This is not a budget option (none of the tours are unless you hop on as extra on a dive boat or do a self-swim; a different experience). It's a custom tour to visit this amazing island and reef, and at the moment gas prices are super high.
Why Hire a Boat?
In short, you don't NEED to hire a boat, but you might WANT to.Roatan, Honduras, one of the Bay Islands, is a dive destination for good reason as it sits on the second best reef in the world. Not a diver? I'm not! But I love to snorkel and encounter this wonder of nature along with other interesting sites accessed from the water.
As far as snorkeling the reef, there are a few places where you can swim right out, but if you want to see some of the other mind-blowing snorkel spots, go to Anthony's Key, visit Palmetto Bay, see Starfish Alley, or swim with the sharks at Pigeon Cay just to name a few, you will need to hire a boat.
On our way swimming out with Gustavo as our guide to the shipwreck.
Lunch stop at Palmetto Bay
Pigeon Cay - a shallow sandbar where you can hop in the water and swim with sharks and rays!
What Makes Gustavo Pavón Tours the Best Boat Tour Operator in Roatan?
He is super experienced. From my understanding, he has trained quite a few of the other current tour operators. He knows what he's doing.Gustavo jumps right in the water with you! He knows each reef spot (and anything else about the island) well and is a good free-diver so he can point out things you might not otherwise see. He takes underwater photos of you so you can relax and not worry about snapping pictures the whole time.
He's a very nice man! Funny and personable yet very professional. You will feel safe and well cared for.
He has a very nice boat that he takes immaculate care of. It's 40ft and almost completely covered making it a comfortable ride, even for a full day on the water. His boat is larger than many of the other tour boats I saw out there and way more covered. I have seen some smallish (20 ft?) boats with a modest Bimini cover that IMHO would not be nearly as comfortable for a day on the water as far as being crowded, staying covered from the sun, and handling possible swells.
I probably don't have the scale quite right, but here's the Invictus and some of the other boats that were out at Pigeon Cay that day. Keep in mind you go out over a mile against the wind to get there.
I saw him come back with a group during sunset. Ahhhh. Nothing better.
Invictus at Lost Paradise Inn
Fun to have photos from the snorkel spots
Cost of a Boat Tour in Roatan
I'm obviously not going to quote you a price to go snorkeling or other tour. It will vary on the price of gas, what activities you want to do, and the size of your group. Weigh out the total experience. He does his best to give you a good deal and cater to your needs.When comparing to other companies, be sure to take into account how crowded the boat will be and definitely where the boat will depart from. He's based in West End, so you don't have to hire a lengthy and pricey car to take you Oakridge or where some of the East end tours start from.
That's Gustavo! I'm super pleased to see that this photo I took of him is being used on his FB page. :)
Where to Find Gustavo
He keeps his boat at Lost Paradise Inn at the south end of West End. You can always ask at front desk and they can get you in contact with him.He's not on social media much so doesn't market himself to the extent of some of the other tour groups (or at all really compared to the others), but he does good business with the cruise ships. He's a hidden gem.
People who have been on tours with him, seek him out. Even during my last stay at the hotel, a couple came by looking for him and asking if Gustavo still ran tours out of there. Yep, just go to the main office to get his number. But I'll give you his WhatsApp here to save you time. ;).
Contact Info
+504 9606-4101So take this inside tip from me and get the best OG boat tour guide on the island!
The Tours I've Been On
I first went on a snorkel / Palmetto Bay tour with Gustavo via my hotel Lost Paradise Inn (the second oldest hotel in West Roatan) in 2013. BTW the hotel is run by a wonderful family and is my favorite place to stay on the island. We had a somewhat small group of new friends from the hotel out on the Odyssey (his previous boat; smaller than the one he has now).
The original tour in 2013! :)
Me and Cynthia enjoying our first tour with Gustavo.
Jumping into crystal clear turquoise water. The Odyssey (Gustavo's previous boat)
File fish - how cool
Parrot fish
Next tour in 2017 on the new boat! We took it out with just 3 of us (me, Cynthia, and Chris/Wasabi) and had a wonderful day.
Loving the new boat!
He takes you to the best snorkel spots
Just look at the sea life. Such great clarity; you can see so far in the water! (even on our cloudy day)
This is not zoomed in; we were that close! I highly recommend this adventure. It was very cool.
