[EDIT: 2015 - New management and owners have changed this shop significantly. Please always do recent research if you see my reviews are older - things change quickly on an island. My review only stands at the time of writing and the shop is no longer being run the same.]When I first arrived on Roatan, Ocean Connections was a 'bros-only' dive shop - the owner refused to hire any female instructors or divemasters. The decidedly testosterone-laden vibe was bogged down further by a small, beat up ...
Life
10 Steps to the Perfect Dive Vacation
Working in the scuba diving industry for the last two years has opened up my eyes to a whole new world of dive travelers. I don't often get to travel on dive vacations, but I work every day with people who are on them. After seeing my guests have great trips (and some not-so-great), I feel like I can offer some useful advice to those planning a dive vacation.me at work, taking out some of my fave divers photo courtesy of sarah1. Choose your location based on what YOU want as a ...
5 Things I Love About Roatan
"So, do you like living here?" I get this question from tourists on a near-daily basis, usually after I tell them I've been on the island for two years. Uhhhh... if I didn't like it, would I live here for two years? Now don't get me wrong, this place makes me want to pull my hair out sometimes. But so did every place in Canada that I lived at some point in time or another. (Can I be any clearer to people that paradise does not equal no problems?) But that doesn't mean there aren't amazing ...
Roatan Review: The Landing
[Update 2015: the restaurant is under new management with a new chef. I no longer recommend this place.]During one of my vacations to Roatan in 2012, one of my friends got a job at a little tucked-away bar called 'The Landing' on the second floor of The Beach House (a boutique hotel in West End that I adore). I hadn't even noticed the staircase off the street leading up to this place, but once he started bartending there, it suddenly became the place to be for all our friends. Flaming ...
Lost and Found: Back in the Water
It was one little detail that I somehow managed to forget about over the last year: I moved here to be a dive instructor. I didn't move here to run a dive shop, or to make websites, or to update Facebook pages. I worked myself almost to the bone in Canada with two full time jobs to save enough money to become a dive instructor - to live on Roatan (and other beautiful warm water locations), teach people how to dive, and take certified divers out diving.it was a lovely office, but ...
Roatan Month 22 Roundup
22 months on a rock!You can always see all my monthly roundups by clicking on the 'roundup' tag below... but here they all are in order: Month 21, Month 20, Month 19, Month 18, Month 17, Month 16, Month 15, Month 14, Month 13, Month 12, Month 11, Month 10, Month 9, Month 8, Month 7, Month 6, Month 5, Month 4, Month 3, Month 2 and finally little old Month 1. Sometimes when you type 'month' that many times it looks really weird.Astute readers have noted that I have said ...
Things That Are No Longer Weird To Me.
I'm coming up close on 2 years full-time on Roatan, and in that relatively short amount of time I have found myself noticing things that were shocking at first, but I no longer bat an eye at now. It's funny how your entire perspective can change when you're immersed in a place that is very different from home.Leaving out 'please' and 'thank you'.Politeness is implied in Island English, and at first I was taken aback at being ordered around so rudely by the islanders. Then when I asked, they ...
Roatan Review: Tyll’s Dive
[Update May 2016: Sadly, Tyll's has just closed its doors for good and Dorte and Uwe are leaving the island after many, many years. The big resorts have made it difficult for small shops like Tyll's to stay afloat. Choose your dive operator wisely, my friends.] One of the best dive shops in West End consistently flies right under the radar and is one of the best kept secrets on Roatan - when Tyll's Dive advertises small groups, and a cozy, family-like atmosphere... they mean it!I ...
Roatan FAQ – Part 1
The #1 thing I receive emails about is questions from people who are visiting or thinking about moving to Roatan. And they all ask me the exact same questions!! I thought I better start putting together from FAQs so that people can read through these first before emailing me since I just don't have the time to give full, detailed answers over and over. I hope people find this helpful! If you have other questions you would like answered in Part 2, please leave them in the comments ...
Roatan Month 21 Roundup
21 months on a rock!You can always see all my monthly roundups by clicking on the 'roundup' tag below... but here they all are in order: Month 20, Month 19, Month 18, Month 17, Month 16, Month 15, Month 14, Month 13, Month 12, Month 11, Month 10, Month 9, Month 8, Month 7, Month 6,Month 5, Month 4, Month 3, Month 2 and finally little old Month 1. Sometimes when you type 'month' that many times it looks really weird.1. Gratuitous diving photo:I have officially run out of diving photos of ...