Roatan Cruise Ship Scuba Diving Excursion

Cruisin' into Roatan for the day?! Lucky you!

Roatan is a beautiful Caribbean island that has so much to offer, one of those being STELLAR diving. Roatan is home to the Mesoamerican reef, the second largest on earth! We are lucky enough to be surrounded by this pristine coral reef, allowing for world class diving!

Check out that REEF!

Cruisin' into Roatan for the day?! Lucky you!

If you are looking to strap on a tank (or get your snorkel game on), come on down to Coconut Tree Divers. We have a few great options for you on your Roatan cruise ship day!

Those of you who are certified diver’s can catch one or more of our daily fun dives. No need to worry about specific boat times, as we work around you and your Roatan cruise ship schedule!

Not yet certified or have no experience? We have you covered! Join us for a Discover Scuba Dive to see what the scuba world is all about, or ask about snorkelling.Coconut Tree Divers is located in the heart of West End with plenty of great food and beverage options near by. We have been in operation for over 19 years, no one knows the reef better than us and we cannot wait to share it with you!

Our home!

The view from our shop!

Fun Dives for Certified Divers

We would love to have you join our Coconut Tree family for a day of fun diving. Float through the gorgeous Roatan reef on one of our Divemaster led fun dives. With a 1 or 2 tank option, each dive lasts 50-60 minutes depending on air consumption and depth of dive. If you happen to run low on air before the time limit we have the luxury of having Divemaster Interns to assist you to the surface and back to the boat. Heavy breather?? No problem we have 15L / 100CF tanks for you if needed. Want that extra boost of Oxygen to help you feel better after a dive? Ask about diving on Enriched Air Nitrox.

It is important to us that our customers get the best experience possible! Unlike other big resorts or cruise ship run dives, all our dive groups are kept small to ensure a safe diver to Instructor ratio. Providing a comfortable, hands on, safe and awesome experience! Our large platform boats are equipped with large aluminium ladders that are easy to walk up.

Discover Scuba

There is nothing like taking your first breath under water. If you have always wanted to experience the world of scuba but did not know where to start… Discover Scuba has your name all over it. No experience necessary, just you and your sense of adventure!

To begin, one of our experienced instructors teaches you the basics of scuba, followed by practicing your skills in confined water, and then off to meet all the marine life for your very first shallow scuba dive!

Snorkel

If breathing underwater is not your thing, we also offer snorkel trips. The snorkelers board the same boat as our divers, allowing you access to all the best reefs spots. Perfect for families or couples who are split between divers and snorkelers but want to remain together!

Magic!

Price & logistics

From Mahogany Bay dock it is a 35 minute car ride, from the Port of Roatan a 15 minute ride. The cost for a 2 tank certified diver trip with transportation to and from your cruise ship is $100 per person or $60 per person for a one tank dive. For a Discover Scuba session with round-trip transportation the cost is $120 per person. Snorkeling is $10 a person, or $30 a person including transportation. Our fantastic and reliable driver Murphy will be waiting for you at your port! All prices include free equipment rental and all boat rides are typically 10 minutes or less. Our boats are spacious, have rooftops to keep you shaded with custom built ladders to walk up, not climb!

To book with us simply book your reservation online or email us at [email protected] with any questions or inquires. We will get you sorted with all you need, allowing for a relaxing a stress free day on the island.

Photography

Roatan is home to so many magnificent turtles!

Gotta keep ‘the gram’ up to date, we know you want a picture with a turtle!! Let us capture your time under water in Roatan. You can hire our lovely photographer to capture candid’s of you underwater, or rent out an underwater camera. Check out more details here.

We cannot wait to meet you!

Molson, our fearless leader and dive shop watch dog will be waiting for you on your Roatan cruise ship day!

To read about other’s excellent experience with us, look us up on trip advisor !

Roatan’s Coral Restoration Certification Program

Eco Friendly, Scuba Diving

All around the world coral reefs are suffering due to coral diseases, climate change, over-fishing, land-based pollution and other stressors!

Our time and effort are crucial to preserving and restoring Roatan and now there is a way you can help…

Introducing Roatan’s Coral Restoration Certification Program!

A program designed to empower divers to engage in coral conservation and provide a hands-on opportunity to grow, monitor, and outplant corals.

