A few Bonaire questions

[Mel.B]

Hi,

I think I've decided on Bonaire as my first exotic scuba trip...I'm very excited!

I've done a search and have printed out some great info but I've just got a couple of specific questions...

- I'm looking at early July - is this time ok (weather wise) and what is the viz like?
- How many dives a day would you average? I'll be travelling from Australia so I want to make the most of my time.
- Would you recommend a drive & dive package, such as offered through Buddy Dive, or am I better to pick my own accomodation (I don't mind staying in hostel type accomodation) and then rent a car and organise diving through one of the shops?
- How many days would you recommend staying for?
- There is the (very) real possibility that I may end up travelling by myself. Is it easy to meet buddies to dive with - I'd hate to go and then not have anyone to dive with! Maybe hostel accomodation would be better for this reason.
-What exposure protection do you recommend - I'm a cold water dive (7mm semi dry)

Ok...a few more than a couple of questions, but I appreicate your time answering them - this will be a big (and expensive) trip for me from OZ and I want to make sure I'm making the right decision.

Thanks!

Mel

 

[LUBOLD8431]

Traveling by yourself to Bonaire is tough. Unless you do alot of boat dives (Bonaire is known for its SHORE diving), you might be looking for a buddy often. Buddy dive is a nice place, and their packages are priced right. You can do better on price at some of the hostels, or other accomodations, but they are not as nice, and you would still have to pay for the car rental and your diving. I recommend posting to some of the Bonaire message boards (www.bonairetalk.com), and trying to find a group of people that are traveling to Bonaire at the same time you are. That way, you will already have your buddys lined up...

You should never ask me how long you should stay. Ive been to Bonaire three times, all for one week trips, and its never enough. So, go for however long you can afford!!! I would say more than two weeks, you might be bored however, and might want to go to a different island (maybe a combo Aruba and Bonaire trip!!!). So, Have fun!!!

In July in Bonaire, water temp will be in the mid 80's. I would go with a shorty, or just a tshirt. I have been known to do five or six dives a day in Bonaire...

 

[Mel.B]

Thanks for the quick reply. It is the shore diving that attracted me to Bonaire initally, so I think I'm going to have to work really really really hard to convince (at least) one of my friends to come and become certified!

I was thinking of going for about 10 days, so that sounds about right from your experiences.

Thanks again,

Mel

 

[inter_alia]

I can't answer everything, but I'll state what I can:

First, you'll have a great time in Bonaire. Since it sounds like you want to dive your heart out, I'd say a dive resort would be the best option as you might be going alone. First, you will have access to tanks all day (and night -- twilight dives are incredible) for the house reef and can easily arrange the few boat dives you'll want to do. As a solo traveler in other parts of the world, I find it easiest to meet people in bars or restaurants so a resort also gives you these places close enough to your room to never be a bother.

With a group in Bonaire, I averaged four dives a day -- sometimes three, sometimes six. You can get more than that really quickly so watch your depth, etc.
Having your own truck would be nice (I'm still assuming you'll be alone) just so you'll have the mobility to join someone at a dive site and not have to beg a ride off them as well. I don't think a rental for a week is that much added onto any package.

I had enough fun in a week but certainly could take much longer on the island. A couple weeks could provide you with plenty of incredible diving and other sightseeing (Rincon is more interesting than most assume) while allowing for a couple days of doing zilch. You'd need the break from diving if you stay more than 7 days anyway. I also would consider bargaining with any resort if your stay is longer than the usual week.

Exposure protection -- I think most people start with skins or nothing at all. Your core temp will drop, though, and I did one week in a full 3mm without much discomfort at the start and a slight chill at the end. At the time that's all I owned.

There are plenty of ways to make a vacation to Bonaire so these are just my three cents on it. Have a great time, your flights from OZ will be rewarded with the most desert-diving, donkey-laden and coral-infected place on earth. In my opinion!

Cheers.

 

[SDAnderson]

- I'm looking at early July - is this time ok (weather wise) and what is the viz like?

The weather is fine in July. Hot. Sunny. Because there is so little rainfall in Bonaire and no rivers emptying into the sea, the vis is fairly consistent year-round. No hurricanes to worry about, either.

- How many dives a day would you average? I'll be travelling from Australia so I want to make the most of my time.

Me? Four or five on most dive days while I'm there. It's really easy to dive as much as you want to - that's kind of the way the whole island is set up.

- Would you recommend a drive & dive package, such as offered through Buddy Dive, or am I better to pick my own accomodation (I don't mind staying in hostel type accomodation) and then rent a car and organise diving through one of the shops?

