1st trip Bonaire - luggage/gear/etc questions

[me_diver]

Hi,

We (me and husband) are going to Bonaire for the first time in February for 10 days.

Some background: We are very new divers, got PADI OW certified last March in BVIs after poolwork in Maine, and dove 1 other time (in tank at DiveQuest in Disney). That's it for experience.
We are staying at Buddy's with dive/drive pkg with some boat dives included.
We are taking the Scuba refresher course first day there, and then peak performance buoyancy a few days later. I know I need to get better at it.
Being novice divers won't be diving past 60', and probably won't do more than 2/day just because we like to do other things as well. Though the frequency might change once we get there and see all there is to see
I've read a lot of this forum and it's been very helpful! For instance the tips on good bugspray without Deet, restaurant recommendations, etc....

So here are my Questions:

-Since some of the point of this trip is to get more comfortable with diving we are taking our own gear. (BC, wetsuit, mask (prescription), snorkel, fins, reg/octo, wrist computer) The mask is essential, and I think the BC is as well to get comfortable with it. After all we spent the money on this stuff might as well use it (I don't see me diving too often in Maine....) Any thoughts on leaving some of this home?

- Do you guys take knife, scissors, light, safety sausage?
We are taking an underwater camera.

-Assuming we take all this, we don't have a whole lot of room in luggage for clothes. Packing in 1 checked luggage and 1 carryon each. Anyone fly via Aruba on Tiara Air have comments on taking that much luggage and/or taking more than that? (charges, hassle, etc)

-So, since we don't have a lot of room for clothes (BCs do take a surprising amount of space) is doing laundry at Buddy's an option? If not, somewhere else?

-wetsuit: we both have 3mm shorties. I've read a lot of threads and I'm guessing this might be okay for us? We weren't cold at all in March in BVIs with this. But that was only 4 dives over 2 days, not 8 days or so in a row. I am someone who tends to get hot (overheated) in hot weather....
Should we try it with what we have, OR - if we get there and get cold I assume you can rent wetsuits?? (For all sizes? I.e. short and fat?) (Note, we also have 7 mm farmer johns with step in long jackets but that seems like way overkill to bring with us).


Thanks!
Melissa

 

[herman]

Hi Melissa,
My Bonaire clothing list is 1 tshirt per day, 2 pairs of shorts, 2 bathing suits (one drying and the other one on), 1 pair of ratty tennis shoes, 1 pair of socks for the trip home and a hat...after a bunch of trips that is what I have boiled it down to. The evening go to dinner tshirt is tomorrows dive shirt. There is no need for "nice" cloths, reasonable tshirts and shorts are fine everywhere. If I remember correctly, there are washers at BD but for me, a sink and a little shampoo will do.
There is no need for knives, scissors or a sausage. Lights on the other hand are a must if you intend to do any night diving, something I highly recommend after you get comfortable there.
Do take all your gear but pack all expensive, fragile or difficult to replace items in carry on- for me that means regs, computer, camera, mask and prescription meds, all of which are padded with a change of cloths and a bathing suit....in other words, everything I just can't or do not want to rent in case my luggage gets lost. Remember, besides a carry on you also have a "personal item", a larger camera bag or pocketbook can carry a fair amount of stuff.

On item I suggest you get is a 50 lb digital fishing scale (K-mart, Wal Mart ) so you can weigh your luggage. It will save you a lot of hassel at the airport and big excesive weight charges, it pays for itself with one avoided baggage fee.

 

[vox]

Hi,

We (me and husband) are going to Bonaire for the first time in February for 10 days.

- Do you guys take knife, scissors, light, safety sausage?
We are taking an underwater camera.

-So, since we don't have a lot of room for clothes (BCs do take a surprising amount of space) is doing laundry at Buddy's an option? If not, somewhere else?

-wetsuit: we both have 3mm shorties. I've read a lot of threads and I'm guessing this might be okay for us? We weren't cold at all in March in BVIs with this. But that was only 4 dives over 2 days, not 8 days or so in a row. I am someone who tends to get hot (overheated) in hot weather....
Should we try it with what we have, OR - if we get there and get cold I assume you can rent wetsuits?? (For all sizes? I.e. short and fat?) (Note, we also have 7 mm farmer johns with step in long jackets but that seems like way overkill to bring with us).


Thanks!
Melissa

Been to Bon twice so far and dive exclusively with Buddy Dive via the Dive Bus in Curacao.

Three things here:

1. Take a knife or scissors. Be prepared.
2. You'll want a full suit - recommend minimum of 3mm. You'll be diving a lot and half way through you'll be thankful.
3. I've done laundry at BD. Shouldn't be an issue but seriously, all you really need are tshirts and shorts. Don't overpack. Keep it simple. Less is more.

 

[reefdiva]

Hi,

So here are my Questions:

-Since some of the point of this trip is to get more comfortable with diving we are taking our own gear. (BC, wetsuit, mask (prescription), snorkel, fins, reg/octo, wrist computer) The mask is essential, and I think the BC is as well to get comfortable with it. After all we spent the money on this stuff might as well use it (I don't see me diving too often in Maine....) Any thoughts on leaving some of this home?

- Do you guys take knife, scissors, light, safety sausage?
We are taking an underwater camera.

-Assuming we take all this, we don't have a whole lot of room in luggage for clothes. Packing in 1 checked luggage and 1 carryon each. Anyone fly via Aruba on Tiara Air have comments on taking that much luggage and/or taking more than that? (charges, hassle, etc)

-So, since we don't have a lot of room for clothes (BCs do take a surprising amount of space) is doing laundry at Buddy's an option? If not, somewhere else?

