CoCo View or Anthony’s Key?

[Hoyden]

I am a CoCo View fan. Once to AKR was enough for me. There are many reasons, but two top my list:
1. Too many stairs at AKR - my knees are terrible.
2. The ability to do dawn shore dives at CCV. I cannot overstate how much I love dawn dives. The shift change is super interesting.

I would also take issue with the idea that CCV is more for shallow dives. I do love being shallow sometimes, but we have also done CCV with rebreathers and trimix. You can go as deep as you want on the walls. There are some amazing fish down there for those trained and equipped to go deep. I have seen cave and candy bass down there as well as some larger groupers.


YMMV

 

[Doc]

I would also take issue with the idea that CCV is more for shallow dives. I do love being shallow sometimes, but we have also done CCV with rebreathers and trimix.

You can go deeeep on either side of the island and see the same very cool stuff. The shallow stuff is really only about the CCV zone. Therein lies the distinction.

But- You can do those deep tech dives by a simple shore entry at CCV. That 3000' hole is just over yonder.

 

[Robert Chiccarine]

I would also take issue with the idea that CCV is more for shallow dives. I do love being shallow sometimes, but we have also done CCV with rebreathers and trimix. You can go as deep as you want on the walls. There are some amazing fish down there for those trained and equipped to go deep. I have seen cave and candy bass down there as well as some larger groupers.


YMMV

Hoyden, I'm looking to take a group to Roatan, and one is a rebreather diver. How did you manage rebreather supplies at CCV?

 

[KatieMac]

I would say that since the wives like to shop, you are better at AKR because it's close to West End. I like the diving on both sides of the island but CCV is more remote.

 

[Hoag]

FWIW, I went to CCV last spring with a group from an LDS, and for the most part, I was a non-diver. As they say, timing is everything and the week I was there I was fighting a pretty bad bronchial infection and was coughing violently. For some reason, I didn't think that it was wise to dive.

So, I spent most of the week as a non-diver. (I did get in a couple days of easy diving so it wasn't a totally dry trip.) Here are my impressions of CCV as a non diver. If you have the ability to shift from the pace of your day to day life into "Max Relax" mode you should be OK. Bring a good book (or two) to read while the others are out diving. Plan on getting a nap or two every day. (There is a lot to be said for spending the afternoon with my eyes shut, swinging in a hammock in the tropics.) Be self sufficient. Do not rely on anybody else to entertain you. It is not going to happen.

So, what was a typical one of my non-diving days like?

I would get up in the morning and do a little sunrise photography then meet the group for breakfast. I'd go over the the dive area while they were getting ready and then go to the boat while the DM did the Dive Briefing. I'd get off the boat before it left the dock and head back to my cabana for my morning nap. I'd get up around the time the boat was returning from the dive and wander over to the main building. I'd go behind the building to the parrots and try (unsuccessfully) to teach the big red one to say "Bite me tourist". Then I'd have lunch with my friends. Listen to them talk about the dive. After lunch, things were pretty much a repeat of the morning. Over to the dock to listen to the dive brief & wish all my friends well, then back for my afternoon nap and maybe some "quality time" with the parrots.

It was not how I would typically spend a vacation, but in retrospect, the naps probably helped my body fight the infection and led to me being well enough to get in a couple days diving. The trip did turn out to be a very relaxing one and that has its own benefits.

The other thing to remember is that in the winter, you might shovel snow, but in the tropics you never shovel sunshine.

 

[Hoyden]

Hoyden, I'm looking to take a group to Roatan, and one is a rebreather diver. How did you manage rebreather supplies at CCV?

We sent down a bulk container in advance with sorb and made on-island arrangements for O2. We had a group of 5 or 6 rebreather divers. I can't imagine all of that hassle for one rebreather diver, plus your rb diver would not have a rb buddy which would be a deal killer for us.

 

[Perryed]

People are talking a lot about the number of dive available but what it comes down to for me is bottom time. AKR is going to limit you to an hour per dive on the 3 a day dive. CCV you get your 2 a day that are 1 hour and your 2 drop offs that I can stretch into 2 hours if I feel like it. Hour and a half very easily. My last trip to CCV I had well over 30 hours of bottom time. You do the drop off dives at slightly different depths and they are always different things to see. That said , the fact that you have non divers slants it toward AKR. You really can`t go wrong at either place IMHO.

 

[Snodge]

@Hoyden One part of your post caught my eye:

...
2. The ability to do dawn shore dives at CCV. I cannot overstate how much I love dawn dives. The shift change is super interesting.

I've been intrigued by the idea of dawn dives since reading an article about an astronaut that mentioned doing a dive that started in the dark and just before sunrise and continued though dawn. I'm wondering if this is what you're talking about when you say "dawn dive"? I'd love to try that out, though i usually stay and dive a resort without a beach so it will be logistically difficult.

Cheers

 

[Perryed]

@Hoyden One part of your post caught my eye:



I've been intrigued by the idea of dawn dives since reading an article about an astronaut that mentioned doing a dive that started in the dark and just before sunrise and continued though dawn. I'm wondering if this is what you're talking about when you say "dawn dive"? I'd love to try that out, though i usually stay and dive a resort without a beach so it will be logistically difficult.

Cheers

Have done this a couple of time. Makes a very nice dive. One was at CCV. The one and only time I ever did 6 dives in one day. The crepuscular (a sunrise dive) the 4 regular ones and a night dive. Made for a looooooong day.

 

[jessejana]

I just want to say thank you for all the input! Hubby and I are heading Roatan way in May. Was juggling the same resorts. We are both divers so I'm choosing CCV.. We are 60 and 58... so those steps at AKR were really a challenge to me! Knee replacement already! I don't know what is considered newbie, middie, advanced... we've had a lot of "private" diving, so I do feel we are a little more advanced than one would think... We are only at 20+ dives... but most of them have been just us and the divemaster... very blessed and thankful! AOW and want to get nitrox when we head to Roatan!!! The more diving the better for us two... any suggestions for us are welcome!