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Dive Review of Villa on Dunbar Rock in
Honduras/Guanaja, Bay Islands

Villa on Dunbar Rock: "Great Resort, Really Good Diving", Mar, 2020,

by Gary & Robin Schiendelman, PA, US (Top Contributor Top Contributor 31 reports with 46 Helpful votes). Report 11466 has 1 Helpful vote.

No photos available at this time

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

Accommodations 4 stars Food 4 stars
Service and Attitude 5 stars Environmental Sensitivity N/A
Dive Operation 5 stars Shore Diving N/A
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ 5 stars
Beginners 5 stars
Advanced 4 stars
Comments We've been looking at Dunbar Rock for years and finally decided to give it a try. Our last trip to Roatan, the diving was disappointing so we were unsure about Guanaja but it turned out to be a good decision.

It was slightly difficult getting from RTB to Guanaja. We were booked on a charter flight but because of weather, the plane was stuck on the mainland. Fortunately, the resort works with someone at the airport and he assisted with getting us on a scheduled flight with Lanhsa Airline. We had to pay for the flight and the resort reimbursed us for the cost of the charter as soon as we returned home. Our flight from Guanaja to RTB on the way back was also with Lanhsa and although it was supposed to be direct, they ended up flying us to the mainland first. Why? Who knows. A 20 minute flight ended up taking us about 2 hours. So just beware when you are booking your international flights.

We were the only guests at the resort from Saturday until Tuesday when we were joined by another couple who were not diving.

The resort was really nice. There are many different rooms that are hard to see on their website so we discussed our options with their agent and she recommend room 6. It was a lovely room with a private balcony & large bathroom. Plenty of hot water, decent linens, clean. The staff were all excellent. Good at their jobs and very personable. Food was good and there was too much of it for us. They did a good job of varying the menu. Some entrees were better than others but overall, 4 stars considering where you are. House liquor was included in our package.

Because you are literally on a rock in the middle of the ocean, there were NO BUGS!! A real plus in Honduras. We were able to leave our room doors and windows open all week with no issues at all.

The dive operation was top notch. They really take valet diving to the next level. We didn't have to touch our gear all week including wetsuits! Each morning it was waiting for us on the boat and at the end of each day they took your gear and wetsuits, rinsed and stored it. Other than some liveaboards in the South Pacific, we've never had such service and really enjoyed it.

They ask you to stay with the DM and limit dives to 60 minutes. Generally, the DM had you back under the boat after 45-50 minutes and you could surface or stay until your 60 minutes. We had Rey & Kennet with us all week. They alternated between being the captain and DM. We really enjoyed diving with Rey who always took his time. Kennet was also good and spotted lots of small stuff for us. Boats were easy to get off and on with sturdy ladders. Dive schedule is 2 am dives, return for lunch, then an afternoon dive. One night dive per week on Tuesday when they don't do the afternoon dive. There is diving around the rock but because of an ear issue, we had to limit ourselves to 3 dives a day. If you are a night diver and don't mind 10-15 feet of water, it looked like it would be an awesome night dive (included with your package).


The diving was much better than we had anticipated. There have been areas closed to fishing for about 3 years and we were told it's made a big difference. Not a lot of large fish but lots of small and juveniles. The corals were really healthy although we did see evidence of bleaching. Because of wind, we dove the north side of the island all week. Fortunately, there is a channel through the island that's only 5 minutes away so it was not a big deal. Vis wasn't great most dives due to the wind and storms at sea.


We would be reluctant to be at Dunbar Rock with a large group. Because of the way it's constructed, all tile and concrete, the sound echos a great deal. We had no problem as the place was empty but if you had a group who liked to stay up late and party at the bar and around the pool, it might be very noisy depending upon your room.

We would go back and would recommend to anyone who doesn't mind the additional hassle of getting there.

Feel free to contact us if you have any specific questions.


Websites Villa on Dunbar Rock   

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience Over 1000 dives
Where else diving Indonesia, PNG, Solomon Isl, Red Sea, Maldives, South Africa, Mozambique, Cocos Isl, Galapagos, Socorro, Palau, Var Caribbean locations, New Jersey, Florida, No Carolina, Philippines
Closest Airport Getting There American EWR-MIA-RTB then puddlejumper to
Guanaja. More below.

Dive Conditions

Weather windy Seas choppy, no currents
Water Temp 78-79°F / 26-26°C Wetsuit Thickness
Water Visibility 40-90 Ft/ 12-27 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile no
Enforced diving restrictions Stay with DM, 60 minutes, no deco
Liveaboard? no Nitrox Available? yes

What I Saw

Sharks 1 or 2 Mantas None
Dolphins None Whale Sharks None
Turtles None Whales None
Corals 4 stars Tropical Fish 4 stars
Small Critters 4 stars Large Fish 1 stars
Large Pelagics 2 stars

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

Subject Matter 4 stars Boat Facilities 3 stars
Overall rating for UWP's 4 stars Shore Facilities 3 stars
UW Photo Comments Camera rinse bucket on the boat. Not sure if they had a rinse tank on the dock.
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Note: The information here was reported by the author above, but has NOT been reviewed nor edited by Undercurrent prior to posting on our website. Please report any major problems by writing to us and referencing the report number above.

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