CosbySweater
Contributor
I went down to Roatan in mid July with a Scuba Club I'm affiliated with in Virginia. We spent a week at AKR and had a great time. Our group was 29 divers large, of all experience levels (some new divers doing check out dives, a few snorkelers, an instructor, an assistant instructor, two newer DM's (myself included), some seasoned vets, and a bunch of divers in the middle). Below, I will try to highlight some of the points of interest for anyone considering a trip to down to Roatan, specifically AKR.
Travel: We flew Delta and connected through Hartsfield-Jackson on our way to Roatan. The customs process in Roatan took about an hour. Most of the Saturday inbound flights arrive within a two hour window so the airport and customs can get hectic. Customs officers were pleasant and efficient. The process is typical to other Caribbean countries. AKR staff were on site to help shepherd our bags through screening and get them on the truck. AKR had a bus waiting for us and got most of our group on the same bus. A few folks had to "wait" for the next bus which was in queue in the airport parking lot. The bus ride to the resort is about 15 minutes. Once at the resort AKR got all our bags to our rooms. Overall AKR did a good job of speeding up an otherwise slow and sometimes painful process, especially for a group as large as ours. Leaving the resort was just as painless - just leave your bags outside your room and AKR will make sure they make it to the airport. Give yourself plenty of extra time to check-in and make it through customs and security for your departing flight. It is a very slow process. I'd recommend 2.5 hours minimum.
Food: The food at AKR was good. I found it better than other all inclusive dive resorts I've been to. A few folks in our group had specific dietary restrictions that the kitchen was able to accommodate. They do menu service (not buffet) but you can have as many plates as you want (including to-go). Alcohol is an extra charge. The only thing I wish they had was a (free) little fruit and snack bar for between meals. They had a snack shop on site but you had to pay for snacks. If you plan ahead you can grab a few extra pieces of fruit or a little box of cereal at breakfast to snack on later in the day.
Accommodations: My girlfriend and I splurged and stayed in a Key Superior room. It was worth it. We were on the more windward side of the Key so the breeze was super nice. The room was spacious enough for two, the deck was really nice (I napped in the hammock almost every day), and everything was cleaned every afternoon. There's not much more you could ask for. There's a small beach on the Key with kayaks and paddle boards available for use. I actually ended up going for a morning swim from the beach before breakfast (I also swam across the channel to the "mainland" a few times - watch out for boats if you try this!)
Paying for Stuff: The resort has a "pay-by-room" system where you can charge everything to your room and pay at the end of the week (including alcohol). You can also choose to pay for stuff via cash or credit. Most places on the Island accept USD or credit cards.
Diving: I did 19 dives over six days. The typical daily dive schedule is: a morning dive at ~8:00am, a late morning dive at ~10:15am, and an afternoon dive at ~2:00pm. On Tuesday and Thursday nights they do night dives which leave the dock at sunset. On Monday we did a trip to the South end of the Island to Maya Key which modified the typical schedule a little bit. The boats are well outfitted for diving. My party was on one of the 42 Pros (the non-fly bridge boats of the AKR fleet) and I found them to be safe and comfortable for our group (I think at most we had 13 divers on my boat). Our Captain and DM were awesome - super friendly and engaging and extremely knowledgeable about the dive sites. Our DM showed us stuff we would have never been able to find on our own including pipefish, toadfish, octopus, and seahorses. The diving was top notch- The reefs are very healthy with a diverse amount of marine life and I don't think we ever experienced visibility below 70 feet. Water temps were consistently 82F. Surface conditions can be challenging if you're not comfortable or experienced entering or exiting the water from a rolling and pitching boat (particularly on the South side of the Island). If you listen to your DM's briefings you will have no problems, though. Plan ahead if you're prone to seasickness (dramamine/bonine doesn't work if you're already sick). Below are brief descriptions of a few of my most favorite sites:
El Aguila: The closer of the two wrecks that AKR dives, El Aguila is a 230' cargo ship that sunk off Utilia and was moved to its current location in 1997. It sits in 110 feet of water and is broken up in three pieces. Visibility was ~100 feet when we dove it. The wreck is inhabited by large, friendly black grouper and dog snapper who like to follow divers around. There are a couple neat swim through at the stern of the ship. Lots of interesting soft and hard corals live of the mast. The wreck is easily accessible from the reef making this a really fun deep dive and shallow "reef roving" dive all-in-one.
Bear's Den: Bear's Den is a typical Roatan dive profile with the addition of a really neat cavern swim through beginning at about 30 feet of depth and extending for ~120 feet down to about 50 feet of depth. The rest of the reef is very pristine and is covered in hard and soft corals (including a few elk corn colonies), and tons of wild life.
Smith Bank: Apparently we got really lucky because not many visitors to the Island get to dive Smith Bank due to sea conditions. It's located on the South side, sort of near the airport (and near the shark dive - Marco's Place). It's a shallow bank covered in fields of lettuce and Staghorn coral colonies. I've never seen so much healthy Staghorn in my life. We did it as a drift and got almost 80 minutes of bottom time. It's a really beautiful site with lots of macro critters and other interesting marine life (we saw a small school of squid!).
We also did the shark dive which I recommend if you're in to that sort of thing. It is an extra charge and it's kind of "touristy" but I found it fun and exciting nonetheless.
