What’s up everyone?
Today we are heading to the beach. Not just any beach, but Tabyana Beach located on the island of Roatan. Roatan is the largest of the Bay Islands of Honduras. Located about 30 miles off the northern coast of mainland Honduras. Made from ancient coral reef that has thrusted it way 890ft (270m) out of the Caribbean Sea. It is around 48 miles (77km) long and less than 5 miles (8km) at its widest point. Needless to say, but you could probably see the island in its entirety in a day. But why would you want to do that?
Roatan is located near the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef. The largest reef system in the Caribbean and second largest in the world. Of course, second only to the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. Due to its location it has become a hot spot for scuba diver and snorkelers.
My wife’s family have always been water people. They like spending time on the beach and swimming in the ocean. So on our last cruise with them, the one thing that they wanted to do as a family was go snorkeling. Which is no big deal for most people, but to me, I am deathly scared of the water. Give me mountains and trees and I’m happier than a pig in………well mud. Hesitantly I went along. 7 against 1, not like I had a really had a chance.
Catching a shuttle, we headed down the road. We head west through small and sparsely populated villages. Seeing the modest homes and dwelling that these islander live in makes me realize just how fortunate we are for the things we have. Many native people meekly make a living from farming and fishing. Tourism has become a major part of the economy. Now a days, Roatan is going through a reconstruction to modernize it cities and helping to protect its natural resources.
About a 25 minute ride from the Port of Roatan we reach the white sands of Tabyana Beach. I say about 25 because some of their shuttle seem a little suspect to me. At one point we were heading up a pretty good incline. Our shuttle really struggled to make it. I was pretty sure that we were going to have to get out and push it. Luckily we made it to our destination with no real problems.
At the beach there is a gift shop, restroom, locker room, and a food/bar area. The beach is lined with palm trees and lounge chairs. On the back of the gift shop is were you pick up your snorkel gear, if you didn’t bring your own, a mask, inflatable live vest and flippers. From here we headed to the beach, claimed a few lounger to stash our stuff. We met up with our guide and he went over some safety precautions and a little bit of what to expect from our excursion.
At this point I was starting to get a little nervous and my stress level was rising. Like I said I don’t like water. I do alright if its below chest level and my feet are firmly planted, but not too far off the beach the ground drastically drops. Luckily for me the guide had a boogie board that he used to carry stuff with him and I could cling to it. I will tell you this. For the guys out there. It is best to have a cleanly shaven face. This will give you a better seal on your mask. If you’re like me and like the rugged look, you will get a little seepage through your whiskers. It not a big deal, just a little heads up.
Once my nerves settled, I really started to have fun with it. Its one thing to see fish in an aquarium, but its taken to a whole new level to actual be swimming with them in their natural environment. I was not brave enough to let go of my life board to attempt to dive down into the water. If you are comfortable enough to do it though, you will see all sorts of interesting things. One of our group saw a blue lobster, or so they claim. The guided tour last about 20 or 30 minutes and well worth the time.
After the tour the time was ours to spend however we wanted. I spent most of my time exploring the shallows and watching the fish swim around me. While the other went and explored other areas of the reef. We worked our way to the end of the beach were a rock wall jutted out into the sea. On this rock we found little crabs and even a rock iguana warming himself with the rays of the morning sun. Life is all around us in the tropics. All you have to do is look around and you’ll discover something new.
All in all it was a great experience for me and for those in our group. We had a lot of fun. I guess the moral of this is that some of the best adventures happen outside of our comfort zones. If we are willing to look past our fear we are rewarded with treasures of untold greatness and adventure.
Thanks for stopping by. We’ll see you under the Caribbean sun.
Until next time.
Josh
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