Going it "alone"

[DivemasterDennis]

Planning our own travel has always been our favorite way to go. Start with contacting the dive center destination and before booking coordinate with airline travel. The dive centers in Roatan will set you up nicely as to accommodations and diving. Just don't forget to arrange ground transport, through the shop or independently.
You'll be just fine.
DivemasterDennis

 

[billatcam]

Like the previous posters, I think that AKR is a great destination for new divers / dive-travellers.

It's easy to book, just AKR & the airline - and that covers everything, hotel transfers, food, accommodation, diving. The AKR team will be waiting for you at the airport, and there is absolutely nothing to worry about.

We were there 2 years ago, 4 of us on our own. My 14 year-old niece did her PADI OW dives with their dive school before continuing with us for the rest of the week. She was a very nervous new diver and had a wonderful time. The dives were well chosen, we had divemasters with us on every dive. My niece rented all equipment & it was first class, problem free.

We didn't apply any bug repellant and sand fleas got us from the knees down one evening, either walking on the sand or sitting at the swimming pool. No worse than mosquitoes, but we should have known better.

Have a great time & welcome to the wonderful world of Dive Travel.

 

[PhatD1ver]

i have been on one LDS planned trip that cost three times more than the one I planned myself to the same location, but a better hotel. It's not that much work, you can find so much on the internet, tripadvisor and agoda are great for giving you good reviews on most places and accommodations. Some places like when i went to Koh Lanta to start my adventure in scuba diving, the dive shop just stood out. They weren't a big fancy school, didn't have a huge pool, but their individual attention, their great dive boat, and the well run, efficient way they run it were impressive. And because of that, I went back and got my OW cert from them, and in Feb, we will be back diving with them again..

Point here is that you can find good shops by 'shopping around' and asking people... if the shop doesn't like it, TOUGH.

And if you are in the mood for a good time, look up Andaman Dive Adventures if you get to Koh Lanta in Thailand, you won't regret it

 

[drbill]

In all my years of diving (52) I've never taken a dive trip with a group (although I will be taking two next year with Indian Valley SCUBA). I've found that most diving away from home is based on guided group dives with a DM. As long as you research the dive operation reasonably well, you shouldn't have much trouble.

 

[dmoore19]

Hmm, I have never found that to be the case. In fact the prices I see on the group trips I have gone on are close to the same after airfare, transports and all things are considered. In fact most of the group trips I have gone on also include some add ons which the self booked ones didn't include. Maybe were talking different parts of the world?

i have been on one LDS planned trip that cost three times more than the one I planned myself to the same location, but a better hotel. It's not that much work, you can find so much on the internet, tripadvisor and agoda are great for giving you good reviews on most places and accommodations. Some places like when i went to Koh Lanta to start my adventure in scuba diving, the dive shop just stood out. They weren't a big fancy school, didn't have a huge pool, but their individual attention, their great dive boat, and the well run, efficient way they run it were impressive. And because of that, I went back and got my OW cert from them, and in Feb, we will be back diving with them again..

Point here is that you can find good shops by 'shopping around' and asking people... if the shop doesn't like it, TOUGH.

And if you are in the mood for a good time, look up Andaman Dive Adventures if you get to Koh Lanta in Thailand, you won't regret it

 

[Lorenzoid]

Lack of experience -- no problem

AKR is great with divers who have limited experience. After the first day you'll realize that your family is not atypical of who stays at AKR. Really, AKR gets a wide range of guests of all experience levels. When my wife and I stayed there, there was a family of relatively inexperienced divers assigned to the same boat as we were, and I would bet you and your family are better or at least more conscientious divers than they were. (The very fact you read SB suggests you care about your diving.) As I mentioned in a trip report I posted, they didn't have computers (and for sure were not using tables), they sucked their tanks empty, kicked the reef with their fins ... they just didn't seem to care.

"Group trips"

For a number of years I was oblivious to the fact that there was such a thing as "group trips," as my contact with local dive shops was sporadic, and I wasn't reading Scubaboard or receiving any dive magazines at the time. So when I wanted to take a dive vacation, I would look up what was available, and then contact my chosen dive operation/resort and book with them. Once you realize how simple and easy it is, you'll wonder why you ever thought you needed help from a "group" organizer. A great many people do their travel diving this way. I suspect that people who do "group trips" aren't even a majority.