DIVE TRIP 1999
FEBRUARY 6 - 15
ANTHONY'S KEY, ROATAN, HONDURAS

Picture a tropical island, with spiked hills covered in lush jungle and surrounded by blue water. Along the north side is a picturesque lagoon with two small keys (islands) in it's center. Blending into the hillside jungle around the lagoon is the main building for Anthony's key, with an office, restaurant, bar, casual lounge and balconies looking over the lagoon. A few separate hillside cabins have access to the lodge by a lighted pathway. Along the shoreline is a marine research center, dive shop, and photo shop. Locally made flat topped boats line the dock in front of the dive facility, along with four big modern dive boats. We never saw the big boats in operation during our stay - but that was ok, our boats worked well. At the foot of the stairs which lead up to the restaurant is a small open boat (water taxi) which ferries guests to and from additional cabins on Anthony's Key. Hanging near the slip for the water taxi is an old round-bottomed steel scuba tank with a metal bar attached to a line. If your boat boy is dozing in the boat on the other side, tap the tank and he comes to pick you up. The other island, Bailey's Key, has a nice sandy beach and is lined with chaise lounges for sunbathers. At one end is part of the dolphin facility.

This is where we spent our 1999 dive trip. A little over a week of diving with good friends in a nice place. Our group spent a week in Anthony's Key in 1986, and liked it so much we returned for two weeks in 1987. Little seems changed since then, but a major life changing event for most residents occurred last October when Hurricane Mitch went through with winds of over 180 miles per hour.

Actually, Roatan wasn't hit terribly hard. Of the three Bay Islands (Roatan, Utila, and Guanaja), Guanaja was hardest hit when Mitch decided to spend several days stalled right there. Anthony's key lost several cabins, and bright new lumber is evidence of repairs throughout the facility. The marine science institute lost five dolphins during the storm. They released all of their dolphin - 19 stayed and 5 left for parts unknown or were taken by the storm. The locals had not experienced a storm of this magnitude, and they all speak of it as though it made a significant impression on their lives.

Our flight schedule was not as smooth as normal. In a complicated combination of US Air and American frequent flyer miles, we flew on American first to Chicago (north in the winter?), then to Miami where our flight arrived too late to connect. We spent the night at a basic motel near the airport and used the hotel shuttle to get back and forth. The next morning we flew on American to San Pedro Sula, on the Honduras mainland. This was as far as we could go using miles. It would have been easier to just fly from Miami into Roatan on the daily direct TACA flight, but since we had combined US Air and American miles for the tickets, that was not an option. To further compound the situation, we did not have tickets from San Pedro Sula to Roatan. The resort office said they used the "meet and greet" method - we would be met in SPS by an agent who would take us to Islenas Airways and put us on the flight. After some insistence, we were given a voucher, but that is all we had. After years of travel, the "meet and greet" method sounded to us like a problem waiting to happen.

The agent who met us turned out to be someone George had met before on a trip to Guanaja when he took a dive class there when we lived in Rockford. The agents name was Gilbert, and he announced that we would not be flying on Islenas Airways, because "they had been having too much trouble", but on SOSA instead. We quickly claimed our bags and hustled over to the SOSA counter, where Gilbert checked us in and gave us a flimsy piece of paper with both our names on it that he said was our ticket for the return trip.

The plane was a Russian made LAT 410. It resembled a gray Spam can with wings and rivets. There were about 15 seats on the plane. The lettering on the inside of the plane was Russian. It did have seat belts, and we sat right behind the pilot and (comfortingly) beside the exit door. Our luggage was thrown in the back of the plane, and a little additional luggage was tossed into the nose. We had about a 30 minute flight to La Cieba, where we had to deplane and wait about twenty minutes in the departure lounge before departing for Roatan. While we were in the transit lounge, we looked out to see them unloading our dive bags! George badgered the two guards at the door until they let him out on the tarmac to negotiate the return of our dive bags. Back on the plane, we had another short flight to Roatan, where we discovered that our suitcase was missing! They must have taken them off the plane in La Cieba without us noticing. There was really no problem; it arrived on a later flight that evening.

The last time we were in Roatan, the airport was a small wooden structure on low stilts. It was dirty, crowded, and very confusing, with many locals haggling to handle your bags, and no place to wait. Roatan now has a modern airport. The luxurious TACA flight had just arrived from Miami with the rest of our group aboard, so we had a nice reunion and we all took the bus to the resort together. One note, the airport is still confusing, but they have to work hard to make it that way.

Our group consisted of Don and Peg Higgins, Ian and Ros Jolley and their two children, Nina and Lawrence, John Siniscal (who we hadn't seen since our Singapore days) and his wife Reiko, Paul and Brenda Pugsley, and us, George and Lynn Stateham. Don acted as TTO [The Trip Organizer].

