Roatan, CoCo View Resort, 1999
Author: Davida

I don’t quite know where to start. There’s so much to tell you, I don’t want to leave anything out. So this missive may be a little disjointed but I’ll try to cover everything, just bear with me!

Some of you may remember the reasons for my reluctance to fly on TACA airlines. I just knew that my luggage would end up in Africa with me on Roatan Island! We were on a non-stop flight from Houston to Roatan but I had heard that things could still get dis-conbobulated. The ticket agent wouldn’t allow my buddy’s carry on, saying it was too big (though we saw others with larger bags than ours!) but offered us a couple of plastic bags when we told her we would not check the contents. OK…we put everything from the carry-on into the plastic bags and checked the empty carry-on! At one of the airport shops we found a cheap duffel bag to use. So far, so good. While Shelley and I were waiting for our flight, I found an unused wheelchair and just for grins (and to save my knees!) used it to get back and forth around the airport bar and waiting area. This will play an important part in the story of the stitches. After an uneventful flight, we landed and claimed all three bags.

The representative from CoCo View Resort was there to greet us and collect our return tickets and passports. Now, that’s a funny feeling…just hand over your stuff to a stranger in a strange land! She took care of customs…we never saw anyone. CCV picked us up in a bus to take us to the boat landing. This was when I found out that the resort is on an island…cool! A short 10 minute boat ride and paradise came into view. While we were checked in, the staff was ferrying our bags to the island. Our gear bags were delivered to our dockside storage area and our other bags were taken to our beach house. After all was said and done, we were just in time for supper in the main dining hall. Baked shrimp, veggie lasagna, squash combo and bread pudding was just a sample of what to expect all week. No one ever left the table hungry!

The main dining hall is a combination of dining area, bar, game room and dance floor. There’s a pool table, which sees a lot of use, and a Ping-Pong table. This whole area is surrounded by big-screened porches and is right on the water. Wide wooden walkways lead you to a large gazebo on the water, to the cabanas built on stilts over the water and to the turtle farm and party beach. Very romantic when surrounded by palm trees, orchids and ferns. Land crabs scurrying across the trails, iguanas and geckos everywhere you looked with fruit bats roosting under palm fronds during the day. Add a glorious sunset with palm tree silhouetted along the beach and you have the makings for a honeymoon location to dream about.

We had 8 in our group…Our own Bernie and Pam Blackwell, Bobbie and Andy Brennan (our travel agent and husband), their friends Tamara and John Goode and Shelley and I. John and Tamara were in a cabin over the water and the rest of us were in a 3 bedroom beach house about ¼ mi. from the main hall. These beach houses are privately owned but CCV uses them when the owners are not using them. Our beach house was a two story with screened porch around the first floor and an open balcony/deck on the top….great view! We had bicycles to use to get back and forth. With the rain we had all week, this was an adventure! After my injury, the beach house manager let me/us use a golf cart the whole week to get back and forth. I can’t say enough good about these folks!

Sunday morning, we had an orientation about the dive sites and navigating back to the beach for our shore exits. I wish I could draw you a diagram! We had a shore dive to get properly weighted and for the Divemaster to evaluate our abilities. There is a long, shallow channel leading away from the beach covered in sea grass and small coral heads. A chain leads from a small platform to the Prince Albert wreck in front of the resort. We followed this chain to the wreck, circled it and led off to the left down CoCo View Wall. Each morning we did a boat dive to a specific site with the second dive a drop off to CCV wall or the wreck, although you can easily go from one to the other at the end of the wall. At 2pm, another boat dive to a different site and a drop off on Newman’s Wall. Just past the PA wreck about 25 kick cycles and 30 degrees is the beginning of Newman’s Wall, leading away from the beach into deeper water.

The incident that resulted in stitches…max depth 78ft, avg. depth 33ft, 67 minutes. Water temp 85.
As Shelley and I left CCV wall, there is a sandy area between two huge coral heads at 15ft which makes a perfect safety stop area with lots of stuff to see. As you start to follow the chain back to the small platform, the surge can get pretty strong but is fun! Most of this part of the ‘channel’ is less than 6 ft deep, in places only about 3ft. To avoid a long walk (about 50 yds) over an uneven bottom, we learned to follow the chain, in a hand-over-hand fashion all the way to the platform. Just before I got to the platform, I thought I’d rest on my knees to take my fins off before standing up. As my knees came to rest on the bottom, my left knee came into sharp contact with a piece of coral, cutting a gash about 2” long and to the bone on the outside of the kneecap. It didn’t hurt and I thought I’d just skinned it good. But as I made my beach exit, it was pouring blood. Leaving bloody footprints across the sand then all across the decking around the dock area, I was convinced that maybe this was a serious injury!

