Big tank availability in Bonaire?

[diverbart]

Why not turn the issue around, and have your buddy dive with a smaller tank? And then dive twice more a day? And then if you use GRI you will dive most likely with wannadive (us). We do have some doubles (INT) available. I agree with scubafanatic, they are heavy as sin, but you are welcome to dive of our boat, completely erasing the burden.
Bonaire diving bland? Mwah.... occasionally........ YouTube - Bonaire's Wild Side

 

[El Orans]

Today we are able to offer from Tech Diving Courses, equipment rentals, custom blends to guided dives to the Windjammer and other interesting sites not so often explored on Bonaire before, at the same time we can host Tech Diving Courses from Instructors that come,stay and use our facilities to teach their Tech Diving students, PADI Course Director and TRIMIX Instructor Carlos Pena Herrera choose Buddy Dive to be his Tech Diving classroom for two years in a row, and very clear said " couldn't find a better place and diving facilities to bring my Tech Diving students"

Buddy Dive - Tech diving

Maybe they can assist you as well.

 

[SailNaked]

Diving in Bonaire is mostly on a steep hill from 20-130ft. in clear water, the dives at BDR were all limited to 1 Hour on the boats and I usually had 1k at that point. Get your buddies some 60s or just get the unlimited shore diving package and take 2 tanks with you. one left one right. the ability to just grab as many tanks as you need at any time of the day or night is an awesome feature of Bonaire. If you insist on a larger tank then you will be waiting for fills a lot.

 

[helimvee]

Have you thought of slinging a second 80? Yes it would be a hassle, but less of one than having to refill a larger steel tank. If you walk it to the shore before gearing up it might work for you.

Have a good trip.

 

[Blazinator]

Have you thought of slinging a second 80? Yes it would be a hassle, but less of one than having to refill a larger steel tank. If you walk it to the shore before gearing up it might work for you.

Have a good trip.

I totally thought of doing that, but thought it too would be a real pain, but then again, if I dive the house reef in front with tanks ready on the dock, then slinging might not be so bad.

I can just picture it now - hitting my NDL's before my air runs out - what a dream!!!

Thanks for all the tips everyone!

 

[scubafanatic]

Sorry to hear you didn't enjoy yourself. Frankly, we've been there about a dozen times & don't find the shore diving to be quite that daunting.

Oh well....

....for what it's worth, I'm in pretty good shape.....own/dive a fleet of large single steel tanks, as well as 2 sets of steel doubles...and always dive the biggest single tank I can get my hands on while on 'foreign' dive trips (trips that aren't road trips for me)...so it's not that I'm unusually fragile or anything.....but I and most of the divers I've gone to Bonaire with were lured in with the promise of unlimited shore diving....yeah, in theory it IS unlimited...but the reality is diving is limited by one's stamina....the endless gear schlepping gets tiresome, especially in the constant sun/heat.
...on my 2nd trip (having learned something from my 1st trip) I probably ended up doing 1/2 my dives for the week from either the house pier or the resort dive boats (6 dives....2 X 3.....were included in my package) The boats dives were much easier logistically, so on those days it was much easier to rack up 3 - 4 dives total...a couple of lazy morning boat dives...then 1 - 2 afternoon shore dives.....and/or maybe a night dive from the house pier......trying to do 4 -5 shore dives per day was a bit tiresome and quit being fun, felt more like a forced march.

 

[BonaireDan]

....for what it's worth, I'm in pretty good shape.....own/dive a fleet of large single steel tanks, as well as 2 sets of steel doubles...and always dive the biggest single tank I can get my hands on while on 'foreign' dive trips (trips that aren't road trips for me)...so it's not that I'm unusually fragile or anything.....but I and most of the divers I've gone to Bonaire with were lured in with the promise of unlimited shore diving....yeah, in theory it IS unlimited...but the reality is diving is limited by one's stamina....the endless gear schlepping gets tiresome, especially in the constant sun/heat.
...on my 2nd trip (having learned something from my 1st trip) I probably ended up doing 1/2 my dives for the week from either the house pier or the resort dive boats (6 dives....2 X 3.....were included in my package) The boats dives were much easier logistically, so on those days it was much easier to rack up 3 - 4 dives total...a couple of lazy morning boat dives...then 1 - 2 afternoon shore dives.....and/or maybe a night dive from the house pier......trying to do 4 -5 shore dives per day was a bit tiresome and quit being fun, felt more like a forced march.

I will pipe up as well on the ease of shore diving on Bonaire. I have not experienced the hassles you are describing. And I have never heard from anyone those same concerns.

As a photographer schlepping a large Ikelite housing for my DSLR with strobe I am acutely aware of the "challenges" about which you complain. I just don't find it a problem whatsoever.

And when I dive and teach locally I use my own tanks of course - and I own only large steel high pressure tanks

I would love to have longer dives as well but generally would hit my NDL before I ran out of air on any dives over 40 feet

 

[BonaireDan]

And even on nitrox I would nearly hit the NDL Off Buddy's on a single AL80 with 32% I can make the tank last pretty well most of the 90 minutes of the NDL. I can not justify much for a larger tank/tanks.

 

[SubMariner]

....for what it's worth, I'm in pretty good shape.....own/dive a fleet of large single steel tanks, as well as 2 sets of steel doubles...and always dive the biggest single tank I can get my hands on while on 'foreign' dive trips (trips that aren't road trips for me)...so it's not that I'm unusually fragile or anything.....but I and most of the divers I've gone to Bonaire with were lured in with the promise of unlimited shore diving....yeah, in theory it IS unlimited...but the reality is diving is limited by one's stamina....the endless gear schlepping gets tiresome, especially in the constant sun/heat.
...on my 2nd trip (having learned something from my 1st trip) I probably ended up doing 1/2 my dives for the week from either the house pier or the resort dive boats (6 dives....2 X 3.....were included in my package) The boats dives were much easier logistically, so on those days it was much easier to rack up 3 - 4 dives total...a couple of lazy morning boat dives...then 1 - 2 afternoon shore dives.....and/or maybe a night dive from the house pier......trying to do 4 -5 shore dives per day was a bit tiresome and quit being fun, felt more like a forced march.

It sounds as though it's not the diving per se that is annoying you, but the fact you may not have a lot of background diving in hotter climates, especially dry ones like Bonaire. Without the additional prep (lots of water, hats, t-shirts, etc.) you may find the temps oppressive enough to make the diving less fun for you.

Frankly, the only limits on shore diving on Bonaire is what each person wants them to be. Dive lots, or dive little... it's all up to you.

Pax,

 

[Damselfish]

I will pipe up as well on the ease of shore diving on Bonaire. I have not experienced the hassles you are describing. And I have never heard from anyone those same concerns.

I 100% agree with scubafanatic. We find shore diving Bonaire, or anyplace we can't dive off our hotel dock, a hassle we have no interest in on vacation. I like boats.

So now you've heard. To each their own.