Trip Report Trip Report from first time to Bonaire solo traveller

[gajahduduk]

I just returned on Monday from Bonaire, which I of course loved. Wonder what took me so long to try it!

As many readers of this forum know, I was apprehensive about going for a couple reasons: 1) I've spent most of my diving time in Indonesia, which I find hard to beat, and 2) I was travelling solo and therefore needed to hook up buddies. I'll address each:

1) Bonaire Compared

As expected, Bonaire diving isn't as spectacular or colorful as top destinations in the Pacific. Nor is it filled with as many monstrously weird creatures. However, for an 8 hour flight from Detroit, it's pretty damn good. Much better than my one experience in Cozumel; much, much better than the Yucatan coast (though the cenote diving is beautiful and worth a try); and close to what I remember from decades ago in Blackbird Cay, Belize, which I understand has changed much since (for the busier).

Special underwater wonders on this trip: 1) a seahorse!, 2) flamingo tongue & lettuce sea slug, 3) one dive with 30-50 turtles, 4) loads of eel and trumpetfish, 5) tarpon & barracuda, 6) some interesting crab (large & small) and anenome shrimp of vairous kinds. Rather than words on this, here are my best photos and my video.

In terms of overall cost, an independently-arranged dive trip to Bonaire compares to a trip in Lembeh or Raja Ampat. Airfare to Indonesia is at least double the cost, but the cost of accomodation and food is virtually free. There you pay much more for boat diving. In Bonaire, the chief cost is accomodation, truck rental, and food, while the diving is virtually free*. I suspect if you go to Bonaire off-season, airfare and stay can be much cheaper, making it a potentially cheap dive get-away.

2) Buddies for Solo Traveller

Posting looking for buddies here started slow, but within a couple weeks I had the fortune of meeting at least 3 people looking for buddies during the time I was there. (Thanks guys, you know who you are!) Each had a different situation and schedule. So for 6 days of diving I booked a 3x 2-tank boat dive + unlimited nitrox package with Dive Friends, plus I added 2-tank dive with East Coast Diving. That meant in 6 days, 4 days had 2-tank boat dives, and I had half days to shore dive all with buddies from here on ScubaBoard.

This turned out to be almost perfect: I wish I had one fewer boat dive day and more time to shore dive. But Dive Friends doesn't offer a 2x 2-tank + 6-day nitrox package, and I wouldn't have turned down the chance to dive with East Coast Diving (that's where you'll see a million turtles). If I returned, I might choose not to repeat that, or keep it and just pay for the same package and skip a Dive Friends boat one day to shore dive instead. (* Honestly the diving cost is a steal. 3x 2-tank boat + unlimied nitrox for 6 days, with a 20% discount voucher from the hotel = < $50 / day with boats!).

The Dive Friends shops have Buddy Boards, but they desparately need a centralized, online system. (Anyone? I would be happy to be involved in development…)

Dive Operators

Dive Friends has shops all over the island, and once "checked-in" you can drop off and get full tanks anywhere. It couldn't be more convenient. Watch opening and closing times around the holidays especially. I can't speak to the other dive operator options, but my impression is Dive Friends is the only one with this exentsive a setup.

I learned that AB Dive (AB Rental rents trucks) is filling on solar energy, which makes it super eco-friendly. Also, you could pick up a truck and get your required check-in** done at the same time, freeing you up to dive immediately as you like when you arrive.

East Coast Diving is a special thing – they do trips on a rigid inflatable to the "wild side" of the island, at a point past a barrier reef at the edge of a bay. Turtles galore, and other big critters like rays. They run a virually military operation, and do what they do superbly. Not for novice divers or those afraid of a bit of rough water.