This program has been created by the Roatan Marine Park – an internationally recognized not-for-profit organization founded in 2005. Since then, they have protected Roatan’s marine ecosystems and worked with the community to spread knowledge and reduce hazards to the environment.

Cleaning some coral! Photo by Patric Ocean

Why the need for this program?

For many years, the Roatan Marine Park has been working hard to protect the reef from multiple stressors. Now they are also engaged in rebuilding the reef through active coral restoration and created a certification course to get YOU involved.

“This project is an important part of our strategy to protect our marine ecosystems and empower people to engage in coral conservation. We hope you enjoy learning about our coral restoration program and use your knowledge and experience to help educate others about the importance of coral reefs” – Francis Lean, Executive Director, Roatan Marine Park

Constructing a nursery!

Give me the coral details

Currently, the program is focused on growing Staghorn and Elkhorn corals. Each a crucial species as they provide the three-dimensional framework vital for healthy reefs. The bad news- up to 98% of these crucial species have been lost due to the White Band Disease epidemic of the 1970′ and 80’s.

The good news- Roatan still has many resilient Elkhorn and Staghorn coral colonies, that have survived the disease epidemics and the other stressors! Even better news- these species grow FAST and the program works to preserve the genetic diversity of the survivors by growing them in coral nurseries and outplanting the coral back on the reef!

So what’s a Coral Nursery?

This is a tree like structure built to house and grow the coral and it looks like this…

Look at all those nurseries! Photo by Patric Ocean

The Roatan Marine Park has partnered with local leading dive shops (like us at Coconut Tree Divers!) to build a community supported coral nursery near the SeaQuest Deep dive site.

By collecting viable coral fragments, or small cuttings from healthy colonies, we are able to stock the nursery and grow the fragments over 6-9 months into large enough pieces to ‘re plant’ back on the reef. Our work does not end there though, we make sure to monitor the growth and health of the outplanted coral to evaluate and improve our process.

The Roatan Marine Park Coral Restoration Program has successfully installed 20 coral nursery trees growing a total of 910 corals and COUNTING!! Every little piece helps to save our coral reef ecosystem!

A volunteer at work! Photo by Patric Ocean

**How YOU can get directly involved – Roatan’s Coral Restoration Certification**

For those passionate and interested in learning how to maintain the nurseries and plant corals back on the reef… this certification course is for you!

FIRST – Roatan’s Coral Restoration Certification course will start with a four hour classroom session where divers are provided a background on coral ecology, coral stressors, the and the procedures used in maintaining coral trees, and outplanting and monitoring coral.

Coconut Tree Instructor Rachael Teaching the crew about the program at our dive shop!

NEXT – you will complete two open water dives.

First dive will be to maintain the coral nursery and the basics of how to clean coral trees. With the second dive to either outplant coral, monitor coral health, or install coral trees depending on the needs of that time!

FINALLY – Once successfully completed, you will be issued your RMP Coral Restoration card and be certified to continue with any volunteer efforts you wish. Just visiting? That is fantastic and we so encourage you to get involved in the program and experience hands-on coral restoration to inspire you to continue to engage in ocean conservation and awareness.

Photo by Patric Ocean

And you never know what type of critters you will spot during your time under water! Check out this squid squad that decided drop by the nursery.;.

SO COOL! Photo by Patric Ocean

How do I Sign Up?

The RMP Coral Restoration Certification class is offered by us here at Coconut Tree Divers! Part of the certification course goes directly to the Roatan Marine Park to protect and restore Roatan’s coral reefs.

Please contact us at Coconut Tree Divers for a list of available dates and prices! We cannot wait to work with you!

*Please note you must first have your open water certification

For further information check out RMP’s Coral Restoration page here.

Eagle Ray spotting!

How to Conserve Air While Diving

Scuba Diving

How do I conserve air while diving?

We hear this a lot. If you are familiar with diving then you know the amount of remaining air in your tank is often turned into a competition among divers. While some friendly competition never hurt anyone, remember everyone’s body is different!

FACT: Different body types are going to require more air than others. If your body is stressed or tired, it is not going to operate at 100% and therefore use more air.

However, no one wants to be the guy or girl who causes the rest of the group to end the dive early because they are low on air.

