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Dive Review of Kids Sea Camp/Anthony's Key Resort in
Honduras/Roatan

Kids Sea Camp/Anthony's Key Resort, Aug, 2008,

by Doris Schaffer/ Miguel Jorge, CA, USA (Contributor Contributor 14 reports). Report 4270.

No photos available at this time

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Accommodations 2 stars Food 3 stars
Service and Attitude 3 stars Environmental Sensitivity N/A
Dive Operation 3 stars Shore Diving 3 stars
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ N/A
Beginners 5 stars
Advanced 2 stars
Comments If you're looking for a bargain trip, you like land-based operations and structured diving and you're a diver with not a lot of experience, Anthony's Key Resort is the place for you. Three dives a day plus two night dives a week. Follow the divemaster, do not go below the depth he sets or beyond the time he specifies. A couple of interesting wrecks at about 110 feet, but most of the diving averages 30 to 70 feet over reefs covered with brown algae. Outcroppings of healthy hard and soft coral, a few turtles and eels, big groupers that hang out under the boats, visibility of 30 to 60 feet and water temperature averaging 82 degrees make for easy, pleasant diving despite a paucity of reef fish. Anthony's Key is an all-inclusive resort featuring three sit-down meals each day, the boat diving, unlimited shore diving, and horseback riding. The dive boats were specially designed for the resort and they are efficient and comfortable. The locker room, however, could use a re-design--lockers are tiny and the room too small and cramped to hold so many lockers; when we wanted to get to our lockers, others using theirs blocked our way, an annoying inconvenience. The food is decent with several entree choices at meals which are served; no buffets except for one lunch and one barbeque dinner during the week. Most bungalows are on the water; standard bungalows are somewhat primitive and need maintenance; they have louvers to catch the breezes and porches with hammocks, but there were no breezes, weather was hot and humid and we relied on fans. Superior bungalows are air-conditioned, finished more nicely than the standards and are better maintained. Anthony's Key owns Roatan Institute of Marine Science which keeps about 19 dolphins in captivity for research and the entertainment of guests.
We were there with Kids Sea Camp, a scuba diving camp for families, and while the adults were diving, counselors were with the kids doing art projects, water activities, playing with the dolphins, horseback riding, field trips and a host of other activities. Kids Sea Camp strives to create a fun, safe and educational experience for kids while parents dive. Some kids learn to snorkel; others test out scuba equipment while the older ones get certified. Margo Peyton, who created the Kids Sea Camp concept, has the best of intentions and makes every effort to keep her guests happy, but the execution of the concept is dependent on local dive instructors that are contracted to work as instructors/chaperones/lifeguards. The safety of the kids is dependent on the instructor-to-child ratio and the attentiveness of the guides. We were put off by the releases we were required to sign on behalf of the children, releasing the resort and Kids Sea Camp from their own negligence, which struck us as providing no incentive to be careful.
The fun is definitely there, especially as Ron Rogest, a talented, inspirational artist with a gift for working with children, helped the kids paint sea creatures on frameable canvases. Unfortunately, even his outstanding personality and good humor was not enough to prevent the low point of the week which was the 3-hour-long ceremony where presentations, poems, showing art work and an auction for a local charity drove us to yawns. Nonetheless, there were a large number of repeat Kids Sea Camp "groupies" who love returning year after year and seemed unbothered by the poorly-organized event. But while we adults were not too keen on the camp atmosphere, the kids were kept busy all day, learned about the ocean and its creatures and loved every minute of it! Anthony's Key and Kids Sea Camp is not our "thing," but we were there for the kids and we'd do it again!

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience Over 1000 dives
Where else diving Australia, Solomons, Micronesia, Fiji, Red Sea, California, Galapagos, Mexico, Caribbean, Maldives, Hawaii, Cocos Island
Closest Airport Getting There

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny, dry Seas calm, surge
Water Temp 81-83°F / 27-28°C Wetsuit Thickness 3
Water Visibility 30-60 Ft/ 9-18 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile no
Enforced diving restrictions Follow the divemaster, no deeper than divemaster specifies, don't go below depth divemaster specifies
Liveaboard? no Nitrox Available? N/A

What I Saw

Sharks None Mantas None
Dolphins None Whale Sharks None
Turtles > 2 Whales None
Corals 2 stars Tropical Fish 2 stars
Small Critters 1 stars Large Fish 2 stars
Large Pelagics 2 stars

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Subject Matter N/A Boat Facilities 2 stars
Overall rating for UWP's 1 stars Shore Facilities N/A
UW Photo Comments Facilities on dive boats consisted of a bucket for cameras and a dry table.
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Note: The information here was reported by the author above, but has NOT been reviewed nor edited by Undercurrent prior to posting on our website. Please report any major problems by writing to us and referencing the report number above.

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