Scuba Diving in Roatán, Honduras - March 2020 (4K)

Looks like you got in there under the wire.  Any travel issues?

We’re going to Roatan in mid-August for two weeks. Planning to get open water certified, along with our two sons, 12 and 14. Looking forward to returning to the island. Friends have a condo at Lighthouse Point and now a house up in Punta Gorda since I visited them in 2018. Thanks for the great video, excellent close up shots. Now where did I put my Ikelite... ?

How are you getting there?

Last week I looked for the usual flights from Phoenix to Roatan in September, and there were none.  The only way for me to get there was to take short-haul aircraft via Tegucigalpa and/or San Pedro Sula, all taking about 24 hours from start to finish.

1. EvilOtter wrote:

Thanks very much, Hilifer!

You are probably aware that covid is now on the island and that it is not yet open to international travel. There were some rumours that the restrictions would be eased in mid-July but that appears to be deferred now. I hope that you are able to get there in August. We are very anxious to get back!

Yes, we’ve been following local news, as well as updates from friends living on the island. We’re keeping our fingers crossed!

PHXAZCRAIG wrote:

How are you getting there?

Last week I looked for the usual flights from Phoenix to Roatan in September, and there were none. The only way for me to get there was to take short-haul aircraft via Tegucigalpa and/or San Pedro Sula, all taking about 24 hours from start to finish.

We’re flying United from DC via Houston. We booked on the United website last week using part of the credit from our cancelled flights to Portugal and Spain, originally planned for three weeks starting last Friday. Our reservations are still looking intact, so far...

Hmm.  Wonder why nothing showed in late September?

If flights show up, I'm now wondering about perhaps staying three weeks instead of two.   In the past I've gotten antsy after about 10 days in the hotel alone, but it seems like opportunities need to be grabbed more than ever now.

PHXAZCRAIG wrote:

Hmm. Wonder why nothing showed in late September?

If flights show up, I'm now wondering about perhaps staying three weeks instead of two. In the past I've gotten antsy after about 10 days in the hotel alone, but it seems like opportunities need to be grabbed more than ever now.

I noticed that, too... no flights on later dates. Our friends who are property owners there just booked the same flight as us this evening on United through Houston in early August.

Looks like Avianca isn’t flying there until September, but I imagine that may be related to their bankruptcy condition. A few of their hubs are shut down currently, including San Salvador which is a link to RTB.

Agreed on the carpe diem.

Well, as we somewhat anticipated, United canceled our flights last week. While we regret that we’ll be unable to visit Roatan, we’ve pivoted instead to the small community of Holbox on the coast of the Yucatan, a two to three hour journey from Cancun. While there’s no diving to speak of in the area (at least no dive shops of which I’m aware), there’s plenty of beach and beverages to enjoy. This will be our second visit to the island in two years. On our last trip we swam with the whale sharks; this time I’m looking forward to spending more time birdwatching in the Yum Balam eco reserve in which the island is situated. May be time to pick up that 300 PF...

UPDATE: Found a window of opportunity and we made it! Just a few days left, but I’ll finish my OW certification tomorrow with my two sons. Weather and water clarity has been amazing for the last several days. I’ve been bitten by the bug so starting to research a housing and port(s) for my Z7. Hopefully I’ll be able to use focus peaking. Candidate glass would be my Voigtlander 21/1.4 VM and 125/2.5 APO.

Hilifer wrote:

UPDATE: Found a window of opportunity and we made it! Just a few days left, but I’ll finish my OW certification tomorrow with my two sons. Weather and water clarity has been amazing for the last several days. I’ve been bitten by the bug so starting to research a housing and port(s) for my Z7. Hopefully I’ll be able to use focus peaking. Candidate glass would be my Voigtlander 21/1.4 VM and 125/2.5 APO.

Be prepared for some surprises in what lenses you can actually use.   The selection is more limited than you think for full frame.

I'm currently using a D850 in a Nauticam housing.   I don't do fisheyes, so can't comment on those.  What is left for me is:

1. wide zoom.   Basically I have the choice of 16-35 and a big dome port.   And 16mm underwater behind a dome port is pretty wide, while 35mm is still a bit wide.  Means you get frustrated trying to shoot small subjects with a dome port.

2. macro.  Either 60mm or 105vr.  I have both and tried both.  The 60mm is what you probably want for DX, but it's far too short for FX.  The 105vr is a gem that works very well underwater.  I find it a bit short and end up cropping a lot.   What would fit me best would be a 150mm macro as it would eliminate most of the cropping I typically do.   I tried adding a 1.4TC and got the focal length that worked, but I didn't like the slight image degradation and went back to the bare 105 (and cropping).  Note that there is a 20% magnification factor for an image passing through a flat glass/water interface.  (Dome ports do not magnify).  So the 60mm works underwater like a 72mm lens and the 105 works like a 135mm lens above water.   Which is one reason the 60mm doesn't seem wide enough to be midrange.