If you're shore diving, you probably don't need any help and can do pretty much whatever you want. There is a bus service that will take divers to shore sites but that will seriously cut into the number of dives you can get in each day and puts someone other than yourself in control of where you go. There are also a number of sites that can't be reached from shore and that require a boat. Personally, I'm a comfort guy and I stay at the Plaza, renting a truck for a few days of shore diving and taking the boats for a few more.

- How many days would you recommend staying for?

How many do you have? I go every year and stay for at least a week, two weeks if I can.

- There is the (very) real possibility that I may end up travelling by myself. Is it easy to meet buddies to dive with - I'd hate to go and then not have anyone to dive with! Maybe hostel accomodation would be better for this reason.

I'm not certain about hostel accomodations on the island - someone else may be able to tell you if any exist. If you're traveling alone it will probably be easier for you to find a buddy if you're on a boat. You might try http://www.bonairetalk.com for more information.

-What exposure protection do you recommend - I'm a cold water dive (7mm semi dry)

The water is as warm in Bonaire as pretty much anyplace in the world. In July I would expect mid-80's. I wear a full 3mm suit for single-tank recreational dives, my repetitive schedule and aversion to nicks and stings makes that the sensible choice. There isn't a dramatic fall off in temps with depth and no substantial thermocline, at least at recreational depths. I'm a cold water diver, too, and I rely on Bonaire each year to warm my bones.

Good luck, relax and have fun!

Steven

 

[TedJ]

Mel,
Go to www.shorediving.com for more info.
Follow the links to The ABCs and then Bonaire.
TedJ

 

[herman]

Hi Mel,

There are not any really bad months on Bonaire but July is always nice. You can get some less expensive places than Buddy but the saving is not that much. The "Drive and Dive" package just makes things so much easier. For your first time I would recommend using Buddys just because you get everything you need at one place and price. The rooms are nice, the trucks are usually fairly new, the dive shop is first class, they have NITROX, the included breakfast is good. The rooms are full condos so you have access to a kitchen if you want to cook. I would not get any package that includes meals other than breakfast. There are a lot of good restaurants that are less expensive than those at the resorts.

We usually get in between 3 and 5 dives a day. The number you get in mainly depends on you and your buddies stamana. NITROX helps. If you get up early and stay up late, before dawn dives and night dives are well worth doing.

I typically dive in a fleece lined skin. It's not necessary for a few dives but the little extra warmth helps after several dives.

By all means go over to the Bonaire Talk board. Clyde keeps a list of people who are on island, when they are there and where they are staying. You may be able to pick up a buddy there. I assume you have been following the other 2 threads on Bonaire that is on this board now.

 

[Drewpy]

I will be in Bonaire July 10-17 and would be happy to hook up with you for a few dives! Ill be staying at Buddys!
Let me know if you will be there during that week?

 

[Mel.B]

Hi Everyone,

Thanks for all the great stuff. I popped over to Bonairetalk.com last night and that site is amazing - I learnt heaps and it has really made me confident that Bonaire is the right decision. I've emailed a number of places about accomodation and have had replies from them already so that's great service too

Flights are a bit of a hassle coming from OZ - i think my best (cheapest) option is to actually fly into LA and then from LA to BON, but I've got the travel agent working on it as well.

I'm sure I'll have heaps more questions as the time draw closer and Drewpy, if i get flights that suit those dates, I'd be more than happy to met up for some dives.

Mel

 

[pablosells]

I was in Bonaire for three weeks last October. Two weeks alone and one week with a friend. I can't tell you about the weather in July but I can add a few things:

- I averaged 3-5 dives a day. I had much longer times with shore dives so some of these dives were long: 90+minutes from shore and back to shore.
- I showed up only with hotel reservations (at Dive Inn) and picked my dive package each day. They retroactively applied the best rate for multi-day packages.
- I was there for three weeks and I never got bored. Met lots of nice people.
- I dove a 3mm full suit and got a little cold on night dives after 4 dives during the day. Otherwise OK. I don't easily get cold.

I visited a lot of hotels/resorts: Divi, Captain Don's, etc. I found that it was much harder to find buddy's at the big places that catered to North American visitors. Most people came in groups (or couples) and already had their buddies.

I chose a smaller place (Dive Inn) and ended up diving with a lot of friendly Europeans (mostly Dutch and German). I didn't even rent a car most of the time. When I didn't have buddies for a day I would just sign up for boat dives (most places have them and they usually include unlimited tanks for that day). Check restrictions carefully. I dove with Divi for the boat dives and they frequently limited bottom time. I don't think Captain Don's does.


Hope this helps,

P