AKR - Sept/Oct??

[tmp]

Looking for a early Fall Dive trip and have fumbled over several locations......Now looking into Roatan. AKR seems to get good reveiws and appears somewhat reasonably priced.

What would the Air and Water Temp be in this region (AKR) during Sept/Oct??

Also, if anyone that has been there can help out Hill Vs Key Room and Superior Vs Standard - the obvious difference is A/C is one better then the other??

Anyone have current pics of the resort??

Any help/advice would be great.....

Also, I know this is the proported "hurricane season" but we have dove in the caymans and mexico during these times and have had great dives and generally less people/divers due to the "off season"

 

[Doc]

Cayman is a different "kettle of fish", so to speak.

Although the Bay Islands are situated below, or South of "normal" hurricane tracks, quite often spin-off rain storms can cause considerable wind and wave along Roatan's Northern/Western shore.

Historically, Sept/Oct Hurricane tracks enter the Caribbean on the "bottom right corner" (just North of Trinidad & Tobago) and make a predictable line towards Cozumel. They may have a direct storm center occasionally dip as low as Belize. The "eyes" rarely get much closer than 90 miles from the Northern shores of Roatan.

As the season progresses, there is usually more "lift" from the heat off of South America- and this pushes the hurricane paths more quickly Northward in a clockwise pattern. When it gets extreme, this lift can cause the storms to begin their Caribbean journey by entering the basin much further North than the earlier portal of above Trinidad.

Cayman may get an early season wash-back from a clockwise moving storm, but historically it gets the biggest whacks from later season storms that have "lifted" early and make landfall directly upon its entrance from the Atlantic. This same phenomenon also causes the potential for Tropical Storm spin-off effects to lessen in the Bay Islands as the season winds down.

AKR is well equipped to transfer its guests for their diving outings to the more calm, Southern shore. Most similarly located resorts/operations do not have the capacity to do this en-masse.

AIR TEMP? That relates directly to the above weather lecturette. Cloudy and windy and moisture means that you will be affected by wind chill. It's a great time of year to have an uninsulated Gore-Tex shell parka. Your body will likely not have the assistance in surface interval core temperature recovery provided by a Sunny day with no wind or rain.

North/West water temps may likely be in the 78~81 degree range, variables occur again with storms and depth.

 

[CajunDiva]

An important thing to note is that AKR closes down for "vacation" during the first part of October. They shut down for a couple of weeks and do annual maintenance at the resort. So you might want to check and make sure they are available during your travel dates.

Another consideration is that October is the beginning of the rainy season and the weather is usually iffy during that time period. (Which is why they choose that time to close) We were at AKR this past October and pretty much got blown out on a few days. They are prepared for these occasions and did bus us over to the other side of the island. Since you're not particularly worried about hurricanes, I'd suggest early September would probably be your best bet. When we were there last October, water temps were in the 83-84 degree range!

Regarding rooms, my primary suggestion would be to get a "Superior" with A/C. It is really hot and muggy...I personally would not be a happy camper without A/C, but this is highly subjective and others have their own opinion. Whether you are on the hill or on the key, you will still have to make the same trek to the restaurant 3 times a day and climb bunches of steps to get there. Make sure you're in shape for climbing

 

[RTBDiver]

Roatanman explained it much better than i could have and I agree that AKR can deal with weather as good or better than any on the Island as they also own a place on the southside. As far as the storm thing goes, there IS a reason than most of the original island communities such as Flowers Bay, Coxen Hole, French Harbor, Oakridge, Port Royal and Jonesville are on the South Shore. While the original Islanders certainly did not worry about diving they did require places that were generally protected from the stronger storms and while maybe not offering the absolute calmest seas at times they do generally have more consistant and workable conditions.

 

[georoc01]

I did AKR two years ago the first week of September and had great weather. But anytime I travel to the Caribbean during hurricane season I get trip insurance just in case. You just never know.

As far as the accomodations go. The main difference between Standard vs Superior is the air conditioning. It was fairly warm in September, so I would recommend the Superior.

The hill vs key is a matter of location. Hill is close to the resturant. The key is close to the pool and the dock. Either way you are doing the stairs back and forth whether its to dive or for meals.

The pictures on the web site are accurate and the grounds are very well maintained.

All Inclusive Roatan Resort & Roatan Diving | Anthony's Key Resort

 

[dmoore19]

Looking for a early Fall Dive trip and have fumbled over several locations......Now looking into Roatan. AKR seems to get good reveiws and appears somewhat reasonably priced.

What would the Air and Water Temp be in this region (AKR) during Sept/Oct??

Also, if anyone that has been there can help out Hill Vs Key Room and Superior Vs Standard - the obvious difference is A/C is one better then the other??

Anyone have current pics of the resort??

Any help/advice would be great.....

Also, I know this is the proported "hurricane season" but we have dove in the caymans and mexico during these times and have had great dives and generally less people/divers due to the "off season"

Here is a picture looking from the restaraunt out towards the Key where the bungalows are located. I would suggest spending the extra for the "superior". We were in #27 and were quite pleased with it. The AC worked out well for us because we are from a dry climate and the moderate hot and very humid climate took some getting used to for us. As some have mentioned the stairs are kind of a pain but if thats the price you pay for being in paradise, I can deal with it! They didn't bother me but I am used to living at altititude and the thicker sea level air made things easier on me.

 

[skyward]

We were thinking about Belize in the fall but now it's looking like AKR on Roatan. We prefer the late fall to get away from what could be cold weather at home but that seems to coincide with the rainy season in Roatan. The question is, does the rainy season get worse later in the fall, say November than it is in October or is it just a crap shoot. Is the rainy season more days of rain at a time or a little rain every day but still usually diveable.

Doug

 

[Doc]

..the late fall..seems to coincide with the rainy season in Roatan....

Yes, the Caribbean Hurricane season means that it is the Rainy Season on the Bay Islands.

The question is, does the rainy season get worse later in the fall, say November than it is in October or is it just a crap shoot.

The latter.

Mean rainfall (inches) Roatan, for the years 1970-1979:

Jan 5.8
Feb 6.2
Mar 1.6
Apr 2.4
May 1.7
Jun 2.1
Jul 3.1
Aug 4.1
Sep 7.1
Oct 17.6
Nov 20.6
Dec 12.9
_________
Total 85.2

Is the rainy season more days of rain at a time or a little rain every day but still usually diveable.

I'm sticking with what I wrote above.

It is about when a storm passes nearby. See the track in the map? This means days of rain and wind. If and when.

AKR will deal with whatever arises, moving you if necessary to the South side.

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/bay-islands/252470-answers-about-rain-bay-islands.html.

 

[tmp]

Just quick follow up question....and great information by the way thanks to all of you...

So would I would "likely" be safe booking in perhaps the early part of Sept, most likely still have Sunny weather and hot temps and not alot of rain - if I have properly ingested that above info correct?? I want to Dive and have some decent topside weather.....

 

[georoc01]

Yes, I believe you can infer that from the comments above. Roatan is still in the caribbean, and the peak month for hurricanes is September. But it is also a great month for weather if you miss them.