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It’s Easy to Go Diving from a Cruise Ship in Roatan
It’s surprisingly easy for cruise ship passengers like me to arrange a two-tank dive in advance while visiting Roatan on their journey, as well as other Caribbean islands like Cozumel.
I did it in mid-February with Sun Divers Roatan while aboard the Sky Princess. Here are some tips to making it happen:
1) Book Your Two-Tank Dive As Early As Possible
My wife and I knew we were going to book a cruise back in July 2023 to celebrate her best friend’s milestone birthday with Beth’s husband, and a few other couples. Because one of those couples were divers –– and they'd been to Sun Divers last June with their daughter –– we booked a two-tank dive to coincide with our day in port.
After I had a Zoom call with Natalie Shuman, the shop's co-owner, I was positive this was the right shop for our dives. After all, they were also voted as the #1 dive shop on the West End among the island's 54 dive operators. Plus, for those looking for a longer stay, the Beach House and Sun Divers also have a Dive & Stay Package available May – November with hotel and dive discounts.
2) Be Flexible in Your Diving Schedule
Our ship’s original itinerary showed us arriving on a Tuesday. But a few weeks prior to departure, we got emails that they date had changed and we'd arrive a day earlier. I emailed Sun Diver to confirm the date change and they wrote that they'd send a driver to meet our ship at 10:30am.
When we got to the dive shop, we got outfitted with new ScubaPro BCs, very plush 3ml ScubaPro wetsuits, integrated weights, and fins. They also provided a nice amenity -- keyed lockers to stow our dry clothes, towels, and shoes.
3. Book With Boats Who Cater to Small Dive Groups Like Sun Divers Roatan.
We were told that they only cater to small dive parties, so there were just five of us on the boat plus the Captain and the Divemaster. That's the way we like to dive vs. "cattle-marans" who pack 12 to 20 divers on one boat.
We wanted to dive along the Mesoamerican Reef, the largest coral reef barrier in the Atlantic Ocean. It spans more than 620 miles and is home to more than two million inhabitants.
4. Be Prepared to Enjoy Award-Winning Service.
Since Sun Divers Roatan was given TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice award, we knew we'd be pampered with great service. They carried all of our gear on-board, attached regulators to the tanks for both dives, helped us into and out of our gear before and after each dive, etc.
The winds were gusting on the West End that day, so Sun Diver Roatan chose two dive sites on the Southside that day to shelter us from the winds and to accommodate our deadline to be back aboard our cruise ship by late afternoon.
5. Scuba diving from my Sky Princess cruise was very easy and stress-free.
I hope you can enjoy this extra-curricular activity on Roatan like I did. Five stars. Two thumbs up. New gear. Great divemaster. Terrific owners. - via 