There was a picnic table on the deck outside the dive shop and by the time I got there, I was getting sorta dizzy…I was losing blood faster than I thought possible. The staff Divemasters, boat captain, instructor and all the Divemasters and rescue divers in our group got a good opportunity to put their excellent skills into use! They almost never got the bleeding stopped. (I found out that coral has an anti-coagulant in it.) The doctor was off that day so the emergency clinic in Coxen Hole was called. There was only one Dr. on duty there and he couldn’t leave so I had to go to him. CCV called for the bus and I was ferried over to the dock. An interpreter was sent with me in case there was a language problem. When we drove up in front of the clinic, I must admit to a tinge of apprehension. The place looked straight from the 40’s! But the Dr. and nurse were very good. Once I got over the wrinkled brown paper wrapping around the surgical instruments, I knew I was in good hands. 5 stitches and enough gauze in the bandage to wrap a house later, the procedure was finished. I was told not to dive that night but that all diving the rest of the week was okay! Whew…. When I asked about any charges, I was told the resort would take care of it. Good thing, I was in my swimsuit and T-shirt!

Back at the resort dock, I was greeted by several of the staff and repeated asked if I was all right. When I went to the office to see about any charges, I was asked if I was paying the $2 per day chamber donation. “Yes…” ” Then don’t worry about any charges, it will come from the chamber fund.” I made a donation to the chamber fund anyway…. Chau, the beach house manager, gave me a spare key to her only golf cart for my use the whole week. I kept it at our beach house at night and could use it when she didn’t need it during the day….what a Sweetie! And it definitely made a big difference, I wouldn’t have been able to walk the ½ mile round trip several times a day.

The kitchen ladies had saved me some lunch and I spent the rest of Sunday afternoon in the bar drinking lemonade (I promise) and visiting with the bartender. One lady on our boat offered me several waterproof bandages to try. Folks, everyone needs these in their first-aid kit. Made by 3M called Clean Seals. A 2x3 in. gauze pad with a ½” seal around the edges…worked great! I made 5 dives with the first one and the whole thing was dry as a bone!

Remember the wheelchair ride at the airport? I decided that maybe that wasn’t such a good idea. God saw me do that and decided to teach me a lesson….”you want to depend on wheels for mobility?..so be it!” I’ll never do that one again!

Part II
A small digression…On our orientation dive, Billy the head Divemaster, had our group of 16 divers kneel in the sand in front of the Prince Albert wreck. We all demonstrated our skills at clearing masks and buddy breathing. He also watched each of us during this dive to evaluate our buoyancy skills. Our cameras weren’t allowed on this dive so of course, we saw our first seahorse! Billy took us over the PA wreck and on to Newman’s Wall to show us where it’s located. Since the wreck, CCV Wall and Newman’s Wall plays a big part in our shore dives, we had to learn how to navigate between and around them all. Bernie and I noted several spots to come back to with our cameras. We saw lots of sponges with resident brittle stars, arrow crabs, rock beauties and multitudes of damsels. The pair of French Angels on the wreck that follow you like puppies will show you lots of stuff! The PA wreck is very easy to penetrate and is filled with silver sides and glassy sweepers…beautiful!

Monday -
It rained all night and was still raining this morning. Got up around 5:30am, knee is sore and stiff but OK. Breakfast is served at 6am. and is cooked to order. Eggs any style, pancakes or waffles, toast, English muffins, either bacon, sausage links or ham, fresh picked from the trees bananas or fresh pineapples, oatmeal, fresh orange juice, lemonade, hot tea and coffee. This choice was the same every morning. The family style arrangement was very nice and allowed us to get to know the others, especially our boat mates. We sat at the same table all week so we had a staging area for our ‘stuff’ at any time.

