Buddy’s Dive Questions

[ScottsdaleSteve]

My advice - the house reefs can be dived every day multiple times times a day and not get old and you can see something new on every dive.

Agree 100% with your house reef assessment. Do one shallow. Do one medium depth. Do one deep. Go north. Go south. Do one really slow and look in every nook and crannie - Bonaire is a fantastic macro destination.

Don't dismiss/discount a Bonaire house reef just cuz people call it a "house reef".

 

[OMyMyOHellYes]

If you continue up north past Cap'n Don's past the La Machaca to the water plant, there's a sunken barge. It's deep though - IIRC between 110 and 140 fsw. I quizzed the staff at Buddy Dive about whether they had dived it and nobody seemed to know it was there. Or at least didn't admit it. I found on the guided dives off of BD, the DM's really didn't want to go any deeper than 60 fsw, so they may just not want to encourage diving to greater depth (they didn't care if you went deeper on the boat splashes if you had the right training/certs, but they kidna implied (or I inferred) that if you did it was at your own risk).

COOPERS BARGE, Bonaire, Dive Site Information

Van de week lekker decoduikje. Wrak lengte gemeten 22,5 mtr lang. Was fun

www.divers-guide.com

 

[arew+4]

The food trucks have there spots for sure, you see one somewhere on Monday they are probably there on Friday, Bachelors Beach might be gentleman's reef in the queens English has one or two, windsock is often frequented by Cactus Blue. ( Lion fish burgers, really a fish sandwich but they are really good, grouper like).Kite City has a truck, there is a converted double decker bus somewhere.

When are you headed there?

If you are looking to maximize bottom time the house reef is definitely your friend. You will see very different creatures out and about through it the day, there is a definite "shift change", also allot of day to day variation on the larger faster moving creatures. If you slow down and look closely you can have different dive every time even if you only hit the same "site"

 

[schuylerclark]

Give Bari reef a try using the new park to access. Easy parking and access. Food and drink bathroom at the park.

Definitely. The park at Bari is absolutely the easiest entry/exit on the island, like boat ramps for divers. There's a sidewalk and handrail leading into the water. Don't miss the shower to rinse off at the smaller entry/exit, plus there are bathrooms, tables and food. Ask the attendant and you can usually pull your truck down to the restaurant to unload gear and then go park it. 5 stars for access!

 

[Cmatthewsdmd]

Adding Divi to the high priority list (which is getting longer by the day! I’m going to need to extend the trip!).

We aren’t going until the end of December, so I’m still way early on this research. Just excited since I finalized the booking this week.

I appreciate all of the input!

 

[Cmatthewsdmd]

So I had originally picked Buddy’s mainly out of convenience to have the house reef and a restaurant for easy dinner and the breakfast was included. The more I research I doubt we will eat much at Blennies and aren’t big breakfast eaters anyway. Would it be better to find a VRBO and use a reef like Divi in the instances where I would have used a house reef? What has been everyone’s experience with resort vs vrbo? I don’t see us spending much time on property. I’m not a relaxer on vacation. I am the type that doesn’t want to get home having missed an opportunity to experience an area.

 

[TNEngineer]

We thought the same about Blennie's but ended up grabbing lunch (and a couple of dinners) there more than we expected. Especially when you're going hard, it's convenient to shed your wet clothes, toss on some dry comfies, and walk a hundred meters to relax and have a meal. Anything off property requires driving, maybe nicer clothes, etc.

A good exception is next door at Captain Don's. The wait can be atrocious but you can walk there if desired.

 

[Cmatthewsdmd]

That’s a great point. Looking at VRBO I would want a nice view if I switched, so I’m not sure I would save any money and having it all together at Buddy’s is so convenient.

 

[wateraddiction]

I found that I could book a nicer unit with view at Sand Dollar (through vrbo) & rent a truck through Telerin or PB and pay less or the same as the Buddy package. I've also read the furniture at Buddy's isnt too comfortable and so while the package is convenient, I wasnt willing to give up on comfort and space. Dive Friends is onsite at Sand Dollar. Entry was so easy (stairs or pier) and like others are saying, the Bari house reef is quite effortless yet rewarding.

 

[CT Sean]

I've also read the furniture at Buddy's isnt too comfortable and so while the package is convenient,

At least in my experience that is very much true. It's very blocky outdoor wicker furniture with right angles most everywhere and very upright backs and thin cushions. I"ll still be going back there next time I go to Bonaire, but I'd really love some updated more comfy furniture

I have no idea if all rooms have the same furniture, but this is what I've had: