Bonaire - Buddy's Dive Resort Trip Report

[offthewall1]

just one more question - you keep saying "the boat"... when we were there Buddy's had 4 dive boats. Isn't that true still? It sounds like you had a big group and maybe you all wanted to dive together on the same boat maybe?

Yes, Buddy's has 4 boats.. maybe even 5. The resort was booked solid the week we were there. Our group of 20 had been assigned to the Harbor Lady (I think was the name) for the week, a boat quite capable of carrying the 16 divers in our group (there were also 4 non-divers.) Apparently it was only our boat that did not get gas on the day in question. A valid explanation was never offered - nor were we offered any kind of rebate or discount - only an apology from the dive master, who was quite uncomfortable informing us of the situation.

I'm not sure where the blame lies - so I blame no one in general - just the resort as a whole for failing to rectify the situation. I will note that the DM's we had there were all quite knowledgeable and friendly. German and Louis were my favorites.

One final note - that while the Hurricane was clearly a cause of some destruction - my eyes told me the truest story Bonaire. As we traveled around diving the shore entries (yellow stones,) we came across a number of divers underwater. I was appalled at the number of divers I saw (literally) crawling on the reef, kicking it, sitting on it etc... mostly bad mannered photographers. This is clearly also part of the destruction.

Within even our group (and I'll leave the diver unnamed) a diver started a literal landslide underwater at Karpata as a big boulder came crashing down the reef destroying everything in it's path. This happened while he was leaning on the boulder trying to take a picture of something. If you notice the big stripe down the middle of Karpata.... you'll know where it came from. Of course we scolded him... but we weren't out scolding the many others we didn't know.

I'm guessing many new divers, poorly educated and poorly skilled divers choose Bonaire for the ease of diving and the ability to drive around and destroy things without DM's looking over their shoulders.

If Bonaire ever takes the idea of protecting their reef seriously, they will do something to curtail this type of behaviour. Until then, I see it as just a third world country charging "Marine Park" fees (to take more of your money,) but providing little or no protection whatsoever.

Happy Diving!

 

[driftin' by]

There is a very good reason why there are no room photos on Buddy's website.

Actually, there are 4 at the bottom of this page in addition to floor plans.... Room categories
Much less, who puts any stock in any "brochure" photos? Can you see outdated rooms from Karpata?

My wife an I are seniors, I have bad legs.

Well that certainly adds a lot of perspective as to your disgust about the entries. I suppose someone bound to a wheelchair would feel the same. With all due respect, if you didn't know it was shore diving over an iron coast, than you can really only blame yourself for choosing the destination.

you were in the Caribeean diving and you had to listen to a jack hammer and a fork lift - wow how sad.

Can you hear the jack hammers underwater?

Our first trip to Bonaire will be in 10 days. We've only been to Cozumel and honestly, I don't like the idea of lugging gear, navigating and negotiating entry points... all things I've not have to deal with in Cozumel. But of all my 60+ dives I've had in Cozumel, the single one that stands out most in my mind is the 90 minute dive every trip on Columbia Shallows. For those that don't know, it's usually a decompression dive in about 25 fsw immediately following ome of Cozumel's notoriously deep dives at the southern tip of the island. Besides being a nice, long, leisurely dive with no current, you pretty much pair up with your buddy while the DM stays on the boat giving you all the time poke around finding macro stuff to photograph. With this in mind, I'm confident Bonaire will be right up my ally and I'm throughly looking forward to it.... Jackhammers, theft, dingy rooms and all. You can count on a full write-up upon my return.

 

[donooo]

Well that certainly adds a lot of perspective as to your disgust about the entries. I suppose someone bound to a wheelchair would feel the same. With all due respect, if you didn't know it was shore diving over an iron coast, than you can really only blame yourself for choosing the destination.

Can you hear the jack hammers underwater?

Well I guess that I don't know why you had to take these shots. I added the age and legs comments to clarify why I thought the entries were difficult. I also commented that the young might not find it so difficult. If you were there my second week, I was the guy hauling the doubles and the two stages up the steps. O' and this was my second two week trip. No suprise on beach entry, the topic was Buddy's.

No, you couldnt' hear the jackhammer underwater, but you could hear it on the dock, by the pool and at lunch. While you were talking to staff, DM's, Instuctors and waitpersons, or taking a class from Digital John. If you were there with a non-diver that wanted to sit by the pool while you did five dives you might of "heard" different.

I was there for a two week vacation that included diving, not for a seven day dive marathon. I hope that you all have a great trip and have no accidents on the entries. More important, I hope that your friends and family have no accidents on the entries.

adios don O

O by the way, spent three winter on Cozumel. Nine weeks, 11 weeks and 13 weeks. Columbia Shallow is a piece of cake, they throw you off the boat and find you when you are done.

 

[driftin' by]

I hope that you all have a great trip and have no accidents on the entries. More important, I hope that your friends and family have no accidents on the entries.

Thanks for your concern Don. I understand that accidents can happen anywhere regardless of age or physical fitness. As long as I have my expectations in line understanding that some entries will be more difficult than other's, I'll probably enjoy myself.

Please don't consider my comments to be personal 'shots' because of your age or physical inabilities. I just have to question ones motives to dive in an environment the exposes them to additional risks whether is be skills, training, equipment, or physical abilities. It's only fair that you added this information which you did subsequently but nevertheless to give the reader some perspective. I read your first post after offthewall's and was wondering if the entries would be suitable for the bunch of 30-something people I know that are going. Again, with respect, knowing your condition it helps ease my mind.