The night before, we had unloaded our gear bags and put our stuff in the storage area. Each of us had two 18” sq. cubbyholes with 4 pegs underneath to hang BC’s and regs. A small hanging area for wetsuits right next to it. Our beach house number on a tag was hung on the front. We all felt very secure leaving our gear in these storage areas. I took my computer back to the house at night to fill in my logbook but other than that, everything stayed on the dock!

The boat left the dock at 9am. When we got there, our gear was already loaded on the boat and set up on tanks. We kept this same sitting arrangement all week so the DM and boat captain knew where to put out stuff. We never had to touch our gear again unless by choice. After analyzing my nitrox tanks for the morning, my gear was assembled for me and computer was turned on and tank pressure double-checked. They very rarely let us leave the dock with less than 3000 psi. Gringo, the captain, saw me readjusting my tank position that first morning and I showed him where I liked it. It was perfect the rest of the trip…. I could get used to this!

First site was Church Wall – 103 ft. max depth, avg. depth 47 ft., BT 71 minutes. Gas=air
So called because of small white church on the beach…very pretty sitting among the palm trees.
Nice sandy bottom to start at 30ft. Vis is down to about 60ft because of all the rain. Dropped over the edge of the wall with no bottom is sight. Breathtaking! I got that aquanaut ‘floating in space’ feeling immediately…what a way to start the diving week! As we worked our way down the wall, we saw large coral heads with sand chutes working their ways back to the surface. Overhangs large enough to hide under. So many kinds of hard coral, it’ll take hours to look them all up in my books! Rough file clams with scarlet insides, sharpnosed puffers and the meanest damsels on earth! I have a bite to prove it! The seas were starting to pick up so we ascended through a hatch in the center of the boat. This is really cool! No ladder dodging, no bruises! Wish all boats had this feature.

Our second dive was a drop off on CCV wall. Max depth 56ft, avg., depth 37ft, BT 64 minutes. Gas=air, Vis on top of wall 30ft. lower on the wall around 80ft.
With the rain and wind, the seas had become pretty rough. As we were geared up and getting ready to exit the boat, the sea did one of those di-doh’s that drops the boat out from under you! Pam was ready to do her giant stride in and she got thrown off the boat. I was knocked down in full gear with my newly stitched knee folded up underneath me and my ankle twisted under my butt! I’m starting to get the feeling I should have stayed in bed! After a brief check of all body parts, all joints worked though my ankle was sore…but the stitches held! No giant stride for me, just fall off the boat and get under quick!

The top of CoCo View Wall is a pristine white sandy top with coral heads reaching to within 5ft of the surface. A deep, steep busy wall with dramatic overhangs at 50ft and 80 ft. Displays of gargonia’s and large groupings if tune sponges with outcroppings from 60ft to 90 ft. Fairy Basslets and Black Cap Basslets are found in every little nook and cranny and they don’t like their picture taken But I may have managed to fool a few of them. Shelley and I decided to burn the rest of our tank on the Prince Albert. (We did this a lot!) The wreck is covered in life, from the sea plumes atop the wheel house, the pale pink finger sponges on the fore deck, the ringed anemones with Pederson shrimp around some of the portholes, and the bristle worms waiting for you to set a hand down! Some of the largest arrow crabs I’ve ever seen…one was about 8” across with neon blue pinchers. Shelley and I started a list of the stuff we saw but there’s no way I can list them all. My knee was beginning to bother me so Shelley and I sat out the afternoon dives.

Tuesday –
Mary’s Place Max depth 85ft, avg. depth 47ft, BT 69 minutes, Gas=EAN32 Vis 80-100ft

Shelley got Montezuma’s revenges during the night so I’m solo today…well sorta…same ocean, same buddy. Mary’s Place has been closed to divers for quite a while. Now they limit the number of divers on the site every day. MP is a fissure in the coral, a crack about 20ft wide at the top around 30ft and ends at the bottom at 100ft. Picture a V shaped wedge with outcroppings and ledges on either side. Fans the size of Volkswagens and barrel sponges you could sit in extending out from the walls. We entered the crack at 65ft. At this point, it’s about 8ft wide. Juvenile Spotted Drums dancing their way across the ledges, keeping company with Four Eyed Butterflies and Yellow Tailed Damsels. Keeping 20-30ft between each other, we swam about 100yds to the turn around. Bernie positioned himself at the opening to get pictures of everyone as we came through. (Photos aren’t allowed in the crack itself because when photographers stop for a picture, the divers behind tend to pile up and damage the sides.) As we swam over Bernie, we did a U-turn to the left and followed the crack back to the edge of the wall, coming out at 80 ft. This dive was very surreal. While waiting your turn to go through, just hanging in space, the size of the divers with their bubble trails make you realize how large this natural phenomena is. The feeling that it’s a privilege to be there is very strong…my throat tightens even now to remember it. This is one of those dives that are etched into memory.

