Bonaire Jan 25 - Some Questions

[Ray and Pam]

We booked thru Captain Dons website. $100 down per person, the balance due 45 days before arrival.
We used Delta this time $578 per person out of Tulsa. Hasn't been that low in a long time.

 

[uncfnp]

Disinfection between dives is no longer stressed by the shops I have seen. There are a few signs still on display but no one has mentioned it and if anyone is doing it, it isn’t obvious.

Bari still has a few things yet to be completed but it is open and you can park there to dive. It is quite a hike. We went for the first time today and there were only a few people plus 2 security guards. So I asked them if we could pull down closer to the beach (there is an access drive), unload and then park in the designated area. They said no problem but when we finished up we just hiked the gear to the truck. Wasn’t too bad.

 

[shopguy]

Bari still has a few things yet to be completed but it is open and you can park there to dive. It is quite a hike. We went for the first time today and there were only a few people plus 2 security guards. So I asked them if we could pull down closer to the beach (there is an access drive), unload and then park in the designated area. They said no problem but when we finished up we just hiked the gear to the truck. Wasn’t too bad.

Thanks! It looked like some private "pay to use/enter" park to me a few weeks ago when I got here. A guy I dived with called it a playground, so I started looking closer but still wasn't sure. I do see that access road you are talking about and the small parking area (5 cars maybe) at the east end of that road/path. I'll have to give it a try, and maybe find one of the 3 frogfish that were there in 2022

Odd to hear a story of not being able to access Bari in 2022 -- they must have changed something in late Nov or Dec, because Oct/Nov 2022 it was super easy to access Bari, just a huge dirt lot with tons of parking right near the water, and Dive Friends just steps away if you want to just stay all day and do tank after tank, or even just hop on their boat right there at the pier.

 

[boleslav]

Guys, you are wonderful. We leave for Bonaire tomorrow, and based on our experience last year I had Bari crossed off my list due to the construction.
Thanks to you, it's back on for us to check it out!

 

[Soloist]

Guys, you are wonderful. We leave for Bonaire tomorrow, and based on our experience last year I had Bari crossed off my list due to the construction.
Thanks to you, it's back on for us to check it out!

We were excited for the opportunity to dive Bari after nearly two years of construction issues. It was like visiting an old friend. Enjoy your trip. The baby goatfish await your arrival.

 

[tkaelin]

Great pic. Love the shimmering surface. Looks like an impressionist style painting

 

[Soloist]

Great pic. Love the shimmering surface. Looks like an impressionist style painting

From Monet impressionism to Picasso surrealism.

 

[tkaelin]

Trip booked for Jan’25. With JetBlue nonstop service for around $400 pp and paid with points we could not pass it up. United airfare not surprisingly shows lower fares than before JB anounced entry into the market but still more than twice our JB fare.

 

[RIHappyDiver]

We’ll be there the last week of Jan into early Feb, staying at Den Laman. No JB direct for us eastern New Englanders, but that’s great for you! Maybe we’ll see you on the island. Bonaire, that is, but possibly Jamestown before then.

Erik

 

[scubadada]

...I'll have to give it a try, and maybe find one of the 3 frogfish that were there in 2022 ...

We had 5 frogfish and a seahorse on Bari Reef in August 2022

Trip Report - Bonaire: Den Laman and Dive Friends, August 17-31. 2022

My wife and I made our ninth trip to Bonaire and, like the last five visits, stayed at Den Laman and dived with Dive Friends. Reservations: We made all of our reservations online, Sunwise Realty for Den Laman, Dive Friends, AB Car Rental, and American Airlines. It all worked out flawlessly...

scubaboard.com

No frogfish or a seahorse on Bari in December 2023. We'll give it another try this fall Oct 16-30.