivaled some of the best I've seen in both the Hawaiian and Tahitian islands. I did not view one bleached coral here.

 

If anyone does decide to enjoy this site, please use only oil free or biodegradable sun tan lotion!

 

If anyone wants to see pics, just email me at my address in my signature.

Thank you both Guest2000 and Evandbob. This is EXACTLY the information I was looking for to help me make a decision! On our last visit, we snorkeled both Half Moon Bay and West Bay.

We fell in love with Roatan and would love to explore every inch above and below the sea! This trip was a a last minute booking but we do plan to spend at least a week here in the near future (hopefully we will be certified by that time also).

Evandbob - thank you for mentioning the sunscreen and I do my best to help spread the word. I know that the storms can wreck havoc on the coral but I strongly believe that people have done much worse damage!

My apologies for the delayed response but I have been having some internet issues. :mad:

 

 

 

If anyone wants to see pics, just email me at my address in my signature.

Is there any way at all you can host the pictures somewhere (like flickr or photobucket) so that we can all see? I didn't go out to the reef when we were there and now I wish I would have. If you have pictures of the reef, you will probably be the only one who has ever had them because this question has been asked so many times on this board and there isn't anyone who has pictures.

We plan on going back in November (provided NCL doesn't cancel Roatan as a port) and would really love to do the snorkeling there.

We will be there in October and anxious to hear more about the coral and fish you see there. Bonaire has spoiled us...

If anyone does decide to enjoy this site, please use only oil free or biodegradable sun tan lotion!

Hi there! We're going in June and I'm having trouble with finding a biodegradable sun tan lotion. Do you have any recommendations? All the ones I've seen on Amazon have pretty bad reviews. We're in Colorado so there aren't many dive shops to go ask :) We are all very fair people and definitely need sunscreen! Thanks

We have used Beyond Coastal sunscreen from Amazon while snorkeling in Cozumel a couple of times. My daughter and I are both fair skinned and red headed and it worked well for us.

pictures of the reef in Roatan: https://www.google.com/search?q=roatan+reef&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjuwYjLluLMAhVDSSYKHRQPCtcQ_AUIBygB&biw=1680&bih=965&safe=active&ssui=on

Thank you! Those are magnificent pictures. Hoping we will see those snorkeling at LFK.