[End Part 1, Continue to Part 2]

 

[gajahduduk]

[Part 2]

Some things I learned that might not be obvious to Bonaire novices:

• there's an organization called STINAPA that manages the marine park
• STINAPA requires an orientation and check-in dive
• the orientation (in my experience) was zero, but may require watching a video
• ** the check-in dive consisted of a Dive Friends staffer watching you enter to check buoyancy
• it requied no appointment, but you must do your first dive at a site across from a dive shop, like Yellow Submarine, and of course must either have a buddy or pay for a guide
• guides must be booked well in advance (weeks during high season)
• do not expect any special knowledge from a guide. in my case, she didn't even know where the site was, let alone spot any critters. expect essentially a buddy-for-hire.
• if you want an expert critter-spotter or photo guide, they are available, but must be sought out separately.
• you must pay the park fee in cash at check in ($40 starting early 2019, previously $25)
• you'll get a tag that you put on your gear but:
• you must carry the paper receipt if you want to enter the national park (and have your ID)
• national park has no facilities, bring water & food and expect a long (one-way?) trip thru (I didn't do this, just was so warned)
• gloves and pointer sticks are not allowed (I disagree about rationale on the pointers)
• restaurants tend to be closed during the winter holidays without notice on web sites, etc.
• theft from vehicles is a huge problem. you must leave truck unlocked pretty much at all times, which means:
• you need a dry box to take under that will fit a car key and some money and/or:
• request from truck rental shop a car with a key with a non-electronic fob so you can tie it to BC.
• you can't take phones around while diving, so no GPS. But you'll get the hang of the island roads fast and a paper map will do.
• even glasses and spare camera/torch batteries could get lifted, so make sure to have spares if you leave in car, or take them down in dry box too. (I ordered and used this one without much room to spare.)

Dive Site Tips:

• the ease of entry and exit at dive sites vary. Some are cake – jump off a dock (Bari's Reef @ Den Laman / Sand Dollar) – while some can be a little tricker exit (Salt Pier), some a lot of work (1000 steps = 60+ steps up after dive with gear), or may need a serious conditions assessment before attempting. Some dives can be done as point-to-point, and 2 vehicles would make that easier.

• try to get out to Klein Bonaire at least once and do East Coast Diving if you're comfortable as described above.

• There are only 4 wall dives on Bonaire, 1 on Klein Bonaire (which I did). The Cliff & Small Wall are 2 of the others on main island (wanted to but no chance). Rest basically slopes, except for Salt Pier which is diving under pilings and well worth it!

Stay Tips:

• I stayed at Djambo, a newer place run by two Dutch couples with majority Dutch guests. I loved it, it was exactly my speed. Very hands-off. Nice salt water pool, little sandy "beach" area with hammocks, adults (16+) only. Don't expect full service. Basic cleaning every few days. You get a couple small bars of soap and a few towels, but supply everything else. They have good kitchen equipment, including Senso (pod) coffee maker. Small pool-side bar open most evenings. Wash tanks in parking lot, wheelbarrow to take gear to locked storage space / drying racks in back. Located south side of Kralendijk near Divi Dive resort. It's not right on the water, tho.

• Buddies met here also made good choices. Two were staying at Den Laman condos, which has the advantage of the dock (and full tank & gear facilities on the dock) for Bari's Reef right there. Easy diving at a very good site. Another was staying at a charming place near there called Bamboo Bali. The latter had a tiny jump-in kinda pool. Both were north of Kralendijk, near Buddy Dive & Captain Don's & Sand Dollar.

• Buddy Dive would be great if you're bringing kids newish to diving. Easy house reef diving, kids around, pool. They have a Friday BBQ (decent, not great) with a rum punch happy hour (free rum punch) from 5 to 6 pm. Great setting on the beach.

• I almost chose Bonaire Oceanfront Apartments. Has a pool, right on the boulevard, right by Yellow Submarine. Would have been a fine choice, but much noisier. Located just north of main part of Kralendijk, not as far north as two above.

• Many places provide packages with truck rental and discount vouchers for diving. This was case with Djambo.

Food Tips:

• Best foodie meal: La Cantina Cerveceria. Amazing wahoo ceviche, possibly best ceviche I've ever had. Right in heart of Kralendijk off Wilhelminaplein.

