AKR and CocoView together

[Brodydog]

Actually we hated the CCV shore dive since we have been spoiled by Bonaire dock dives.

The things we disliked (compared to a Bonaire dock dive):
- slogging our gear from the gear room down to the shore
- waddling out until it gets deep enough to put our fins on (my booties were full of sand by then)
- spending several more minutes paddling out in 3 feet of water until you can start the real dive
- getting bumped into by other divers while doing all of this...
- and finally - getting bitten a thousand times by no seem ums at the end of the dive

The dive site itself is fine. But you do need to understand what is involved before and after you dive.

That's all fine and dandy as long as we are comparing diving from a dock at a resort on Bonaire compared to CCV's shore dive. Absolutely less work from a dock. BUT if you want most of the shore diving available at Bonaire it is a whole lot more work involved, including hauling gear and a rougher entry and exit.

 

[Lorenzoid]

So now that the OP has decided on a different location I'd love to hear a detailed comparison of the 2 locations. I've been to CCV but not to AKR.

It's sort of telling that few people have been to both. Of those who have, I would bet most have a clear favorite and do not plan to return to the other. CCV and AKR seem to appeal to two different segments of the diving population.

 

[Doc]

What I'd like to understand.... Why so many CCV habitues post on SB, but they outnumber AKR users maybe 50:1. Seems that you get an occasional trip report from an AKR visitor, but it's not like they show up in this forum otherwise. A puzzling thing.

I've been diving at AKR give or take 20 tanks or so. Ate there a few times, seen the room types, that's the extent of my experience- never slept overnight. Boats are well selected for local environment, kinda suck when they go to other side, i.e. Mary's Place. Same issue for CCV's boats, but they don't go North but on very select days.

AKR lays claim to a shore dive. That's a huge stretch of imagination. AKR has a pool, AKR has real lockers, at CCV they're unnecessary. AKR is a short cab ride to West End, CCV requires a planned trip.

I'm just too crippled up now to make that AKR stair climb 3x a day. Food seemed similar, you have to deal with the anecdotally problematic waitstaff of AKR. CCV you go to a serving line.

I would feel comfortable taking a GF there who wants one or two a day while I do 3. Just don't tell my wife. Girlfriends- I think that's what the 2 For 1 pricing is all about. In reality, AKR "doesn't need the money", they make enough money off of Cruise Ship visitors, week longs are just a gimme against existing fixed costs. Pure gravy, it's also Stateside money that's on the books vs cash collected on premises (do I need to draw a picture?)

I've recommended AKR to many divers, I just prefer CCV. More diving, better macro, rooms on stilts over the reef.

They're both real-deal dive resorts. Not many of those remain.

 

[Dogbowl]

Maybe Scubaboard attracts more hardcore divers and so does CCV? Hence less AKR trip reports?

 

[Lorenzoid]

Maybe Scubaboard attracts more hardcore divers and so does CCV? Hence less AKR trip reports?

As I would put it, AKR is a resort that offers diving as its main activity but tries to offer things for non-divers as well, while CocoView is a "dive resort" in the traditional sense of the term. I'm sure there are loads of good reviews for AKR on, say, Tripadvisor. If you're a "hardcore diver," you come to SB to research where to dive. If you're a vacationer who wants to do some diving, you go to a site like Tripadvisor.

 

[Doc]

Trip Advisor has two distinct parts. Anything and everything gets reviewed on the Reviews and Ratings portion, but... over on the Message Boards Forum...nothing other than West End even exists. Nothing on AKR or CCV, maybe once a year if that.

Any question outside of that immediate West End zone are quickly answered by the resident TA Expert on all things SCUBA Roatan sitting at his desk in Menlo Park. Clueless but revered as an expert.

If you know Roatan, the Trip Advisor Forum is kind-of funny- but a number of people read it believing it is the Bible.

 

[robint]

I have not stayed at AKR but did dive with them one day on a cruise this summer. WE loved the diving on the north side of island. Completely different from southside of island. We saw turtles and eagle ray on one of the 2 dives, coral seems to be healthy on both sides of island, really rich reef structure of sponges, coral, seafans, etc. Color color color...on both sides of island.
So comparison....I like them both equally, based on about 40 dives at CCV and 2 dives at AKR. CCV wins hands down with diving setup dock and shore diving. AKR might have better overall fishlife. But as I said, that is based on 2 dives which were in eyesight of the resort. Farther reefs probably were even better.

As far as resorts go....AKR has kids and a pool. CCV has neither. I think that is a determining factor on who goes where. A non-diving spouse would be bored at CCV. AKR seems to be better for families.

Just my 2 cents.
robin

 

[Brodydog]

I have not stayed at AKR but did dive with them one day on a cruise this summer. WE loved the diving on the north side of island. Completely different from southside of island. We saw turtles and eagle ray on one of the 2 dives, coral seems to be healthy on both sides of island, really rich reef structure of sponges, coral, seafans, etc. Color color color...on both sides of island.
So comparison....I like them both equally, based on about 40 dives at CCV and 2 dives at AKR. CCV wins hands down with diving setup dock and shore diving. AKR might have better overall fishlife. But as I said, that is based on 2 dives which were in eyesight of the resort. Farther reefs probably were even better.

As far as resorts go....AKR has kids and a pool. CCV has neither. I think that is a determining factor on who goes where. A non-diving spouse would be bored at CCV. AKR seems to be better for families.

Just my 2 cents.
robin

Thanks Robin. Just the kind of info I'm looking for. After 100+ dives on the south side, we'd really like to see what the north side has to offer. You don't know until you try. And it may not necessarily be at AKR. Turquoise Bay has peaked my interest.

 

[beluga2]

There has been whalesharks on the north side for the last two weeks.

 

[KeriMe]

I dove AKR last Sept. It was my first trip TI Roatan and the 2 for 1 deal was running which lured us in. I came away with mixed feelings. I liked the cabana, deck and hammocks. Pool area was nice. The food was meh. I'm vegetarian and found I was getting sick after breakfast. Turns out they were cooking my omlets in some pork grease. If you wanted a snack outside of mealtime you had to buy it in the gift shop or snack shop by the dive shop. And as others have mentioned the restaurant was a hike up a lot of stairs so if mobility is an issue it may be a challenge.
As for diving, They typically didn't stray far from the resort and the boats were in good condition. They assigned you to a boat, DM and captain for the week and tried to put same skill levels on the same boat. Initially our boat was all advanced with one noob traveling with a family of adv. divers. We had a DM that wasn't all that focused....he managed to loose our entire group of 7 adv. divers on one dive. That was a first.... We all surfaced and awaited the boat. Apparently he found nothing odd about being the first on the boat and not having eyes on the rest of us. So while I don't need the DM I kind of want them pointing out the best stuff in their back yard. We ending up asking to get placed on a different boat the rest of the week. Spooky canyon was the most memorable dive.