You can research Roatan for three weeks and still end up asking the same questions when you get here. Where should I stay? How do I get around? What is the weather really like? Can I walk to the dive shop? Here is the version we give divers on the deck.
Walkable dive-town base
Coconut Tree’s home dock
Dive sites within range
Warm-water diving
Coconut Tree is at the entrance to West End in Half Moon Bay. Once you are here, the dive shop, beach, restaurants, small stores and plenty of places to stay are all close together. That is one reason divers base themselves here instead of commuting across the island every morning.
West End is casual. You can walk to breakfast in flip-flops, dive all day, shower, eat dinner and end up back near the water for sunset without needing an itinerary.
We intentionally do not hard-code airline, ferry or taxi prices here. Island schedules and fares change faster than old travel pages get updated.
If diving is the main reason you are coming, West End is the easy choice. Look for accommodation within walking distance of Half Moon Bay and you can leave the taxi alone for most of the trip.
There are simple rooms, apartments, cabins, boutique hotels and beachfront places throughout West End. West Bay has a larger resort scene and a famous beach, but you will need road or water-taxi transport to reach West End.
If you are deciding between two places, send us the names. The crew can tell you what the walk or ride to the shop is actually like.
Roatan is a year-round dive destination. Water temperatures are generally around 26 to 29°C, and visibility is often in the 20 to 30 meter range. Conditions change by day and season, which is why the crew picks sites around what the water is doing instead of promising a fixed list months in advance.
The west side is normally our home water. From roughly October through January, weather can occasionally make the north-west coast rough. When that happens and conditions allow, operations may move to Flowers Bay on the south side.
You came to dive. We will do our best to keep you diving, but the weather still gets a vote.
The nearest hyperbaric chamber to West End is at Cornerstone Medical Center near Anthony’s Key Resort, a short taxi ride from Coconut Tree. Medical providers and phone numbers can change, so confirm current emergency information when you arrive rather than saving a ten-year-old travel-page number.
We strongly recommend appropriate travel and dive insurance. If you have a medical condition or a question about fitness to dive, deal with that before your first morning boat, not while everybody else is loading tanks.
Roatan’s reef is protected by the Roatan Marine Park and supported by local dive operators, residents and visitors. Pay the Marine Park fee, keep your fins and hands off the coral, get your buoyancy sorted, and listen to the site briefing.
Coconut Tree has participated in coral nursery and reef-health work and offers the Roatan Marine Park Coral Restoration Certification. If you want to understand what restoration actually involves, this is a much better use of a day than simply calling yourself an eco diver.
Cards are accepted in many places, but cash is still useful for taxis, small businesses and situations where card systems or internet are down. Carry some smaller bills rather than only large notes.
Yes. That is one of its biggest advantages for divers. If you stay near Half Moon Bay, most daily needs are within walking distance.
Not if you are staying in West End and mainly diving. Use taxis or arrange transport for trips elsewhere on the island.
There is good diving year-round. Seasonal weather affects the west side more during parts of October through January, but exact conditions vary and cannot be guaranteed.
Absolutely. West End has beaches, restaurants, snorkeling, water taxis and plenty of places to sit while the diver in the family disappears for another tank.
The old island joke goes: “I’m leaving tomorrow,” “I’m not drinking tonight,” and “I love you.” We will let you work out how seriously to take any of those.
Book your dives, send us your travel questions, then come down to the deck when you get here.