• Excellent local meal: Konfo. Superb goat stew (curry). Open lunch only (11 am - 4 pm). Located south of Kralendijk, close to Brazilian restaurant and Dive Inn / cruise ship.

• Indonesian food: Speaking as someone with years of experience living in Indonesia, I can attest that Salatiga has mostly authentic Indonesian food. However, the service was beyond horrible. I also tried other Indonesian / "Javan" food on the island. Avoid Tasty Treat completely. (Leaving more detailed reviews on Trip Advisor for both.) There's also a street vendor in Wilhemina Plaza when cruise ships are in. Passable chicken and bakmi (noodles). Kensuf, who otherwise gets a win with the tip about La Cantina above, had a high opinon of it.

• Best (lunch) food truck: Cactus Blue south of the airport, near Windsock Beach, is the one with the lionfish burgers. Delicious. Warning: Wait can be 30-60 minutes, and they sell out of the lionfish burgers.

• Best dine-at-home food truck: Kip Tukkie. Absolutely the best, juiciest smoked chicken ever. Parks outside Van Tweel supermarket. Hours as on Facebook. Make a dine-in meal of it with some salad greens & dressing from Van Tweel. Also a bottle of Flamingo Tears Hot Sauce from Van Tweel.

• Markets: Van Tweel reputed the best, was totally satisfied. Tip: Fresh squeezed orange juice machine. Wow. Cheese from holland (geitenkaas = young goat cheese). Fresh Market reputed to have good specialty items from Holland (including eel and fresh herring), as well as a good roast chicken, but it was closed the whole time I was there over New Year.

• Online Groceries. Available thru Groceries in a Box. Didn't try, but recommended by Djambo.

• Liquor: Best Cellars supposed to be the place to go for good wine. Never made it myself, as I wasn't planning to drink much in. Only finished half a bottle of South African wine during stay: Mooi Kaap from Van Tweel, which was perfectly decent, drinkable, and bottom-shelf cheap.

• Mentionable but missable: El Mundo. Sporty restaurant / bar off Wilhelminaplein & impossible to miss. Passable goat stew. Advantage of being open holiday hours when others were not. Joe's in the south (near Divi) aimed at finer dining; Not so much but ok, was open NYE. Wanted to try Pasa Bon Pizza for the lionfish pizza, but didn't get to it. Stopped in, long wait for table. Could order take out. Pizza didn't look that special though.

Conclusion

Wow this was long. Hopefully helpful to someone.

 

[drrich2]

Enjoyed your review. A suggestion, as you have enough dives to pursue it and Bonaire's shore dive scene is a great place for it...have you considered taking up solo diving? All that buddy hunting drama just melts away...

Wow, would an Indonesian trip readily be cost comparable overall? I've never been and I'd like to go one of these days.

Richard.

 

[gajahduduk]

have you considered taking up solo diving? All that buddy hunting drama just melts away...

I dunno… Not keen on paying PADI to tell me to be extra careful, but maybe there's more to it than that?

I kinda laughed at the $300 nitrox cert, which to me amounted to 1) careful, this shite can explode, 2) check your mix yourself, 3) don't exceed your MOD fo' real y'all.

I guess I feel that there's always that one thing that can go wrong, and a buddy (while also fun! ) is also an extra set of gear and eyes and arms. I once dove alone along a shallow pier in Monterey, CA to swim with sea lions. Lots of people top-side would have had eyes if I were getting eaten by one. In that situation I had no concern. But at 20-30 meters when no one even knows where I went diving?

Wow, would an Indonesian trip readily be cost comparable overall?

Definitely, but it depends on what kind of digs you expect. I often go for simplest possible, which may amount to a traditonal hut right on the beach with separate shared bathrooms – which for my tastes is perfect.

