Solo cert on Bonaire?

[scubadada]

Arrived at Delfins a couple of hours ago. Staying in a 4 bed villa. Pretty happy so far. Really nice vibe around the pool and at sunset bar drinks. Throw any questions you may have. Happy to answer them now or over the next couple of days. We are here for just over 2 weeks.

Hi @Ministryofgiraffes

Tell us about the Delfins Pier and Dive Friends boats leaving from there. I'd love to hear about the house reef at Lighthouse Point.

 

[Ministryofgiraffes]

Kk will do. What do you want to know about the boats? If they are cattle etc?

 

[scubadada]

Kk will do. What do you want to know about the boats? If they are cattle etc?

I know quite a bit about Dive Friends boats, I'd like to know if Delfins has its pier and if boats are using it. I would just like your general impressions of your house reef

Thanks much. I will be om Bonaire for 2 weeks end September, October

Good diving, Craig

 

[morty343]

Arrived at Delfins a couple of hours ago. Staying in a 4 bed villa. Pretty happy so far. Really nice vibe around the pool and at sunset bar drinks. Throw any questions you may have. Happy to answer them now or over the next couple of days. We are here for just over 2 weeks.

Once you've had a chance to go through the training, it would be great if you could post tips on any extra gear that was used during the course, as well as what was focused on and your general impressions etc. Thanks, good luck & have fun!

 

[Ministryofgiraffes]

Did a checkout and had one boat dive today. The boat doesn’t leave or pickup at Delfins. Delfins is 100% shore. Will try the house reef tomorrow.

Boat for the afternoon dive left from port bonaire and picked up at the sand dollar. Me and 5 others and 1 snorkeller. It was very enjoyable. Chilled vibe. No bravado divers. Couple holding hands during a dive etc. Just nice and relaxed.

 

[Ministryofgiraffes]

House reef is about a 10 min swim from the shore. It’s ok. Did 3 dives on the solo course. Nothing I didn’t learn on my dual sidemount and a couple of bits that are actually crap IMO. As in a course where there are bits that make little sense (you have to SMb and reel
On every dive, even shorediving) and I’m sure that the response would be ‘ oh...oh yeah... it’s not really designed for shore diving/ more boat diving’ which is fine, but the amount of crap you need to deploy on one of the dives and then wrestle your way out of the water with it, which would never happen in reality in pretty much any circumstance....makes the course a little sketchy IMO. I came out of the 2nd dive looking like a clown exploded and had to fight my way up the beach. Compasses/SMB deployed on reel, diving slate, extra computer, twin side mount tanks etc etc...dragging it all and trying to get my fins off in a bit of shoresurge... you haven’t reached this point without passing a ‘deploy SMB’ test (I think...do you have to do it in open water?) so Having to do it on every dive is frustrating..

 

[morty343]

House reef is about a 10 min swim from the shore. It’s ok. Did 3 dives on the solo course. Nothing I didn’t learn on my dual sidemount and a couple of bits that are actually crap IMO. As in a course where there are bits that make little sense (you have to SMb and reel
On every dive, even shirediving) and I’m sure that the response would be ‘ oh...oh yeah... it’s not really designed for shore diving/ more boat diving’ which is fine, but the amount of crap you need to deploy on one of the dives and then wrestle your way out of the water with it, which would never happen in reality in pretty much any circumstance....makes the course a little sketchy IMO. I came out of the 2nd dive looking like a clown exploded and had to fight my way up the beach. Compasses/SMB deployed on reel, diving slate, extra computer, twin side mount tanks etc etc...

I hear you saying they wanted you to demonstrate competencies during diving that people wouldn't typically run into? Were there any sort of calculations/theory put into practice?

 

[Ministryofgiraffes]

Sure, all the sac rate calcs/ rule of thirds /cave diving stuff.

Swim with no mask for 2 mins etc. All standard side mount training.. at least for razor. It’s good to do if haven’t done it. Good progress diving.

 

[Ministryofgiraffes]

let me be clear, the course isn’t crap... just a couple of annoying ‘padinanny’ bits...

 

[shoredivr]

House reef is about a 10 min swim from the shore. It’s ok. Did 3 dives on the solo course. Nothing I didn’t learn on my dual sidemount and a couple of bits that are actually crap IMO. As in a course where there are bits that make little sense (you have to SMb and reel
On every dive, even shorediving) and I’m sure that the response would be ‘ oh...oh yeah... it’s not really designed for shore diving/ more boat diving’ which is fine, but the amount of crap you need to deploy on one of the dives and then wrestle your way out of the water with it, which would never happen in reality in pretty much any circumstance....makes the course a little sketchy IMO. I came out of the 2nd dive looking like a clown exploded and had to fight my way up the beach. Compasses/SMB deployed on reel, diving slate, extra computer, twin side mount tanks etc etc...dragging it all and trying to get my fins off in a bit of shoresurge... you haven’t reached this point without passing a ‘deploy SMB’ test (I think...do you have to do it in open water?) so Having to do it on every dive is frustrating..

Hmm, I shore dive and boat dive herein Ontario with a reel and DSMB every dive. In fact I do this wherever I’m diving. It’s not hard, and you never know when you need to mark your location.