Patrick Star
Contributor
Hello All,
Having just returned from a week at Anthony's Key, I am posting a brief review, as encouraged by Doc. Since much has already been written of the diving and animal life you may find there, this is more of a walk-through of the nitty-gritty of living for a week at AK. This was my first time at a dedicated dive resort, so I had little idea of what to expect. What I experienced more than met with my ill-defined expectations.
The general layout of AK is pretty interesting. All but the most basic cabins are on a small island across from the rest of the resort.
Each cabin has a shared deck overlooking the water.
All cabins but the most basic have air conditioning, which kept us alive. It was HOT; afternoon highs of 86, but with the humidity, a heat index of the mid to upper 90s.
Getting you back and forth is a water taxi that runs from earlier than we were ever up to later than we were ever awake. The ride is about a minute.
The main resort, on the island of Roatan, is a very short distance away.
Breakfast is served from 6:30 AM until...9? We always made the first dive of the day, scheduled for 8:00, so we always ate beforehand. The dining room is spacious and open-air.
The waitstaff is very attentive.
The front desk is kind of the nerve center. Alexa (pictured) has been with AK for 26? years and keeps everything on track.
Much has been discussed regarding the new buildings that have been under construction, which include a welcome center and a new dining room that does not require the 69 (counted 'em myself) steps up and down a pretty steep slope where the current facilities are located. They are still under construction, but show great potential.
Each diver is given his own numbered locker for the storing of dive gear, and a lock.
Each diver is assigned to a specific boat for the duration of her stay, which may change if there are few divers for a particular day and they combine divers onto fewer boats.
We upgraded to Nitrox for the week, which was are only interaction with the Dive Shop, but they gave the impression of being very accommodating and competent.
For you Nitrox divers, the cylinders are filled and brought into the tank room. There you will find three testing stations. You grab a tank, hook it to a tester, and verify your oxygen %. Then you put your boat's name, your name, and your locker # on a piece of masking tape and affix it to your tank. The staff will load the tanks onto your boat where they will be waiting for you.
AK offers three dives per day, every day: 8:00 AM, 10:00 AM, and 2:00 PM. At the end of each dive day, you are encouraged to test and label two Nitrox tanks for the next morning. Then during the time between dives #2 and #3, you prep your tank for the afternoon dive.
Two night dives per week are offered, on Tuesday and Thursday.
We availed ourselves of three dives each and every day except for skipping the very last dive to allow for 24 hours before flying. We were in bed early each night, because we were tired from the day and because we would be getting up to have breakfast prior to the 8:00 dive.
There was about a 40 minute shore interval between the 8 and 10 o'clock dives, owing to how close the reefs are. A 5 minute boat ride was most common, with some being even closer. You literal had to start gearing up as soon as the motor came on.
After the 10:00 dive, it was prep the Nitrox for the afternoon, have lunch, and back to the room for a short siesta. Then back at the dock for the 2:00 dive.
After the 2:00 dive, prep your two tanks for the next morning, rinse your gear, store it in your locker, and back to the room for second siesta.
Dinner is served from 6:30 until 9 PM. Some on SB have complained that the food portions were small. They were less than I am accustomed to eating, but I enjoyed the change. I bid a fond farewell to 5 lbs. that could certainly have gone, and I never felt bloated or lethargic. I honestly ate healthier than I did at home. Now I am trying to keep that going.
Not that I have much personal experience, but from what I saw and what the extensive dive travelers were saying, the reefs around Roatan are doing much better than others. There was an abundance of sea life on every dive. I have no doubt there is less than there was 10 years ago, but relatively speaking, still very gratifying.
Eat, sleep, dive, repeat. Anthony's Key takes excellent care of you so that you can focus on the diving. Think of it as a very accommodating and comfortable life support system for a dedicated diving vacation. They take excellent care of you so you can focus on the diving. We were literally the only people we knew of who were there for the first time. The place is crawling with regulars, which speaks volumes. It is not a question of if we will go back but only of when. This place is gem.
