West End Wall

Our first dive was at West End Wall. It was a small group, just Alex and I, our Instructor Joe and another Aussie named Mark. We told Joe about our adventures in Indonesia and Vietnam, so he knew he had a lot to live up to! lol

Roatan exceeded our expectations by far! We had an incredible first dive- I'm unable to express this into words. Diving is such an amazing experience. It enables you to explore an underwater paradise and immerse yourself in a delicate ecosystem which most of us go about our daily lives ignoring. I remember the first time I went snorkeling in Belize. I could literally stand in knee deep water and see the horizon, the sky, the clouds, birds, flowers, palm trees. When I dipped my head underwater, there were beautiful tropical fish and brightly colored coral right underneath the surface, for as far as I could see. At that moment I realized that there is a whole other world down there. My mind had just expanded. I wanted more.

West End Wall is on the lee side of a plateau where an underwater ridge slopes down to the western tip of the reef. It's home to pillar coral which can grow up to 8 feet tall, Azure Vase sponges, barrel sponges (also known as the redwood of the deep), dog snapper, horse eyed jacks, Spotted Eagle Rays, and much much more!

This area is known as a pelagic zone or open water zone because it's not near the ocean floor. On the other side of the wall is the blue abyss.

If you looked close enough, tiny coral banded shrimp were everywhere.They dance in the palm of your hand. King Crab and HUGE Lobsters hid in coral holes.

Just when we thought the dive couldn't get any better, we came out from an enclosed area and into the blue. Just about 30 feet away were 2, count them- 2 Hammerhead Sharks!!!! How exciting! Although hammerheads do generally swim in schools, it was rare to see them at all. As soon as they lied eyes on us, they took off in opposite directions. It was just a split second but was such an incredible site! They were about 7-8 feet long! What a thrill!

This was such a warm welcome to diving in Roatan! The island is known for it's reefs and most of the dive sites are just off shore. We decided to get our Advanced Open Water certification while we were here. What better place was there to explore?

Here's a good link to all the dive sites in Roatan.

Snorkel Test

The second night there was a big celebration at the Green Flash bar, the resident bar of Land's End. Joe  was bar tending that night and his buddy Alex was completing his Dive Master training. The last requirement is to pass the Snorkel Test! We were in for a real treat!

We had a front row seat- we had been there since sun down drinking rum and pineapples. An ole guy named Barry had his regular seat at the end of the bar. Eva was busy running around making sure the back up generator didn't blow the house up, and a couple from Massachusetts who were on their honey moon talked with us about the goings on of the island.

Just after dark people started trickling in. You would have never guessed that that many people would show up! It was quite the celebration!

Joe explained the rules of the Snorkel Test to Alex, who had been his first student to complete his Dive Master certification. Basically, he had to wear goggles and a snorkel which acted like a beer bong. Joe gathered a splash from everyone's drink around the bar, and added a few secret ingredients of his own also. (including 2 raw eggs and hot sauce...eek!)

Everyone cheered Alex on and he passed the test with flying colors!! What a rush!! Congratulations to Alex, he was now OFFICIALLY a Dive Master!!

With a warm welcome like this, we couldn't imagine diving with any other group than these guys. We signed up to dive with Atlantic Sea Divers and Joe would be our instructor.