BenG 5/5 Stars
I honestly cannot say enough good things about Roatan Divers, and the owners, Saaya and Karl. Of all the places I've dived, they were, by far, the friendliest, most thorough, and had the greatest personalities. Karl is from Sweden and Saaya is from Japan, while we had dive masters from Spain, Australia, and the U.S. It was a true multicultural experience, and a very memorable one at that.
On each and every dive, a DM accompanies the group, points out the highlights of the various sites, and keeps an eye on everyone; however, I never once felt as though I was on a leash. You are free to roam (within reason) and explore.
One of the best things about Roatan Divers is that there is an abundance of sites, most distinct from one another, within minutes of the dive shop. Our very first dive was literally a three-minute surface ride from the dock. You don't waste hours getting to any one location, and the farthest we traveled was about 15 minutes to get to the El Aguila shipwreck.
Diving with Roatan Divers is literally like diving with friends; they never treat you as a customer and go out of their way to make you comfortable. Add to the fact that ALL gear is included in the price, and that price is extremely reasonable (especially when compared to diving in the U.S.), and this is a true diver's paradise.
For anyone who has never been to Roatan, it is a dream destination. The locals are all extremely friendly, speak wonderful English, and the island itself is gorgeous. The dive shop is about 30 feet away from a great restaurant, so you have lunch conveniently at-hand.
The coral reefs really stunned me...most of the reefs I had previously dived were rather featureless, topographically speaking, but the reefs in Roatan were like canyons. You may have a crevasse of 50 feet or more, and there are several spots that are essentially wall dives. Mandy's Eel Garden was one of my favorite spots, with HUNDREDS of garden eels at about 80 feet. The night dive was fantastic, with several octopi spotted, as well as giant crabs and lobsters.
If you're going to be in Roatan and looking for THE BEST dive shop, do yourself a favor and stop by Roatan Divers. Oh, and they are one of the few places on the island that actually has NITROX, too!