In order to keep its lush, green, environment, there must be plenty of water in and around the Honduras Bay Islands. Right off the bat, it is obvious that these islands are surrounded by water, as all islands are. The Caribbean Sea houses the islands of Honduras, and due to their location near the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef and outstanding diving opportunities, Roatan has become an important cruise ship destination. The Bay Islands feature many beautiful underwater caves that can be entered and explored on diving ventures. Personally, exploring these caves was a unique experience I will never forget.
La Ceiba, a port for the Bay Islands, is also a base for river trips in the Pinto Bonito National Park and Cangregal River. These mostly unexplored rivers offer extraordinary white water rafting opportunities and even feature a 600 ft waterfall, these rivers eventually have a final destination of the Caribbean. La Ceiba also offers fairies to take you for a ride on the Caribbean to the islands.
Recently the Bay Islands, primarily Roatan, have seen a large increase in population as well as tourism causing a major decrease in the availability of fresh water and natural resources and have also lead to deforestation and damages to marine environments. Due to this fact, Coxen Hole, the capital city, underwent construction between the years of 03 and 05 in order to add new black water, septic, and fresh water lines to accommodate the growing population. Many of these lines were not properly hooked up to the main sewage system causing sewage to run directly into the ocean. Residents were made to pay for the reconstruction of this project which began about a year ago in August 2011, however this is directly before rainy season on the Bay Islands begins. Rainy season begins in October and lasts through January, and features average rainfall of around 20 inches, topping at around 25 inches in December. In comparison to this, the summer months average around 5 inches. This being said, it would have been far more reasonable to do construction during the summer months, which became evident when rainfall washed clay and sediment that had been moved for construction into the ocean, damaging the beautiful reef. Despite this, the government and community are turning things around and heading in the right direction. This is a perfect example of the important of being aware of your surroundings. It is important to understand the rainfall the comes with the seasons and damage of the beautiful Caribbean Ocean could have been avoided.