No doubt, diving in Coz is a piece of cake on any site... that the reason I was hesitant with going to Bonaire. Simmer down, it's not a competition... I only referred to Columbia Shallows because of the reasons I mentioned which seem similar to the type of diving in Bonaire... without the being dropped off and picked up of course, WHICH WAS NOT MY POINT.

 

[skynscuba]

Our first trip to Bonaire will be in 10 days. We've only been to Cozumel and honestly, I don't like the idea of lugging gear, navigating and negotiating entry points... all things I've not have to deal with in Cozumel.

The setup is pretty good for shore diving. Drive your truck up, get the tanks, go have fun, come back. I've only been to Bonaire twice, and haven't bothered to do any boat dives.

If you've only been doing guided dives, you'll learn a lot shore diving in Bonaire. Practice basic navigation in an easy-to-do environment, where mistakes are of little consequence. Practice getting back to your landmarks with exactly the amount of air you planned on having at that point. There are pretty easy entries at most sites (maybe not for those diving doubles, but I'm too old and weak for that). As the OP said, the diving is pretty similar anywhere along the west coast, but there are differences.

As I'm sure you know, never leave anything in your truck that you mind getting stolen. Go buy some sunglasses at the dollar store, and either leave the good ones at home, take them on the dive, or lock them in the room safe while diving. Leave the truck window down so that some idiot doesn't break it thinking there must be something valuable in there. Although the total isolation of some sites is nice to enjoy, more frequented sites with other divers coming and going may be safer -- I had the car battery stolen on my first trip while I was on a dive down south (Margate Bay). I had the truck "visited" 3 times on that trip while diving, but not on my second trip.

I've heard the stories of various room conditions, even at the same resort (Buddy's, Plaza, Divi Flamingo, Sand Dollar), depending on which haven't been renovated. I've stayed at a newer place (4 years old), so haven't experienced that first hand.

 

[Martha]

I understand what you are saying about the diving. If you aren't a photographer interested in laying in the sand trying to capture a photo of a yellowhead jawfish for an entire dive, or watching a frogfish jiggle his lure or watching a blenny do a courting dance on top of a coral head for an entire dive you might get bored. Me and my hubby are both Fish Nerds and can't get enough of those types of things. That is one reason we loved Bonaire as well as Roatan and Nekton liveaboards..... lots of time to observe fish behaviors and search every crevace or interesting critters.

I'm not a photographer (my husband's the photograher in the family), but I must be a Fish Nerd, because you have described one of the main reasons I love Bonaire.

 

[robint]

As far as the shore entries being easy or hard.......... yes, there are some of each.
Buying the book "Bonaire Shore Diving Made EAsy" helped us pick which sites to dive.

The only really difficult one we did was the Hilma Hooker and I have described my "face plant, washing machine against coral with no reg" here on SB. It was horrible for about 30 seconds (which seems like an eternity in such a situation), but since I am a decent diver, I got my reg in my mouth and cleared it as I crashed against the coral multiple times as I tried to keep my head from hitting. I ended up with numerous minor scratches to my video housing and filter as I had to use it to keep from getting a concusion. After the ordeal of the entry, I headed out and did a great dive on the HH. Getting back into shore was a bit easier. And I learned a big lesson from that entry fubar........ never hand your fins to your buddy and always put mask on and reg in your mouth at shore before you step into the water.
I also fell at another site but it was minor.... being a woman and vertically challenged, carrying a camcorder in one hand and fins in the other is a bit difficult but I still loved Bonaire!!!!
robin

 

[sw2]

robin,

My wife and I just returned this past sunday from our second visit to Bonaire. The sites to the north (from about Andrea I & II) got a fair amount of damage from about 40' to the surface. Below 40' they were still good dives but no where near what they were like before. We only dove Oil Slick Leap but mostly because we live the entrance so much we had to do it!

The sites to the south suffered little to no damage.

 

[driftwood]

Actually, there are 4 at the bottom of this page in addition to floor plans.... Room categories
Much less, who puts any stock in any "brochure" photos? Can you see outdated rooms from Karpata?

Hi Josh,

You are right, Buddy's changed their site since the last time I visited. Thanks for the correction.

Three the photos are from the Buddy's side of the resort and have no resemblance to the roach hole they stuck us in. One of them is a refurbished unit on the Lion's Dive side. I know, we have stayed on both sides. It is my experience that not all of the Lion's Dive units have been remodeled. I had this discussion with the travel agent who booked the trip for our LDS and it was confirmed by other people on different trips while we were all setting at the same table.

The root of the problem is that Lion's Dive was part of a timeshare and when Buddy's took over they had to respect that obligation. Why remodel a room that you get little revenue from the unit when you honor that obligation? Buddy's has decided to keep a number of rooms in the same condition when the timeshare program was in effect. Also, what better way to limit the timeshare stays? If you book a room at Buddy's stay away from the Lion's Dive side of the resort. You are paying the same rate and don't let Buddy's roll the dice to see if you get a decent room. Best thing you can do is pitch a b itch if you get a room like they stuck us in.

Actually, you can put a a lot of stock in "brochure" photos. Especially when there is such a deviation from those photos to the product being actually sold. That practice is called bait and switch, also know as fraud.

 

[DiveMaven]

Did you take any pictures of the horrible room you stayed in? Perhaps if folks started posting real photos of the actual rooms (and room numbers) Buddy's would update them a bit faster. At the very least, it would help folks know which rooms they should stay away from, and which rooms to request.

FYI, we don't stay at Buddy's and were glad we didn't after spending a bit of time there on our trip last year. Just too big for us, we prefer something a bit smaller with rooms right on the ocean.