Bonaire Buddy Dive

[cjh]

My wife and I are going to Bonaire for the first time the first week of May. After much research we decided on staying at Buddy Dive. The free Nitrox and 50% food discout they are offering now was the deal-maker. So now I have a couple of questions for all of you Buddy Dive veterans.

The package includes 6 boat dives, or we can exclude them and save $117 pp. I expect that we will want to do some boat dives, but probably not 6. Can we buy dives individually while we are there? Does anyone know how much they charge per boat dive?

We will be staying in a 1BR apartment. Is there an area or particular building that is better than others? Will they honor location requests?

Thanks,
Chris

 

[mjh]

Not a Buddy Dive veteran but we did 2 boat dives with them and it was well run but with 14-15 divers seemed crowded after often having dive sites to ourselves. The best part of Bonaire is renting a pickup and going where you want when you want. I am sure Buddy Dive will work just about any deal you want, just email them. Do book Town and Salt pier dives as soon as you get there they are great dives. Here is a link to a trip report we did.

http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=97803&highlight=bonaire+a+la+carte

 

[Outlaw14]

Only been there once, but I would definitely do all six boat dives. It didn't seem that crowded to me and the advantage was that you could do the dive with the dive guide if you wanted. We took great advantage of this and saw things on the boat dives that I just don't think I would have spotted on my own at this point. The guide knew where the frogfish, and seahorses hung out, so it was great from that point. Also while the shore diving is less crowded the entries can get tiring, it was nice to step off the boat once a day and not worry about wading out and maintaining balance all the time Whatever you do, hope you enjoy your stay.

 

[oly5050user]

My wife and I are going to Bonaire for the first time the first week of May. After much research we decided on staying at Buddy Dive. The free Nitrox and 50% food discout they are offering now was the deal-maker. So now I have a couple of questions for all of you Buddy Dive veterans.

The package includes 6 boat dives, or we can exclude them and save $117 pp. I expect that we will want to do some boat dives, but probably not 6. Can we buy dives individually while we are there? Does anyone know how much they charge per boat dive?

We will be staying in a 1BR apartment. Is there an area or particular building that is better than others? Will they honor location requests?

Thanks,
Chris

if you have a prepaid package on the boat dives do not expect to cancel them and get $ back..This is your 1st time there use the boat dives,they go by fast and you may want more?? See if you can get either Zoo or Alex to be your divemasters,good guys...they may remember my group from capt.mikes in NY...all rooms are nice,did not see any that are better than the other.Get the drive/dive package so you have a rental truck to go shore dive with..

 

[herman]

Welcome to the board Chris.

I have stayed at Buddy several times and have just booked another week. We always drop the boat dives. We prefer to shore dive on our own schedule. If you change your mind you can add boat any time you want just by signing up on the trip board. The dive cost will be added to your dive shop bill, when you get there you set up an account with the dive shop and you can charge anything you want and just pay by CC at the end of the week. The boats tend to fill up quickly and there is no refund if you don't use all your dives. Per the web site the boat dives are in the $35 per dive range but they may cut you a better deal if you already have the unlimited air/nitrox package. Seems like they use to charge us $26 per trip when we added them on a single basis.
I have stayed in every building they have and I don't really care which one.

 

[blawler1]

Buddys currently listed price is $25 per boat dive w/an unlimited tank package so the $117 for 6 dives isn't a bad price per dive, but outside of Klein Bonaire, there aren't a whole bunch of places that you need a boat. A couple of trips over to Klein should satify your urge to jump off the back of a boat, so I would cut out the boat dives in the package.

 

[sidwise]

I've stayed at Buddy Dive 3 times, and will return. I took the boat dives the 1st and 3rd times. Some food for thought:

- Bonaire's drive and dive system is a great way to do things where you want and on your schedule. Most of Bonaire's dive sites are marked and easy to swim to from easy shore entries. Given that, you probably want most of your week diving from shore sites you drive to.
- A few Bonaire dive sites -- La Dania's Leap, for example -- are easier to do from boat than from shore. These are the ones you'd want to do from a boat.
- Klein Bonaire, the small island to the west of Buddy Dive, has some excellent dive sites, all of which are boat dives.

So the trade off for me is to do a few boat dives, either on Klein or the harder-to-dive-from-shore dive Bonaire sites. A 6 boat dive package -- 3 mornings -- is about right. 10 boat dives is too many and cuts into your freedom to shore dive. After all, drive and dive is the essence of the Bonaire experience (along with eating goat curry in Rincon)

The other posters are right: Buddy's boat dives fill up fast, and I don't think you get a refund on unused ones. If the trip is to sites you want to dive, sign up as soon as the board goes up. They'll show you how during your orientation.

And it doesn't matter what building you stay in. Everywhere on the property is an easy walk from everywhere else.

If you have any questions on Bonaire, ask Herman, who posted above.

 

[herman]

Buddys currently listed price is $25 per boat dive w/an unlimited tank package so the $117 for 6 dives isn't a bad price per dive, but outside of Klein Bonaire, there aren't a whole bunch of places that you need a boat. A couple of trips over to Klein should satify your urge to jump off the back of a boat, so I would cut out the boat dives in the package.

I knew $35 seemed a bit high, I went back and found the listing for boat dives with an UL package, thanks for the correction.

Thanks Sid, what I want to know is when are you going with me (July??) Where is the goat curry in Rincon...Roses?

 

[diveallthetime]

Have been there and did the 6 boat dives and really enjoyed them. It is a decent break from the shore diving (packing and hauling gear). The packing and hauling is not a big deal though.
Whatever decision you make you cannot go wrong. I would bet you will get 50/50 on responses as to if you should spend the money.
For my .02 I would do it, we felt it was worth it.

 

[Jetwrench]

Welcome, Chris!

I haven't stayed at Buddys but the resort I do use runs a similar operation. Looking back at trip #1, I'm glad I did the boat dives. Trips 2,3 and 4 were all shore dives and I missed getting over to Klein. After trip #5, I'm more content to shore dive and pick and choose when to take a boat dive but always make sure I do a few(as long as Klein is on the menu). I (personally) would drop the boat dives and pick and choose day to day. It makes no sense if the boat ties up at a site I could have driven to with a truck I'm already paying for. (I see it often) Are you getting a drive/dive package? If so, that's the way I'd go. M2C

Jet