Last summer I dove in Alor, West Timor with La Petite Kepa. Approx costs for a week diving (have spreadsheet):

DTW-CGK rountrip ($1300, this just a guess based on past cots; shop for cheap on JAL or China Airlines or Korean, etc. from LAX).
CGK-ARD (Alor via Kupang): $300 (may be even less, I made stops). Use nusatrip for domestic
LPK package (15x boat diving, 7 nights, food & land transfers included) = $630 [about $35 per dive extra for more dives*]
Jakarta Costs (taxi from & to airport, basic hotel, basic food) : $200 (? depends, can be much less)
* at LPK they usually ony do 2x dives per day so hard to even pay for more (so a little apples & oranges on that)

Total : $2500

For this year (when I opted for Bonaire) I was also looking into a package with Two Fish for Lembeh + Bunaken. They quoted me for 7 nights 3x day diving: $1200 all in (transfers, food, stay, diving, etc.). So there, all told including Jakarta costs and intl. & domestic airfare (Jakarta or Sing to Manado), maybe:

Total: $2900

Now Bonaire (2018-2019):
Airfare: $850 (booked late, best I could find)
Stay+truck+diving = $1500 (pretty budget for stay)
Food: hard to estimate but I didn't skimp, at least $300
Extras: ($50) gas, marine park fee

Total: $2700

(none of this includes gear rental. In Indonesia I usually rent most gear, don't like to schlep mine. Bonaire I rented reg/computer from local dive shop for extra $100. My computer too old to support nitrox. Note: Nitrox generally not available in Indonesia except maybe high-end resorts).

How does that line up with your experience re: costs in Bonaire and expectations of costs in Indonesia?

 

[drrich2]

Haven't fully priced out an Indonesian trip, but if I went, I'd be looking to do Komodo (that or Raja Ampat, having been where the famous Komodo dragons live would be neat, and help our little girl go through life understanding where 'Dad' went that time), and via live-aboard (I like simple, 'turn key' (show up & it happens) trips). But given complex multi-day traveling with the need for my gear and I to arrive on time to make the boat, I'm thinking plan to arrive a day or two early, so there's the hotel cost, and if I endured the torment of those miserably long flights there & back, I'd want a 10 day live-aboard trip cramming in every dive I could. Counting travel time maybe a 2 week trip, more than I can generally take off work at a time (getting a commitment to be gone a week can be like pulling teeth).

I dunno… Not keen on paying PADI to tell me to be extra careful, but maybe there's more to it than that?

There is. I took the SDI Solo Diver course, and there's a manual you can buy for that. It's good, and conveys the mindset (every bit as important as the equipment recommendations) involved. Solo isn't for everyone, and many 'solo' divers don't dive solo all the time, but it opens the doors to opportunities 'buddy dependent' people don't have. Sometimes that opportunity is convenience.

Richard.

 

[Kharon]

Tip - if you do solo, do SDI Solo Diver rather than PADI. The SDI Solo card will be accepted in places where the PADI "Self Reliant" isn't.

 

[Addicted2H2O]

I took the SDI Solo Diver course, and there's a manual you can buy for that. It's good, and conveys the mindset (every bit as important as the equipment recommendations) involved. Solo isn't for everyone, and many 'solo' divers don't dive solo all the time, but it opens the doors to opportunities 'buddy dependent' people don't have. Sometimes that opportunity is convenience.

Richard.

As it was explained to me by SDI when they came to cross over all of our instructors last month, the Solo Diver course isn't really so much to teach you to dive alone. But more to teach you to be self-reliant in situations where you may not be able to count on your buddy in an emergency situation. Such as when you're a DM/Instructor diving with OW students. Or say when my son turns ten and gets certified later this year....would he really be able to respond effectively if we were diving and something happened to me? Or even when destination diving with an unfamiliar buddy. All times when the solo course would be very beneficial. And of course when you choose to actually dive alone, too. It's definitely on my short list

 

[Lorenzoid]

. . . But given complex multi-day traveling with the need for my gear and I to arrive on time to make the boat, I'm thinking plan to arrive a day or two early, so there's the hotel cost, and if I endured the torment of those miserably long flights there & back, I'd want a 10 day live-aboard trip cramming in every dive I could. Counting travel time maybe a 2 week trip, more than I can generally take off work at a time (getting a commitment to be gone a week can be like pulling teeth).

