The Caribbean’s Best-Kept Secret
By Sandra Scott

“I made 22 dives this week. How many did you make? “I only did 21 dives because I didn’t do the night dive. I wish
I had because they saw a huge moray eel.” “My favorite dive site is Green Outhouse Wall. Did you dive there?”

At the end of the week the conversation on Anthony’s Key Resort’s shuttle to the airport was just as enthusiastic as it was at dinner every night.

For years Roatan, one of the Honduran Bay Islands, has been the secret of the dive crowd and backpackers. Divers have long enjoyed the wonders of diving on the world’s second largest barrier reef. The backpacking crowd could always find a couple of palm trees on a deserted beach to hang their hammocks. Things are changing, though. The diving is just as good as ever, but the places to hang one’s hammock are being turned into upscale resorts and
residential communities.

I have visited Roatan many times over the past 15 years. For the first 10 years, development was moving at a slow but
steady pace. Now development seems to be on fast-forward – but Roatan is still one of the Caribbean’s best-kept secrets.

The Honduran Bay islands of Roatan, Utila and Guanaja have a unique history. When the Europeans arrived on Roatan the island was already occupied. Its history includes the enslavement of the natives and disputes between the Spanish and English during colonial times, including pirate raids. The English were in control of the islands for many years. English is so widely spoken that some residents don’t even speak Spanish even though Spanish is the official language of
Honduras. Of the three Bay Islands, Roatan is the largest and best developed for tourism, but still remains one of the least undeveloped Caribbean getaways offering the most value for the dollar. And, it is one of the safest island getaways.

Shaped like a feather, the island is 40 miles long and only three miles wide with a spine of mountains running the length of the island. There are several towns, but they have little attraction for the tourist. The draw is the natural world.
When the cruise ships began to include Roatan on their itinerary, the island’s tourist industry diversified to meet the needs of the day-trippers. As American tourist explained, “Three years ago I came on a cruise ship. Now I return for a week each year trying a different resort each trip.” He along with others are entranced by the tropical splendor unmarred by towering buildings and over-thetop commercialism.

Tags: Caribbean, divers, Europeans, Guanaja, Honduran Bay Islands, Roatan, Spanish, Utila