New Instructors!

Congrats to Laura and Austin for successfully becoming PADI Open Water Scuba Diving Instructors! They worked very hard to make it happen and celebrated in style at Will's IDC BBQ on Friday night. Look out world...here they come!

Tropical Storm Harvey...

It has been a very interesting few days with Tropical

Storm Harvey making a visit to the Bay Islands.

Although it looked as though Harvey might be serious at one point, he turned out to be pretty tame
(thank goodness). We closed the shop for a day and now it's back to business! It's more beautiful
around here than ever!

The days preceeding Harvey were pretty spectacular for diving. We saw everything from Eagle Rays to Nurse Sharks! Turtles seemed to come out in pairs on every dive and Green Morays were found on almost every outing! Pure heaven!

Some new diving friends just managed to leave the island before the storm hit, including Max and Laura who were traveling around Central America from England. These two friends met in Columbia last year and have been exploring for the past five weeks.

Max decided to do his advanced course and Laura aced her open water AND advanced. Natasha couldn't stop commenting on her incredible air consumption.
One particular advanced dive saw a depth of 100 ft for 82 minutes at West End Wall.
Laura still came up with 1,000 PSI!

Now THAT'S hard to beat!

A Step Up...or Down

Giant Stride lovers around the world rejoice! Potlicker officially has a new step on her stern making this entry easier than ever.

She's only been out of commission for a few days thanks to John and Tree's hard work!
Ooooooooohhhh...so white and clean!

Bet You Wish You Were Here...

We just wanted to tease you with some of the incredible photos Mike Gallegos took during his last few dives as a DMT. Thanks for sharing, Mike!

Keep in mind that we offer underwater photography and videography courses right here at CTD. Isn't it time YOU started capturing your underwater memories too?

Back Online at Long Last!

(Natasha lights the candles for BLT's bday cheesecake)

Tigo has, at long last, released us from her grip of terror! After three full days of limited connectivity thanks to updates and system maintenance, we are back online! We have a LOT to tell you!

Last week was a busy one with old CTD friends back in town! Instructor Lauren Schneidewind was back on the deck for a week. Even though she was on vacation, she couldn't help but get back into some instructing work. It was FANTASTIC to see her beautiful face in Roatan once again. We already miss you, Lauren!

Another face we were very happy to see was BLT from Chicago!
He came down to celebrate his 30th bday in style...with an actual cake (not eggs and flour) on the deck. Happy birthday! Thanks for spending it in true Coconutter style
(he's the one hiding in the hat and sunglasses below)!

We can't forget Monty's birthday either! He turned 29 ;) on Monday! There was an incredible cake made but no video or photographic evidence! Hmmm...

In other CTD news, John has spent hours revarnishing the seahorse at the entrance to the shop. Using an array of coatings we know nothing about, he created a BEAUTIFUL rich sheen for our mascot. Great work, John! Now he's on to cutting out the back of Potlicker for an easier giant stride. So far, so good. Natasha better get her paintbrush ready...

We also wanted to post some pics from fun divers Melanie and her son Austin. They are regulars at CTD and managed to get these great shots. They gave a big shout-out to Bear for pointing out this Moray...thanks for the pics guys! Come back soon.

Speaking of mothers and sons, Desiree and 12 year-old Leo were back in Roatan for a week of diving. These two are from New Orleans but have a house on the island (www.lacasarara.com).

This family has been coming to CTD since before Nina was born and Des says her place used to be a hot spot for Coconutter parties!

A family liason nurse in a major trauma center, Des uses her trips to Roatan to unwind and get in some one-on-one time with her son.

"The whole thing about the shop is that it's really friendly," explains Desiree. "The beer is cheap, cold and delicious, the equipment is in great shape and everyone is offered specialized attention. The instructors are more than competent and they are always doing their best. How much better could it possibly get?"

Leo agrees saying, "People who I've never met know who I am. It makes me feel really welcome here."

Their favorite dive sites include Moonlight, The Bight, El Aquario and El Aguila.

Here are a few shots of their last dive. See you guys next July!

On a sad note, it's time to say goodbye to the Gallegos family :(
They are heading back to California after completing their DM course. We will certainly miss them especially since Persephone and Emiliano have become our dive shop babies.

On the other hand, there really was a lot of hair to handle between PJ and Mike...

Until we meet again...

Tigo Trouble!

We have a lot to tell you, but Tigo has been acting up lately.
It's been difficult to access the internet for any more than just a few
minutes over the past three days. Uploading photos has been impossible.

The blog will be back to it's regular hilarities very soon!

Btw...the Seagrape Jelly finally set! Success!

Paula's back, baby!

Paula Biggar is back in town!
Here first visit to Roatan was in 1991 and she's been to CTD FIVE times over the years.
She remembers West End when Fosters was the only spot around!
This highschool spanish teacher usually comes diving alone and says that Texas is her all-time favorite dive site.

"I know so many people at the shop now," explains Paula. "I've always felt the staff were very good and thorough. I don't have a computer so safety is very important to me. I've always felt comfortable and like I've been in good hands.
To be honest, it feels like I'm coming home every time I arrive."

Awwwwwwwww........we feel the love!

Better than XBox 360...

We all want to say a big thank you to Casey and Janel Adams for visiting our shop!
This DC area couple is simply amazing and Casey did his open water, advanced, EFR, rescue, wreck, deep, u/w photo and nitrox specialties while here! He now has over 41 dives!

"The family atmosphere is what makes Coconut Tree so special," says Casey. "Everyone is your friend when you leave and that's an amazing feeling."

These two have been together almost 15 years and are very special indeed. Janel especially found her way into Natasha's heart when she brought her a cinnamon bun from Rotisserie Chicken after a night dive (thanks again!!!).

Unfortunately their time here ends tomorrow and we wish them the very best. We are sure their two pugs will be eager to see them!

Come back guys! It won't be the same without you :(

A big congrats to 12-year-old Casey from Charleston for completing his JR open water course. His parents couldn't believe their ears when he exclaimed that, "diving is better than XBox 360!"

This Grade 7 student aced his academics and took to the water like a fish.

"Being able to see things I've never seen before is cool," he said just before his certifying dive. "My friends' mouths are going to drop all the way to China when they find out
I went scuba diving!"

Is it time to get YOUR kids out of virtual reality?