If you are struggling with air consumption, or tired of frequently running low on air… or you simply want some tips to beat out your buddies.. you have come to the right place! These tips will help.

Some happy divers at our shop, Coconut Tree Divers Roatan, Honduras!

Tips to conserve air while scuba diving

Breathe slowly and deeply.

AKA control your breath, be conscious of it. Ever taken a yoga class? If so it’s the same concept. Deep breath in, slow exhale out. Try to pause a second after your deep breath in, do not hold your breath, simply pause, then exhale. A deep breath, compared to shorter more frequent breaths, allows a greater amount of fresh oxygen to be absorbed by your body. To get your body familiar with this breathing try counting as you inhale and match that count as you exhale. Keep that count in your head until your body becomes familiar with it.

Control that buoyancy.

The better your buoyancy control, the better your air consumption will be. The constant manoeuvre of going up and down requires energy expenditure, causing more air intake. As well as inflating/deflating your BCD frequently and using your fins to compensate for your buoyancy. All of this drains air and energy. Practice is everything when it comes to buoyancy control. Have patience with yourself, you will get there… and when you do your tank will remain fuller longer!

An excellent way to improve your buoyancy is obtaining your Advanced Open Water certification. One of the five dives you could elect to take is called Peak Performance Buoyancy, it is solely focused on buoyancy and guaranteed to help you improve!

Buoyancy control spot on!

Dive slow and steady.

This ain’t a race, sloth it up! Higher speeds take an increasingly higher amount of energy out of you. Directly correlating to more air consumption. Take it easy, soak it in and go slow… the slower you go the more time your eyes have to spot our underwater friends and the more you will conserve air while diving!

Gear check please.

Always make sure to check your equipment for leaks with your buddy before each dive. Be sure to check your o-ring, inflator hose, and all connection points. If you are unsure how to do so, simply ask one of your dive leaders to show you how! No leaks is a sure way to conserve air while diving.

Gear check! #buddycheck

Streamline your dive.

Dive horizontal, AKA don’t be a seahorse! (ugh how cute are seahorses though?!) Getting your hydrodynamics down will help you maintain air. When your body is in a vertical position underwater it automatically has less control. You start using your arms, your fins are flipping around more, and overall you are expending way to much energy. Get horizontal, make sure none of your equipment is dragging, and keep your arms close to your sides. Arms are not to be used to manoeuvre your body underwater, keep them at your sides, it is all about your legs and fins! Speaking of letting your legs and fins do all the work…

Perfect your kick.

Your fins are your biggest asset. When used correctly they will get you to where you want to go with minimal effort. Avoid bicycle kicks, try frog kicks! Long frog kicks allow the fins to push water behind causing you to soar forward, while bicycle kicks slice through the water and propel you forward less. Take a look at your dive leader, how is she or he kicking? Try and mimic that, kick from your hips not just your lower legs and you will save air!

Turtle Turtle! Cruising around the Roatan waters

Dive shallower.

This is a super helpful one, especially for those really struggling with air consumption. Just like you learned in your open water certification, the deeper you go the more air your body requires. Try diving a few feet above the group, it can make a big difference in how much air you consume.

Keep calm and carry dive on.

Being nervous underwater is the quickest way to empty your tank faster than your fellow divers. The heart rate goes up and your body uses more oxygen.

The solution to this starts above water. Take a moment before entering the water to visualize your decent and dive, go over the motions and become comfortable with the idea of getting in the water. It may sound funny but talk to yourself. Tell yourself ‘this is going to be a great dive, I am calm.’ Jump in the water, check in with yourself often and practice that deep slow breath like mentioned above!

Swimming in a sea of Silversides in Roatan Honduras

Lets sum it up

Next time you are about to the hop in the water.. check your equipment for leaks, take a minute to mentally prep yourself for your time in the water, practice your breathing pattern above water then jump on in. As you descend keep focusing on that breathing, then once at the bottom take a minute to really find your buoyancy while keeping that breath. Stay streamlined, go slow, perfect that frog kick and have a kick ass dive…. you got this!

Whether it is to last a full 55 minutes underwater or to beat out your buddies… Follow these tips and you are certain to save more air while scuba diving!

Our Coconut Tree Dive shop in Roatan, Honduras!

We would love to have you come dive with us!

