Trip Report Bonaire Trip Report- August, 2024

[junkyard_dawg]

Bonaire Dive & Adventure with Andre. It was always pretty busy. Joan is still there. We stayed at Sand Dollar for our 1st 3 visits, then all at Den Laman. We return for the last 2 weeks in Oct.

I couldn't remember that name! Thanks. When stayed at Den Leman probably 12 years ago I remember using them. I noticed this time around the parking lot seemed a lot busier with Dive Friends there. Not terrible, but just seemed busier but the whole island is getting busier. Unfortunately IMO. I love the dive shop being right there at Bari though and the locker room.

 

[junkyard_dawg]

Did you have to rinse gear between each dive?

We were told if you went a lighter color to a darker (green to orange...orange to red) then no, or staying in the same color. So we planned our dives accordingly and rinsed after every 2nd dive. And even then planned the morning dives at a lighter color than the afternoon.

 

[SoccerDad]

Did you have to rinse gear between each dive?

You do not need to rinse between each dive. You should try to stay within the same area if passible then rinse at the end of your day.

 

[Trailboss123]

Did you have to rinse gear between each dive?

No

 

[Trailboss123]

Thanks for posting this super helpful trip report. The location of Bloozz Resort looks interesting. In certain website pics, some of the bedrooms have louvered windows; do you remember if your room had louvered versus regular window panes? I know it is crazy OCD, but I like a solid window pane
Glad to hear the reefs seemed to be in better shape.

I honestly do not remember.

 

[Trailboss123]

We’ll be doing our third straight year at Den Laman this January. I’m curious how you would compare Sand Dollar, and how @Trailboss123 would compare Bloozz Resort, to Den Laman. My wife likes the ocean front rooms at DL, but last year we found the units to be a bit worse for wear. At least the Sunwise condos.

Also, @Trailboss123 , I couldn’t tell from Bloozz Resort’s website if prices were per room or per person. I got the sense it was per room, but wanted your input.

Always appreciate your reviews! It’s kinda like when the update to the encyclopedias would come to our house when I was a kid. Wow, that analogy made me feel old

Erik

I love Den Laman for its waterfront location and easy access to Bari Reef. The units there are individually owned and you need to rent them through Sunwise Property Management or through VRBO/AirBNB or other property management. Not all units at Den Laman are created equal as a result. Blooz is newer and units are standardized. Not waterfront, but across the street and you can pick a unit with sunset and ocean views.

Parking is much better and more spacious at Den Laman. There is onsite parking at Blooz, but the parking spots are very tight and annoying, in my opinion. Den Laman does not have an elevator to the upper floors, if that is an issue for anyone. Blooz is currently much less expensive than Den Laman for comparable units.

 

[f4erhinogib]

My wife and I spent 2 weeks in Bonaire August 10-25, 2024. Since I have written a number of trip reports on Bonaire that can be accessed on the forum, I will just take the time to highlight a few things that would be new or different.

Reef Conditions: Overall, I felt that the reef conditions were in solid shape. The southern reef sites in particular with all of their soft corals were quite healthy and beautiful. The further north the better and the sites closest to town are in the worst shape (Oil Slick on the north end to Windsock on the south end). We had some incredible massive bait ball encounters at Vista Blue and Bachelor Beach over the entire two weeks. Water temp was a consistent 85 degrees. We were in Bonaire for 2 weeks last August also, and if anything, the reefs were in better shape this year.
We were able to dive Bari Reef on a few occasions. There is public access from the new park south and adjacent to Den Laman Condos via the roundabout. The name of the park escapes me and has been under construction for quite some time and they were putting the finishing touches on it while we were there. There is a parking lot and a short paved walk down to the shoreline. I also had a wonderful 10 minute encounter with a spotted eagle ray at Salt Pier one monring.

Accommodations: We have stayed at a lot of different places over the years (Air BNB, VRBO villas, Den Laman, Bamboo Bonaire…) This trip we stayed at a new location (for us) called Bloozz Resort. It is right across the street from Bachelor Beach. Cannot be missed. The website does a good job of accurately depicting the place. It is newer, very clean and well taken care of. The staff is responsive, there is an on-site bar, restaurant and nice swimming pool. We stayed in a water view studio suite on the 2nd floor overlooking the pool, bachelor beach and with sunset views from the large shaded outside deck. Kitchen was well equipped with everything needed for a lengthy stay including a dishwasher and full size fridge. There was a picnic sized cooler available to use when out for the day and plenty of towels for showering and the pool/beach/diving. There are good sized lockers for each individual that has its own padlock and key. Small rinse station with 4 sinks (adequate). On site parking, but the parking spots are tight for getting in and out. There is also an on-site dive shop, but we did not use them.