3. Midrange.    [crickets]       There are basically no mid-range zooms and the 60mm macro is a bit long to be considered for this.   The 60 on FX is in no-man's-land.  Too short for macro, too long for normal.

Here's the issue I see you having with your lens choices:  ports and focus/zoom gears.   For every lens you choose, you need to select a port type (domed or flat) and that glass needs to be the proper distance from the sensor for that lens.  To get the proper distance, some ports require an extension, basically a big spacer tube between camera and glass/acrylic port.    Extensions come in a variety of lengths, so finding the right one is a matter of ordering the right one (once you figure out how long it should be).

However, if you want to zoom a lens or manually focus it, you also have to have a part that fits around the lens and is geared into the camera housing somehow so that you have something to turn that moves the lens.  Unless you have a 3d printer you probably need to find a focusing or zoom ring already made, and they are very limited.

On my 105vr, I don't use a manual focus gear, though I have one for it.  I'm generally floating along while photographing and would not be able to maintain position as accurately as needed to make tiny changes to focus so I rely on autofocus.

The 16-35 needs to be zoomed, however.   There is a ring that fits around the lens that has gear teeth on the outside.  Those teeth mesh with a gear train in the housing that leads to a knob on the left.  I turn the knob to zoom the lens.   Would be the same knob for focusing, which does mean you can't both zoom and manually focus a lens.

That said, if you can deal with the focusing issue, you'll also have to deal with big dome port issues.  And when I say big, you better believe BIG.   I had never seen a 230mm dome port before mine showed up at my house in a box.  I was shocked.  And it's a real pain to travel with due to the size and the fact you can't really cram hard stuff around it in the bag.

I'd like to hear more about both your travel experiences getting to and around Roatan as well as your dive training.  (Who is training you, what part of the island are you diving, hows the situation there underwater?)

I missed my yearly September trip to Roatan this year for the first time in 6 years.   I always dive around Oak Ridge with Reef House Resort.   In the past, I've dove there over 170 times, and I think I was only on one or two dives where we did not see (and usually spear) a lionfish.   My divemaster was very good about cleaning them out on dives, not to mention he frequently took some home for lunch.   The effect seemed to be that he was keeping the numbers in check somewhat around those dive sites at least.  Without divers for 9 months, I wonder how the lionfish situation has changed, if any.     And other fish populations too, but I've seen areas with lots of lionfish in the past, and there weren't that many other fish to see in those areas.

PHXAZCRAIG wrote:

Hilifer wrote:

UPDATE: Found a window of opportunity and we made it! Just a few days left, but I’ll finish my OW certification tomorrow with my two sons. Weather and water clarity has been amazing for the last several days. I’ve been bitten by the bug so starting to research a housing and port(s) for my Z7. Hopefully I’ll be able to use focus peaking. Candidate glass would be my Voigtlander 21/1.4 VM and 125/2.5 APO.

Be prepared for some surprises in what lenses you can actually use. The selection is more limited than you think for full frame.

I'm currently using a D850 in a Nauticam housing. I don't do fisheyes, so can't comment on those. What is left for me is:

1. wide zoom. Basically I have the choice of 16-35 and a big dome port. And 16mm underwater behind a dome port is pretty wide, while 35mm is still a bit wide. Means you get frustrated trying to shoot small subjects with a dome port.

2. macro. Either 60mm or 105vr. I have both and tried both. The 60mm is what you probably want for DX, but it's far too short for FX. The 105vr is a gem that works very well underwater. I find it a bit short and end up cropping a lot. What would fit me best would be a 150mm macro as it would eliminate most of the cropping I typically do. I tried adding a 1.4TC and got the focal length that worked, but I didn't like the slight image degradation and went back to the bare 105 (and cropping). Note that there is a 20% magnification factor for an image passing through a flat glass/water interface. (Dome ports do not magnify). So the 60mm works underwater like a 72mm lens and the 105 works like a 135mm lens above water. Which is one reason the 60mm doesn't seem wide enough to be midrange.

3. Midrange. [crickets] There are basically no mid-range zooms and the 60mm macro is a bit long to be considered for this. The 60 on FX is in no-man's-land. Too short for macro, too long for normal.