Having just returned from a week at Anthony's Key, I am posting a brief review, as encouraged by Doc. Since much has already been written of the diving and animal life you may find there, this is more of a walk-through of the nitty-gritty of living for a week at AK. This was my first time at a dedicated dive resort, so I had little idea of what to expect. What I experienced more than met with my ill-defined expectations.
The general layout of AK is pretty interesting. All but the most basic cabins are on a small island across from the rest of the resort.
Each cabin has a shared deck overlooking the water.
All cabins but the most basic have air conditioning, which kept us alive. It was HOT; afternoon highs of 86, but with the humidity, a heat index of the mid to upper 90s.
Getting you back and forth is a water taxi that runs from earlier than we were ever up to later than we were ever awake. The ride is about a minute.
The main resort, on the island of Roatan, is a very short distance away.
Breakfast is served from 6:30 AM until...9? We always made the first dive of the day, scheduled for 8:00, so we always ate beforehand. The dining room is spacious and open-air.
The waitstaff is very attentive.
The front desk is kind of the nerve center. Alexa (pictured) has been with AK for 26? years and keeps everything on track.
Much has been discussed regarding the new buildings that have been under construction, which include a welcome center and a new dining room that does not require the 69 (counted 'em myself) steps up and down a pretty steep slope where the current facilities are located. They are still under construction, but show great potential.
Each diver is given his own numbered locker for the storing of dive gear, and a lock.
Each diver is assigned to a specific boat for the duration of her stay, which may change if there are few divers for a particular day and they combine divers onto fewer boats.
We upgraded to Nitrox for the week, which was are only interaction with the Dive Shop, but they gave the impression of being very accommodating and competent.
For you Nitrox divers, the cylinders are filled and brought into the tank room. There you will find three testing stations. You grab a tank, hook it to a tester, and verify your oxygen %. Then you put your boat's name, your name, and your locker # on a piece of masking tape and affix it to your tank. The staff will load the tanks onto your boat where they will be waiting for you.
AK offers three dives per day, every day: 8:00 AM, 10:00 AM, and 2:00 PM. At the end of each dive day, you are encouraged to test and label two Nitrox tanks for the next morning. Then during the time between dives #2 and #3, you prep your tank for the afternoon dive.
Two night dives per week are offered, on Tuesday and Thursday.
We availed ourselves of three dives each and every day except for skipping the very last dive to allow for 24 hours before flying. We were in bed early each night, because we were tired from the day and because we would be getting up to have breakfast prior to the 8:00 dive.
There was about a 40 minute shore interval between the 8 and 10 o'clock dives, owing to how close the reefs are. A 5 minute boat ride was most common, with some being even closer. You literal had to start gearing up as soon as the motor came on.
After the 10:00 dive, it was prep the Nitrox for the afternoon, have lunch, and back to the room for a short siesta. Then back at the dock for the 2:00 dive.
After the 2:00 dive, prep your two tanks for the next morning, rinse your gear, store it in your locker, and back to the room for second siesta.
Dinner is served from 6:30 until 9 PM. Some on SB have complained that the food portions were small. They were less than I am accustomed to eating, but I enjoyed the change. I bid a fond farewell to 5 lbs. that could certainly have gone, and I never felt bloated or lethargic. I honestly ate healthier than I did at home. Now I am trying to keep that going.
Not that I have much personal experience, but from what I saw and what the extensive dive travelers were saying, the reefs around Roatan are doing much better than others. There was an abundance of sea life on every dive. I have no doubt there is less than there was 10 years ago, but relatively speaking, still very gratifying.
Eat, sleep, dive, repeat. Anthony's Key takes excellent care of you so that you can focus on the diving. Think of it as a very accommodating and comfortable life support system for a dedicated diving vacation. They take excellent care of you so you can focus on the diving. We were literally the only people we knew of who were there for the first time. The place is crawling with regulars, which speaks volumes. It is not a question of if we will go back but only of when. This place is gem.
