Buddy Dvie vs Capn Don's: Locker facilities

[OMyMyOHellYes]

One thing I didn't care for at BD when I was there a few years back was the dive locker rooms. Too many folks wearing wetsuits (in 82-84 degree water?) hanging them up, crowding the room, small lockers and it felt dirty to me. Never dried out. Smelled a little sour. Alway drippy slippy feeling.

Capn Don's any better as I'm considering a return late in the year? Other comparable locations?

 

[RIHappyDiver]

Dive Friends Sand Dollar/Den Laman has a secured drying room, no lockers. Hang your gear on pegs, wetsuits are on hangers in the middle. I believe @scubadada posted a picture in a trip report a few years back. See if I can find it for you.

Erik

 

[RIHappyDiver]

Found it.

 

[rmorgan]

Don’s used to be an always-wet cave, but I think they redid it to some extent a few years ago. Den Laman’s is good, although it supports a lot of users. It’s secured after hours.

 

[tkaelin]

At captain dons the lockers are half lockers that fit your gear but most people bring booties and wetsuits back to their porches to dry out. I put fins, mask weight belt bcd and reg in locker and will bring any layers booties and camera back to room and porch.

I like the set up and area. Tip - grab a top locker.

 

[arew+4]

The facilities at den laman / sand dollar are good, but can be crowded. Security is ok, could use cameras and unique codes, but you don't have the brightest shinny-est gear you got nothing to worry about

 

[divezonescuba]

A couple of sad stories about the Den Laman / Sand Dollar locker room which is not secure against other guests. That’s why the sign says security provided but not guaranteed.

First is this guy who only dove in the mornings. Every morning, his gear was rearranged on his bcd and he would have to put it back were it was originally. This went on for three days. He then discovered another diver who he did not know had been using his bcd every afternoon. It was only after he posted a nasty note on his bcd did the other diver stop using his gear.

Second was a guy who had an xl waterproof wetsuit. He went to use it one morning and it was missing. However, there was an xl women’s waterproof wetsuit on the rack near where his had been. The diveshop said there was nothing they could do. Somehow the guy squeezed himself into the women’s XL wetsuit. His wetsuit never came back to the locker room. He eventually found it discarded days later on one of the Dive Friends boats. Apparently, the person who accidentally took his wetsuit couldn’t be bothered to return it to the locker room.

The Den Laman / Sand Dollar condo owners have their gear secured behind a second locked partition to prevent that from happening.

 

[LFMarm]

I just bring my own locks to make sure nobody touches anything by mistake.

 

[wwguy]

Too many folks wearing wetsuits (in 82-84 degree water?)

Great question!

No doubt 82° F water is generally considered "warm" by most water sports enthusiasts. But 82° is still 16° cooler than our body core temperature and water, due to its density, is well-known for its highly efficient thermal conductivity characteristics.

While experiencing debilitating hypothermia isn't likely to occur during typical warm-water dive times, the colder sea water does inevitably slowly sap body core temperature from uninsulated or under-insulated divers, resulting in higher energy expenditure, increased air consumption, and shorter bottom times etc.

When we first started diving Bonaire back in the 90s, I wore a 3mm shorty wetsuit and enjoyed ~50 minute dives. Nowadays I wear a 5mm full suit and a 2mm beanie and easily enjoy ~90 minute dives on similar profiles.

My wife dives with a similar 5mm full wetsuit + beanie setup and has an enviable SAC rate compared to me. With Bonaire's easy lazy shore dive profiles she could probably dive 120 minutes on an aluminum 80 cu ft nitrox tank, but she starts feeling cold at around 80 minutes and starts nudging me towards shore.

We still see plenty of folks diving in swim trunks or shorty wetsuits on Bonaire, but none exhibiting admirable air consumption or enjoying extended bottom times. (A notably predictable exception was Murph Henar, a well-known and longtime Surinamese DM at Buddy Dive—and our good friend—who passed unexpectedly in 2019 due to health issues.)

I don't mean to humble brag about our particular scuba skills or bottom times etc., because we're really nothing special that way, lol. My point is just that the basic physics and human physiology of scuba diving explain why too so many folks wear wetsuits in 82° water.

Thanks for attending my two-beer scuba TED talk.

 

[CT Sean]

Great question!

No doubt 82° F water is generally considered "warm" by most water sports enthusiasts. But 82° is still 16° cooler than our body core temperature and water, due to its density, is well-known for its highly efficient thermal conductivity characteristics.

Just to add anecdotal data - I would be freezing by my 3rd dive without a 3mm suit in low 80's water. I upgraded from a basic 3/2mm flat-lock stitched to a full 3mm glued suit because I didn't stay warm enough with the 3/2.

I also don't like getting stung.

Regarding lockers, the lockers at Buddy's by the dock is admittedly a bit stuffy but the locker area by the drive thru is much more open. We also bring out wetuits back to the room and dry them on the balcony