Hello, my wife and I, along with some other family members are planning our next scuba trip for mid-late October or early (first week) of November. Roatan is on our very short list but we have some concern about the weather. Are we crazy to plan a trip that time of year considering it is the rainy season? Is there still good diving to be had that time of year? Also, we hate to be stuck inside just watching it rain after diving and want to get out and do some other things...will we be significantly limited due to rain that time of year? We have researched this subject quite a bit and have ended up just getting ourselves all backwards due to the many conflicting reports about weather and diving conditions in mid/late October that we are starting to reconsider and trying Roatan in a non-rainy season month. Some people have said just go for it while many others have said hold off till rainy season is over due to windy conditions, an abundance of rain, cooler weather, and deteriorating dive conditions mostly in reference to visibility. With all of these different and varied reports we are caught up in good old-fashioned Scooby-Doo mystery about whether to take our chances or just wait until "better" weather. We would probably be staying on the North side/West end area and presumably diving in the same area. Any thoughts? I would really appreciate any of your first hand knowledge on the matter. Thanks.
Tropical Storm MATHEW came to Roatan yesterday. Hung out for a couple of hours, it rained a little bit off and on through out the day, into the evening and overnight. Woke this morning to clear blue skies with the sun rising over the ridge of foothills.
I've lived on Roatan for more than 3 years and it never ceases to amaze me what gets reported compared to what is really going on. The last hurricane to do any significant damage on Roatan was 1998. In the time I've lived here there has been concern of a hit but everyone of them has either gone North (over) us or South (below) us.
Rainy season will be starting soon. But, on Roatan it is different from the mainland. Again, in my experience, most often if or when it rains it is at night, or a quick shower in the morning. We do get "Nor-Easter" storms that roll in, and that will be a few days of fairly steady rain. But it doesn't rain non-stop during rainy season. It really is not possible to guarantee no rain during the time that you are looking to come to Roatan. I can say though that chances are it won't be as bad as many are telling you or reports imply.
I will add that I am not a diver, but the majority of my friends are, and sure conditions are not always ideal, but the location is worth the effort. You will find dive opportunities on all sides of the Island, staying in West End is a great base to go from.
My vote would be to try again in non-rainy season. Getting trapped by weather is a very real possibility when Airports and ferry service get shut down.
It can get pretty rainy in Oct. on Roatan, but that's why you can get really good deals on accomodation, etc. (not sure if that happens on Hawaii ).
For dive info I would recommend contacting a dive shop directly - the ones in West End & West Bay are very reputable and will give you the full picture (Reef Gliders, Tylls & many more) - I'm not a diver, but my place has plenty of divers during those months.
While I have Roatan connections, I actually live in Costa Rica and when Matthew hit here about a day & a half ago - yeah we got some heavy rain - but you know what? It's only water, and it's not even cold.
In honesty - we who live here in CA love rainy ('green') season. It is cooler, fresh & you will find less crowds. Even in the rainly season, we do get sunny blue sky times too.
I have just gotten back from Honduras. It rained, rained and it rained. Day and night. The power went off for some time, which means paying for air conditioning and hot water amounts to nothing when the hotel emergency back up (if any) isn't strong enough to power these things. If you went outside, you got full of mud. It is one thing having these conditions in the city, worse for a beach vacation. There is little indoors to do at these beach towns. And right up till the last minute I was wondering if my flight would be able to take off.
Having said that, you may be lucky and get a nice blue sky. Or just rain for a short period in the late afternoon. I hope that you decide to take your vacation as planned and that the weather is fine. The rain didn't stop me and Honduras is a lovely destination. But it's your call and I can understand another viewpoint. Remember that wherever you go and whatever you do, there will always be some risk involved and someone who fears things will be too dangerous and everything will go wrong. You just have to decide what level is right for you and hope for the best. You already have an idea now of what might cause difficulty on this planned trip. Good luck.
We were in Roatan in February two years ago, and after a few days of great weather, we got three days of intermittent, sometimes heavy rain. In no time, the formerly-clear waters around West End and vicinity turned into a sea of mud, with 3-inch visibility. The point off the iron shore at the west end of West Bay stayed clear a little longer, but by the third day, it was also murky. If you're there to dive or snorkel, fuggedaboudit.
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The idea that because hurricanes have passed to the north or south for the last three years, you shouln't worry about hurricanes, is an interesting bit of logic. If I were standing on my front porch, and a couple of bullets whizzed past on my right, then a couple more whizzed by on my left, then another whizzed by on my right, I wouldn't be thinking, "Gee, what a great time to be out on this porch!" I'd maybe go someplace else until the problem blew over.
Paula just skirted by and gave us some rain and rough seas, but it is well north and the sun is out and so are the divers. there is plenty to do on a rainy day, if you get stuck. explore the island, there are many areas with an abundance of beautiful sites. from Old Port Royal you can find some great scenic views to the eastern islands or stop at a little palapa over the water in Camp Bay and enjoy a local seafood meal and take in the natural beauty. the weather is hard to predict, so just have a few options.
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