-wetsuit: we both have 3mm shorties. I've read a lot of threads and I'm guessing this might be okay for us? We weren't cold at all in March in BVIs with this. But that was only 4 dives over 2 days, not 8 days or so in a row. I am someone who tends to get hot (overheated) in hot weather....
Should we try it with what we have, OR - if we get there and get cold I assume you can rent wetsuits?? (For all sizes? I.e. short and fat?) (Note, we also have 7 mm farmer johns with step in long jackets but that seems like way overkill to bring with us).


Thanks!
Melissa

Absolutely take your own gear if you have it. I would suggest your mask, reg/octo and computer go in your carry-on bag. One trick with the BC is to undo all the straps and open it up as flat as possible, put it in the bottom of your bag and pack on top of it. Don't overlook the foot pocket of your fins for sticking small items to save room.

Concerning the camera ... You mention that you are a new diver and that you will be working on getting comfortable. May I respectfully suggest you not use the camera early in your diving week? Using a camera has a variety of effects on some new divers -- it can hasten their air consumption, it can impact their buoyancy and most importantly it can cause them to lose site of where their fins or body parts are when trying to get a shot and that can lead to coral damage.

You won't need a lot of clothes in Bonaire, especially not "fancy" ones but if you find you need to do laundry there is a place near the stadium where you can do the laundry yourself or drop it off and pick it up the next day.

Everyone's body temp is different. In Feb I dive Bonaire with a hooded 3mm vest under a full 5mm wetsuit. In July in Bonaire I use my hooded vest and a full 3mm wetsuit. Others use only a t-shirt. Take what you have and as the week goes along you can always rent one. One consideration is that a shorty will not protect you from scratches if you fall during entry/exit.

Have fun!!

 

[me_diver]

Concerning the camera ... You mention that you are a new diver and that you will be working on getting comfortable. May I respectfully suggest you not use the camera early in your diving week? Using a camera has a variety of effects on some new divers -- it can hasten their air consumption, it can impact their buoyancy and most importantly it can cause them to lose site of where their fins or body parts are when trying to get a shot and that can lead to coral damage.

I hear you, and good advice. We probably will use it mostly snorkeling ;-) We won't try to dive with it until we get a lot more comfortable. In the BVIs we got some great pics snorkelling. Last thing we want to do is damage the reef.

 

[DiverVince]

Melissa..All good advice above. Me? I aways have a small shears attached to my BC. Doesn't really take up room & you never know when you'd need it. Leave the knife & safety sausage at home.
Clothes? Really you don't need much. Give more thought to money than clothes!
I firmly support you using your own equipment since you already have it. Just be sure to weigh it before boarding a plane to ensure weight compliance.
As far as the camera, just using it for snorkeling was great advice.
You're 3 mm shorties should be fine. The water temp in Feb will be about 79 F. If you think you may get cold, pack a beanie to wear on your head.
Enjoy your trip!!

 

[TheWizard]

Been to Bon twice so far and dive exclusively with Buddy Dive via the Dive Bus in Curacao.....

The above doesn't seem to make a lot of sense, but if it works for you, then go for it...

 

[robint]

Leave the knife and safety sausage at home. No need for either.
I wear a 5mm full suit with a beanie or hood if water is below 80 degrees, but then I am an experienced diver, move very slowly as I don't like to scare the fish, and I don't generate alot of heat for that reason. I wore a 3mm shortie my first dive trip back in 2000 and froze my tush off after a couple of days, even only doing 2 dives a day.

As far as clothing goes... you need 2-3 swimsuits, 2-3 t-shirts, and 2-3 pairs of shorts. Most people wear t-shirts and shorts out to dinner with no issues. It is a Diver friendly island. Take a cheap pair of flipflops and a couple of beach towels. Use your clothing to wrap up dive gear in the bags you check. I always take my mask and a swimsuit in my carryon, that way if my luggage gets lost or delayed, I can still rent the rest and dive.

Have fun at Buddy Dive. We will be there again in April. YOu will do more than 2 dives per day, too. The place is geared to diving, can't be any easier, and it is such a great reef right there off the dock, you will want to do it more than once a day.

robin

 

[Bubbletrubble]

Melissa..All good advice above. Me? I aways have a small shears attached to my BC. Doesn't really take up room & you never know when you'd need it. Leave the knife & safety sausage at home.

@me_diver: Lots of good advice in this thread so far. I agree that bringing along a pair of EMT shears in lieu of a knife is a good idea.

Leave any dive gloves at home -- they aren't allowed unless you have a doctor's written permission to do so.

I take a safety sausage with me on every dive. I'm actually shocked that others are telling you to leave it at home.
For shore dives, inflating a safety sausage at the surface and waving it about can get the lifeguard's (and other people's) attention in a hurry. There aren't any lifeguards on Bonaire, but there may be people on shore that could help in an emergency.
For any kind of boat diving, I'd go so far as to say that a safety sausage is mandatory. I also bring along a signaling mirror and whistle. Other people take along an airhorn, rescue tape, rescue dye, or, in certain cases, an EPIRB. Now, I'll be the first to say that most of the time Bonaire is very easy diving with little or no current to negotiate...but you never know. It's a good thing to respect the ocean. Surface conditions and currents can change between the beginning and the end of a dive. You'll be happy that you have some options for surface signaling in case you surface a distance away from the boat.

Bring the 3mm shorty wetsuits and rent a vest and/or hood if you get cold. I prefer a full length 3mm wetsuit for the extra protection it provides. It's not just about keeping you warm. It's also about protecting you from stinging marine critters and cuts and scrapes should you fall down.

Have fun on your trip...

 

[diverrex]

For shore diving and non sand entries a full wetsuit does provide more protection from scrapes if you fall than a shorty.