I am heading to Bonaire for the July 4th week (June 28-July 6th) staying at Divi Resort. I was wondering where is the easiest place to find buddies for shore diving? We are not sure if we will be renting a car or not...do they have like bulletin boards or something like that?
THanks
Start at the Divi bar. Then any other dive resort on the island. Then any bar/restaurant in town. Then any divesite on the island, especially in the morning.
Seriously...just about everybody who looks like a tourist is probably a diver. We were asked more than once if we wanted to dive with another group/couple. If you plan to dive either Town or Salt Pier, set that up through the Divi and a DM will be your guide/buddy - it's a port requirement.
Most "cars" rented on Bonaire are four-door small pickups. So if you meet someone who has one, they likely can give you a ride. Almost all the dive packages include or have an option for one. It's also cheaper. Most have tank racks in the back, that's how geared to diving the whole island is.
I would rent a truck though, there's about 50 odd divesites that the Divi won't take you to on their boats. And while the Divi resort dive is good, there's better. Even if you only want to shoredive from the resorts, others are better. Bari Reef at Bonaire Dive&Adventure (between Sand Dollar and Den Laman condos) is the #1 site in the Caribbean for counted species of fish. And two named dive sites, Cliff and LaMachaca are off Cap't Don's Habitat. All the dive resorts on the water have good facilities and dive docks for easy entry.
But the really good shorediving is north or south of town, for that you'll need a truck, there's no public transport on Bonaire and not a lot of taxis. At all of the non-resort shore dive sites there's no facilities either so even if you were dropped off you'd have no way to call for pickup or in an emergency.
We did up to 4 dives per day, several days were all shorediving and never repeated a site. Unless you don't like shorediving, doing a lot of boat dives is a waste of money. Except for a trip or two to Klein Bonaire and a couple sites that are really good but inaccessible from shore - Rappel being one. 4-6 Boat dives max cover the best of it.
I'm sure you've read it but good treaded boots are a
must for shore entries over the ironshore there.
Have a good trip but beware that diving Bonaire spoils anywhere else.
I need to find some dive friends...
