ScubaBoard Invasion Central 2023 Roatan

[gypsyjim]

On the checkout day, I'm thinking about taking the ferry over to Utila for another week or two. I dove out of UDC a couple years ago and they have an Inn that was like 25 bucks a night for a really basic single room with AC. Anyone else interested? I can only take a couple dive trips a year and I'd like to leverage my plane fare and get 2-3 weeks out of the trip. You would fly in and out of Roatan and take a ferry to Utila and then back for the return home flight.

The Utila airport when I was there was like something I'd have imagined for an African bush strip.
The "Waiting lounge" was outside, with just a few cheap plastic patio chairs in the shade. Watching locals casually ride their horses across the "air strip" was a jarring sight for me.
The air strip we used in PNG several years ago now, though, was even more primitive (which I didn't think was possible). No building at all at Tufi, PNG, and the luggage cart was a converted farm crap spreader, behind a farm tractor.......actually made Utila's "airport" look better.

 

[Curious_George]

So, I’m trying to figure out what the schedule of dives will be and how many I can actually do on the trip.

Am I understanding correctly that there is not an opportunity for night shore diving unless we want to skip one of the two night boat dives? I assume so because the website say tanks only while the shop is open which is "until the last boat returns". So that knocks out extra night dives.

Then on to daytime shore dives. When will we be able to shore dive without missing boat dives? I’m guessing morning boat dives will be approximately 8am until 12:30pm. Afternoon dive at 2pm - 3:30. If so, that leaves 4-5pm for shore diving assuming the shop closes at 5pm.

Am I missing any dive opportunities? Would be great if I could get in a couple before breakfast and/or after dinner dives. I tried to find some info on the shore dives without much luck. Anyone with details?

 

[OMyMyOHellYes]

The shore dive shack guy was pretty cool there last June - retired from being a DM after years of 3x a day, 6 days a week, for years, to some pretty deep dives (I want to say most dives at AKR probably averaged 80') while herding cats.

They're there pretty late, and not limited to the night dive days. It is not a great shore dive, but I did it as a night dive and it was worth while for me. That was a Wednesday between the Thursday and Tuesday scheduled night boat dives. You follow a silt covered rope out through a crack in the reef, at very shallow depth, then a small room opens up, then across the room another crack to a bigger room/small wall.

Stop in the shack and ask him how late you can go. If you are on the key and happened to lug your BCD and a tank back to your room ......

OMMOHY

 

[JayG57]

All those in the general Tampa area be safe!!

 

[RobPNW]

Lol. Many dive shops charge more for a trip than if you booked it yourself. They charge more per person so some people can go for free. I have zero clue if this is the reason here but it’s possible.

I don't think the AKR price factors in tax which is like 19%.

 

[Baker_Dive]

I don't think the AKR price factors in tax which is like 19%.

Ahh makes sense! Thank you for clarifying.

 

[gypsyjim]

I don't think the AKR price factors in tax which is like 19%.

I cannot say for sure, but when we were shopping around @2 years ago, that tax was included in the last SB Roatan Invasion package, but if we booked a trip ourselves that tax was extra.

 

[cardzard]

The 19% Govt Tax is included in the SB price.

 

[RobPNW]

I cannot say for sure, but when we were shopping around @2 years ago, that tax was included in the last SB Roatan Invasion package, but if we booked a trip ourselves that tax was extra.

Yeah, that's what I was trying to say in a different way. With that said...

Don't assume that any resort's advertised web price is the final price. I recently booked a visit to the Turquois Bay resort, also in Roatan, for a different date, and they gave me a 15% discount off the web site price- but I asked. That more than covered my single occupancy or most of the tax, whichever way you want to look at it.

 

[gypsyjim]

Yeah, that's what I was trying to say in a different way. With that said...

Don't assume that any resort's advertised web price is the final price. I recently booked a visit to the Turquois Bay resort, also in Roatan, for a different date, and they gave me a 15% discount off the web site price- but I asked. That more than covered my single occupancy or most of the tax, whichever way you want to look at it.

One thing I learned long ago is that resorts do offer a "spiff" when you book a certain # of paid spaces.
Most LDSs consider this part of their profits, some folks who are not doing it for profit will devide that spiff up, to lower everyone's $.
I did this with the original two DNY Bonaire trips that I arranged, but to be quite honest, when you consider how much "leg work", and hassle is involved in "herding cats" ( as these trips are for those behind the scene) I do not begrudge those involved getting a free room or two.