@WarrenZ that shark vid is great! Love the diver who got buzzed a couple times by the sharks and started flailing. Exactly what I would have done!
This was my first time meeting anyone from SB (besides Dianne of course) and I had a mental image that members would be a bunch of grungy divers with unkept beards, thick spectacles, and flashy dive computers. So when I first walked into Registration at AKR and saw how upscale the place was, I was totally caught off guard as the decor and staff were really high end resort feeling - no signs of unwashed scuba diver anywhere!
But it didn't take long before I started seeing the familiar signs - people sneaking beers in from "off property", baby shampoo instead of branded anti-fog, the small time grey market dealer making the rounds at the breakfast table. In the end, you all didn't disappoint!
Really though Dianne and I both had such a great time. AKR was super and I can see why it was picked as the venue. In hindsight there was likely some really thoughtful dive site selection as there was some great variety in the dives as the days progressed. We started out reef exploring, then dives on the wall, then wrecks, then canyons, swim throughs, sandy macro areas, a grassy area, a huge fish ball. This was an experience that I think somebody wouldn't get if they just showed up on Roatan and started diving at one of the shops on the strip.
There were also things above water that I really enjoyed. The "event itinerary" that
@cardzard and
@ROXANNE put together was totally unexpected. "You mean this trip comes with entertainment included too???".
There were games, sponsors giving away cool toys I hadn't seen before like the gopro macro lens from Backscatter and dive computers from Shearwater that buzz instead of beep. A big party night where the sand flies got "all you can eat". And of course fun times at the pool / HH with SB members that were so warm and welcoming, like a big family vacation. I definitely got a couple diving tips that I would never have figured out on my own.
All in all a fun trip, it was great meeting you all!
PS. Picaradin does not work for sand flies