Roatan’s Southern Dive Surge
The beginning of 2024 will be remembered by the local dive community for the constant dry northerlies, which led to most of January and February being spent diving Roatan's southern shores. The South Side, with its unique appeal of unvisited and undisturbed reefs, steep walls that sit in the island's shadow during afternoon dives and stunning shallow areas, offers a distinct diving experience. While about one quarter of our dive moorings are on the South Side, accommodating every dive boat during these weather conditions is impossible. The RMP strives to ensure adequate moorings are installed and ready for stormy months and is already planning for this year's approaching rainy season.
Yacht moorings in French Key
Through a project funded by MARFUND, ZOLITUR has been installing new yacht moorings around the Bay Islands to accommodate our cruiser community. Unfortunately, the new moorings required some additional renovations, so the RMP has been assisting with the maintenance of 10 in French Key. We will manage these until the French Key Patronato becomes a recognized entity. This year has been a very quiet season regarding sailboat visitors due to immigration not permitting the full 90-days travel visa. A proportion of the mooring fees go to the West End Community Center. So, hopefully next year we will see more visiting boats using the moorings.
New moorings and dive sites
In the past five months, 45 moorings between West Bay and Sandy Bay had their lines replaced, with 8 requiring new chains. Four new moorings were installed, including "Todd's Last Dance" near Pablo's in West Bay which was purchased by Michele Osthoff to commemorate a dive buddy. Chris Sharpe dedicated a mooring to his wife who recently passed, naming it "Michelle Sharpe's Smile" on West End Wall. "The Bucks Stop Here," a surprise for Dave Buck's wife, is located in West End, and the Tepper family fundraised to dedicate a site near Lawson Rock Channel to their son Quinn, named "Divey McDive Face."
Elsewhere around Roatan's north shore, 9 mooring lines were changed and 4 new chains were installed.
A new dive site named "Satoshi's Grave," was installed close to Palmetto to commemorate the developer of Bitcoin. On the South Side, lines were changed on 14 moorings with 8 needing new chains. We are now posting bi-monthly updates on several Facebook pages to inform divers of recently maintained lines and to get reports of damaged or missing moorings. Please be sure to follow these pages to stay informed and to help report any maintenance needs.
The 'Name a Dive Site' program has been very beneficial in expanding our marine infrastructure as the volume of boat operators using the infrastructure has increased. Want to commemorate someone special or make a lasting positive impact on Roatan’s reef? The cost to name a dive site is $2,500 and we have now introduced a new annual $100 maintenance fee to ensure these moorings are properly maintained. We also offer a $100 wooden plaque for past donors with their dive site name.
Support our efforts to maintain Roatan's diving infrastructure by participating in the "Name a Dive Site" program or contributing to our ongoing maintenance initiatives. Contact us to learn how you can get involved and make a difference. Improving Boating Safety on Roatan
Roatan's Southern Dive Surge
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