History

By the end of the year 2014, when Roatan was already well established as a scuba destination in the Caribbean, our friends from Turtle Beach Resort realized they needed a reliable and safe dive operation in order to provide a quality, personalized service to their consistently increasing number of guests who were looking to discover the reef, whether it was through snorkel tours or scuba diving. When the owners of the resort approached us, we saw this as an excellent opportunity to start our own team and materialize our vision in an area that had been widely overlooked by the scuba dive and snorkel industry. In addition to Denisse, we decided to get ahold of the best captain available; Wilmer Cisneros.

At this point, we purchased 10 tanks, 4 sets of dive gear, fins, wetsuits, masks, snorkels and had a small 22ft Boston Whaler. That is how, on Dec 3rd 2014, Clearwater Adventures catered to their first guests. Since then, Clearwater Adventures has presented itself as an opportunity for anyone -from beginner to advanced reef enthusiasts- to explore the fascinating underwater world in a uniquely personalized way.

Today, operating as a very well-known and established dive center on the island, the company has been able to maintain its quality service without compromising its staple personalized, smiley service while at the same time inviting local residents and tourists alike to become witnesses of the much needed local community’s involvement in the tourism industry.

Mission Statement

Our mission is to help our guests of all ages explore Roatan through snorkel tours and scuba dive trips in a personalized, fun and safe way, while educating them about the underwater world’s endless wonders and increasing environmental threats as well as the island’s culture and heritage.

Vision Statement

Our vision is to become a dive school which educates and explores not only Roatan’s environment and reef, but also its traditions and communities. We strive to take an active part on the involvement of locals in the tourism industry by implementing training programs that emphasize customer service and ecotourism.

Staff

Denisse Mazu – Instructor and Manager: With 3000+ dives and more than 12 years in the diving industry, Denisse presents herself as a very versatile and enthusiastic chilean woman. Having worked in the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea of numerous countries, she came to Roatan in 2013 as part of the crew of a private sailboat that was headed to Belize. It was her first dive at Mandy’s Eel Garden that changed her life forever and made up her mind about staying. Amazed by the visibility, the diversity of life, she chose Roatan as her home and eventually decided to set up shop, passing on her knowledge and passion in every detail of the job.

Wilmer Cisnero – Boat Captain:  Reliable and attentive, always focusing on safety and thinking one step ahead, it’s no wonder Wilmer has been offered to work at other local dive centers. His contemplative ways can often be confused with shyness, only to discover his active devotion to detail in pursuit of our guests’ comfort and wellbeing. His love of the ocean can only be surpassed by his excellent driving skills and knowledge of the reefs.

Merry Hutchins – Instructor: Fed up with the New York City rat race, in 2013 Meredith decided to follow her dream and bought a one way ticket to Bali so she could start her career as a dive professional. Today, with over 500 certifications as both a PADI and SSI Instructor, Scuba Merry has become a crucial piece of Clearwater Adventures’ existence. A great team player, funny and always in a great mood, she will make you feel right at home above and under the water. No wonder so many of her guests follow her wherever she goes!

Alessandro Manfredi – Instructor and Boat Captain: Got to the island on 2016 onboard of his sailboat after crossing the Atlantic. Originally from Rome, Alessandro has been working in the maritime hospitality industry since 2012.  Impeccable customer service skills and charm are his two best assets and the key to his teaching techniques.

Denzel Webster – Dive Master Trainee: Born and raised in the fishing village of Crawfish Rock in Roatan, Denzel always saw the ocean as his main means of income. Whether it was fishing or collecting sand for resorts, he spent most of his early years having a completely different relationship with the reef. After re-discovering the underwater world as an Open Water Diver with Clearwater Adventures in 2018, he decided he wanted to pursue his dream of becoming a Divemaster and traveling the world. He will always greet you with a smile and is very interested in learning about how to make your stay even more pleasant.

Layla Gordis – Dive Dog: A native of Roatan, Layla fills her role as lead greeter with delight. Originally a bit skittish because of her rescue condition, she has blossomed into an outgoing and affectionate team member always looking to get butt scratches. Certified by PAWDI, she is well versed in face licking, coconut fetch, and finding the perfect shady spots for a surface interval nap. Usually found onboard, she is excellent at remembering return guests and eager to meet new ones.

Operations

Located on the gorgeous Clearwater Beach -right by Turtle Beach Resort and the Orchid Beach Village- our diving center emerges between the shore and the jungle, among lush palms and coconut trees. Only 50 ft away from the water. Shoes are not even necessary to walk from the outdoors classroom onto our 20ft dock and board your boat. Surrounded by macaws, woodpeckers, hummingbirds and iguanas, learning to dive and snorkel in the Caribbean is made even more stimulating by the beautiful flora and fauna that characterizes it.

Gear

We love comfort so we offer sturdy rental gear that is durable and provides ease of movement and use. Cressi has been our brand of choice since we started operating and their Starter Pro buoyancy compensator is semi-integrated so you will not have to use those clumsy weight belts anymore. AC2 regulators equipped with a primary and secondary second stage and a depth and air supply pressure gauge so you have all you need to feel safe while underwater.  Also, F1 Cressi silicone mask and other models that will make sure you have the correct seal so that water stays out of your vision range. In addition to this, we also have full foot and open heel fins in all sizes as well as long and short 2mm and 3mm wetsuits. Anything else you might require to use as your rental gear while diving with us, please request ahead of your arrival so we can have it available for you.

Boats

Particularly stable and spacious, our 27 feet custom-made dive boat is equipped with 24 tank holders, wide aluminum top and padded seats to provide comfortable longer rides. She sits 35 inches high making our water entries effortless and smooth and our water exits extremely accessible to all levels of personal requirements thanks to its strong, long aluminum ladder which can be situated either at port or starboard side. Also its safety equipment includes an oxygen kit, VHF radio and First Aid kit. Powered by a 200hp-4 stroke outboard, this boat flies even when it is at full capacity making sure we reach even the furthest dive sites in short passages.

Currently under construction is our second dive boat which has a wider 8ft beam and 30 ft of length. Will be equipped with a 300hp-4 stroke outboard and have the possibility of doing both roll-back and giant-stride entries. We also added a new custom designed ladder which includes extra steps that significantly reduce the effort coming out of the water.

Environmental sustainability is a top priority for our dive shop, which is why we have chosen not to operate with cheaper Diesel or 2-cycle engines but with 4-strokes, and only use biodegradable cleaning products to be on our boats, gear and shop.

Dive Sites

One of the top reasons why divers from all over the world decide to visit Roatan again and again is because of its wide variety of dive sites; Walls, Sand patches, Swim-Throughs, Caves, Wrecks and Drifts dives are found all around our 36 mile long island. Being formed by the coalition of tectonic plates, the island is completely surrounded by steep wall of reef that starts to drop off as shallow as 20 ft deep in some areas. Fortunately, we don’t have to go too far to find some of the best dive spots on the island. Within 10 minutes of our dive center we find over 40 buoys -starting between 20ft and 50ft deep- that mark the different dive sites and snorkel sites. These buoys have been placed and maintained by the Roatan Marine Park in their efforts to conserve the reef, forbidding the use of anchors and its subsequent coral damage.