Diving Bari will be complicated for awhile

[scubadada]

Hi @FlaParrotHead

Thanks for the additional information. Have you heard anything about the pier(s) at Chogogo? Do you happen to know what Scuba Do currently does about boat dives for their customers? With Scuba Do open, has there been an impact of students and divers from Chogogo at Front Porch and Bari? We barely notice the students from Dive Friends, though they are quite busy. They do their "pool" skills in the roped off area of the Sand Dollar beach and their certification dives on Bari.

Please keep up apprised of what happens once the construction of the park begins, especially what they do about public access to Bari Reef. The gate to the Sand Dollar beach on the north side of the pier is always locked, on a combination. I believe the beach may only be for Sand Dollar and DF classes. There is also the small stairway on the south side of the pier that runs by Breeze 'n Bites. I assume that is for Den Laman but is not secured. I would imagine that public access will continue, but there is precedent for exclusion, Black Durgon and Small Wall.

Enjoy your dive on Bari

 

[rmorgan]

The gate to the Sand Dollar beach on the north side of the pier is always locked, on a combination. I believe the beach may only be for Sand Dollar and DF classes. There is also the small stairway on the south side of the pier that runs by Breeze 'n Bites. I assume that is for Den Laman and is not secured. I would imagine that public access will continue, but there is precedent for exclusion, Black Durgon and Small Wall.

We were at Den Laman for a couple of weeks last year, and the gate to the beach was mostly unlocked, but that was probably due to the work on the dock. As to how the public access is supposed to work . . . who knows. I have read a couple of things about divers using Chogogo to get in and out, but that won't work during construction, of course. I've also heard that TUI is building another long, skinny resort in the space between Chogogo and Eden Beach; we've parked in the dirt there to get to Front Porch (and thus Bari), but it sounds like that is, or will be, a thing of the past. Any news on this development?

 

[scubadada]

Hi @rmorgan

We were at Den Laman the last 2 weeks of August 2022. The pier upgrade was done by then, except for the cover over part of the setup area. My daughter's boyfriend took a refresher from DF and they unlocked the gate for beach access. The gate was closed and locked whenever I looked. It has a different combination than the one used for the gear room and pier gate. I saw folks from Sand Dollar use the combination for beach access. I would imagine that sometimes the gate is left open.

 

[RIHappyDiver]

Hi @rmorgan

We were at Den Laman the last 2 weeks of August 2022. The pier upgrade was done by then, except for the cover over part of the setup area. My daughter's boyfriend took a refresher from DF and they unlocked the gate for beach access. The gate was closed and locked whenever I looked. It has a different combination than the one used for the gear room and pier gate. I saw folks from Sand Dollar use the combination for beach access. I would imagine that sometimes the gate is left open.

View attachment 767692

This is how it has been while we’ve been here. The classes go through the gate to use the beach at Sand Dollar to have shore entry and shallow water for discussions/demonstrations. A lot of the folks accessing Bari from the parking area will come down to the beach in front of Den Laman and use that for entry/exit.

 

[SoccerDad]

Interesting that STINAPA recently reiterated that beaches are public. When the Bari/Sand Dollar dock was being rebuilt, entry was easy on the beach in front of Sand Dollar, immediately north of the dock. That should be the way in now, although the Sand Dollar folks will likely be concerned. I hope they don’t lock the gate during the day to thwart access; Bari and its neighbors should be available to all.

That area is only closed for the year so they can do construction. But once completed that is a long walk to the beach.

 

[fates13]

So does anyone know the best way to access Bari if you're not staying at one of the resorts with private access?

 

[tursiops]

So does anyone know the best way to access Bari if you're not staying at one of the resorts with private access?

Go in at Buddy Dive and swim south, or at WannaDive and swim north. Pick which by which way the current is going, so you go against the current at the beginning.

 

[RIHappyDiver]

So does anyone know the best way to access Bari if you're not staying at one of the resorts with private access?

Can I take this to mean that the park construction has definitely begun?

Erik

 

[Diver-6873]

Can I take this to mean that the park construction has definitely begun?

Erik

Yes ... lot preparation has started. The overall idea for this particular park is nice with the exception of the planned boat ramp… which many of us hope has/is being reconsidered.

 

[NW Dive Dawg]

We will be in Bon for a 10 day trip the first week of May and staying with friends in a villa just north in the Sabadeco area.....which is basically the Andrea I & II sites. We always buy our shore diving / nitrox package from Buddies so that we can have full access to their dock and an easy swim to Bari. In over a dozen trips to Bon, we have never had the current prevent us from going "left" from Buddies and enjoying Bari and then returning to Buddies.

Because of the construction in front of Bari, this year may be more restrictive to "non Buddy" divers wanting to use their access and their dock. Who knows?

The other reason that we like Buddy Dive is that they have a great buffet breakfast........ so we do that every day when we swap out tanks for the day.