CocoView, Roatan, Honduras / Aug 11-18, 2007
Underwater Gallery
I'll start this entry with a single word description of the trip - WOW!!
There are many trip reports posted for CocoView and Roatan out on the web in dive related boards and I must say that they are very accurate. Given that, I'm going to skip all the details that are easy to find and instead provide a view of my impressions and the things that stood out for me.
My flights from Charlotte via Atlanta to Roatan aboard Delta were uneventful. Remarkable huh? But the travel was very smooth and relaxing.
The differences started when we landed at Roatan Airport. I've been on a few trips where the Resort or Liveaboard had said that someone would meet me at the airport and take me to my destination. That has always meant that someone was waiting outside with a van for me to put my luggage in and would take me to my destination for a fee. Not the approach taken by CocoView.. Someone met us right outside of immigration! They told us to stand in a particular spot and point out our bags as they came on the conveyor belt. They took the bags off the belt and stacked them up until everyones (those going to Cocoview) bag had been located. Then they led us through customs and outside where we got in a van and they loaded our luggage onto a separate truck for transport to the resort. All this a for few dollar tip to the guys who handled the luggage. Note - it's hot in Roatan in August and I haven't broken a sweat!
A short air conditioned van ride to the resort and we arrive at the CocoView landing. We hop into a small boat and are taken over to the resort. We're given a quick overview of the resort, told where our rooms are, and the relaxing begins. Our room key was in the door to our room - where it stayed the entire week. About an hour later our bags showed up in our room - service!
A little about the resort - This is a dive resort. Not the Four Seasons! It was exactly as I expected it to be. I found the place well laid out. The dive center, photography shop (more about Tim Blanton later), and the boats and the dive lockers/gear station/rinse areas are arranged perfectly for diver access. You couldn't ask for more in terms of convienence. The main clubhouse is at the center of the resort and is where you have all your meals and is where the bar is located. I found the clubhouse to be very comfortable for meals and generally meeting people for conversation and the sharing of photo's! My room was rustic but clean and tidy - no complaints.
You must bring your bug spray (Off, Deet, whatever) as they do have some little sand fleas or mosquito's or whatever they are - I couldn't see them. So, of course they are referred to as "noseeums".. Much is made of these, but I must admit that I put a little spray on my legs a couple of times a day and after a week I had no bites..
As this was my first trip to Cocoview I had to wait until the following morning to dive as they have a policy that says you have to go to an orientation prior to diving. I was a little agitated at this at first, but after going through it I see why they insist on it. A couple of reasons for this. First is that once you have gone through the orientation you really understand their "front yard" and are able to easily navigate it the rest of the week - very important. Second is that not all divers who go there have experience underwater and thus truly need this orientation - enough said.
The daily diving routine is as follows. After a very nice breakfast at 7AM, you board your assigned boat at 08:30. You go to a site and do a dive. After the dive your surface interval is the ride back to the front yard where you will be dropped off at one of three spots. Cocoview Wall, Newmans Wall or the Prince Albert wreck. If you want to dive one of the walls, you let them know how long of a dive you want and they'll drop you at the right spot for your dive back to the resort. These walls are fantastic dives! Also there are numerous coral heads all around the wreck and an airplane just off the left of the bow of the wreck. You will complete your morning dives between 11 and 11:30. Lunch is at Noon. Then you do the dive routine again at 2PM. Finish the afternoon diving at around 4:45. Dinner is at 18:30. Then you start thinking about your night dive or fruity drinks they can make at the bar - your choice. The corals on the sandy slop heading to Cocoview wall are great for night diving as is the wreck itself. I only wish I had had more night dives. The weather didn't cooperate in the evenings for all our night diving. We got up at 4AM one morning to do a "Night Dive". Turned out to be the best one!