Here's the issue I see you having with your lens choices: ports and focus/zoom gears. For every lens you choose, you need to select a port type (domed or flat) and that glass needs to be the proper distance from the sensor for that lens. To get the proper distance, some ports require an extension, basically a big spacer tube between camera and glass/acrylic port. Extensions come in a variety of lengths, so finding the right one is a matter of ordering the right one (once you figure out how long it should be).

However, if you want to zoom a lens or manually focus it, you also have to have a part that fits around the lens and is geared into the camera housing somehow so that you have something to turn that moves the lens. Unless you have a 3d printer you probably need to find a focusing or zoom ring already made, and they are very limited.

On my 105vr, I don't use a manual focus gear, though I have one for it. I'm generally floating along while photographing and would not be able to maintain position as accurately as needed to make tiny changes to focus so I rely on autofocus.

The 16-35 needs to be zoomed, however. There is a ring that fits around the lens that has gear teeth on the outside. Those teeth mesh with a gear train in the housing that leads to a knob on the left. I turn the knob to zoom the lens. Would be the same knob for focusing, which does mean you can't both zoom and manually focus a lens.

That said, if you can deal with the focusing issue, you'll also have to deal with big dome port issues. And when I say big, you better believe BIG. I had never seen a 230mm dome port before mine showed up at my house in a box. I was shocked. And it's a real pain to travel with due to the size and the fact you can't really cram hard stuff around it in the bag.

Thank you for all of this valuable information! I have a lot to learn about this... at least I have six months or more before I’ll get another chance to dive, so plenty of time to study.

PHXAZCRAIG wrote:

I'd like to hear more about both your travel experiences getting to and around Roatan as well as your dive training. (Who is training you, what part of the island are you diving, hows the situation there underwater?)

I missed my yearly September trip to Roatan this year for the first time in 6 years. I always dive around Oak Ridge with Reef House Resort. In the past, I've dove there over 170 times, and I think I was only on one or two dives where we did not see (and usually spear) a lionfish. My divemaster was very good about cleaning them out on dives, not to mention he frequently took some home for lunch. The effect seemed to be that he was keeping the numbers in check somewhat around those dive sites at least. Without divers for 9 months, I wonder how the lionfish situation has changed, if any. And other fish populations too, but I've seen areas with lots of lionfish in the past, and there weren't that many other fish to see in those areas.

We’re staying here with friends who have both a house in Punta Blanca and a condo at the Meridian, so we’ve split our time between both. We driving a borrowed 4x4 SUV which has done well for us in the rains, particularly where we had to navigate steep grades looking at properties off the beaten path. Also, there is a stretch of road between the airport and Los Fuertes which turned into a mud trap due to the unseasonable rains during a major paving project. We’ve taken the Sandy Bay to Palmetto route which is recently paved (last 2 years?).

We did our diving with Banarama in West Bay since we’ve been at the Meridian for the past week. Our instructor, Sally, was very patient with my two sons (12 and 14) and me (64)... we finished in four days. Our dives included Bikini Bottom, Black Rock and our last at Turtle Crossing (18 meters). We spotted a couple of lionfish, a barracuda, angel fish, groupers, flying fish, a moray and a scorpion fish. Visibility was very good to excellent with clear and sunny skies; our dives started a couple of days after the rains stopped, so the water had time to recover.

If you want to see stuff, I highly recommend doing at least the two morning dives (9am) and then lunch at the Reef House Resort in Oak Ridge.   The divemaster is the best I've ever seen at finding critters, and he really really knows the dive sites.  (Somewhere around 20,000 dives experience in about 20 main dive sites around Oak Ridge.   I've been to at least 37 different dive sites with him, but we hit some less-used ones when I am there for two weeks.)

I'd also like to send some business their way.

The Reef House also has (had?) a resident instructor who can add some specialty skills courses if needed.   New divers can always use a buoyancy class.

The snorkeling next to Reef House is also extremely good.

PHXAZCRAIG wrote:

If you want to see stuff, I highly recommend doing at least the two morning dives (9am) and then lunch at the Reef House Resort in Oak Ridge. The divemaster is the best I've ever seen at finding critters, and he really really knows the dive sites. (Somewhere around 20,000 dives experience in about 20 main dive sites around Oak Ridge. I've been to at least 37 different dive sites with him, but we hit some less-used ones when I am there for two weeks.)

I'd also like to send some business their way.

The Reef House also has (had?) a resident instructor who can add some specialty skills courses if needed. New divers can always use a buoyancy class.

The snorkeling next to Reef House is also extremely good.

Sadly, we’re heading home today. We’re more than happy to share the “business love” in these times, especially with such recommendations. (I’d read this previously in another of your posts. ) Hoping to be back this summer, so we’ll look him up. We have friends in Calabash Bight and pass through Oak Ridge to visit them.