Tales from the Mosquito Coast III: Honduras

Finally, yesterday we were in Roatan Island, Honduras. Roatan is one of Honduras’s Bay Islands, a group of islands on its Caribbean coast that have been enjoying a boom in tourism lately. Once again, the culture was predominantly Afro-Caribbean and Garifuna, and most people were bilingual in English (creole or standard) and Spanish.

The Kid and I went on the lamest catamaran snorkeling trip ever devised (although in the delightful company of some very nice ship passengers). A van took us to what anyone would define as a sweet boat. A big catamaran with a nice comfy cabin in the middle. One of the passengers, a guy who had done some sailing in his life, remarked that it was the kind of sailboat one could go around the world in. Now, one goes on such a trip for two reasons, because the boat trip itself is cool, and because one would go to a reef that one would otherwise not be able to reach. THIS catamaran provided neither. The guys hoisted the jib and plodded along the shore, in the direction of the MV Explorer. No waves splashing over the bow, no rolling over onto one side. We then anchored and snorkeled on a so-so reef that was perfectly accessible from a beach!!! Our guide even hustled us through it, barely letting us pause to see anything. Once back onboard, we were served a lunch that was cold and should not have been. (I think today I am suffering the consequences of said lunch.) On the way back to the dock, the boat’s motor gave out, and we ended up drifting toward the dock and colliding with another vessel already alongside it. We got to shore by clambering off the catamaran onto this other boat, and using it as a bridge to get to the dock. If you’re even in Roatan, avoid snorkeling with the Jolly Roger.

So the Kid and I took matters into our own hands, and arranged for transportation to the West End, and to Half Moon Bay. There we found what we had been hoping to see. The sand was soft, the water clear, and the off-beach snorkeling fantastic. The Kid and I developed a system of hand signals for communicating underwater. Those who know my child will understand my fear that the system could end up getting wildly elaborate, but for now, it’s quite simple. We saw lots of fish we hadn’t seen before, as well as enormous lobsters. (I had no idea lobsters could get that big!) I saw some tiny reef squid and we both saw the star of the show, a sea turtle swimming along the bottom. That alone was worth the price of admission. Now we’re dying to get back to Roatan, and we’re going to head straight for Half Moon Bay. But for now, it’s farewell Mosquito Coast, and hello Costa Rica.

Oh, and here's the view of the Roatan coast, looking forward from my cabin. I stuck my hand out and held the camera over the water, so the lens would catch the lenght of the ship.
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