About Roatan

English is the first language of native islanders, regardless of race, and Spanish is spoken second, whereas mainland Honduras is Spanish-speaking. It remains this way because of the islands' history as a British colony with some islanders claiming descent from the British Isles. With the steady influx of mainland Hondurans migrating to the islands in the late twentieth century, Spanish language use has increased. However, because of the tourism and cruise ship industry that supports the economy of the islands, English continues to be the first spoken and dominant language among all native island peoples.

Climate and Geography

Roatan's climate is firmly entrenched in the tropical climate zone and the island is covered in lush jungles and verdant forests.. Roatan has two main seasons. rainy season and dry season. Despite the dry season, Roatan remains green year-round. Rainy season, which begins in October and lasts through January each year.

It rains an average of 112 days a year on Roatan. However, these rains are usually isolated showers. Most of the rain occurs during the rainy season, and the rain can be uniform and last for several days. The Weather Network and other forecasting website's show Rain for the day however most of the time it is a quick isolated tropical shower and then it is gone.

Roatan lies outside the hurricane corridor and experiences a hurricane only once every 26 years. The climate alone and the fact that Roatan has little to no risk of hurricanes makes it ideal vacationing.

The Iron Coast is a coast of fossilized rocky coral reefs found at various locations along the coast of Roatan. Iron shore is easily confused with lava rock because of its dramatic texture and dark color. However, the Bay Islands have no evidence of volcanic formation in their history.

Mesoamerican Barrier Reef

The Mesoamerican Barrier Reef is world famous which makes Roatan ideal for diving and other water sports. It is the largest of its kind in the Northern Hemisphere and the second largest in the world. Mesoamerican coral reef systems extend from the Yucatan Peninsula in southern Mexico to the Bay Islands in Honduras. The coral reef system around Roatan Island includes all three types of coral reefs and is comprised of many marine ecosystems, making it home to countless marine species. The waters surrounding Roatan include a mix of open and protected waters. 

Airports

The Juan Manuel Gálvez International Airport (RTB) on Roatán is one of five airports able to receive international traffic that is in service in Honduras. The other airports in Honduras are the Ramon Villeda Morales International Airport (SAP) in San Pedro Sula, Toncontin International Airport (TGU) in Tegucigalpa, Goloson International Airport in La Ceiba (LCE), and Palmerola International Airport (XPL), in Comayagua.

The Port of Roatan and Mahogany Bay are the two major cruise ports in Roatan. Each port can accommodate three cruise ships at any given time, one alongside and two in anchorage. An estimated 580 thousand passenger visit Roatan via this port each year on an estimated 170 cruise ships. The water depth at the port is approximately 12 meters (39 ft). 

The Roatán Marine Park (RMP) is a grassroots, community-based, non-profit organization located on Roatán. The organization was formed in January 2005 when a group of concerned dive operators and local businesses united in an effort to protect Roatán's fragile coral reefs. Initially, the RMP's goal was to run a patrol program within the Sandy Bay-West End Marine Reserve (SBWEMR), to prevent over exploitation through unsustainable fishing practices. Over time, the organization expanded the scope of their environmental efforts through the addition of other programs to protect Roatán's natural resources, including patrols and infrastructure, education, conservation and public awareness.

The East End Chapter of the Roatan Marine Park was created in late 2017 in an effort to expand the RMP's efforts across the entire island. The initiative and volunteer efforts saw an increase in fish coverage and a 200% increase in turtle nesting for the 2019 season, and new goals include expanding education outreach and local alternative livelihood programs.

The Roatan Institute for Marine Sciences (RIMS) was established in 1989 with the primary objective being the preservation of Roatán's natural resources through education and research. RIMS is located in Sandy Bay, specifically in Anthony's Key Resort, Over the past twenty five years, RIMS has established itself as a teaching institution and is visited by colleges as well as universities from abroad to study nearby tropical marine ecosystems and the bottlenose dolphins kept by the facility.

All reef systems throughout the Bay Islands are protected by the local and central government with help from charitable donations and those on the front line. Through local donations to the Marine Park and the many causes along with a concerted effort from the resorts on the island weekly clean-ups are undertaken to insure no metals or plastics litter the reef system and beaches as well as all major dive shops doing clean-ups on most of their daily dives. There are still obstacles to be defeated but the Islanders and expatriates living on the islands have taken a united stand to conserve and educate.