Sun Divers Roatan Earns Top-Three Honors in All Seven Scuba Diving Magazine Readers’ Choice Categories
The Roatan dive center is recognized among the Caribbean and Atlantic’s best operators, earning top-three honors in every category
ROATAN, BAY ISLANDS, HONDURAS, SEPT 28, 2026 — Sun Divers Roatan has earned an extraordinary top-three finishes in all seven categories of the Scuba Diving Magazine’s 2027 Readers Choice Awards, placing the Roatan-based dive center among the highest-rated scuba diving operators in the entire Caribbean and Atlantic region.
With approximately 11,000 divers participating across regions, the annual Readers Choice Awards represent one of the scuba diving industry’s most significant reader-driven recognitions. Divers rate operators they have personally experienced, evaluating them across categories that reflect the elements that matter most to a successful dive operation.
Sun Divers achieved top-three recognition in every single category, including two first-place finishes:
- 1st Place — Quality of Rental Equipment
- 1st Place — Quality of Training and Courses
- 2nd Place — Best Overall Dive Center
- 2nd Place — Quality of Staff
- 2nd Place — Quality of Facilities
- 3rd Place — Quality of Boats
- 3rd Place — Attention to Safety
The results are particularly significant because Sun Divers was evaluated alongside dive operators throughout the Caribbean and Atlantic Ocean region. This includes major diving destinations such as the Cayman Islands, Bonaire, Cozumel, the Bay Islands and the Bahamas.
“Winning even one award would have been an incredible honor. To be recognized by the dive community in all seven categories is honestly beyond what we could have imagined,” said Shannon Shuman, co-owner of Sun Divers. “What makes this especially meaningful is that these awards come directly from divers. They took the time to get online, complete the survey, all to recognize the firsthand experience they had with us.”
A Reflection of What Sun Divers Is Built Around
Since taking ownership of Sun Divers in 2021, husband-wife duo Natalie and Shannon Shuman, have been guided by a clear mission: to deliver world-class diving experiences in Roatan while upholding an unwavering commitment to diver safety and environmental conservation.
That mission shapes every aspect of the operation: from the quality and maintenance of its equipment and boats to its approach to training, dive planning and customer service. It is also reflected in Sun Divers’ commitment to creating small-group, personalized experiences where divers can feel genuinely cared for both above and below the surface.
But the Shumans believe that delivering an exceptional experience for customers starts with creating an exceptional environment for the people who deliver it. Sun Divers has intentionally cultivated a collaborative work culture where instructors, divemasters, captains and customer service team members work together, share knowledge and take collective responsibility for the quality of the guest experience.
“We believe the best dive operations are built by teams that genuinely enjoy working together and take pride in what they do,” said Natalie Shuman, co-owner of Sun Divers. “Our culture is about collaboration, communication and supporting one another. When our team is working well together, our customers feel that. We believe that translates directly into better, safer and more memorable diving experiences.”
Now Sun Divers can say that translates into winning awards, with Readers Choice recognizing the amazing people behind Sun Divers. A second-place ranking for Quality of Staff reflects Sun Divers’ multilingual team of PADI instructors, divemasters, local captains and customer service staff who work together to create the dive center’s brand promise of “Good Vibes, Great Dives.”
The recognition for Quality of Training and Courses is particularly meaningful as Sun Divers continues to invest in developing highly capable, confident divers. The center offers PADI training from Open Water Diver through Divemaster, along with a growing portfolio of specialty courses and advanced training opportunities.
Now, Sun Divers is taking that commitment to the next level with the launch of the Sun Divers Eco Academy, a progressive training program designed to integrate strong diving skills, conservation knowledge and real-world experience from the very beginning of a diver’s journey.
The Eco Academy builds on traditional PADI training by bundling core certifications with buoyancy, enriched air and conservation-focused training experiences, giving divers a pathway to become not only more skilled and confident underwater, but more knowledgeable stewards of the places they dive.
For Sun Divers, the seven honors the dive center received represent both a milestone and a motivation to keep raising the bar.
“Our goal has always been to create the kind of dive center where people feel exceptionally well cared for, become more confident divers and leave already thinking about when they can come back,” Natalie Shuman said. “Seven awards is a huge achievement for our entire team, but we’re not looking at this as a finish line. We’re incredibly proud of what we’ve built, and we’re even more excited about where we can take it from here.”
About Sun Divers
Sun Divers Roatan is the island’s first-ever PADI Eco Center, offering professional, eco-friendly diving adventures and training in Half Moon Bay, Roatan. The dive shop combines a relaxed Caribbean atmosphere with top-tier instruction, high end equipment and boats, and a passion for ocean exploration and protection, welcoming guests of all skill levels to join their Dive Tribe and make a positive impact on Roatan’s reefs and community.
