23 days to first Bonaire trip! Please share your best tips.

[Maine Diver]

Wow! All great tips. And the photos! You guys are great. Keep them coming. I promist to post a trip report with pictures.

 

[herman]

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In Bonaire, put your boots on and walk in. When you're in about waist deep water, put your fins on. Come out the same way.

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Richard.

Great point. I will add that once you get in the waist deep water, inflate your BC a little, put your reg in your mouth and lean over face forward to put on your fins, letting the BC support you. It's way easier than trying to fight to stand up. Same coming out.

 

[TheWizard]

Great point. I will add that once you get in the waist deep water, inflate your BC a little, put your reg in your mouth and lean over face forward to put on your fins, letting the BC support you. It's way easier than trying to fight to stand up. Same coming out.

I've improved on that by putting a certain amount of air in my BCD and then rolling onto my back once I get out to 3 or 4-foot deep water.
It's a bit of a balancing act, but I find fairly simple then to lift one foot at a time out of the water and en-fin it, having said good-bye to bottom contact by then...

 

[drl]

We're planning our first Bonaire trip this summer, so the tips are useful to us too. Any thoughts on what to do with glasses while shore diving? At home I would leave them in the car, but that's not an option apparently, and they won't fit in my BC pocket (back-inflate BC with small pockets). They are of no value to anyone but me, since they are an unusually strong prescription, but I am completely helpless without them!

 

[Maine Diver]

Great point. I will add that once you get in the waist deep water, inflate your BC a little, put your reg in your mouth and lean over face forward to put on your fins, letting the BC support you. It's way easier than trying to fight to stand up. Same coming out.

Yes, I am quite practiced at this is how we dive from shore here in New England. I find that making the staps as loose as possible helps.

 

[chauncy19]

the joy of spring straps. i bought a pair for my last trip and they worked great. made putting on fins way easier...
Regarding glasses I don't wear them but I'd suggest a small waterproof container you could attach to your BCD.

 

[mbs]

We're planning our first Bonaire trip this summer, so the tips are useful to us too. Any thoughts on what to do with glasses while shore diving? At home I would leave them in the car, but that's not an option apparently, and they won't fit in my BC pocket (back-inflate BC with small pockets). They are of no value to anyone but me, since they are an unusually strong prescription, but I am completely helpless without them!

I used one of these things for my keys, credit cards and cash - AQUAPAC Waterproof | Official Site | Waterproof Bags, Cases, Drybags . I may pick up a larger one to hold my sunglasses as well. Has anyone taken their cellphone down with them in either one of these bags or another?
I did get some moisture in the key bag, but I think it was more from my wet hands then leakage.

 

[herman]

Spring straps are the way to go. I perfer face down in the water, less of a balancing act and I can see what I am doing.
As for the glasses, I take an old pair, put them in a semi ridgid case and into my BC pocket. I doubt they would be messed with if in the open - as opposed to being in a bag or pants pockets- but I still don't chance it.
I also have a back inflate with no original pocket but I find one like this very useful addition to my BC. Zeagle Sport Utility Pocket

 

[Jersey]