As we worked our way around the top edges of the wall, Enrique (DM) found a brown seahorse. Bernie and I got pics of this one! Lg Scorpion fish, Trumpet fish, Blue Tangs, Queen Triggerfish, and Boxfish were just some of the things I’ve got in my logbook!

Drop Off on Newman’s Wall-Max depth 81ft, Avg. depth 42 ft, BT 67 minutes, Gas=EAN32 Vis 70ft
Mel, the instructor, told Bernie and I where the Gold seahorse was on Newman’s Wall so that was our goal on this dive. And we found it just where she said it was. About ½ way along the wall, there’s a group of Pillar Coral at 35ft. Right underneath the coral at 45ft, there’s some sea plumes…. and there at the base, the Gold seahorse. He was very patient with Bernie and I. Posing first one way then the other but we may have overdone it…we never found him there again! More Trumpet fish, Long Spinned White Sea Urchins, Bluebell Tunicates, Gold Social Feather Dusters, Extra large Feather Dusters of all colors…some as large as saucers…just to name a few of the things found.

Instead of repeating myself about the beauty of the walls and reefs, I’ll just summarize the rest of the dives with what we found there.

Forty Foot Point – Max depth 55ft, Avg. depth 40ft, BT 68 min, Gas=EAN33 Vis 80
Large schools of fish at the surface – Horse eyed Jacks, some kind of dark blue Wrasse with white lips (have to look that one up!) Sea Goddess nudibranchs, Pr. Spotted Filefish, Spotted Moray eel.

Drop off on PA Wreck (again!) – Max depth 53ft, avg. depth 37ft, BT 68 min, gas=EAN32, Vis 40ft
Pencil Sea Urchins, Long Nosed Puffers, and teensy Blennies…their little heads were only about 1/8” wide! Fingerprint Tongues, Banded Cleaner Shrimp

Wednesday-
Calvin’s Crack – Max depth 101ft, Avg. depth 44ft, BT 66 min, Gas=EAN32, Vis 80ft
Really cool vertical entry into trench at 75ft. The highlight of this dive was the 8ft Manta Ray. It came with 3 ft of Pam, just skimmed over the top of her head from behind. My first Manta…WOW. Those of you who have seen one know about the increase of heartbeat and breathing rate. The numbness that overtakes you...you've been dreaming of seeing one and getting a picture of it. There you hang, with camera in hand...and he's almost out of sight before you can remember to bring the camera up and try to catch a picture of his butt! Everything on this dive was big…a 2ft puffer, crab with an armspan of 3ft, and platter sized Condalactus Anemones with dark purple tips in each tentacle.

Drop off on Newman’s Wall – Max Depth 62ft, Avg. depth 34ft, BT 58min, Gas=EAN32, Vis 60ft.
Wall was the same stuff…too numerous to list. Our plan was to stop on the wreck, as usual, to burn our tanks but when we got there the vis went to ca-ca! About 10ft max. So we had to go to the chain on the stern and follow it in. But along the sand in Stitch Channel (Shelley’s name for the trail home!) in about 5 ft of heavy surge, we found a beautiful Peacock Flounder…so even this dive ended on a good note!

Menagerie – Max Depth 87ft, Avg. depth 29ft, BT 78 min, Gas=EAN32, Vis 70ft
The batteries in my strobe died…that’ll teach me to change them on time! Golden Spotted Eel and large grouper were noted. At the top of the reef, there was a patch of Staghorn coral about 2 acres across that was just rubble. I would have loved to see this before Mitch! Lots of Cabbage coral and small fish, wrasses, 6-8 different species of Damsels…

Drop off on Prince Albert – Max Depth 50ft, Avg. depth 35ft, BT 83 min, Gas=EAN32 Vis 80ft.
Finally, good vis on the wreck! Got a good ‘Titanic” shot of the bow of the wreck. Almost a whole roll of macro shots. Sure hope all these pics turn out!

