Bonaire - Plan the vacation, vacation the plan?

[deco_martini]

Upon reading the boards for a while, I am rapidly gaining the impression that I'm headed out to the diving equivalent of the old west - stumble out of bed in the morning, borrow tanks from outside your neighbour's room, jump into the sea and dive for a bit, drive somewhere in a raggedy jeep that you borrowed from a parking spot suspiciously close to that of your neighbour's room, dive for a bit while your neighbour's cellphone is stolen from the jeep (well he should have left the windows open), go to the bar and swap tanks with the barman, night dive a bit more under the light's of Captain Bob's bugzapper, sell the tanks to a Venezuelan scrapper and then have dinner.

That sounds exactly like what I found in my research before booking my September Bonaire trip.

It sounded a lot better than being stuck on the same boat with the same annoying people every day.

Leave your crap in your room, dive hard, eat well. Sounded like a good pitch to me.

 

[Bas Noij]

Vin, Toucan is the dive op at Plaza, Not HV. Both resort are fine. HV is more luxurious than Plaza. Both have a pretty OK beach (as good as it gets on Bonaire more or less)

 

[DiverVince]

How far from the house reef is "something special"? Can you see it underwater with good visibility, or are we talking about a 15 minute swim across a thousand foot trench?

Also, I shall look into renting a truck while I'm there - how similar is the driving to something like the US? Are the drivers savages like over here on the east coast (as I quickly found out when I arrived, a turn signal in New Jersey identifies you as the wounded antelope of the herd)?

Dave

HV has an outside restaurant called La Balandra which is really like a pier with nautical decorations. If you entered the water there I would estimate only a 5 min swim underwater to S.S. If memory serves me correctly they used to have a line crossing the channel as a guide. I have not made this dive from HV to SS however in about 15 years so perhaps someone else can chime in to see if the line is still there.

On beaches, I believe the best resort beach is at H.V.
Regarding the driving, lets face it I've seen crazies on Bonaire but in all honesty have seen more than my share in New Jersey.:shocked2:

 

[DiverVince]

Vin, Toucan is the dive op at Plaza, Not HV. Both resort are fine. HV is more luxurious than Plaza. Both have a pretty OK beach (as good as it gets on Bonaire more or less)

Hey Bas.. You're right, come to think of it. I believe they are called Great Adventures. In fact I think I still have their visor from that time. Since I leave it in my vehicle at all dive sites, I guess no one really wants it! I dove with them about 15 years ago when we stayed at HV & enjoyed it very much. Had a nice lunch at La Balandra last year. May also check it out again this upcoming trip. HV is a great place to relax!

 

[Jersey]

Ruu - you have to do a trip to Bonaire so we can read your (snarky) commentary after! Old wild west, nah, more like Harrison Ford in an Indiana Jones adventure (take a drive through the Park...) Others have hit the proverbial nail. Navigating super easy ~ some sites have mooring balls at either end ~ swim to one, drop, dive to the other, turn for example Andrea I & II - multiple balls, some 'beach' and palappas for shade for the non-diver. Some sites the reef is but a few kicks from shore (Ol Blue/Tolo), other (specially southern) sites may entail a bit more swim, but you could find a coral outcropping inshore that could amuse one in 10 feet of water for a couple hours. I don't see how diving could get much easier. Don't go expecting 4 star accomodations ~ The Ritz and 4 Seasons are not here. Do go expecting bugs ~ first thing packed and always on hand ~ bug spray. As for driving, I have a bias toward my home state. We like to say 'if you can drive and dive in Jersey, you can drive and dive anywhere.' On Bonaire the locals slow down around the circles/roundabouts, in Jersey we speed up to take out the weak.

 

[Bonairetrip]

Also, I shall look into renting a truck while I'm there - how similar is the driving to something like the US? Are the drivers savages like over here on the east coast (as I quickly found out when I arrived, a turn signal in New Jersey identifies you as the wounded antelope of the herd)?

Driving is on the right side of the road (same as the US). There are stop signs, two major traffic circles but no stop lights (other than the decorative one in front of the pizza place). Traffic can be busy (but not crazy) from the airport to about HV. Other than that, traffic is really very light.

The only "issue" I have ever encountered is on the southern road, especially south of the salt pier. For some reason, tourists sometimes forget it is a road. They will simply stop and park in the road to take picture. As you continue south (say past Pink Beach), the road narrows to really one lane. This means that on the rare occasions when you meet a car coming the other way, one or both of you must scoot over a bit. All very easy in practice...

Driving in Bonaire is way easier than a major city like Seattle and is significantly easier than where I live (Olympia).

If you use Telerin, she meets you at the airport. You sign one form and you get a short ride to your truck (a few blocks). You reverse the process to return the car. No long lines at the rental place, etc.

Speaking of turn signals, if you ever drive in rural Mexico, be very careful with the left turn signal. It can either mean that you are turning left or that you want the car behind you to pass!

 

[princessaprilia]

...
Speaking of turn signals, if you ever drive in rural Mexico, be very careful with the left turn signal. It can either mean that you are turning left or that you want the car behind you to pass!

Wow? That's clear communication skills. :shocked2: Kind of like if "Fire" and "Hold your fire" were the same hand signal.

 

[Ruu]

Don't go expecting 4 star accomodations ~ The Ritz and 4 Seasons are not here. Do go expecting bugs ~ first thing packed and always on hand ~ bug spray.

How bad are the insects likely to be in September? I've done Algonquin in June (the Ontario park, not the new york hotel), so I am familiar with whole-head mosquito protection from ungodly aggressive biters, but I was possibly cautiously optimistic that the insects might have a low season like they do in other places. And that this would be it. In retrospect this may be more like blind stupidity - how bad could it be?

Dave

 

[reefdiva]

How bad are the insects likely to be in September? I've done Algonquin in June (the Ontario park, not the new york hotel), so I am familiar with whole-head mosquito protection from ungodly aggressive biters, but I was possibly cautiously optimistic that the insects might have a low season like they do in other places. And that this would be it. In retrospect this may be more like blind stupidity - how bad could it be?

Dave

I live in New England, have also done Algonquin and know mosquito swarms. I also visit Bonaire several times a year and have never found the mosquitos to be as bad as here in northern NE. When in Bonaire my husband usually puts bug spray on his legs before dinner in a restaurant (the little buggers love to hide under tables) because they like him more than they like me! I am not discounting what others say about the bugs -- just saying that it can be more a matter of personal tolerance.

 

[Bonairetrip]

How bad depends on how dry it has been lately. The other thing is they tend to be ankle/leg biters in Bonaire and are worse right at dawn/dusk. If you where there is a constant breeze, you tend not to see them.