Snowwatcher

Thanks for all the input. We ended up canceling our excursion before we got on the boat because the whether forecast indicated it was going to rain all day. The day ended up being bright and sunny so we took a taxi to the West Bay area and signed up for a snorkel boat excursion right on the beach. They took us to a spot about a mile away. The snorkeling was good. Then when we got back to shore we walked to the end of West Bay beach (near the rock wall) and snorkeled right from shore. The shore snorkeling from this spot was great. Glad we did the boat excursion because it was our first trip to Roatan and we had no idea what to expect, but if your on a budget the shore snorkeling was great. Roatan was the best snorkeling I have seen in recent years. Enjoy.

Thanks again for the input. We will sign up for a boat excursion. Can't wait Roatan looks great.

I can't really discuss snorkeling from shore, but I do ready many posts about it on Roatan's Port of Call page. I'm an experienced snorkeler as well and use Roatan Ocean Adventure's 3 stop snorkel tour. A fantastic combination of snorkel sites and Herbert the owner is very eco friendly. In fact he's actually growing coral to plant on the reef to expand/replenish.Hope this helps!

Thanks for the input. I have heard good things about Ocean Adventure tours. If we decide to go by boat we will certainly contact this tour group.

Need help! We will be in Roatan in a couple of weeks and plan to go snorkeling. May family has been snorkeling for years and are excited to be going to Roatan based on other posts we have read. We are trying to decide if we should snorkeling from shore or hop on a tour boat. We went to Cozumel 2 years in a row. The first year we snorkeled from shore at Chankanaab Beach and the second year we did the boat tour to El Cielo and drift snorkeled over Palancar and Columbia. Needless to say we lost out the first year by not booking a boat tour. I have heard the shore snorkeling from West Bay beach is very good and many of the tour boats stop there. Will we be happy snorkeling from shore or will we be missing out by not getting a boat tour? Are the best reefs in Roatan only accessible via boat?

Need your help. My wife and I have taken the kids on cruises the last four years in a row. We enjoy snorkeling in the beautiful Caribbean waters and wanted our kids to have the same experience. They have been to cozumel, the Caymans and the Bahamas to name a few. We have yet to take them to St John's and were planning to do so this year but we're hesitant because of the hurricane. Has anyone snorkel st John's before and after the recent hurricane? Was the coral damaged? Definitely plan to take them to St John's some day and want to support the island with my tourism dollars but want to be certain the sea life and coral meet the expectations i have set for them.

Currently booked on carnival miracle that hits cozumel, Cayman,Belize and Roatan. Would consider carnival magic to Amber cove, st thomas, San Juan and grand Turk. Other choice is oasis of the sea but family does not like the mall like look of oasis. Prefer being connected to the ocean. Any help would be appreciated