Beach day in Roatan Bay, Honduras

We were very happy to be able to dock at Roatan Bay, Honduras after the port call at Cozumel, Mexico was cancelled. The morning was a bit cool and cloudy, with promise of sun later in the day. I had booked a beach and snorkel excursion at Tabyana Beach which was described as a great place to snorkel without having to spend time on a boat ride to see underwater life. We disembark to a colorful port and warm welcome.

At the assembly area, we were told that the snorkel part of our excursion was cancelled because the water was choppy and visibility was not good; we would be refunded that portion of the trip. However the beach, swimming and lunch portion was still on. Those of us who were looking forward to snorkeling were disappointed, but some passengers who have been to that beach in the past said that we could go snorkeling on our own if we brought our own gear, which I did (not the fins though). We got on a minivanfor the 20 minute ride to the beach. The beach was really pretty, lots of beach chairs with no umbrellas, so those of us who did not want to sun bathe selected chairs under trees. There were security staff walking around who assured us that it was quite safe to leave our bags on the chairs if we want to swim, nice. We talked to some to some of the vendors who tried to rent us snorkeling equipment and pointed to the best spots for snorkeling. Said we should be able to see reef fishes despite the less than crystal clear water.

And so, a fellow cruise mate and I decided to try it. She rented equipment from the vendor for $15 (not a bad price), while I put on my own mask and snorkel, and we went into the water. The waves were a little choppy, but yes, we saw fish, some of which were pretty colorful. This was a great opportunity to test my new waterproof camera, although I was not sure if the quality of the photos would have been better if the water was clear, or both.

We spent a lot of time in the water, but kept an eye to make sure we did not venture way out to the outer reefs that would have been perfect for snorkeling if the sea was calmer. We then went back to our chairs where we were joined by more fellow cruise mates who came in later. Grilled/BBQ chicken with rice and beans, tropical fruit was pretty good (photo of lunch station below). I also bought a fresh young coconut, wish I remembered to take a photo. The vendors/servers/security were all very nice, and deserved the tips they got from the guests!

On the way back to the ship, I stopped to check out the stores and took photos of the colorful handicrafts being sold. It was a great day off the ship!

The lovely sunset made a lovely evening.