1st Bonaire dive trip - What to bring, what to leave at home?

[salth2owannabe]

I know I leave myself open with this one - But what I'm looking for is some insight on the not so obvious things to bring and those things that just needlessly take up precious luggage space.
Thanks

 

[highdesert]

Take half the clothes you think you'll need, and wear on your flight the only footwear you take. As far as important dive gear, the thicker the soles on your booties the better ... many shore entries (that being what Bonaire is all about) are pretty nasty limestone ironshore.

 

[bfisher]

I'm leaving in an hour for the airport. Have been to Bonaire lots of times so here is an example:

6 tee shirts (I'll use 3)
3 bathing suits (with pockets)(double as shorts)
sandals
assorted toiletries
small spray can a bug repellent

All the usual dive gear and underwater video gear, of course. Baseball cap on my head and sunglasses. Jeans, a shirt, sox and sneakers on my body. I light coat to wear to and from the airport. As you can tell, I'm not a clothes person.

 

[herman]

Pretty much what the rest have said. A t-shirt a day, 2 pairs of shorts, 3 bathing suits, underware as needed, any meds you need, old ratty tennis shoes and a good sence of humor. This plus the cloths on my back, long pants and a tshirt.
Leave behind any worrie or hurry and relax.
If you know where to look, you can find most anything you need while on island so taking a lot of extra stuff is not necessary
The only thing "special" for diving is heavy booties. The soft sock like kind or full foot fins are not a good idea. You can get pretty much any dive item or service you need on the island. For any dive repair needs, go see Bruce at Caribinn. Extra batteries for your flashlight or camera are also a good idea, rechargables are even better.

 

[KC5UX]

Take half the clothes, twice the money and a large serving of patience...oh yeah, relax and live on "Island time"

 

[kixy1]

Don't forget your light for night dives! "Someone" I know did and was very sorry...

A full skin (I use a 3mil), surprising how you can get chilled when you're diving 5 times a day! It also gives you protection from the coral and wee stingers in the water. Others believe it's overkill, but *my* knees and elbows didn't come home bloody!

A small, emergency repair kit to take in the truck with you. Saved more than a few dives!

My personal quirks are: a large towel that I can take with me during the day, snacks... food is pretty costly there so I stuff snacks into every cranny I can find in my suitcase, between all of us we usually have enough for all our SI 'lunches' at the beach, and lastly...my copy of "Bonaire Shore Diving".

Pack half the clothes you think you'll need and have fun!!

 

[Cecil]

I'm packing as I type and agree with all the above. Pack half the clothes, twice the cash and twice the patience and humor.

I'll be at depth on Bonaire Saturday afternoon.

 

[Warmwater Wank]

Are you going to stay at a full meal deal resort or a place w/ a kitchen? We take a pound or 2 (for a 2 wk stay) of sliced roast beef or ham, sealed and frozen. They have wonderful bread on the island (the bakery inside the Cultimara supermarket for instance)but other quick lunch supplies are limited. A bag or 2 of good trail mix if you are into that. If you drink coffee better take what you like. Also take a good attitude and use it, you'll be amply rewarded. // ww

 

[Gary Knapp]

Watch for theft on the island....we rented a pickup two years ago, someone stole the spare tire underneath it, we didn't even know it had one and charged us $250.00 when we returned it. We think it to be a racket going on over there....as other reported similar problems
also on a nite dive we filled the truck $5.00 a gal for gas and came back after the dive only to find the gas had all be siphoned out of it, and items stolen out of the truck, islanders tell you to leave windows rolled down so people don't break in.....anyway we had enough gas to come back to motel on fumes.
otherwise the trip was a fun trip, just be safe

 

[salth2owannabe]

Appreciate all the good suggestions, less then a month now on the countdown. I never thought about the stealing gas issue, but then what do you do. We spent a little extra and went with the total coverage on the vehicle. It was only about another $40.00 each (for 2) for the week, and I'll pay the $40.00 just for the peace of mind that I can basically walk away from it at the end of the week.