We docked in Honduras from NCL and took a tender boat to the island. I had never been to Honduras and did not really know what to expect. We knew Herbert was going to be meeting us at the port but I had forgotten to print out the instructions he had sent on how to find him. Basically you simply walk out of the port and the street right outside the main gate is filled with different people with signs that have the company name on it. My girlfriend was a little nervous because we were in a foreign country we had never visited meeting a man we had never met that we found online. I was less nervous but still slightly anxious. We saw Herbert, a young friendly looking guy holding the R.O.A. sign and I felt better knowing at this point we had at least found the guy we were looking for. We were the last group to arrive even though we took the very first tender off of the NCL Dawn. Herbert walked us to his Kia around the corner and we got in and drove to the dock. Along the way he told us about the island and pointed out some landmarks as we passes. He also surprised me by talking about American sports. I was wearing a Houston Astros hat and he started talking about Houston sports. The rockets were in the middle of a series with the warriors (which ended embarrassingly) and he wasn't just making conversation like some of the shop keepers who try to form some bond to sell you stuff. This guy knows his basketball more than a lot of my friends here in the USA. His friendly demeanor put us at ease. We got to the dock and their main boat was already out with a group that arrived earlier. We had to wait a few minutes but instead of doing what many large tour companies would do and just simply have us wait, he let us go down the street to the neighbors house where they have the animal exhibit. We played with spider monkeys, help a macaw, held a sloth, it was a very entertaining and interactive experience that he included for free because we were waiting anyways. I wouldn't expect this to be free typically, but it speaks volumes about the customer service focused attitude at R.O.A. The whole time we were with them they wanted us to be enjoying our time. Not just sitting in line or idly waiting. We ended up getting on a back up boat, basically a fishing boat, after the animal park. It was us and 2 other couples. Herbert drove the boat and his cousin Austin was the in-water guide. The whole company is family and it shows by the way they interact. Although this is how they make a living this is what they love to do. They grew up in these waters, they know all the good spots, they are active in the community. They told us some days they have 20 people show up and they are super busy. Some days they have 0 people show up and guess what? They go snorkel anyways because its what they love to do. Not only that but they are extremely passionate about the reef. They try to stop poachers (stealing the lobsters), they even go out and grow new coral and try to repair the reef where irresponsible boaters damage it. They charge you a fee to go but they do this because its what they love not because they're money hungry. We get out to the first stop and Herbert tells us that the masks and snorkels we are using are brand new and we are the first people to ever use them. It was true. The equipment was excellent, and they go through a series of procedures (baby shampoo, heating the tempered glass with a lighter) to make sure it doesn't fog up. There were many other boats out at the first stop and Herbert and Austin told us to pay attention to how the other companies herd their people like cattle. Boats showed up after we were there and were gone LONG before we left. I chose not to use a life vest (if you use a life vest you will immediately regret it because you will want to swim down to get up close to the coral and fish). I was the first one off the boat and I jumped in. Apprehensive and anxious I opened my eyes underwater. The only words I have to describe it is wow. Just wow. It was the most beautiful reef I have ever seen in my life. The coral was so healthy, vibrant, the fist were abundant, there were big fish, little fish, coral, lobsters. It was amazing. A couple we were with told us it was even better than Hawaii and the only thing they liked better about Hawaii was that they saw sea turtles. There are sea turtles in Roatan too but we didn't happen to see any. We went back to the dock and dropped off the other 2 couples. My girlfriend and I had chosen the snorkel hop so we still had 2 more spots. The second spot was a shallow water spot. Shallow enough to stand up if you want. About 5' deep. Tons of coral, conch, we saw 2 lion fish, it was amazing. The third spot was a deep water spot and the wind had picked up and it got choppy. I was having a great time but my girlfriend got a little motion sick from the waves so we told Austin we were ready to head back and he looked disappointed. Not because of her but because you could tell he himself was having such a good time he wanted to stay out. Regardless, we got on the boat and they offered to take us to the beach on French Cay but we decided we had had enough sun and just went back to the pier. At the pier we sat with Austin and Preston and Herbert and just talked for about an hour. They were super down to earth guys, they talked about the fish and the coral and how they started their business, and then we just talked about life. Food, sports, funny stories, internet connection speeds, their new walkie talkies, preston going to college for tourism saying hes gonna put Herbert out of business and start his own company (this type of razzing and family banter is what I loved most). It wasn't even like a tour. It was like going to a friends house on a beach and having them show you around for the day. If you are hesitant to book ROA because theyre not with the cruise line...DO IT. You will not be let down. Ive been on 3 cruises and this was by FAR the best excursion I have ever been on. Im already looking into another visit and you can bet I will be snorkeling with Herbert again in the future.