Parting Thoughts: Overall, our group had a great experience with AKR. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them. I found them to produce a good product at a good value. My gf and I are already planning a trip back in March of 2020. The healthiness of the reef, the diversity or wildlife, and the exceptional visibility make Roatan a must-dive for any serious diver.
Let me know if you have any questions and I'll do my best to answer them.
Travel: We flew Delta and connected through Hartsfield-Jackson on our way to Roatan. The customs process in Roatan took about an hour. Most of the Saturday inbound flights arrive within a two hour window so the airport and customs can get hectic. Customs officers were pleasant and efficient. The process is typical to other Caribbean countries. AKR staff were on site to help shepherd our bags through screening and get them on the truck. AKR had a bus waiting for us and got most of our group on the same bus. A few folks had to "wait" for the next bus which was in queue in the airport parking lot. The bus ride to the resort is about 15 minutes. Once at the resort AKR got all our bags to our rooms. Overall AKR did a good job of speeding up an otherwise slow and sometimes painful process, especially for a group as large as ours. Leaving the resort was just as painless - just leave your bags outside your room and AKR will make sure they make it to the airport. Give yourself plenty of extra time to check-in and make it through customs and security for your departing flight. It is a very slow process. I'd recommend 2.5 hours minimum.
Food: The food at AKR was good. I found it better than other all inclusive dive resorts I've been to. A few folks in our group had specific dietary restrictions that the kitchen was able to accommodate. They do menu service (not buffet) but you can have as many plates as you want (including to-go). Alcohol is an extra charge. The only thing I wish they had was a (free) little fruit and snack bar for between meals. They had a snack shop on site but you had to pay for snacks. If you plan ahead you can grab a few extra pieces of fruit or a little box of cereal at breakfast to snack on later in the day.
Accommodations: My girlfriend and I splurged and stayed in a Key Superior room. It was worth it. We were on the more windward side of the Key so the breeze was super nice. The room was spacious enough for two, the deck was really nice (I napped in the hammock almost every day), and everything was cleaned every afternoon. There's not much more you could ask for. There's a small beach on the Key with kayaks and paddle boards available for use. I actually ended up going for a morning swim from the beach before breakfast (I also swam across the channel to the "mainland" a few times - watch out for boats if you try this!)
Paying for Stuff: The resort has a "pay-by-room" system where you can charge everything to your room and pay at the end of the week (including alcohol). You can also choose to pay for stuff via cash or credit. Most places on the Island accept USD or credit cards.
Diving: I did 19 dives over six days. The typical daily dive schedule is: a morning dive at ~8:00am, a late morning dive at ~10:15am, and an afternoon dive at ~2:00pm. On Tuesday and Thursday nights they do night dives which leave the dock at sunset. On Monday we did a trip to the South end of the Island to Maya Key which modified the typical schedule a little bit. The boats are well outfitted for diving. My party was on one of the 42 Pros (the non-fly bridge boats of the AKR fleet) and I found them to be safe and comfortable for our group (I think at most we had 13 divers on my boat). Our Captain and DM were awesome - super friendly and engaging and extremely knowledgeable about the dive sites. Our DM showed us stuff we would have never been able to find on our own including pipefish, toadfish, octopus, and seahorses. The diving was top notch- The reefs are very healthy with a diverse amount of marine life and I don't think we ever experienced visibility below 70 feet. Water temps were consistently 82F. Surface conditions can be challenging if you're not comfortable or experienced entering or exiting the water from a rolling and pitching boat (particularly on the South side of the Island). If you listen to your DM's briefings you will have no problems, though. Plan ahead if you're prone to seasickness (dramamine/bonine doesn't work if you're already sick). Below are brief descriptions of a few of my most favorite sites:
El Aguila: The closer of the two wrecks that AKR dives, El Aguila is a 230' cargo ship that sunk off Utilia and was moved to its current location in 1997. It sits in 110 feet of water and is broken up in three pieces. Visibility was ~100 feet when we dove it. The wreck is inhabited by large, friendly black grouper and dog snapper who like to follow divers around. There are a couple neat swim through at the stern of the ship. Lots of interesting soft and hard corals live of the mast. The wreck is easily accessible from the reef making this a really fun deep dive and shallow "reef roving" dive all-in-one.
Bear's Den: Bear's Den is a typical Roatan dive profile with the addition of a really neat cavern swim through beginning at about 30 feet of depth and extending for ~120 feet down to about 50 feet of depth. The rest of the reef is very pristine and is covered in hard and soft corals (including a few elk corn colonies), and tons of wild life.
Smith Bank: Apparently we got really lucky because not many visitors to the Island get to dive Smith Bank due to sea conditions. It's located on the South side, sort of near the airport (and near the shark dive - Marco's Place). It's a shallow bank covered in fields of lettuce and Staghorn coral colonies. I've never seen so much healthy Staghorn in my life. We did it as a drift and got almost 80 minutes of bottom time. It's a really beautiful site with lots of macro critters and other interesting marine life (we saw a small school of squid!).
We also did the shark dive which I recommend if you're in to that sort of thing. It is an extra charge and it's kind of "touristy" but I found it fun and exciting nonetheless.
Parting Thoughts: Overall, our group had a great experience with AKR. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them. I found them to produce a good product at a good value. My gf and I are already planning a trip back in March of 2020. The healthiness of the reef, the diversity or wildlife, and the exceptional visibility make Roatan a must-dive for any serious diver.
Let me know if you have any questions and I'll do my best to answer them.