Night Dive on Menagerie – Max depth 35ft, Avg. depth 22ft, BT 73 min, Gas=EAN32 Vis 80ft
The second best dive of the week. The goal on this dive was to see an octopus. We had folks from two boats on this dive…in other words; some I’d never dived with, and don’t care to again! I know we photographers can get tunnel vision when spying a good shot we had one guy with us who consistently kept descending on us from above and shoving us out of the way as we were setting up for a shot! After the third time of very politely asking then telling him not to do it again, my strobe happened to come into contact with a sensitive part of his anatomy…he got the hint! Enrique had found the first octopus for us but after the wrestling match with Mr. Rude, Shelley and I got out of the crowd and found 5 more ocotpi of our own! Did we tell the others? We tried…but weren’t heartbroken when we didn’t get their attention. Shelley was a great buddy on this night dive. As I found a subject to photograph, she would put a dim light on it so I could line up the shot…Worked perfectly. No more needing a third hand for a spotting light! At one point, we lay on the sand bottom as a very curious little guy came out and inspected us. Nothing was missed…our fingernails, our ears, mask…but I refused to give him my reg when he asked for it! Way Cool…. And such beautiful colors and textures. Pale, smooth milky blue with bright red blotches, to dark brown and bumpy…changing in an instant!

The best pic of a Juv. Spotted Drum was also on this dive. We were so jazzed when we got off the boat; we stayed up until 2am just reliving it. Another Memory.

Thursday –
Caribe Point – Max depth 43ft, Avg. depth 27ft, BT 28 min, Gas=EAN32 Vis 30ft
Stormy with 4-5ft waves. While waiting for the last ones off the boat, Shelley and I got caught in the current and separated from the rest. We tried to find them off the Wall but the vis was just too bad to see anything. I called the dive early. Since Gringo wasn’t expecting us so soon, the center trap entry under the boat wasn’t open. We both got pretty banged up on the ladder! And sitting on that rocking boat while waiting for the rest to ascend was a real trip!!!

Drop off on CCV Wall – Max Depth 66ft, Avg. depth 38ft, BT 67 min, Gas=EAN32 Vis 50ft at depth
Extra large Hogfish and several Bandtail Puffers.

Valley of the Kings – Max Depth 94ft, Avg. depth 41ft, BT 61min, Gas=EAN32 Vis 80ft.
Lots of Lettuce Coral on this one. Found a Harlequin Pipefish…another first. An 18” golden colored Scorpion fish, Blue Hamlets, and Shy Hamlets. In the shallows at our safety stop, found what I thought was a nudibranch but turned out to be a Lettuce Leaf Slug…another first. In the sand, saw lots of Goatfish, Slippery Dicks, and Yellow Headed Wrasses.

Drop off on PA Wreck – Max Depth 59ft, Avg. depth 34ft, BT 60 min, Gas=EAN32 Vis 100ft
Can almost see from end to end today! Got lots of wide angle shots for Beast.

Part III
Friday –
Since we fly home tomorrow, today is our ‘Be a Tourist’ day. CCV offers a ½ day island tour but Bernie and I thought it would be more fun to rent a jeep and scout the island on our own. We were very optimistic about the weather and asked for something with a soft-top so we could get some sun! On the dock at 8:30am we found a Suzuki Samurai waiting for us. 5 or 6 years old, over 75000 miles on it and a transmission that sounded like a loose bicycle chain. But it ran good! Pam and Shelley had quite a ride in the small back seat! Axel deep potholes, and a resident ant bed under the seat made for a thrilling ride! Lauray, the Activities Director had given us a map with restaurants and shopping areas highlighted. What she failed to mention was there are very few road signs on Roatan!

There are no words to describe how poor this country is. Shacks, smaller than the shed we keep our garden tools in, house whole families. These hovels are made from scrap lumber, rusty tin and even palm fronds. A few scrawny chickens pecking in the dirt yards. Small children go naked because clothes for a fast growing child are too expensive to replace as they need them. But everyone we saw had a smile on their face and pride in their eyes. It was a very humbling experience.