That's the thing with the Indonesia versus Caribbean comparisons. At first glance, it looks like it would be about the same cost as, say, Bonaire, since once you get to Indonesia everything is cheaper, but you need to factor in the travel overhead costs, such as an extra night in a hotel room here and there, airport food (even before you leave the US), etc. The first day, I'm totally jet-lagged, so I like to pad an extra day/night on the front end, so yeah, it ends up being something like an 11-day trip for a "7-day" diving package. And that means extra days off work. Delta's Bonaire nonstops from Atlanta have been around $950 for the past several years (though it looks like they might be higher in 2019), but it takes well under a day to get there, and when I arrive I can typically squeeze in the orientation and first dive before the shop closes. If I had to endure crappy connections (like Kharon), that might tilt the balance in favor of more Asia trips.

 

[gajahduduk]

That's the thing with the Indonesia versus Caribbean comparisons.

Hah! I didn't realize they were a thing. Practically a genre?

need to factor in the travel overhead costs, such as an extra night in a hotel room here and there, airport food (even before you leave the US), etc. … pad an extra day/night on the front end … ends up being something like an 11-day trip for a "7-day" diving package.

I'd be looking to do Komodo (that or Raja Ampat, having been where the famous Komodo dragons live would be neat, and help our little girl go through life understanding where 'Dad' went that time), and via live-aboard (I like simple, 'turn key' (show up & it happens) trips)…I'm thinking plan to arrive a day or two early, so there's the hotel cost, and if I endured the torment of those miserably long flights there & back, I'd want a 10 day live-aboard trip cramming in every dive I could.

All truth. However, hotel rooms can be very affordable in Indonesia, acceptable cleanliness with AC & hot water for $35 or so in Jakarta, much (much) less outside. But yeah, you need to allow some extra time for travel & rest. And if there's a need to justify the long travel with longer dive trip, or make it a live-aboard instead of shore diving, that makes for some more apples out of the oranges, dunnit? Thing is, I go to Indonesia for other reasons too (business & social), diving is just part of it. I recommend looking around. So quit the job, and travel around for 1-2 months, or more.

IMO there's just about zero reason to do a live-aboard for a first trip to either Komodo or Raja Ampat. Komodo has a land-based economy resort (Scuba Junkie Komodo, right on the edge of the park, not in Labuhan Bajo) now. Raja Ampat has plenty of wonderful choices. I did my first trip to Komodo on a live-aboard & second at that "resort" (in quotes cuz it's nothing fancy). I didn't feel like I saw significantly more on that first trip. In Raja Ampat, maybe for a second or third trip to go further afield, but you'll be see more than you can handle staying put and be a lot more comfortable, too. (I loved both Biodiversity and Doberai). (One live-aboard trip I do recommend is Sanghir-Talud (from Manado up towards Davao). Two more things about Komodo: 1) current governor making noise about raising park fees a lot. We're not talking $25 to $40 a year, but like $50 to $500!! It's insane, but the jacked idea is to make it a "prestige" destination. Doubt it will happen but I wouldn't doubt a not-insignificant fee raise. 2) keep your expectations low about the dragons. you'll see plenty semi-domesticated around the entrance and ranger stations, but probably no more than a glimpse of a wild one on a hike if you're lucky.

 

[drrich2]

Hah! I didn't realize they were a thing. Practically a genre?

Oh, yes! The impression I've gotten over the years from forum threads is that if I ever go dive Indonesia, I'll fly home and slap the Caribbean!

And if there's a need to justify the long travel with longer dive trip, or make it a live-aboard instead of shore diving, that makes for some more apples out of the oranges, dunnit?

Yes, but the distance and complexity make it that anyway. When I go to Bonaire, I aim to do a lot of diving, sort of like a land-based live-aboard. This becomes a different issue for different people; some do 'other stuff' besides dive. A test question is 'What do you do when you're not diving if it's not time to eat or sleep?' If your answer is 'Waiting for the next dive,' the live-aboard approach looks appealing.

Now, if the land-based options give the same number of dives, that's worth another look.

Richard.