Dive Shop: We have historically used Dive Friends Bonaire over the last 10 years due to the numerous number of tank fill locations and we have often stayed at Den Laman Condos which has a Dive Friends on site. However, the last couple trips, we have been using VIP Diving. We have found their tank fills and nitrox fills to be extremely consistent and we never have an issue with o-rings. It is a well-run operation and they are excellent with communication and are one of the best when it comes to price point (10% discount for repeat customers and an additional 10% discount on that for pre-payment 2 weeks in advance, no upcharge for Nitrox and 3 different tank sizes going up to 100cf). They only have 1 fill location, so that is something to consider. They also offer on-site gear rinsing and secure 24 hour access to a locker room and tanks for night/dawn dives.
I guess that is about it. We will be going back for another 2 week the end of January and looking forward to it.

 

[f4erhinogib]

Thanks for the informative review! We're planning on diving Bonaire next Fall, so your info is quite helpful.

 

[wgw04024]

We rented from Sunwise last trip in a different location. Excellent experience.

I love Den Laman for its waterfront location and easy access to Bari Reef. The units there are individually owned and you need to rent them through Sunwise Property Management or through VRBO/AirBNB or other property management. Not all units at Den Laman are created equal as a result. Blooz is newer and units are standardized. Not waterfront, but across the street and you can pick a unit with sunset and ocean views.

Parking is much better and more spacious at Den Laman. There is onsite parking at Blooz, but the parking spots are very tight and annoying, in my opinion. Den Laman does not have an elevator to the upper floors, if that is an issue for anyone. Blooz is currently much less expensive than Den Laman for comparable units.

 

[ADSLubec]

My wife and I spent 2 weeks in Bonaire August 10-25, 2024. Since I have written a number of trip reports on Bonaire that can be accessed on the forum, I will just take the time to highlight a few things that would be new or different.

Reef Conditions: Overall, I felt that the reef conditions were in solid shape. The southern reef sites in particular with all of their soft corals were quite healthy and beautiful. The further north the better and the sites closest to town are in the worst shape (Oil Slick on the north end to Windsock on the south end). We had some incredible massive bait ball encounters at Vista Blue and Bachelor Beach over the entire two weeks. Water temp was a consistent 85 degrees. We were in Bonaire for 2 weeks last August also, and if anything, the reefs were in better shape this year.
We were able to dive Bari Reef on a few occasions. There is public access from the new park south and adjacent to Den Laman Condos via the roundabout. The name of the park escapes me and has been under construction for quite some time and they were putting the finishing touches on it while we were there. There is a parking lot and a short paved walk down to the shoreline. I also had a wonderful 10 minute encounter with a spotted eagle ray at Salt Pier one monring.

Accommodations: We have stayed at a lot of different places over the years (Air BNB, VRBO villas, Den Laman, Bamboo Bonaire…) This trip we stayed at a new location (for us) called Bloozz Resort. It is right across the street from Bachelor Beach. Cannot be missed. The website does a good job of accurately depicting the place. It is newer, very clean and well taken care of. The staff is responsive, there is an on-site bar, restaurant and nice swimming pool. We stayed in a water view studio suite on the 2nd floor overlooking the pool, bachelor beach and with sunset views from the large shaded outside deck. Kitchen was well equipped with everything needed for a lengthy stay including a dishwasher and full size fridge. There was a picnic sized cooler available to use when out for the day and plenty of towels for showering and the pool/beach/diving. There are good sized lockers for each individual that has its own padlock and key. Small rinse station with 4 sinks (adequate). On site parking, but the parking spots are tight for getting in and out. There is also an on-site dive shop, but we did not use them.

Dive Shop: We have historically used Dive Friends Bonaire over the last 10 years due to the numerous number of tank fill locations and we have often stayed at Den Laman Condos which has a Dive Friends on site. However, the last couple trips, we have been using VIP Diving. We have found their tank fills and nitrox fills to be extremely consistent and we never have an issue with o-rings. It is a well-run operation and they are excellent with communication and are one of the best when it comes to price point (10% discount for repeat customers and an additional 10% discount on that for pre-payment 2 weeks in advance, no upcharge for Nitrox and 3 different tank sizes going up to 100cf). They only have 1 fill location, so that is something to consider. They also offer on-site gear rinsing and secure 24 hour access to a locker room and tanks for night/dawn dives.
I guess that is about it. We will be going back for another 2 week the end of January and looking forward to it.

We're headed down in late January and staying at the Sand Dollar for the first time. We normally stay at Belmar. How did you find the condition of Bari Reef compared to more southern dive sites?