Airplane tickets - When to Buy

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Flying to Bonaire is expensive. Self-guided shore diving for six days with unlimited nitrox tanks at 60+ named and marked shore dive sites for $400 (including rental truck) is priceless. There's no other value and opportunity like this available anywhere else in the Caribbean, or anywhere else in the warm water recreational diving world.
 
Flying to Bonaire is expensive. Self-guided shore diving for six days with unlimited nitrox tanks at 60+ named and marked shore dive sites for $400 (including rental truck) is priceless. There's no other value and opportunity like this available anywhere else in the Caribbean, or anywhere else in the warm water recreational diving world.
There may be something here I need to learn:
$400 for nitrox and truck... does that mean rental trucks might be available somewherd for roughly $250.-/week? With insurance? Or is that if shared by how many peeople - ... or?
 
There may be something here I need to learn:
$400 for nitrox and truck... does that mean rental trucks might be available somewherd for roughly $250.-/week? With insurance? Or is that if shared by how many peeople - ... or?

Yes. My rental truck rate from Telerin is $40/day without CDW. We use American Express's optional PCRP coverage to insure the truck for one-time fee of $25 for any rental period up to 42 days maximum. We usually stay for several weeks at a time but a 6 day package at the same rates works out to around $265.

For the diving we use Dive Friends Bonaire, who offers a 10% discount if you're staying at any of the dozens of accommodations on the island that they're affiliated with. That works out to $162 for all the gas you can breathe during 6 days of shore diving.

So I guess I was wrong, LOL. That's $427/week, not $400/week. Still priceless, and still peerless.
 
When I read trip reports of people who do 5 dives a day, all is think is OMG, how I wish I had that much energy! After two dives, I am ready to shed my wet suit and read a book by a pool. If I were to engage in several dives a day, the cost benefit of Bonaire would make sense. I agree that Bonaire is a divers paradise, but cannot justify paying $1000 when I can get amazing dives in Curacao and Cozumel. I know comparing Cozumel and Bonaire is apples vs oranges, but airfare is 1/2, lodging and food are less, even shelling out $85 a day for 2 tanks is still less than a Bonaire vacation. While the distance between dive sites in Curacao is greater, it offers the same quality of dives, plus I enjoy the sandy beaches. I would love to return to Bonaire, but not until airfares are less absurd than currently priced.
 
Yes. My rental truck rate from Telerin is $40/day without CDW. We use American Express's option
al PCRP coverage to insure the truck for one-time fee of $25 for any rental period up to42 days maximum. We usually stay for several weeks at a time but a 6 day package at the same rates works out to around $265.

For the diving we use Dive Friends Bonaire, who offers a 10% discount if you're staying at any of the dozens of accommodations on the island that they're affiliated with. That works out to $162 for all the gas you can breathe during 6 days of shore diving.

So I guess I was wrong, LOL. That's $427/week, not $400/week. Still priceless, and still peerless.

wwguy, if you get your buddy to cough up half the dough for the truck you are under $300, with 4 it is $230 for the week! But I am sure you already know that.

I get that the high airfares are a big negative and understand that. Years ago, for example, Honduras was big on my budget diving destination list when you could get to San Pedro Sula for a good price then the flights to Ceiba and Roatan or Utila were dirt cheap. Guest houses, food and diving were, and probably still are, a bargain and I enjoyed the vibe immensely but now the higher flight costs within Honduras makes going to other places more cost effective. Cozumel being a favourite, with cheap accommodation at Hotel Pepita, great food at good prices a couple of blocks back from the malecon and very competitive boat diving rates made the whole package work. So I agree the high cost to get to Bonaire is a big consideration.

As far as the diving goes, the reef, corals and fish life, water temperature and visibility in Bonaire is very good but arguably some destinations may be better in some respects. But the thing that distinguishes Bonaire from anywhere else is the diving freedom. Get in the truck, choose your spot when you want, dive as fast or slow as you like, linger and enjoy or photograph to your heart's content. Stay in for an hour and a half or two hours as long as your breathing permits. No "chase the dive guide", no herding like school children, no tank clanking to go up after 45 minutes, no hupping-to to the boat schedule. From that point of view, I have yet to find anywhere else to compare at any price. That is why I am in Bonaire now, that is why I also spent 5 weeks here earlier this year, last year and numerous shorter trips other years since 1996. And I will be back again with regularity.

Don't get me wrong, I love the visibility and drift of Cozumel, the diversity in Asian diving and adventures elsewhere so will continue to experience other places, but the style of diving in Bonaire is worth the airfare for me. But to each his own.

Cheers

Andy
 
But the thing that distinguishes Bonaire from anywhere else is the diving freedom. Get in the truck, choose your spot when you want, dive as fast or slow as you like, linger and enjoy or photograph to your heart's content. Stay in for an hour and a half or two hours as long as your breathing permits. No "chase the dive guide", no herding like school children, no tank clanking to go up after 45 minutes, no hupping-to to the boat schedule. From that point of view, I have yet to find anywhere else to compare at any price. That is why I am in Bonaire now, that is why I also spent 5 weeks here earlier this year, last year and numerous shorter trips other years since 1996. And I will be back again with regularity.

Amen! Same here. I've enjoyed 290 hours of blissful Bonairean self-guided shore diving bottom time since it last seemed like a good idea to get on a boat there. Just my personal preference.
 
So after doing a quick search, it seems prices are at 900-950 from Boston for the standard 'saturday-saturday' trip with an 8 hour flight. So prices are at about a $200 increase over any of my other trips. Not insanely terrible.
 
However, on further review, Curacao is $437 out of Boston AND syracuse. I might even book that now. End of January time frame.
 
However, on further review, Curacao is $437 out of Boston AND syracuse. I might even book that now. End of January time frame.

What's the additional cost RT on a puddle jumper to Bonaire? Just curious.
 

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