By Gary
I wanted to share our experience snorkeling Coco View Resort Roatan, Honduras. My wife and I had made reservations for an all-inclusive week there. At the time we were divers, but in the interim, we have become more enamored with snorkeling and made the decision to do that instead. We were leery that being snorkelers in a dive resort might prove to be a bad move, but the reservations were made.
Snorkeling Coco View Resort – By Boat and House Reef
By boat, there are two dive outings a day to two different dives sites and then the boat returns and drops off the divers to the house reef. We consulted with the dive master about which sites were appropriate for snorkeling and went on those occasions. The remainder of the time we snorkeled the house reef. We borrowed flashlights for a night snorkel on one occasion.
So, how was snorkeling Coco View Resort? In a word, great. The house reef is about a five minute easy swim. You can easily spend an hour combing the different pockets. Fish life is abundant. We saw a spotted drum and an eagle ray in addition to the usual array of Caribbean fish. The coral was as healthy as anywhere I have seen this side of the Red Sea.
The corals ranged from fan coral to brain coral to staghorn, not many vases. All were pretty colorful compared to other places we have seen. Fish life was abundant with angelfish, Trumpetfish, parrotfish, Neon Gobi, Spotted Drum, eagle ray, big moray eels, and octopus. What might be more useful is what we didn’t see: turtles, sharks, or large pelagic fish.
We have been snorkeling across the Caribbean: Cozumel, Providenciales, Cayman Islands, Belize, and I really thought the reef in Roatan looked healthier than most.
During our night snorkel, we had a two minute encounter with a reef octopus that was quite remarkable. In essence, it learned to use the light from our flashlight to hunt prey. The house reef was so good that it made the use of the dive boats somewhat extraneous. The reefs they were going to were not quite as good.
About Coco View Resort
Roatan is a direct flight from Miami or Atlanta, so the commute is surprisingly easy.
The resort justifiably prides themselves on the amount of repeat customers they attract, so they must be doing something right.
Here is some information about arrival at the resort. The pickup process at the airport was smooth and well designed. They met us at the airport and there were about 10 people on the plane headed for the resort. The bags went in a truck and we went in the van for the half hour drive from the airport. There is a five minute boat ride separating the resort from the road.
After arrival, there was lunch, paperwork and orientation. We were assigned to a dive boat. By the time we went to the room, the luggage was there.
The rooms are of adequate size and everything works. They are not luxurious, but they are not Spartan either and the porch area had a great view. There are houses that are more elaborately equipped including some over the waterfront, but none are posh.
The food is served buffet style and coffee is always out. The food is good. There is nothing where you will say, “I must have this recipe,” but all the meals offered variety, salads and we never left with a complaint.
The worst thing about the resort is the no-see-ums. They will not attack if you have bug spray on, but heaven forbid you forget.
There are also paddle boats and kayaks which are freely available. The sea was flat about half the time, but when there was a wind, paddle boarding or kayaking would be a rough proposition.
There is a bar where they have chips, popcorn; it is a friendly evening place. There are also music nights.
Now we were the odd men out so to speak. Everybody else was involved in dive speak. Since I have been diving for over 30 years and my wife for over 10, this was OK as we could participate and didn’t feel totally left out, but it was definitely a factor.
Thank you Gary for sharing your experience snorkeling Coco View Resort in Roatan. There is some useful info here for folks considering a visit.
We have another community post by a snorkeler who stayed there in 2018.
For anyone interested, here is a link to TripAdvisor’s reviews of Coco View Resort. You can help us if you use this link. We may make a small commission, at no extra cost to you.
Thank you for your report. How were the sargassum conditions?
Basically, there was none at the resort or where the boats went. There was a windy day where small jellyfish and pieces of plastic were abundant. Then the next day the wind, jellyfish, and garbage were gone.
You got that right about the no-see-um’s, as they love me with or without bug spray! All of your information and report are accurate. We spent a week at Coco View about six years ago, so nice to hear things are about the same!
What time of the year did you go to Coco View Resort? We have been wanting to go to Roatan to snorkel for a week!
Hi. We are going at the end of January. We were in Roatan four years ago. The snorkeling was great. Easy access from shore.
We stayed in West End where most of the restaurants and shops are. We snorkeled Half Moon Bay on the right side. Lots of marine life.
We also took the boat ferry to West Bay ($3.00 each). Bananarama offers the use of their chaise chairs as long as you order drinks or food. The snorkeling to the left when looking at the beach was great and the beach is beautiful!
There are many wonderful spots to snorkel.
I am thinking of going to Coco View, but keep hearing how bad the bugs are. Are there any resorts in Roatan with house reefs where you don’t need bug spray constantly?