For more info on Coconut Tree Divers, schedules, courses, and pricing head to our homepage HERE!

To make a reservation head to our online reservation page HERE!

Want to keep up with all things Coconuts?! Make sure to follow us!

Instagram : @coconuttreedivers

Facebook: Coconut Tree Divers

We would love to have you come dive with us!

For more info on Coconut Tree Divers, schedules, courses, and pricing head to our homepage HERE!

To make a reservation head to our online reservation page HERE!

Best Dive Sites of Roatan Honduras

Scuba Diving

Roatan is home to some of the best diving in the Caribbean. Located about 30 miles off the East coast of Honduras you will find the island of Roatan. Being the largest of the three Bay Islands of Honduras, Roatan has so much underwater beauty and healthy reef to explore!

As part of the Mesoamerican barrier reef system, the second largest reef in the world, Roatan is an absolute mecca for scuba diving. Countless dive sites surround the island, providing us some real difficulty in narrowing down the best dive sites of Roatan. So we turned to the people who would know best… our staff of instructors here at Coconut Tree Divers Roatan, who spend everyday in this underwater playground!

Some of our staff and divemaster trainees!

Best Dive Sites of Roatan Honduras

Here is a breakdown of what each of our instructors said when asked what their favorite, most recommended and best dive site of Roatan was and why…

HOLE IN THE WALL – recommended by our part owner and underwater photography connoisseur Alex Harper Graham

This dive site starts with a dramatic descend through a long chute that takes you down to the actual ‘hole’ in the wall that opens up to the deep blue. As one of the deeper dives, the blue goes on forever but we bottom out to a max depth of 40m/130ft. Once through the ‘Hole in the Wall’ you head along the wall where you can see all sorts of marine life. Make sure to bring your flash light to get a better look into all the dark corners and crevasses, you can spot an octopus, many juvenile fish, and some rarer blennies! In addition this dive site is home to several networks of caves and swim throughs, all at a much shallower profile for all levels of divers!

As a lover of underwater photography Alex’s favorite dive sites all involve caves, “I love the darkness in the over head environment with beams of sunlight shining through, it is one of my favorite scenes to photograph especially if they are populated with thousands of Silversides!” – Alex

Pro tip: practice your buoyancy before this dive as it will make your time in the swim throughs easier to navigate and will keep those fins from ruffling up a sandstorm for your friends behind you!

Taking in the magic of the silversides at Hole in the Wall, WOW

Alex sure captured the magic of swimming with Silversides in this photo above, if you have ever been interested in underwater photography make sure to check out her photography course.

SEA QUEST SHALLOW – recommended by Rachael our favorite little Saskatchewanese fluent instructor

A calm, sandy wide-open paradise is how we are going to describe this one! Sea Quest makes a great dive site for any level of scuba. There is so much in this large underwater playground for you to float around and explore. Due to it’s shallow depth, the corals are especially vibrant with that natural sun light shining through the water. Sea Quest is a great place to spot a lot of sting rays and tiny creatures!

“I love all the sand. It is perfect for photographers because the light is reflected off the sand so it can be bright even on cloudy days. Everyone can really have their own space and creature hunt for their own favorite stuff while I also try and keep my eye out for the turtles and feeding rays! Definitely one of the best dive sites of Roatan” – Rachael

A spotted eagle ray laying on the sandy floor

EL AGUILA – recommended by the super knowledgeable Scuba Ted

Who doesn’t love exploring a good ship wreck? A 220 foot cargo ship sits at 30m below the oceans surface called the El Aguila (The Eagle). Broken into a few pieces, this ship wreck is always exciting to explore and see what is hiding in its crevasses. A few entrance and exit points make for some great swim throughs depending on your diver level. The ships depth allows us a bottom time of about 16 minutes with the wreck before shallowing up to finish the dive on the neighboring wall where huge resident groupers are always floating around.

Full Disclosure: When we asked Ted for his choice of best dive sites of Roatan, in true Scuba Ted fashion he answered “All of them, all of them are great. They all have something different to offer, and they’re always changing over time. That’s the best thing about Roatán‘s reef system, diversity!” – Scuba Ted

Pro tip: A great way to extend your bottom time with the El Aguila would be diving with Enriched Air Nitrox!