We found some of the places we wanted to see but they didn’t open until 10am so we figured we’d hit them on the way back…never saw them again! Everyone kept telling us we needed to do our shopping in West End and there was a very good seafood restaurant there. Well, we didn’t find the restaurant on the list but I don’t think we’d have eaten there if we had. I didn’t see anywhere I’d even buy bottled drinks much less eat the food…our systems just can’t handle this! The shopping consisted of small businesses carrying basically the same things. The road through the West End was wide enough for 1 vehicle and at any one time, at least 2 tires were in a pothole! Bernie would let us out, drive ahead and park the jeep, then come back and walk with us up to…repeat the procedure! After a week of almost continuous rain, the dirt streets were inches deep in mud.

Because of the rain, we skipped the Iguana Farm and the Tropical Bird Park. We’ll just have to see them the next trip. Back in Coxen Hole, we had a store on our list called Yada Ding Ding…this one we had to see! Typical tourist boutique owned and run by non-natives. Across the street there was a small open-air (with blue tarp roof) restaurant. When we first saw it, it was full and the smells from there were making our stomachs growl. Bernie had gotten directions to one of the restaurants on our list but we’d have to backtrack a ways. We decided to try this one. Fried beef steaks (?), fried potatoes, rice, fried plantains and homemade tortillas were very good. Pepsi in a bottle was the drink of choice. Bernie and I would regret this meal later! The rain was getting worse so after consulting the ferry schedule, we decided to go back early. We had to have our bags packed and ready to be picked up by 8pm for transport early Sat. morning.

Friday night’s supper is usually a beach party. But because of the rain, we would be served steak and lobster, grilled onions, baked potatoes and Key Lime pie. (It would have lost the pie contest in the Keys!) The staff dressed up in costume and a party was thrown! Three people from each dive boat group (3) would participate in the pumpkin-carving contest. I’m proud to say Andy, Millie and I were the carvers for Easy Rider 1 and we won the contest. The prize was a small bottle of Honduran rum, which was, enjoyed by all…especially Enrique, our Divemaster. Pam won the Limbo contest. Her prize was a CoCo Nut T-shirt. We all participated in the Conga line. My knees let me know real quickly when I’d pushed the limits! While we were partying and dancing, Bernie was playing pool. He’s convinced there is a policy of ‘Let the Tourist win’ among the boat crew!

Our days started around 5:30am and we were usually in bed by 9pm…not my regular schedule! Two dives, lunch at 12 noon and back on the boat at 2pm. Two more dives and supper served at 6:30pm. It rained the whole time we were there. During the whole week, I don’t think we had 6 hours total with no rain! But despite the weather, the damp sheets, and never being completely dry, I had the time of my life. The only thing I missed was the Beast…he would have loved this trip. To describe CoCo View Resort as a dive resort doesn’t do it justice. It is set up by divers, for divers. Yes, it is in a beautiful setting but it’s the people there that make it so special. Everyone, from the dock staff, the kitchen staff, and office people, knew us by our first names and treated us as friends. There were quite a few hugs given and addresses exchanged before we left. We will return there to see friends as well as to dive.

A few tips when you go there…
1. Batteries are very expensive…$2.00 each for AA’s. The Divemasters have to buy their own so they really appreciate having any extras you may have left over. We left a large zip-lock bag full of them with Enrique and you’d have thought we’d given him gold!
2. The no-seeums like salty skin! So be sure to shower after your dives. The tap water is brackish so you still need bug spray. Deep Woods Off worked well for us.
3. One lady took a small bag filled with odds and ends she’d collected around her house. Stamps, eyeglass cases, cosmetic samples…you know, the stuff we usually throw away. The ladies in the kitchen were thrilled to get these things.
4. Snacks…Pringles, Jolly Ranchers, Tootsie Pops and Teddy Grahams…are always welcome. Gringo and Enrique had a sucker in their mouths every time we turned around. I can’t say enough good things about CCV so I’ll stop repeating myself. Beast and I will be returning in April.

DSAO
Dee

ps...The new Oceanic Data Max Pro Plus computer worked like a champ, I am very pleased with it. And the Bio-fins got tested in strong current. A 5 star performance and well worth the money spent on them. The flourescent yellow paint showed up like a beacon but does have a tendancy to scuff easily!

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