A little about the staff. While all of the staff were friendly and provided great service (with a smile) I want to brag on some that I had great experience with. Our divemaster was a fella named Kirk. He was just great. He was very good at finding the little critters that I like to see - and he pointed out the bigger stuff that others wanted to see. On top of that he reminded me several times that I was on vacation and it was his job to load tanks, switch tanks, handle cameras, etc. I have a habit of being self sufficient - he had a habit of reminding me that I was on vacation and it was his job to work.. Rueben was our boat captain. It is his boat and he ensures that everyone is taken care of - safely. He and Kirk handled my camera setup as well as my dive buddies video setup on every dive - going in the water and coming out.. It's the extra effort and the little things that make a difference and these two guys took care of both! Another staff member I want to bring special attention to is Tim Blanton. Tim's the photo professional at the resort. Now I know that just about every resort, liveaboard and dive shop has a photo pro. Rarely do I meet one that I want to get advice from - not to mention actually pay to get that advice. Well Tim is an exception in my opinion. The best money I spent on this entire trip was for the two hours of conversation with Tim. Tim handles things in a one on one session. Tailors his conversation to you, your camera, your experience and your needs. He is frank, honest, clear and concise in his communication - but most of all is practical in the coaching he provides. He knows the technology and he knows how to apply it. You have to listen, absorb and learn. As I said - his time was my wisest investment. When I go back in April '08 I'll be spending more time with Tim.
23 dives, 1,580 photos, and 7 days later it was time to go back home. As at the beginning of this post the treatment you receive doesn't stop just because the week is over. The staff picked up my luggage at the door to my room, brought it to the boat dock, loaded it into a truck and brought it to me at the Delta line in the airport. The same Cocoview representative that met me when I arrived also ensured that I had everything as I left. That's service!! Remember, it's the little things that stick.
If you're a diver and want to go to a place that is built just for you, then I highly recommend CocoView as a dive destination.
Here's a link to the photo's I've posted for this trip:
Roatan
Underwater Gallery
Cocoview website: http://www.cocoviewresort.com/
Cheers,
Monty
I'll start this entry with a single word description of the trip - WOW!!
There are many trip reports posted for CocoView and Roatan out on the web in dive related boards and I must say that they are very accurate. Given that, I'm going to skip all the details that are easy to find and instead provide a view of my impressions and the things that stood out for me.
My flights from Charlotte via Atlanta to Roatan aboard Delta were uneventful. Remarkable huh? But the travel was very smooth and relaxing.
The differences started when we landed at Roatan Airport. I've been on a few trips where the Resort or Liveaboard had said that someone would meet me at the airport and take me to my destination. That has always meant that someone was waiting outside with a van for me to put my luggage in and would take me to my destination for a fee. Not the approach taken by CocoView.. Someone met us right outside of immigration! They told us to stand in a particular spot and point out our bags as they came on the conveyor belt. They took the bags off the belt and stacked them up until everyones (those going to Cocoview) bag had been located. Then they led us through customs and outside where we got in a van and they loaded our luggage onto a separate truck for transport to the resort. All this a for few dollar tip to the guys who handled the luggage. Note - it's hot in Roatan in August and I haven't broken a sweat!
A short air conditioned van ride to the resort and we arrive at the CocoView landing. We hop into a small boat and are taken over to the resort. We're given a quick overview of the resort, told where our rooms are, and the relaxing begins. Our room key was in the door to our room - where it stayed the entire week. About an hour later our bags showed up in our room - service!
A little about the resort - This is a dive resort. Not the Four Seasons! It was exactly as I expected it to be. I found the place well laid out. The dive center, photography shop (more about Tim Blanton later), and the boats and the dive lockers/gear station/rinse areas are arranged perfectly for diver access. You couldn't ask for more in terms of convienence. The main clubhouse is at the center of the resort and is where you have all your meals and is where the bar is located. I found the clubhouse to be very comfortable for meals and generally meeting people for conversation and the sharing of photo's! My room was rustic but clean and tidy - no complaints.
