A Change in Ownership

To our RD family,

After six years of creating and nurturing Roatan Divers, we have decided to step down as the owners and hand the reins to someone new. It has been an extraordinary journey, going from a small operation working off a water taxi for those two times a month we had customers, to a two-operation, 4-boat, 19-member strong crew. There have been many tears, many profanities, and most importantly, many laughs and an infinite amount of love. We could not have gotten to where we are without our amazing guests and our incomparable team, and we are deeply grateful to the last six years we had with you and feel we have a few thank you’s in order.

While our feelings of leaving are bittersweet because of how much of ourselves we have poured into Roatan Divers and how deeply proud we are of what Roatan Divers has accomplished, we are profoundly happy to hand the reins over to Irma and Martijn, two of our best friends and our former partners from Tobri Divers. We know that, in their care, Roatan Divers will continue its proud tradition of unparalleled service with a smile, and are excited to watch the new heights to which they can take RD. So the first ‘thank you’ must go to you, Irma and Martijn. Thank you for loving RD, for taking on not only the staff (rowdy bunch that they are), but for also keeping shop cat Singha and Captain Jesus in the RD family as well. It’s a monumental task that you are undertaking, and you guys are going to be great. We love you both and are so excited for your future with RD!

Team RD on our last shop event together

To our Head Captain, Victor: The one who started it all. It has been an honor to watch you grow over the last six years, and we can genuinely say that RD would not be RD without you. It’s hard to truly put into words how much our hearts burst with pride to see what a responsible leader you have grown into. You are one of the biggest reasons that we have loved Roatan, and we hope you know what great things you are capable of.
To Kevin, Cristian and Noe: Our sweet, hardworking captain team. We can always count on you, whether it be to fearlessly lift people out of the water or for a laugh. You all eat far too many baleadas, but by god if you don’t earn every bite! Stay kind, stay smart, stay on the straight and narrow - you are some of the best that Roatan has to offer and we hope you don’t change.
To Peter and Ann: Thank you for sticking with us through the high stress, slow business and little pay. You stayed with us because you believed in us and believed in Roatan Divers, and we are forever grateful that you stuck it out with us when the best we could do was barely cover your bar bills. You guys are amazing and we are so deeply grateful for everything you did for us.
To our all instructors, past and present: Hot damn! It’s because of all of you that Roatan Divers is where it’s at. The hours you put in with a smile, the many times you fought through colds, body aches (some self-induced by football), and tears - you are absolute champions. We love you all deeply and will (occasionally) miss you peppering us with inane questions that you could easily look up yourself. You guys are the best of the best, and don’t you ever forget it. We know we will see you all in the future, wherever we are in the world.
To our managers, Russ and Natalia: Thank you for everything you’ve done for and with us. It has been a privilege watching you both work and grow with the company, and we have never doubted that you love RD as much as we do. We are so proud of your representation of our company and know you have bright futures in whatever you choose to pursue.
To Singha: we (Saaya, specifically) love you so much. We know you’re in good hands with Irma and Martijn and we hope you know that we’ll miss you the most out of the everyone. You deserve everything good in this world.
To Jesus: (Excuse our poor Spanish, this is Google translated) Gracias por todo. Trabajas muy duro y mereces todo lo maravilloso que pueda suceder en la vida. Has criado a un hijo increíble y debes estar orgulloso de todo lo que has logrado.
To the RD fleet: Is it weird to thank our boats? We’ll do it anyways. Over the last six years we’ve had Manami, Ran, Freya, Saga and Atla, and you kept us safe through any weather and looked cool doing it. We will miss the roars of your engines as you take off, and know there will never be a greater fleet on Roatan than that of RD. Thank you to our intrepid boat builders, Lionel Arch’s and Darcy Martinez’s crew, for building an extraordinary, strong fleet. We’re looking forward to seeing your future builds with RD!
To Ginger’s Caribbean Grill: Thank you for keeping us broke, fat and happy. You guys have been the best neighbors ever, we cannot believe how lucky we were to find you! Thank you for making Roatan a more delicious place, you guys are so wonderful and we love you.
To The Beach House: Chuck and Karyn, you guys are class acts. Roatan is a better place because you are here. We hope you never change and that the incredible bond that RD + BH share is never broken. You’ll never quite know how much you mean to us because words will never do it justice.
To Blue Bahia Resort and Beach Grill: Thank you for welcoming us so openly into the Blue Bahia family! Opening up Roatan Divers Sandy Bay with you has been a delight, and we are excited to watch our relationship continue to blossom, even from a distance.
To Xbalanque Resort: It has been a fantastic experience working with you. Thank you for believing in us and our ability to make your guests happy, and we look forward to a continuing long and fruitful relationship with you.
To Kendall and Wikkid Divers: Thank you for being incredible partners. You make rainy season way more fun! We are deeply grateful for our south side partnership and think you’ve been an amazing addition to Roatan Divers and to the island.
To The Mares Store: Sergio, Tiffany, G and co. - you guys are amazing! Thank you for your continued support and unbelievable customer service over the years. We have been proud to be partnered with Mares for the last six years and would not have changed our equipment experience for anything.
To the Roatan Marine Park: You guys do not have an easy job. Thank you for the immense amount of work that you’ve put into conserving Roatan’s incredible reef. From the shop staff to the rangers, you are part of what makes Roatan great, and we hope that support for you continues to grow.
To Go Blue Bay Islands: Thank you for your hard work to make Roatan a better place. Manlio, you work so hard and often for very little reward, but we hope you know how important you have been to Roatan Divers and to the community.
To our drivers: Julio and Luis in particular, thank you. You’re the first faces that our cruise ship guests see when they get off the boat and their first interaction with Roatan and with Roatan Divers. Thank you for greeting everyone with a smile and for your reliability and kindness.
To everyone who has supported us through the years: It takes a village, and we’ve certainly worked with some fantastic operators and vendors in the last six years here! Thank you for your hard work, cooperation and for making our time here fantastic. We have enjoyed every minute we’ve collaborated with you.
And finally, to our guests: Thank you for loving RD. Thank you for your support over the years, for knowing that we were great even when we were still working off a water taxi, and for your enthusiasm for everything we endeavor! We’ve had the great fortune of meeting so many amazing people over the years, and cannot believe our luck at how lovely everyone was. You guys made the long days and the sleepless nights all worthwhile, and we hope you support and believe in Irma and Martijn like you believed in us. Thank you for making our Roatan experience one for the books and for helping our dreams come true.

And to all you young ones out there with ambitious dreams, don’t be afraid go for it! There’s no limit to what you can accomplish when you have a strong vision and put the hours in.

Thank you, thank you, thank you all. We’ll see you all somewhere in the world.

Saaya & Karl