Buddy’s Dive Questions

[wlecyt40]

Buy this book if you haven't already.

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Look for the "Bonaire Tips and Tricks" videos here and on their youtube channel. It a husband and wife and they document many of the dive sites entry/ exit, route, things to look for.

If they accepted you request for an automatic they probably have one, you should call and verify. Otherwise If you have access, practice and have your son learn too. Just in case, always be prepared and what not.

Most importantly, have fun, having a beer at Karl's and watching the sunset after a day of diving is priceless

We had that book!!!! Found some great dive sites. Invisibles was a great shore dive. You didn't get you shins ripped going there.

 

[BigDaddyGlad]

So I had originally picked Buddy’s mainly out of convenience to have the house reef and a restaurant for easy dinner and the breakfast was included. The more I research I doubt we will eat much at Blennies and aren’t big breakfast eaters anyway. Would it be better to find a VRBO and use a reef like Divi in the instances where I would have used a house reef? What has been everyone’s experience with resort vs vrbo? I don’t see us spending much time on property. I’m not a relaxer on vacation. I am the type that doesn’t want to get home having missed an opportunity to experience an area.

I had been to Bonaire a number of times on cruise stops. Every stop, I did a 2-tank dive with VIP.

Last year, I finally got to plan a full week on the island. My buddy and I booked the two-bedroom apartment at Buddy Dive, along with the package which provided unlimited air, 6 boat dives, and a truck rental. As someone who had visited the island a number of times, this was a perfect solution. The apartment was clean, roomy and cool. I'm not a big breakfast guy, but I quickly caught on to the Dutch "chocolate toast" with the sprinkles... OMG! I, too, hadn't thought much of Blennies, but we ended up having 3 or 4 dinners there simply because it was close and easy after a day of diving. All in all, I loved the experience and would recommend Buddy Dive in a heartbeat.

That said, this year, we've added a third diver so we've rented a three-bedroom villa in WaterVillas, next to the airport. I've rented a truck through Avis and air packages through VIP. We don't have any included meals this time, but between the three of us we can manage meal preparations. We lose the convenience of being on a "resort" but it's much more economical this way. And I'm much more confident going this route because I now have a trip under my belt. I know where the supermarkets are, where the good restaurants are (there is an AWESOME thread on Reddit with all the restaurants on the island!), and I'm comfortable with the tank exchange drive throughs. I might recommend staying at Buddy Dive for your first trip, and then once you know the lay of the land, stepping into a vacation rental.