WATER - Second Hermans water stuff - half fill bottles, set on side in freezer CAP OFF. Fill before heading out. You will dehydrate - drink till you can't drink more! I always have a bottle of water in hand. Fill 2 liter bottles and set in bed of truck before dive for a warm 'rinse' post dive. Remember - all water is desalinated and scarce, so do use judiciously.
PACKING - #1 - bugspray and sun block. I throw Country Time lemonade mix in bag for in-room drinks. We always throw a box of Zip Lock's in - useful for leftovers. Take clothes out a week before. Put 1/2 away. Wait 3 days, put another half away. Now put it in the suitcase. No need for heels or lots of jewelry or handbags or a ton of makeup.
SHOPPING - grocery store closed on Sundays. Closes at 3 or 5 (I forget, I'm old) on Saturday, so if you need stuff, get it early. Cultimara is great, the Warehouse is much newer, both can offer lots or be empty depending on shipments...make do. We stock in Gouda, fruit, meats, bread and crackers, eat a big breakfast, nosh on leftovers and snacks for lunch between dives. Do venture into the little local food markets. Keep food sealed tight in Ziplocs or the little buggies get into everything! From Sand Dollar you have options of walking to Den Laman, Buddy and Don's easily. Town is not a bad walk either, though everyone looks like we are nuts to do so.
DINING - Casablanca mixed grill early on trip - lots of leftovers - see above. Mona Lisa - great for that last meal Friday night. Great food, not cheap, but worth it. Make reservations EARLY in week. Find the Moogy schedule - go see him one night. Got to have Kentucky Fried once! I like Capt Don's to sit by the water and watch the tarpon feed - love their pizza. Lovers Ice Cream, say no more . Anyone want to buy me ice cream?
UNIT - leave the doors and windows open while you are there and the winds are blowing. Close them as the winds die off to keep the skeeters out. Stuff towels under doors (I hate mosquitoes!!!) at night. Leave nothing valuable outside or out in view.
DIVING - Hilma Hooker done first thing in morning. 'Shift change' dives twilight/dusk and dawn. A night dive off Buddy w/ a school of big tarpon. Keep one eye into the blue and the deep. I've seen sharks every trip to Bonaire (watch that said I won't find one this trip!). I could spend an entire week diving the Den-Sand-Buddy-Don stretch of reef.
TOURING - take a drive around the island at night, I love the salty smell down by the salt plant and around the point past the lighthouse, listen to the waves. Check out the UW lights at dive sites - spooky! Drive up to Seru Lagu. Visit the Donkey Sanctuary. Tour the park. Rent motor skooters for a day and travel all the back roads...find the island dump! Do a sunset sail on the Thai junk parked right outside Sanddollar/Den Lamen (forget the name...) Walk through town. Check out the time capsule thingy. Do a night dive (I mean NIGHT - start at 10 or 11!!), turn off your lights, let your eyes adjust - a full moon night dive is incredible for this, play with the biolume - excite it by waving your hands around - I feel like Tinkerbell when I do this!
DRIVING - people are usually curteous. The locals hitchhike - pick them up. They usually want a lift down the street, to the next town...whatever, everything is so close. We've learned some very interesting things this way. Course not all speak English so we get to work on our Papiementu as well! But it all works out and is part of the fun of travel.
DIVEMASTERS - it can't be easy catering to the wide variety of skills, needs and wants of the diving public. I've seen some folks berate them quite badly, in front of other guests and staff. People, please, no need. Redress your problems quietly. Remember they work there, they probably don't set policy. If you have been well taken care of, demonstrate your gratitude with tips. Buy them a round at the bar during the week (get them to talk, they all have great stories!). At the end of the week we clean out our leftover, unused/unopened food and beverages and pass it along to our divemasters. We talk to them the day before - hey, we have an unopened litre of Bombay Sapphire, some tonic and limes and we can't take it home - want it? We've never been turned down anywhere!

With a nod to some threads about the dangers of Bonaire, I feel very safe on island. Yes, stuff happens and it happens everywhere. I live just outside Philadelphia and we have some problems! I won't leave my sunglasses in my car, they will be stolen. They broke a window to steal my lunch bag filled with dirty Tupperware. My car stereo and battery were stolen in front of my old house and the police refused to come out. Learn the rules, abide by them, act smart. Men shouldn't carry their wallet in back pockets in Italy because of pick-pockets, but that doesn't stop me from going to Italy. And for the record, I have no horse in this race. I don't own property there (wish!), don't have any friends there, am not being paid to go there. I like to go there, dive and unwind.
...just my .02...

 

[Herk_Man]

We're planning our first Bonaire trip this summer, so the tips are useful to us too. Any thoughts on what to do with glasses while shore diving? At home I would leave them in the car, but that's not an option apparently, and they won't fit in my BC pocket (back-inflate BC with small pockets). They are of no value to anyone but me, since they are an unusually strong prescription, but I am completely helpless without them!

You can buy a small zippered neoprene soft-sided case that clips on your BCD at your LDS. Just stick your glasses in that. We all have one with a set of sun glasses in it to put on when we surface. Not only does it cut down on that blazing surface glare for the swim back in, it adds at least 3 points to our cool factor.