One of the resident large groupers found outside the El Aguila

BLUE CHANNEL – Recommended by instructor Cruz

Blue Channel is a perfect way to start your time diving in Roatan. Here you can explore the awesome network of swim throughs or spend some time on the northern wall, all while searching for juvenile spotted drum fish, pipefish, goatfish, snapper, and resident green moray eels!

“Blue Channel is night dive cheat mode, you can spot octopus, squid, lobsters, all of it.. during the day! Great swim throughs, great wall section, a lot of macro life in the rubble and I see eagle rays every time. Best of all it’s got burr fish which are my favorite… and the channel walls sometimes have hiding nurse sharks..!” – Cali Cruz

A huge green moray eel lurking in the Blue Channel

JOSIE “J” SHIPWRECK – recommended by our fearless tec diving leader Monty Graham

A dream dive site for many divers, as you can only catch a glimpse of this shipwreck if you are very experienced and trained in technical (tec) diving…

Beyond the recreational limits lies a live shipwreck that accidentally sunk in an undisclosed location near West Bay point (so cool). The highest point of the ship is 168ft / 51mt on the aft starboard baller. To enter the wheelhouse you need to dive to 185ft / 56mt, however the tec diver must be very careful to enter here as there are many electrical wires hanging from the roof! The bottom of the bow in the sand is 211ft / 64mt. For the divers to safely dive at the wreck they must be equipped with dual tanks of either air or trimix and also carry 2 separate decompression gases 50% and 100% oxygen.

A dive obviously not for everyone, but for anyone who dreams of pushing the limits and becoming a tec diver can do so through the Roatan Tec Center courses with Monty here at Coconut Tree Divers!

A look at the ‘ghost ship’ of Josie J

MANDY’S EEL GARDEN – recommended by our youngest instructor Sammy

Mandy’s Eel Garden is exactly what is sounds like! This dive site has hundreds of little eels emerging from the sandy floor. The closer you get to them the more they shrink back into their home under the sand. Providing us with way to much entertainment as we float around the bottom trying to catch the biggest glimpse we can before they go into hiding! This is a dive site for all levels of divers trying to catch a glimpse of the tiny eels, and all the other great marine life found here in the sand patches as well as the coral wall.

“Mandy’s Eel Garden is a major favorite of mine. I love going through the big sand patch there, because we always spot eagle rays feeding or spend time searching for little creatures too. The wall has lots of growth and a really cool structures. The little garden eels are always cute too and the customers love them!” – Sammy

The eel garden!

BEARS DEN – recommended by our newest instructor Tina of Argentina.. Aka ‘Argentina Tina’

Bear’s Den get’s its name from the large underwater tunnel and cave located here. A cave big and perfect for a bear…if only bears could breathe underwater! The tunnel gets a bit narrow, a perfect place for divers eager to put their well practiced buoyancy to the test. This is a diverse dive that can reward you with sightings of barracuda, nudibranch, spotted drum fish, crabs, lobsters, sea sponges, black coral, grouper, turtles and who knows what else!

“Bears Den.. is.. so.. cool!! There is a ‘U’ shaped swim through at the beginning where you go from 25 to 65ft. A bit dark at the beginning, but then opens up in the blue when you get to the wall. There is also a cave a bit further away that is all kinds of spooky. I always ask that if my customers have torches, not to use them here… It is a bit dark but sun shines in through the top like skylights and you always see crab and lobster shells so is like a small graveyard. So cool and nice!!” – Argentina Tina

One of the narrow tunnels of Bears Den… BEAUTIFUL

FISH DEN – Recommended by handsome English Shane

An exciting shallow dive site where some of Roatan’s best coral and fish life is abundant. Beautiful soft corals and plenty schools of fish teeming around you throughout this dive. We always like to spot the sargent major fish that tend to hang under the boat in the shallows, as well as keeping our eyes peeled for scorpion fish! Fish Den is a great night dive site as it is easy to navigate back to the mooring line and there is always plenty to see!

“Fish Den is always on my must dive list. I love to look for the tiny creatures, and Fish Den is shallow with lots of light for me to better spot the little guys for my divers. It is almost like an underwater aquarium, the marine life variety is amazing with plenty of juvenile fish, blennies, spotted drum fish, crabs, grouper, trumpetfish, parrotfish, trunkfish, and banded shrimp.” – Handsome Shane

Some of the tiny critters you may spot at Fish Den!

