Dive Review of Turtle Bay EcoResort in
Honduras

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Turtle Bay EcoResort: "Unfortunate Downhill Slide of a Once Wonderful Dive Operation", May, 2019, by Paul Barrett, NM, US ( Sr. Reviewer 11 reports with 9 Helpful votes). Report 10935 has 1 Helpful vote.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity
Dive Operation		Shore Diving
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	This was not my first time visiting Turtle Bay on Cayos Cochinos, Honduras. Sadly it will probably be my last. I want to be very clear, the onsite staff is tremendous and doing what they can with limited resources. Unfortunately they are not getting the support they need from the owners. I’ve also seen some complaints by other reviewers so let me start by saying, it’s the tropics, there are bugs. Get over it. Also it’s a small island in the tropics with limited power so there is no air conditioning. There are fans in every room but if you require AC to have a comfortable vacation you are better off elsewhere. We visited in May. We learned that a few months earlier, the resort manager had been fired. That left the two Dive Instructors/Dive Managers holding the bag. They must now run the dive operation including filling the tanks and repairs, manage the hotel and staff, run the bar, and occasionally fill in as cooks. The diving around Cayos Cochinos is fantastic, not for large pelagics but to see a relatively healthy coral reef community. They even have a few elk horn coral, something all to rare in the Caribbean. Unfortunately since our last visit about five years ago the facilities have gone down hill. Our first clue that things may not be right was before we even arrived. Our package included rental dive gear. We were contacted and asked if everyone needed the gear because they may not have enough. Fortunately most of us did bring our own kits so that was not an issue. It did begin to make me wonder. Next when we arrived on island we found they did not have enough weights on hand to fully outfit our group. What sort of a dive resort doesn’t have enough lead?!?! The DMs hustled and had some brought over from the mainland but it did delay our first day of diving for an hour. I later learned they are also short on O-rings! That first morning I connected my gear and found that one of my 80 cubic inch tanks was reading 890 psi and the other 2600 psi. They had been filled the evening before but it turns out about 1/4 of all the tanks were leaking overnight, some drastically. Several of my group had to switch out tanks. We learned to check our tanks every morning before we left the dock. The DMs did all they could to help us but the compressor is also on it’s last legs and takes quite a while to fill four tanks at a time and with just enough tanks to accommodate our two tank boat dives, they were filling tanks from very early in the morning until very late at night. On shore, the seats of most of the beach furniture has ripped out. The dock has an upper deck that in the past we’d sit on to watch the sunset. It is now off-limits because the wood has rotted through and is failing. Apparently a previous guest almost fell through! On the plus side, the food was very tasty once the regular cook arrived. (On our first day the backup cook refused to prepare meals for our group but did prepare them for the staff. Once again the DMs stepped up and prepared and served us a simple meal.) From what I’ve heard, the owner of the dive operation has not been on site for several years. Irrespective of if that’s the case he needs to visit, prioritize the needs and infuse funds into Turtle Bay. If he cannot do so he should sell the operation, preferably to someone with sufficient capital and enthusiasm to get the place back up to reasonable standards. It is heartbreaking to see such a wonderful place degrade so much due to neglect and inadequate maintenance. one.
Websites	Turtle Bay EcoResort
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	251-500 dives
Where else diving	Bonaire, Caymans, Cozumel, Honduras, Truk, Sipidan
Closest Airport	San Pedro Sula	Getting There	Fly to San Pedro Sula, van to La Ceiba, boat pickup to Cayos Cochinos.
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny	Seas	calm
Water Temp	81-83°F / 27-28°C	Wetsuit Thickness
Water Visibility	50-100 Ft/ 15-30 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	?
Enforced diving restrictions	[Unspecified]
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	no
What I Saw
Sharks	None	Mantas	None
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	1 or 2	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish
Large Pelagics
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter	N/A	Boat Facilities	N/A
Overall rating for UWP's	N/A	Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	[None]

Report currently has 1 Helpful vote

Subscriber's Comments

By Greg Bruce in WA, US at May 23, 2019 14:34 EST

Very helpful report. Thanks. I had been considering this resort. This gives me pause.

By Greg Bruce in WA, US at May 23, 2019 14:34 EST

Very helpful report. Thanks. I had been considering this resort. This gives me pause.

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Dive Review of Turtle Bay EcoResort in Honduras

Turtle Bay EcoResort: "Unfortunate Downhill Slide of a Once Wonderful Dive Operation", May, 2019,

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Overall Rating

Reporter and Travel

Dive Conditions

Dive Policy

What I Saw

Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Subscriber's Comments

Dive Review of Turtle Bay EcoResort in
Honduras