Our last couple of days on the island of Roatan off the coast of Honduras were amazing. We had successfully completed our Scuba course and were getting excited for our last two dives, which would take place further down the reef at a new location. We prepped our gear and loaded up the boat with our instructor Marek and a handful of folks from all over the world; Czech, South Africa, USA, and headed out for the day. It was a great ride, through turquoise waters and mangroves, passing amazing beaches and rocky points. About 30 mins later we dropped anchor next to the reef and put on all our gear, which by then Nate and I knew how to handle and prep.
The first few seconds after entering the water (falling backwards off the boat) are always so exciting. All of the sudden you can see what has been below you and it's incredible. It was a perfect sunny day and the water was so clear. We could see for 100 plus feet in all directions. We dropped down to the reef floor about 65 feet below and took in our surroundings. It's kind of like sitting on the bottom of a giant swimming pool and looking up to the surface of the water above, except in the pool with you are thousands of amazing fish and there is sea life swimming in and out of a giant coral reef. It's truly magical.
The dive lasted a little over an hour, which for us was amazing considering we had finished our first dive only four days earlier. If you're considering learning how to scuba dive, Marble Hill Farms on Roatan is the place to go for sure. It's one of the best reefs in the world, and I'm so happy we decided to go. The waters of the Caribbean are just stunning.
We stopped at a very small island that looked like it was from a Corona commercial for lunch and enjoyed the feeling of being in paradise for a couple hours. Nate and I grabbed our snorkels and did some exploring while others relaxed on the beach. After a second dive that was even more spectacular than the first (we saw two eagle rays and a huge barracuda, as well as tons of other amazing fish) we stopped at a local bar that was built on stilts out in the water off the shore. The good life.
Our last day on the island came quickly and we woke up with the sun, packed our bikes and headed to our early morning ferry back to the main land.
After a few hours of amazing mountain riding, including with washed out bridges and fresh pineapple on the side of the road, we dropped down into the capital city of Tegucigalpa and met up with a friend of a friend there for the night. Our host Ileana took excellent care of us, showing us around the city, from amazing rooftop bars with views of the city to fun stops at Dunkin Donuts. It was a great stay and after some good bye hugs, thank yous and a photo we were back on the road. Next stop, Nicaragua!!
The Boat house
Cool lizards everywhere
The main house paito
Gardens
The Dock
This guy was big! He was missing a foot too.
So cool looking
A nice place to watch the sun set!
Through the mangroves we go
Amazing waters
Heading to our lunch island
Here we are, wow!
Another boat on the beach
Win
Our island!
Another small one off the coast
A view of the whole island
Picture perfect
Time to gear up!
Photo credit: NCK - Worldviamotorcycle
The bar
The Boys
Marek our instructor with Nate and I
Beautiful reef
Ileana and us at the rooftop bar
View of Tegucigalpa
Fresh pineapple, so delicious. We could smell it a mile away
Entering Tegucigalpa
Meeting at the Inter Continental
Um, let's find a new way
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