There you have it!

The most favorite, fun, cool, exciting, interesting, adventurous, unique (the list could go on forever) and best dive sites of Roatan Honduras according to our fab set of instructors here at Coconut Tree Divers.

However.. this does not even begin to scrape the surface in terms of the best dive sites of Roatan. There is just SO much to explore! The Roatan Marine Park has done a stellar job in executing and promoting the protection and health of our corals and underwater life, making our reef system one of the most healthy in the Caribbean. This is something we all take great pride in and cannot wait to share with you!

Roatan has great diving any time of year, come see us soon and make sure to bring your reef safe sunscreen to ensure we keep our reef healthy!

We would love to have you come dive with us!

For more info on Coconut Tree Divers, schedules, courses, and pricing head to our homepage HERE!

To make a reservation head to our online reservation page HERE!

Want to keep up with all things Coconuts?! Make sure to follow us!

Instagram : @coconuttreedivers

Facebook: Coconut Tree Divers

We would love to have you come dive with us!

For more info on Coconut Tree Divers, schedules, courses, and pricing head to our homepage HERE!

To make a reservation head to our online reservation page HERE!

Nitrox Me Now, The Benefits of Enriched Air

Scuba Diving

Ever wonder why some divers have those green and yellow tanks while others the typical grey?

You over hear them talking about ‘Nitrox’ and ‘Enriched Air’ and you’re all like..

What is Nitrox?

Why is my air ‘not rich’?

And how do I get my hands on one of these green and yellow tanks?

#NitroxMeNow

What is Nitrox?

The air we breathe every day above water is the same air we breathe out of our tank when we scuba dive. This ‘surface air’ is made up of 21% Oxygen and 79% Nitrogen.

Nitrox is a general term for a gas that is made up of any combination of Oxygen and Nitrogen.

Nitrogen + Oxygen = Nitrox

(Our scuba tanks are not 100% oxygen, a common scuba myth we busted)

And Enriched Air is…?

Very often the terms Nitrox and Enriched Air are used interchangeably, however Enriched Air refers to any combination of Oxygen and Nitrogen containing more than 21% Oxygen. Aka any combo is Nitrox, but only above 21% Oxygen is considered Enriched Air Nitrox. In recreational diving the Oxygen content will not exceed 40%, with the most common percentage of 30% and 32%.

Now that we are little more well-versed in all things Enriched Air Nitrox (EAN)… Why would we choose to use it, what are the benefits of Enriched Air Nitrox?!

Benefits of Enriched Air Nitrox

Increased no decompression limits – AKA MORE DIVE TIME

One of the main reasons divers choose to use Nitrox is the allowance for longer dive times. It is the amount of Nitrogen we breathe into our bodies that limits our time at depth. The higher percentage of Oxygen not exceeding a partial pressure of 1.4ATA in Enriched Air allows the diver to stay at a safe depth longer than a diver using surface air who must return to shallower depths to apply their no decompression limit sooner than those on EAN.

Enriched Air Nitrox does not allow you to go deeper than surface air, but it does allow you to stay down there longer. Those extra minutes could be all the difference, as we all know you never know what you can see on a scuba dive!

Shorter Surface Intervals

A diver using Enriched Air Nitrox absorbs less nitrogen on any given dive than a diver using air.

With less nitrogen in your body, the time required to ‘off gas’ in between dives is decreased. Giving you less time needed to kill in between dives and getting you back in the water sooner!

Longer Bottom times on Repetitive Dive Times

If you like to do multiple dives in a day… we’re looking at you!

When you plan to dive for multiple days, it makes sense to introduce less Nitrogen into your body. The less Nitrogen you use, the more time your body is allowed at any given depth. A diver using Enriched Air Nitrox will have a longer bottom time allowance on a repetitive dive than a diver using air because the EAN diver has absorbed less nitrogen.

Great for vacations when all you want to do is dive, dive, dive!

Less Fatigue

Speaking of dive, dive, dive… diving all day can get pretty exhausting eh?! It can really take it out of you, in a great way, but still!

