Leaving for Anthony's Key

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Guitarcrazy

Contributor
Messages
402
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Location
Montana
# of dives
100 - 199
My wife and I are going to spend a week diving with Anthony's Key this Saturday. It is our first trip to Roatan, and we are looking forward to the diving. We have previously done 3 trips to Cozumel, a couple to Playa, and one to Puerto Vallarta. So far Cozumel has been our favorite by far, but we are excited to spend a week at a more dive-focused resort. Any advice for first timers at Anthony's Key? We are planning to sign up for the shark dive as well. Thanks. JB
 
Bring batteries if you have anything that uses disposables. They do have a photo shop onsite, but they were sold out of batteries after my first day there.

If you haven't already packed it, bring bug spray. I like to use "off familycare." There's lots of bugs there, including "no-see-ums" that will get you if you spend any time in the hammock on your room's porch. The mosquitoes are also pretty thick there - which is also solved by the bug spray.

If you like to drink when on a dive trip, get a cab into town and stock up a little. They do have two bars at the resort but their mixed drinks are served exceptionally weak and their beer selection is not very good.

Bring OTC meds with you. We ran out during our trip. Even though they have a medical facility on site , they still don't have stuff like Imodium and sudafed. If you forget, you could get a cab to the store in town and probably find some.

P.S.

If you have any room in your bags, the local public school kids desperately need regular pencils and paper. That stuff is expensive down there and shipping to Roatan is expensive. You'll see the kids passing through the resort once a day in the afternoons. The manager at AKR would probably deliver it to the school for you if you wanted. I'm not in a position to speak for them, but it seems likely.

In addition to the shark dive, they have a dolphin dive and dolphin swim. I tried to do both. The swim was AWESOME! The dive might have been but the dolphins are free to come and go as they please and they chose not to show up when I tried to do the dolphin dive. When you stay at the resort, you get a decent discount off the list price for both the dolphin dive/swim and the shark dive. That was a pleasant surprise for me!
 
All good tips above...
We also packed glow sticks for the night dives (I don't like using them, but it's their call if I remember correctly)... they sell them but they were expensive compared to local prices, so I grabbed a few at walmart for my wife and I...

+1 on the bug spray

+1 on the school supplies. You can also bring down medical supplies for the clinic that's on site... things we take for granted are often in short supply, or cost more as @kelemvor stated above.
 
Thanks for the replies and suggestions. I would never have thought to bring pencils and paper. We should have room for a decent amount. We don't drink a lot of mixed drinks, but we will drink wine and beer. As long as the beer is cold I am not too particular. Appreciate the help.
 
I guess we'll overlap for the entire week. Not to hijack your thread but I wonder how good/strong the WiFi connection is at Anthony's Key?
 
Hi Selo, looking forward to meeting you. The cell phone coverage map I saw makes it appear that there should be 4G service at Anthony's Key. I have heard the Wifi is very slow and doesn't have a lot of bandwidth so I am planning on using cell service, if it is indeed 4G.
 
My wife and I are going to spend a week diving with Anthony's Key this Saturday. It is our first trip to Roatan, and we are looking forward to the diving. We have previously done 3 trips to Cozumel, a couple to Playa, and one to Puerto Vallarta. So far Cozumel has been our favorite by far, but we are excited to spend a week at a more dive-focused resort. Any advice for first timers at Anthony's Key? We are planning to sign up for the shark dive as well. Thanks. JB

Here at AKR right now, about to head to the Fiesta in 5 minutes.

We haven't had any issues with bugs.

It's rainy season. It poured for 30 minutes during lunch on Sunday and Monday. It appears to have rained a bit overnight. Other than that, high and dry.

Happy hour at the pool is 3-6pm every day. In the past it has only been certain days.

Did the shark dive this morning. Absolutely awesome. Cost is $130 for first person, free for second. So about $65. You will do it in place of your normal first dive but be back in time for the second dive.

Wifi is good. Haven't tried streaming but good enough for internet browsing. In the past, seems like signal was weak in the rooms but we are in room 6 hillside and have had good signal 24/7. They have an Anthony's Key app with a lot of info, including a site map and the dive sites visited by the boats each day.

Don't miss Pete's fish id clinic at 6pm Sunday night. It's quite entertaining and not a boring id class. Bringing happy hour drinks is recommended by him.

We weren't asked to have tank lights for the night dive although we had them anyway.

I think the local beer (happy hour price) is fine. Barena, Salva Vida, and Imperial. Not sure if the mixed drinks are weak or night but I've seen them add a bit more upon request. I usually have a "dessert" drink before shutting down for the night but by then I don't really need anymore alcohol in me. Tip: just before happy hour ends, ask for a six-pack to go and put in the room fridge.

It gets dark early and light very early. It's light by 5:30am. It's 6pm now and almost dark.
 
Thanks Hound. I will see if I can find the app on the Google playstore. The fish ID clinic is a must. My wife is always asking me what things are and I have to remind her I usually make up names for the ones I don't know. I am bringing my TG-5 and I just bought the Backscatter wide angle lens, hoping to get some good shots of the sharks. Thanks for the tips.
 
Hound, how does the gear storage and dive departure work? Is it like Cozumel where they get your gear setup and ready or do you have to get your gear and put it together yourself? Would it be recommended to call to sign up for the shark dive before we arrive? Are you tipping as you go or waiting until the end? Thanks for the pro tips!
 
My last visit was years ago, but unless things have changed, I would add: Snacks. Unlike some fancier resorts where they'll give you post-dive fruit or a cookie or something, between mealtimes AKR only has things for purchase at their shop by the dock. So you may want to bring energy bars or something like that, or purchase in town. I saw some people snag a piece of fruit from breakfast to eat later, but I imagine that was not encouraged. Being at a dive resort, it's not like Cozumel or PV where food is everywhere and inexpensive.
 
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