Share Your AKR Story: Sue Williams’ Story

This month’s AKR Story comes from Sue Williams! When you read it, you may notice that it’s similar to Kevin Briley’s AKR Story. During her first trip to Anthony’s Key Resort, Sue and her husband made lifelong friends in Paul, Joy, Russell, and Karen. Since their first dive in 2008, these three couples have made countless memories together. It really seems like fate slated this group to be pals. They kept coincidentally booking trips at or around the same time! We especially loved the part where, at their first dinner as a group, the waiter asked how long they had been diving together.

Thank you so much, Sue, for sending your story! We loved reading about your friendship, and look forward to seeing the six of you again!

Our Anthony’s Key Resort Story – Jim & Sue, Paul & Joy, Russell & Karen

Our Anthony’s Key story began in 2008 at the Roatan airport with a beer. (Port Royal)

Jim and I, (from Ohio), were on our first trip to Anthony Key’s Resort. While waiting for the bus at the airport to take us to AKR, we met Paul and Joy, (from Utah). It all started when Paul said to Jim, “Hey, where’d you get that beer?” Overhearing, Russell, traveling with Karen, (from Virginia), said, “Yeah, that beer looks good.”

The six of us just seemed to ‘click’. We signed up to dive on the same boat and our bungalows happened to be right in a row on the Key. That night at dinner we sat together. Our waiter asked how long we’d all been diving together. We all looked at each other and said, “we just met at the airport this afternoon!”

Over the next few years, Jim and I kept in contact via email with Paul & Joy, Russell & Karen. In 2011, we booked our second trip to AKR. Our reservation was in October, several months away, so we emailed to tell everyone what week we had booked. Paul emailed back saying, “We are there!” I said, are you there now, or do you mean you booked the same week in October? 

It must have been fate. Paul & Joy had booked the very same week as we did. You might recall Hurricane Rina in October 2011. That was the week we were there. It peaked as a Category 3 hurricane on October 25th. Rina blew past Roatan about 100 miles off shore, but it sure felt like only 10 miles. It rained, was windy and cloudy. WE STILL WENT DIVING EVERY DAY!! Our first morning there it was raining so Jim and I wore our wetsuits to breakfast. Even with the ‘challenging’ weather, we all still had a great vacation.

After that 2011 trip, Paul, Joy, Jim and me, have been planning diving trips together. We have been back to AKR several times and will be there soon, the week of May 4th, 2019. I think this will be our 8th, or 9th trip there together. We’ve also been to Bonaire, Belize, and Cozumel together a few times. 

We found out that in 2007, the four of us had just missed meeting in Utila. Paul and Joy were waiting at the Utila airport to leave when Jim and I were arriving. We stayed at the same hotel and went diving with the same dive masters and dive company. We were destined to dive together.

Of course, we’ve been to Roatan and AKR the most times. It simply is the best. The staff is outstanding. A few trips ago, we were at the Roatan airport waiting to depart when Paul realized he didn’t have his rings. He must have missed seeing them when packing the items from their room safe. He phoned AKR, asked them to please check the room safe for his rings. Not only did they check the safe, Yolanda appeared at the airport to personally bring them to Paul. It was so much appreciated and so unexpected. 

So the four of us met in 2008, when AKR Celebrated its 40th Anniversary. Then last year in 2018, AKR celebrated its 50th Anniversary while Paul, Joy, Jim and me (Sue) celebrated our own 10th Anniversary of meeting and diving together! 

The stories I could tell…

• Of how a male diver took Joy’s hand underwater and led her away from Paul thinking she was his wife by mistake, 
• Or how wonderful the wait staff was the trip Jim was sick with a bad cold. He requested honey and sliced limes for his throat the first morning. (a home remedy given us some years ago by an AKR dive master). The staff brought him limes and honey every morning without a further word, 
• Or how I tear up with emotion every time I think of a dive Hector led us on, in and out of Spooky Channel. It was the most amazing dive I have ever been on, still until this day, and I have over 425 dives, 
• Or how Pavo an amazon parrot that used to hang out on the upper deck near the bar area nibbled a hole in Paul’s shirt,
• or me getting trapped and massaged by the felonious massage lady and her girls in West End while my “friends” laughed and took video.

Looking forward to our next trip to Anthony’s Key Resort. See you soon!

– Sue Williams