Now we got to be honest… this benefit has yet to be scientifically proven however, many of our divers report less feeling of exhaustion/fatigue when switched to Enriched Air Nitrox. If you think about it, with a lesser concentration of Nitrogen, your body spends less energy absorbing and ‘off gassing’ that Nitrogen.

So… seems to us like this could be very very true!

There you have it, the many benefits of Enriched Air Nitrox!

Staying underwater longer and getting back in the water sooner… with less fatigue?! Sounds like a divers dream.

So what is the next step, how do I actually get me one of those green and yellow tanks?!

Diving with Enriched Air Nitrox allows you more bottom time to explore the ship wrecks located in Roatan, Honduras!

Enriched Air Certified

In order to dive with an Enriched Air tank you must first get certified. But don’t worry, it is super easy and painless. The entire course is completed out of the water and can be done from the comfort of your own home through PADIs Enriched Air Course or here at the Coconut Tree Divers Roatan!

For more on what you learn and what it takes to be Enriched Air certified check out our EAN information page here

If staying down longer and getting back in the water sooner sounds appealing, then don’t hesitate to become an enriched air diver.

We would love to have you come dive with us!

For more info on Coconut Tree Divers, schedules, courses, and pricing head to our homepage HERE!

To make a reservation head to our online reservation page HERE!

Want to keep up with all things Coconuts?! Make sure to follow us!

Instagram : @coconuttreedivers

Facebook: Coconut Tree Divers

We would love to have you come dive with us!

For more info on Coconut Tree Divers, schedules, courses, and pricing head to our homepage HERE!

To make a reservation head to our online reservation page HERE!

Top 6 Scuba Diving Myths

Scuba Diving

Over the years, we have heard many ‘myths’ about scuba diving that simply are not true. In fact, many of these so called scuba diving myths stop people like you from even attempting scuba diving in the first place!

Not anymore, Not on our watch!

After years of correcting scuba diving myths or concerns from our customers here at Coconut Tree Divers in Roatan Honduras we found it time to officially bust some of these ugly myths!

Top 5 scuba diving myths that need to be BUSTED…

MYTH 1: A scuba divers tank is filled with pure oxygen.

We often hear people refer to a divers tank as an ‘oxygen tank,’ implying the tank is made up of purely oxygen. However, a divers tank is not filled with 100% oxygen, it is actually filled with ordinary surface air. Containing about 21% oxygen and 79% nitrogen! Not quite the percentage combo you may have expected huh?!

So next time you hear someone refer to the cylinder strapped to your back as an ‘oxygen tank’ you can take pride in knowing the true facts: surface air for the win!

MYTH 2: You must be in excellent shape, young, and a killer swimmer.

We hear these concerns all the time so lets break it down:

You do not have to be super in shape to dive, you simply need to be a relatively healthy individual with a some what average fitness level. Let us put it to you this way, people from ages 10 to 80 are out there diving right now. Yes 80! Meaning there is no age limit. If you are willing and able then you CAN scuba dive, we see a broad range of all ages, shapes, and sizes come to dive. If there is a will, there is a way!

As for the swimming part, a basic level of swimming is required. In order to achieve your open water certification you are required to swim 200 yards and float for 10 minutes. However there is no time limit or technique required, so as long as you can doggy paddle or frog kick your way through it you are golden! In fact, while diving the goal is to move a little as possible and not use your arms, letting your fins and the water do most of the work!

MYTH 3: UMMM…. HELLO… SHARKS?!?!?!!!

I AM GOING TO BE EATEN BY A SHARK!!!!!

Man, the movie Jaws really did us in, because the truth is sharks are really not that dangerous! Out of about the 400 species of sharks only a few have been known to be aggressive towards humans, all of which are typically never encountered by divers. Most sharks feast on food much smaller than any scuba diver, and pose no threat to humans. Actually, most divers consider a shark sighting a very wonderful experience as they can be so rare to spot! Seeing a shark for the first time is a thrilling memory no diver forgets.

Simply stay in your lane, do not attack the shark and the shark will not attack you! Forget the exaggeration you saw in Jaws, follow the instructions from your dive lead and you will be just fine!!

MYTH 4: Getting your open water takes too long

We get it, you come on a hard earned tropical vacation and do not want to spend that time studying dive theory or watching videos in a class room. Totally understandable.

