Snorkeling by the Ugly Mermaid in Roatan

Some of the main choices for snorkeling in the West part of the island of Roatan are Half Moon Bay in West End, West Bay, take a boat (or swim across the boat channel!) out to the reef (Blue Channel, el Aquario, etc.), or go on a proper tour to some further spots. I won't lie, I personally like the easy ones where you just walk into the water and start seeing fish. Who doesn't I suppose.

So here's another one for you; a hidden gem if you will. The mermaid statue (or the ugly mermaid as we fondly call her although she seems to have been repainted and is looking a bit more fetching these days). She uses her Spanish name on Google maps; Estatua de Sirena.

You can walk there from either West End or West Bay. It's closer to West End, but there are rocks to get around and your success will depend on the tide.

If you are coming from West Bay, she's at the far end of the beach (past Clearwater Adventures) after you cross the canal bridge. Coming from West End it's only about a 10-15 minute walk but after you pass Luna Resort you will need to walk around various rocks/small beaches until you get to your destination. At the initial outcropping at Luna, you can walk a ridge on the rocks (up kind of high), or just go through the water. Some of the rocks are slippery but I did just fine in bare feet. At high tide, expect to get wet.

If Tita's Pink Seahorse is open on your way back to West End, stop in for a drink or lunch!There are not many people around (in fact when I went, there was only one other woman there and she promptly left on a boat) and I found it safe to stash my bag on the wall (although I did not bring anything valuable just in case).

If you're lucky, you'll run into the resident Frenchie who likes to "fetch" coconuts. So cute. If you are there at low tide, I found it best to enter to the left of the pier that's to the left of the mermaid. The rocks around her are too shallow to get out otherwise. Go out around the pier and turn right. There are a lot of great rocks with a ton of fish all around there and up past the next pier. Keep half an eye out for any boats that might be coming up to the piers, but again, it's a pretty quiet area.

I saw a good variety of many fish, and even a large puffer. Is it as good as West Bay? No. But it's very nice, especially for a small shallow area. I would go back again.

I took my time and thoroughly enjoyed my snorkel and was surprised when I got back to my hotel (South end of West End just past Las Brisas) that I was only gone a total of just over an hour!