12 more days-Let's talk happy bonaire talk

[Boat Chick]

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Thank you for that. It seems he listened you which is more success than anybody else has had.




To the OP, I have been to the island twice and cannot wait to return. The diving is great and the most convenient I have ever seen for shore diving. There is no other dive location that I have heard of that offers the same freedom as Bonaire. It is amazing. I was last there during OMAR and for your sake, I hope the reefs have recovered. The only thing that is typically lacking in Boanire diving is larger wildlife. From my experience and that of many other divers, the larger wildlife shows up oeriodically but it is not common (it is more common on the east side).

I certainly hope you have a camera so you can show us some pictures. There are no guarantees but if you like turtles, I have a total of 6 dives on Andrea II and encountered turtles on all of them (then 2 dives with swimming sting rays as well).

I've been twice sine Omar. The reefs are teaming with life. Some of the Northern sites were hit hard (Andreas and Oil Slick), by far there was less damage than what I had expected.


MD, dive Angel City at dawn. Swim out to the second reef, head South till you reach the big coral head, then swim to the inside reef and finish up your dive. It's one of the most amazing dives...at dawn, it's hunting time.

Also dive The Lake - second reef, same as Angel City...teaming with life!

 

[ScubaSteve]

I've been twice sine Omar. The reefs are teaming with life. Some of the Northern sites were hit hard (Andreas and Oil Slick), by far there was less damage than what I had expected.

That is great news because I am trying to talk my father-in-law into a trip to boanire .....

 

[Boat Chick]

That is great news because I am trying to talk my father-in-law into a trip to boanire .....

I hope he "concedes" and goes

 

[Mossman]

We own a timeshare on Kaanapali beach so stay there for the first week, then move to Kihei and stay in a private hale (house). We do the vast majority of our diving with Ed Robinson's, driving down to Kihei each morning to catch the boat. To Lanai we go with Lahaina Divers since their big 46' Newton boats make the crossing very comfortable for us. We don't shore dive on Maui, though I understand it's pretty good.

When I dive in Maui, I too dive with Ed's - it's always an education. But an expensive one! After shelling out big bucks for boat dives in Maui (plus more big bucks if you want nitrox), I wish I were back in Bonaire where the diving is "free".

As for shore diving in Maui, you have long surface walks and/or parking hassles, plus tank rental hassles (versus the typical Bonaire "tank swap"), and finally, you have to carry a dang flag with you by law. And when you're hungry, at least for those of us who stay in hotels, food is just as expensive there as the diving :shocked2:

(But now that CO is flying nonstops there, it's hard to justify not going back when it's only 4.5 hours by air - did I also mention I also hate flying that red-eye into BON!)

 

[DiveMaven]

Mossman, you are SO right! We simply suck it up and pay for boat diving on Maui since the hassles of shore diving are far more than we can stand.

Bonaire is a far more relaxing dive vacation in so many ways, but Maui keeps drawing us back with the unique topography, critters, and whales. Guess we'll just have to keep going back to both places.

 

[KennyD]

I can't wait. Thanks to all on this board who have share their tips, advice, and photos. Keep them coming. Let's post to this thread to keep it at the top instead of the negative threads that keep getting bumped to the top.

My wife and I are right there with you...We too are leaving the for Bonaire the same time as you. This will be our second trip and staying at Deep Blue View again. My wife does alot of photos and like everybody told you. Tim at Fish Eye is a great person!
Here are a couple of pic's from our last trip that I took. I'm usually "Banned" From the camera per. my wife. She says I get too close.
Ken & Jamie Davis

 

[BHB ScubaTroll]

I just thought of this on another thread...

OOoooo, that brings up another tip... If you have a second computer take it with you and dive with it in a pocket. If your 1st computer dumps (happened to us), you have a second and don't have to worry about the diving you've done so far.

My girlfriend's computer died on the third day and I had my backup. We were diving the same profiles, so it was easy to change one for the other and be a little conservative for the rest of the day. The rest of the week went without issue from the computers.

It means less when you are making two dives a day, but when you are making 4-6 dives, that's a big difference if you want to continue diving that day... and saves the cost of purchasing one on the island

 

[helimvee]

We just returned from 8 days on Bonaire. My 7th trip and my GF's 4th. When people ask why we go back to the same place, my response is ...

"It is like going to the family cottage/cabin."

 

[Maine Diver]

I hope this is my first of many trips. Thanks for all the posts. Keep them coming. I know you can all think of more great Bonaire tips.

 

[darook]

I have been to Bonaire twice in the past year and always catch myself checking the airfare to get back. Not sure when it will happen but you will understand the allure after you get there. I am doing a daddy-daughters trip to Kauai in April for a few days of diving and a few days of surfing. We love that island too and enjoy the turtles and hopefully a few whales will still be hanging around. The price of diving there is way more than Bonaire but very different and fun.

My dining tip on Bonaire is the Bonairean (sp?). It is about a block north of Divi on the opposite side of the street. It is lunch only and your servers are kids in a school program. They are really sweet and the lunch is very good and priced very attractively. The revenues go to support the program and it seems like a very worthy cause.

Have a great time!