But did you know you can now do all of the classroom work online, all on your own time? PADI e-learning makes it easy for you to knock out the classroom portion from the comfort of your own home (maybe even with a cheeky glass of wine in hand )

You then can show up on your vacation and get right in the water, straight to the fun stuff. After 2 or 3 days in the water you will be officially certified! PLUS, you can feel good about any trees you saved from completing the learning online

For any questions on how to access e-learning feel free to contact us to put you in the right direction!

MYTH 5: I can’t dive it makes my ears hurt

You know when you were a kid and you tried to dive for rings into the deep end, but you couldn’t quite get there because OUCH, my ears!!?

That same pressure happens when diving, however as a kid you were probably never taught how to equalize the pressure in your inner ear. Equalizing is one of the first things you learn in your open water course and it’s easier than you think! You simply pinch your nose and blow out softly against your nostrils until you feel the pressure alleviate, and repeat as you descend. Bet you wish you knew this trick when you were diving for those rings all those years ago!

MYTH 6: I have no one to dive with

Been trying to convince your mom, brother, uncle, or your cousins best friends younger sister to come dive with no luck?! Feeling like you cannot dive with out a scuba partner in crime, so you decide not to even give it a go?!

One of the BEST parts about scuba diving is the instant friends and camaraderie that go along with it. You meet new like-minded friends from all over the world and go on badass underwater adventures together. The diving community is one of the most inviting groups, and together you get to see and experience some amazing underwater life that the majority of people will never get to see.

Still think you have no one to dive with?

Ahem… WRONG.

We are waiting with open arms here at Coconut Tree Divers for you! Our instructors, dive masters and customers are always looking for new dive buddies. So come visit us in Roatan, Honduras and make a couple friends, we are waiting for you! All the info you need is below, feel free to reach out for more information!

Myths = Busted

We hope this clears up any existing concerns you had and hope to see you underwater soon!

For more info on Coconut Tree Divers, schedules, courses, and pricing head to our homepage HERE!

To make a reservation head to our online reservation page HERE!

Want to keep up with all things Coconuts?! Make sure to follow us!

Instagram : @coconuttreedivers

Facebook: Coconut Tree Divers

Picture credit : All photos by our very own Alex Harper-Graham unless otherwise noted!

We would love to have you come dive with us!

For more info on Coconut Tree Divers, schedules, courses, and pricing head to our homepage HERE!

To make a reservation head to our online reservation page HERE!

Scuba Diving

Cruisin' into Roatan for the day?! Lucky you!

Cruisin' into Roatan for the day?! Lucky you!

Fun Dives for Certified Divers

Discover Scuba

Snorkel

Price & logistics

Photography

We cannot wait to meet you!

All around the world coral reefs are suffering due to coral diseases, climate change, over-fishing, land-based pollution and other stressors!

Introducing Roatan’s Coral Restoration Certification Program!

Why the need for this program?

Give me the coral details

So what’s a Coral Nursery?

How YOU can get directly involved – Roatan’s Coral Restoration Certification

How do I Sign Up?

How do I conserve air while diving?

Tips to conserve air while scuba diving

Breathe slowly and deeply.

Control that buoyancy.

Dive slow and steady.

Gear check please.

Streamline your dive.

Perfect your kick.

Dive shallower.

Keep calm and carry dive on.

Lets sum it up

Best Dive Sites of Roatan Honduras

There you have it!

#NitroxMeNow

What is Nitrox?

And Enriched Air is…?

Benefits of Enriched Air Nitrox

Increased no decompression limits – AKA MORE DIVE TIME

Shorter Surface Intervals

Longer Bottom times on Repetitive Dive Times

Less Fatigue

Enriched Air Certified

Top 5 scuba diving myths that need to be BUSTED…

MYTH 1: A scuba divers tank is filled with pure oxygen.

MYTH 2: You must be in excellent shape, young, and a killer swimmer.

MYTH 3: UMMM…. HELLO… SHARKS?!?!?!!!

MYTH 4: Getting your open water takes too long

MYTH 5: I can’t dive it makes my ears hurt

MYTH 6: I have no one to dive with

Myths = Busted

CONTACT

GET STARTED

CONTACT

GET STARTED

**How YOU can get directly involved – Roatan’s Coral Restoration Certification**