Bonaire Dive Shop Practices

[morecowbells]

I can understand a non-refundable deposit, but a non-refundable full payment up front, is aggressive. What if your ears are acting janky, canceled flights, your stomach disagrees with something you ate, or weather/visibility turns sour? There are too many variables and what ifs to make that level of commitment, especially for a party of two versus a large group.

 

[Melissa Flinn]

The reservation is with Dive Friends. We are staying at Den Laman the first 2 weeks of September. We got a 10% discount for Dive Friends from Sunwise. Our package includes: 12 days of unlimited shore diving, 5 days of 2 tank boat diving, regs and BCD's for 12 days. This is for 2 divers = $2015 = 1007.50 each. This price includes the 10% discount. There is no way we are paying in full with a nonrefundable cancellation policy. I find this so unreasonable!

 

[RIHappyDiver]

The reservation is with Dive Friends. We are staying at Den Laman. Our package includes: 12 days of unlimited shore diving, 5 days of 2 tank boat diving, regs and BCD's for 12 days. This is for 2 divers = $2015 = 1007.50 each. There is no way we are paying in full with a nonrefundable cancellation policy. I find this so unreasonable!

This must be a new policy. This has been their cancelation policy for our last 2 January visits at Den Laman, diving with Dive Friends
Cancellation policy
• Cancellation fee of 100.0% is charged if cancelled 7 day(s) or less before the activity
• Cancellation fee of 50.0% is charged if cancelled 14 day(s) or less before the activity
• Cancellation fee of 25.0% is charged if cancelled 30 day(s) or less before the activity

I copied this from our receipt for this past January that I booked in November. We book ahead because my wife doesn’t want to chance not getting the couple of boat dives that we do, and to make check in go quicker.

Erik

 

[OMyMyOHellYes]

How far out are you on your reservations? Closer to trip, more risk for them (they can't find replacements if you cancel) - less wiggle room for you?

 

[uncfnp]

So lets see per diver..

6 days unlimited shore = 210
6 days unlimited shore plus 5 boat dives = 555 (assuming the boat dives are all on a one week period)
BCD x 12 days = 156
Reg x12 = 156

So I get 1077 per person before discount?

We only shore dive with them so never pay anything up front.

First I would verify the price and policy. Next, September is not high season so unlike our April trip when I heard them on the phone trying to find specific size gear for clients, I could not imagine a shortage on gear nor the shore dive package. The boat trips are the unknown.

SBer’s with experience with Dive Friend’s boat package. How far ahead do you reserve?

 

[Diver-6873]

This use be a new policy. This has been their cancelation policy for our last 2 January visits at Den Laman, diving with Dive Friends
Cancellation policy
• Cancellation fee of 100.0% is charged if cancelled 7 day(s) or less before the activity
• Cancellation fee of 50.0% is charged if cancelled 14 day(s) or less before the activity
• Cancellation fee of 25.0% is charged if cancelled 30 day(s) or less before the activity

I copied this from our receipt for this past January that I booked in November. We book ahead because my wife doesn’t want to chance not getting the couple of boat dives that we do, and to make check in go quicker.

Erik

That is much more inline with reservations…..

 

[jonhall]

There is no way we are paying in full with a nonrefundable cancellation policy. I find this so unreasonable!

I agree with you. It's easy for others to indicate that services provided, time of year, etc... can possibly make the non-refundable full payment reasonable (there was a lot of complaining during the pandemic when people couldn't get refunds for liveaboards they'd paid for in advance.)

Whatever you do, be sure to invest in some type of trip insurance, that could recoup any losses you might occur on a trip.

 

[RIHappyDiver]

So lets see per diver..

6 days unlimited shore = 210
6 days unlimited shore plus 5 boat dives = 555 (assuming the boat dives are all on a one week period)
BCD x 12 days = 156
Reg x12 = 156

So I get 1077 per person before discount?

We only shore dive with them so never pay anything up front.

First I would verify the price and policy. Next, September is not high season so unlike our April trip when I heard them on the phone trying to find specific size gear for clients, I could not imagine a shortage on gear nor the shore dive package. The boat trips are the unknown.

SBer’s with experience with Dive Friend’s boat package. How far ahead do you reserve?

We booked a couple of months ahead for late January for a total of 4 trips over 2 weeks. The kick is, some days they were packed, some days not. Sand Dollar/Den Laman is the last pick up, so we knew whether it was booked full when the boat pulled in. One day it was a small boat and all 8 of us got on at Sand Dollar. You just never know.

Erik

 

[arew+4]

I would agree that a non refundable on the boat dives and gear rental makes sense at 30-60 days out as they would be turning away others to hold your boat spots and probably the rental gear. I would call them and discuss your concerns with them.

 

[undrwtr1]

I have always just gone to Dive Friends to set up an account for unlimited shore dives after I arrive on Island. However, I am going again in December but this time I wanted to reserve my daughter's open water dives with them and they suggested a reservation because they needed to ensure an instructor was available. So I booked her dives as well as mine and my wife's unlimited tank package because we were also booking with the 10% Den Laman discount. Payment was due in full for the reservation and cancellation policy was as noted above by RIHappyDiver.