You must bring your bug spray (Off, Deet, whatever) as they do have some little sand fleas or mosquito's or whatever they are - I couldn't see them. So, of course they are referred to as "noseeums".. Much is made of these, but I must admit that I put a little spray on my legs a couple of times a day and after a week I had no bites..
As this was my first trip to Cocoview I had to wait until the following morning to dive as they have a policy that says you have to go to an orientation prior to diving. I was a little agitated at this at first, but after going through it I see why they insist on it. A couple of reasons for this. First is that once you have gone through the orientation you really understand their "front yard" and are able to easily navigate it the rest of the week - very important. Second is that not all divers who go there have experience underwater and thus truly need this orientation - enough said.
The daily diving routine is as follows. After a very nice breakfast at 7AM, you board your assigned boat at 08:30. You go to a site and do a dive. After the dive your surface interval is the ride back to the front yard where you will be dropped off at one of three spots. Cocoview Wall, Newmans Wall or the Prince Albert wreck. If you want to dive one of the walls, you let them know how long of a dive you want and they'll drop you at the right spot for your dive back to the resort. These walls are fantastic dives! Also there are numerous coral heads all around the wreck and an airplane just off the left of the bow of the wreck. You will complete your morning dives between 11 and 11:30. Lunch is at Noon. Then you do the dive routine again at 2PM. Finish the afternoon diving at around 4:45. Dinner is at 18:30. Then you start thinking about your night dive or fruity drinks they can make at the bar - your choice. The corals on the sandy slop heading to Cocoview wall are great for night diving as is the wreck itself. I only wish I had had more night dives. The weather didn't cooperate in the evenings for all our night diving. We got up at 4AM one morning to do a "Night Dive". Turned out to be the best one!
A little about the staff. While all of the staff were friendly and provided great service (with a smile) I want to brag on some that I had great experience with. Our divemaster was a fella named Kirk. He was just great. He was very good at finding the little critters that I like to see - and he pointed out the bigger stuff that others wanted to see. On top of that he reminded me several times that I was on vacation and it was his job to load tanks, switch tanks, handle cameras, etc. I have a habit of being self sufficient - he had a habit of reminding me that I was on vacation and it was his job to work.. Rueben was our boat captain. It is his boat and he ensures that everyone is taken care of - safely. He and Kirk handled my camera setup as well as my dive buddies video setup on every dive - going in the water and coming out.. It's the extra effort and the little things that make a difference and these two guys took care of both! Another staff member I want to bring special attention to is Tim Blanton. Tim's the photo professional at the resort. Now I know that just about every resort, liveaboard and dive shop has a photo pro. Rarely do I meet one that I want to get advice from - not to mention actually pay to get that advice. Well Tim is an exception in my opinion. The best money I spent on this entire trip was for the two hours of conversation with Tim. Tim handles things in a one on one session. Tailors his conversation to you, your camera, your experience and your needs. He is frank, honest, clear and concise in his communication - but most of all is practical in the coaching he provides. He knows the technology and he knows how to apply it. You have to listen, absorb and learn. As I said - his time was my wisest investment. When I go back in April '08 I'll be spending more time with Tim.
23 dives, 1,580 photos, and 7 days later it was time to go back home. As at the beginning of this post the treatment you receive doesn't stop just because the week is over. The staff picked up my luggage at the door to my room, brought it to the boat dock, loaded it into a truck and brought it to me at the Delta line in the airport. The same Cocoview representative that met me when I arrived also ensured that I had everything as I left. That's service!! Remember, it's the little things that stick.
If you're a diver and want to go to a place that is built just for you, then I highly recommend CocoView as a dive destination.
Here's a link to the photo's I've posted for this trip:
Roatan
Underwater Gallery
Cocoview website: http://www.cocoviewresort.com/
Cheers,
Monty
Labels: Cocview, diving, image, macro, octopus, photos, Roatan, seahorse, sealife
posted by Monty Chandler | 9:34 AM
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