drrich2
Contributor
Been awhile since I've hit Bonaire; too long, as I love diving there. A few thoughts:
1.) I've rented automatic at least twice, once staying at Buddy Dive Resort, once staying at Dive Hut and using whoever they set me up with. It tended to cost about $150 extra for the week, and I always put in for it way in advance.
2.) Thick-soled boots are indeed worthwhile. Thought I could get by without them still I stood on jagged iron shore near Oil Slick Leap all geared up, and pressure someone injured my foot leading to intermittent pain for weeks. I used SeaSoft Sunrays with good results; there are other options. If you want to get a set that are thicker for cold water use, too, then SeaSoft Stealths should work.
3.) Staying at a shore front resort costs more, but the convenience encourages day & night dives, so the total dive count for the week can get higher.
4.) 5 Dives/day is readily attainable if you're all about the diving. If you want to take a 1/2 day to go drive through Washington-Slagbaai Park (worthwhile; keep the receipt from buying your marine park tag for diving and show it to avoid the $10 entry charge here, last I was there anyway), visit the Donkey Sanctuary (take apples and make lots of new friends...), drive around the island, eat out at places you read of here (e.g.: It Rains Fishes, which can be pricey), etc...well, you may average less. My last trip, my 8th, a solo trip, I'd 'been there, done that' on the other stuff and focused on diving; did 28 dives that week. One could cram in more...
5.) Take swimmer's ear drops & use them to prevent external ear infection. If you wait till your ear canals are infected and raw, it's going to HURT to use them.
6.) For frequent diving, lycra socks worn inside your scuba boots can prevent painful chafed areas. Someone on the forum recommended it; I testify they were right.
7.) Be aware tarpon 'buddies' on night dives are neat, fun and harmless to you, but at least, big, silvery 'shark-like' fish dashing by inside your personal space can be a little unnerving.
8.) They don't have 24 hour Walmart. Take your favorite over-the-counter med.s with you. Triple Antibiotic Ointment can be wonderful on bad abrasions.
9.) When I've been there, a little jewelry store I think was called Jewel of Bonaire had some nice sea turtle pendent necklaces that weren't catastrophically expensive.
10.) I dove the east coast site Cai with Bas Tol (highly recommended) and without him (recommend you don't do that...).
11.) Those Bonaire whip-tail lizards you see running around, so unapproachable? Well, squat down with some cut up apple in your hand. Try some different places on the island, and hold still. You may have a lizard or two sitting on your hand eating. Iguanas may come in, too; accidental bites can cut the skin a little, which happened to a friend of mine.
12.) Bonaire is close enough to the equator that the sun can fry you fast, even if light levels don't look that intense at a given time. A dive skin can help; I've worn Champion brand runners' shirts (thin, light, dry fast, keep the sun off; and no, 'running' is NOT my thing); whatever you do, get protection.
13.) Watch the sunscreen on the forehead. I sprayed some on one trip, and it ran down in my eye, and that eye saw weird colors for some time afterward. The burning wasn't fun, either...
Richard.