The next day (Monday) we met at the dive shop after breakfast and were assigned a boat and a divemaster. Our boat was the Delfin. Our divemaster was Wendell, and our boat captain was Carrie (both locals). Both were friendly, knowledgeable, and anxious to see that we had a good experience. We were all required to do a short checkout dive off the dock, and then we began a dive schedule similar to what we had experienced on our earlier visits to Anthony's key. A morning dive around 8:30, then back to the dock where we could get off the boat for a few minutes while the tanks were refilled. A second morning dive around 10;30, and then back for a quick shower and lunch. Most days lunch was in the restaurant, but one day there was a picnic on Anthony's Key, and another day at a nearby beach. There was usually time for some reading or a nap before the afternoon dive around 2:30, and we would return to the dock around 4:00, in plenty of time to shower again, nap some more, and have a cocktail before dinner.

Our first diving day was Don's birthday. Peg had some decorations with her, and with George's red and white dive flag, our deck looked quite festive. During cocktail hour we had wine, beer, and cocktail snacks that Peg ordered from the restaurant. It was a nice way to celebrate a birthday. Then we all took the water taxi over to the restaurant for dinner.

The days passed, and the relaxing schedule became second nature to us. For the most part, the visibility was around 70 - 80 feet, the fish life was pretty good, and diving conditions were decent. It became clear early on that Wendell's preferred method of diving was to have everyone get in the water at about the same time, descend at about the same time, stay in a loosely constructed group, (each diver with a buddy, however), and follow a dive profile that he had defined on the boat. We would drift along with the mild currents, and Carrie would follow us in the Delfin, picking us up at the end of the dive. So, while our dive might have started out at one location, we might actually go through one or two more sites as we drifted along. It was a pleasant way to see the reefs.

Every day there was a bag of fish chunks on the rear swim platform, a practice the resort has started since the hurricane to attract some of the bigger fish back to the dive sites. The boat captain distributed the tasty chunks in the water during and between dives. We did see some big grouper, and on one dive a nurse shark was spotted (but not by us). Mostly we just saw reef creatures and fish in general, and no big stuff (except for the last day which I will talk about later). Through the week we saw a nice sized octopus, green and spotted morays, several varieties of snapper, some turtles, groupers of all shapes and sizes, lobsters, crabs, and the beautiful colorful fish that make up a reef, such as parrots, tangs, wrasses, and so on.

Wendell also liked tunnels and swim-throughs. On the first day we went to Spooky Channel. We were dropped off inside the reef, and he led us through a cut in the reef where the visibility was low (lots of stuff in the water), and dark (overhanging coral blocked out the sun). There were logs and other big debris in the bottom of the cut, possibly from the hurricane. Then as we came out onto the reef, the visibility cleared up and we finished our dive on the reef wall. At other times through the week, we went through beautiful tunnels and swim-throughs, where the water was clear and there was always available light.

One morning we dove El Aguila (the eagle), a wreck not far from the resort. The pictures at the resort of this wreck show it in one piece, but the hurricane has dismantled it, and it is in two big chunks with some surrounding litter. We inspected the wreck and swam into the bow, exiting through a hatch on the foredeck. At the bottom, in about 100 ft. of water, lives a large green moray. Not the best wreck we have ever been on, but it was a diversion from the reefs and wrecks are always interesting.

It was unusual that George was the first of our group to be hit with Montezuma's Revenge (or something similar to it). Perhaps the Naprosyn he was taking because his knee had been hurting from hauling his tank up the boat ladder caused it to hit him earlier, or harder. But by Wednesday morning he was feeling pretty lousy. We both took the day off. He slept most of the day, Lynn read. By Wednesday he was feeling well enough to dive again, but throughout the week, we think every member of our group experienced some form or another of a stomach problem, and most of us missed a dive or two because of it. This usually doesn't happen to our group, we are old experienced travelers. We wondered if it had something to do with sanitary conditions not being quite up to speed after the hurricane (water, or whatever).

The food in the restaurant was tasty. There was plenty of fresh fruit (papaya, pineapple, etc.), salads, sandwich makings, soups, etc. For dinner in the evening there was usually fish and one other choice (pork chop, steak, etc.) You could choose one or have a combo. There was cereal, milk, fruit, and cooked-to-order breakfasts, and tasty lunches (although with queasy stomachs the Mexican lunch day and lasagna lunch day were tough to face for some of us). One night there was a seafood buffet. Paco the Honduran Yellow Naped Parrot was present in the restaurant or bar to add a bit of character. During the recent hurricane they caught him and put him in a cage for his own safety - not a pleasant experience for Paco or his captors.

Anthony's Key owner, Julio, is about our age or a little older. We saw him on site every day. He is pleasant, takes time to talk with the guests, and seems to genuinely care that things are ok. He has two handsome sons who take an active part in running the place. Perhaps the reason that Julio is around all the time is that he says whenever he leaves, the boys put in another slab of concrete, or installed air conditioning somewhere. A couple of cabins on the key are sporting draperies and air conditioning. Fortunately, our cabins were open, with ceiling fans and screened, jalousie windows and wonderful breezes coming through from the water.

