Winter is upon us and the cold weather will be sticking around for months to come. Well, up north that is.
Here in Roatan, “winter” doesn’t really look the same. We have white stuff on the ground, but it sure isn’t snow! And, don’t worry…the winter diving in Roatan is just as good as every other time of year.
Winter Diving in Roatan
Roatan does experience different seasons during the year, with winter being our rainy season. Beginning in October and lasting until around March, rainy season is our tropical version of winter. While we don’t experience monsoon season like other tropical areas, we do have some winter storms come through to drop lots of rain our way. It’s good for us since it keeps our island beautifully green and lush!
Typically during rainy season, we’ll have days on end that are sunny and perfect. But then we’ll have a few days of rain as a storm blows in and hangs over us for a bit. A week-long vacation during rainy season cannot be guaranteed to be entirely perfectly sunny. However, during a full week you’ll surely see some ideal weather!
Winter diving in Roatan is obviously affected by the weather. However, as divers, we’re less affected by normal rainy days than other activities. Snorkelers will certainly have decreased visibility and might not enjoy snorkeling during a rainstorm. Divers, however, get below that tumultuous surface to better visibility where the rains don’t bother us.
The only real way diving in Roatan is affected by winter weather is during northern storms. If we get hit by a northerly during your vacation, diving out from West Bay Beach isn’t a good option. Instead, we head to Roatan’s south side for protection from the choppy seas and high winds to where we can dive in calmer conditions.
Marine Life in Roatan
Roatan is lucky enough to be on a path for whale sharks. We regularly get sightings offshore so we can just hop in a boat and snorkel with these gentle giants. The Roatan Marine Park requests that divers don only snorkel gear to get into the water with whale sharks and that we stay a respectful distance so as not to disturb them.
These whale shark sightings are more frequent during rainy season, or during Roatan’s winter. The months of February and March tend to offer lots of sightings, although of course we can never guarantee any specific marine life since we’re not diving in an aquarium (even though it sometimes looks like an aquarium!).
Winter in Roatan
Throughout the winter diving season, we still enjoy warm air and water temperatures. Surface temperatures average in the high 70s/low 80s Fahrenheit (around 26-28°C) while winter water temperatures average around 25° C/78° F.
You might see us locals diving in 5mm long wetsuits during winter months, but that’s just because we hate anything close to cold weather! Most tourists are completely comfortable in 3mm shorties, even during the winter months.
If you’re planning to enjoy some winter diving in Roatan, Infinity Divers is the best location to spend your holiday. Even if it rains during your whole week, our fantastic team will take you on some amazing dives. During your surface intervals, you can enjoy all the amenities of Infinity Bay, even in rainy weather. We hope you’ll join us!