Just curious, why did you go back a second time then?
Some people get dragged back to places they didn't like by traveling companions- a club from a shop for instance. Momentum if you will.
Some people just join SCUBABoard, throw a bomb- then leave forever. At the same time, I do hope he checks back in with a well reasoned post comparing these two popular AI choices.
frankthomson:
the diving is much better. Plus you get to dive both sides of the island
At the same time, I do hope he checks back in with a well reasoned post comparing these two AI choices.
That above OP posted statement alone kinda made me start to wonder, although I do agree- AKR has a nicer dive op, and a more stable and predictable resort product. FIBR sits on the side of the island that offers more cool little critters. FIBR is a resort with diving, AKR is a dive resort.
Many divers are vastly disappointed in the South side versus their joy over the North side. The North provides all of the common Caribbean critters in their adult (larger) state, usually in a deepr setting with a more stark environment. The South is where you find the more delicate creatures, including the juveniles- due to the protected reef structure which allows for camouflage. Inherently the lush South side is favored by slower more observant divers with long term dive experience. The North side is the favorite of those who like to see the recognizable larger fish like Barracuda or Lobsters.
To compare AKR and FIBR, well- that has been done before, but in short:
FIBR has a European three boat a day dive schedule, real 24/7 shore diving (very shallow and beautifully encrusted shipwreck as well as a DC3 aircraft), buffet meals, not many stairs, a nice breezy (topless option) beach on its own semi-private island. You are dependent upon the abilities & desire of your DM to show you the cool stuff like Pipefish, SeaHorses, etc. Weaker dive infrastructure including gear room and boat
appearance maintenance. It is in the model of a European island retreat, as many visitors are from Spain and South America. They do Mary's Place plus many of the other local South side dive sites with round bottom boats best suited for those conditions. It is noted as the least expensive AI option among the top 5.
AKR has ProDive boats (Deep Vee), a nice gear room set up, an Americanized dive system, Dolphin show that attracts a lot of visitors, deeper diving and a huge deep wreck, larger familiar critters (so you may wander off and still have a good time), kid (very) friendly, calmer seas (unless there's a frequent Norther), a whole lot of stairs up to your sit-down meals, not a lot of breezes, a shuttle boat is required to anywhere from your room, it's closer to the West end bars. They do bring a boat around to Mary's Place once a week for their one weekly South side excursion, but that is the totality. It is likely the most expensive AI option on the island.
It's really a hard decision between the two...
if those were the only two you were looking at... vastly different products. For systematic reliability (AKR wins), versus easy access to advanced diving 24/7 (FIBR wins) ... that makes it a difficult choice.
Fortunately there are a few other options in the mix.
Hey, Frank Thomson... are you back on line yet after your second trip to AKR (and 4th to Roatan)? How'd it go?