On Wednesday (the day we took off because George was sick), the rest of our group was returning from the afternoon dive when the boat was stopped by a small boat from a dive shop at West End. They were looking for a lost diver. Apparently he was an experienced diver, diving with an instructor from a small shop that had only been open a few months. He became separated from his buddy, and never surfaced. When we left Roatan, they had still not found the body. Scary, sad, and a reminder to all of us to follow the rules in this sport that can be dangerous yet so wonderful.

When we visited Anthony's Key for the second time in the 80's, the resort had a casino, which we didn't think did much for the character of the place. It was in a nice building just east of the main part of the resort. At some point after that, Julio came to his senses and the casino was closed. He and his family have founded a marine research center there, which now houses about 19 coastal bottlenose dolphins. There are numerous volunteers and trainers. The dolphin are penned, but also allowed to swim in open water. The coastal variety are smaller than other bottlenose, and prefer shallow waters and coastal inlets for their habitat. The institute is paid for by a "snorkel with the dolphins" program, and a "dive with the dolphins" program. It provides programs for local schools to bring students and study the dolphin.

We signed up to dive with the dolphin on Friday. One of their females was season, and as a result, other dolphin dives that week had not gone well. When they let out two adolescent males to play with the divers, they were so interested in the female in the pen they didn't want to leave. They would swim around for a minute or two and return to the pen. However, we were fortunate to have two 13 year old dolphins on our dive for almost an hour. Their names were Paya and Esteban. You could tell the difference between them by the markings on their blow holes. we were surprised that their clicks are quite faint underwater. It was a great experience - something we have wanted to do for a long time. And because they are free-swimming dolphin who can leave if they want to, we did not feel so much like we were exploiting them.

On the dive the next morning, Lynn thought she once again heard the faint clicking of the dolphins and decided it was her imagination. Back on the boat, she mentioned it to Carrie who told her she had heard right. A pod of rough toothed dolphin had come through while we were underwater.

It was the end of a great week. A week of no phones, no TV, no work. About the only bit of news we had was that Clinton had been acquitted, and that American Airline pilots had tried to strike, but were now conducting a sick-out because they had been forced back to work. Since our tickets were on American, we hoped things would be resolved by the time we headed for home.

The last diving day had been choppy and the seas came up in the afternoon. Carrie told us there was a front moving down through the gulf. That night, we had howling winds, torrential rains, and pounding surf. The next morning (the morning of our departure), the seas were really up, there was sporadic rainfall, and the wind was erratic. Not a day to hop on a tinny Russian airplane and take off over open water. We arrived at the airport to be told that the airport in La Cieba was closed due to severe weather. Additionally, the SOSA personnel were not pleased with having two names on one ticket, but George talked them through it and they accepted the arrangement. Two hours later we were still there when the rest of our group arrived to catch their TACA flight. They thought they had seen the last of us the night before when we all hugged and said good-byes after dinner. Their flight was called to the departure lounge, we all said good byes again, and we were left sitting in the airport. George checked with SOSA about every 15 minutes to see if things had changed. He also talked to TACA and there was space available, but it would cost us $650 to make the change.

Finally there was a call for SOSA passengers to move into the departure lounge. There we met up with our dive group again, who had not boarded their plane yet! It seemed like they would never get rid of us! We were speculating that the only reason SOSA passengers were moved to the departure lounge was to have George stop pestering them at the counter for a status report. Some time later, a different SOSA plane landed and taxied to the front of the airport. We were pretty relieved to see a bigger plane, but no one seemed to recognize what type of aircraft it was. Finally, we were boarding this decrepit old over-wing aircraft, and we actually took off for La Cieba before the TACA flight left. Just before we taxied away, our captain poked his head out of the crew quarters, looked up and banged on a non-working sign that said "No Smoking" and "Fasten Seat Belts." He shrugged, then left. So much for a safety demonstration. Our flight was pretty smooth to La Cieba and on to San Pedro Sula, and we were actually reunited with all our luggage in San Pedro Sula.

The next step was to see if American was flying, and they were. We made it to Miami early, checked in at our hotel, and had a Valentine's Day dinner at a nearby bar and restaurant reputed to specialize in fish.

Roatan is a beautiful island. There have been many improvements since we were there in the 80's, but it has retained it's charm. The people are friendly, and the diving is good. There is plenty of room for change, especially to improve the lifestyle of the local inhabitants, but it will always have a place in our memory as a favorite place to spend some time.

Foot notes on airline names from George. TACA is an acronym for "Take A Chance Airlines." SOSA is an acronym for "Stay Off, Stay Alive." Islenas is an acronym for "It Sometimes Leaves Except Never As Scheduled."

We did not take underwater pictures but a few above the surface shots are included. Click here for a page of pictures.

Lynn and George Stateham
February 16, 1999