First Time Plans

[Nettles]

Go. Go now. If you could, go 30 years ago. As good as it still is, Bonaire, unlike fine wine, has not improved with age (except the food choices and unbelievably, the roads). I am grateful I got to see it pre Lenny, when the only cruise ship was the Scientologists but if the creek don't rise we'll be there again come March, on a near giveaway flight with Jet Blue, enjoying what I believe to be one of the last shreds of the Carribean I remember from the previous century.

Be prepared however. Once you experience "total diving freedom" you'll be jaded towards the typical travel dive experience for life. And despite the impression you might get from the nattering nabobs of negativity, the diving is top notch.

It's not going to get better in your lifetime, I don't think. And the future is a funny thing, but nobody's laughing.

So go.

 

[wateraddiction]

If you're lucky enough to be in NYC, you can fly Jet Blue NS for a great rate. Otherwise, you'll likely connect in Miami on American Air. If we're flying when snow or storms can delay our flight to MIA, we fly in the evening before and spend the night at an airport hotel for around $100 so we are sure not to miss our connection. During the off season, AA only flies to Bonaire twice a week so missing the flight means losing 3 days of vacation.

Dive Friends does certification at Delfins which has a very nice pool area and DF is one of the largest shops on the island. We're staying at a 3 bd condo at Sand Dollar and getting our 10 and 11 yos certified at Buddy's. Buddy's has convenient logistics with Dive/Stay/Drive packages but you can also book everything separately and get a larger, nicer oceanfront condo for the same price or less. Both Buddy's and Dive Friends have great reps for working with children, and our kids had a good Bubblemaker experience with VIP in Bonaire.

Staying somewhere with a great house reef will allow you to easily go diving right off your pier day or night -- places like Den Laman, Sand Dollar, Buddy's all have tanks on the pier for you. I also considered Divi, Delfins, and Harbour Village (I think Delfins and HV were too expensive for us and Divi's house reef didn't seem as appealing as Sand Dollar/Den Laman/Buddy's).

 

[CT Sean]

Having just done Boston to Bonaire through MIA on American, I strongly recommend direct from JFK or EWR. Having to go through passport control, collect bags, and go back through security in Miami on the way home sucks. We had a 3 hour layover that was reduced to 2 hours due to a late departure from BON. After a baggage claim mess up (The second load of everyone's luggage was put on the wrong belt) and connecting flight security, we had 9 minutes to grab a snack before boarding to BOS started.

We had similar delays 2 years ago in Miami as well. A 3 hours layover ended up being 30 mins to boarding after finishing connecting flight security.

 

[ScottsdaleSteve]

Having just done Boston to Bonaire through MIA on American, I strongly recommend direct from JFK or EWR. Having to go through passport control, collect bags, and go back through security in Miami on the way home sucks. We had a 3 hour layover that was reduced to 2 hours due to a late departure from BON. After a baggage claim mess up (The second load of everyone's luggage was put on the wrong belt) and connecting flight security, we had 9 minutes to grab a snack before boarding to BOS started.

We had similar delays 2 years ago in Miami as well. A 3 hours layover ended up being 30 mins to boarding after finishing connecting flight security.

Totally agree on avoiding Miami if possible! Coming back from the Caribbean, I wouldn't book anything less than a 3 hour connection in Miami. Weather will cause delays. American Airlines will take 45 minutes to an hour to get your bags to baggage claim. And then there is NO TSA PRECHECK when coming in from international!

 

[NDL_Diver]

Miami is the one place I NEED my Global Entry. The others just make trave easier.

 

[SoccerDad]

Go. Go now. If you could, go 30 years ago. As good as it still is, Bonaire, unlike fine wine, has not improved with age (except the food choices and unbelievably, the roads). I am grateful I got to see it pre Lenny, when the only cruise ship was the Scientologists but if the creek don't rise we'll be there again come March, on a near giveaway flight with Jet Blue, enjoying what I believe to be one of the last shreds of the Carribean I remember from the previous century.

Be prepared however. Once you experience "total diving freedom" you'll be jaded towards the typical travel dive experience for life. And despite the impression you might get from the nattering nabobs of negativity, the diving is top notch.

It's not going to get better in your lifetime, I don't think. And the future is a funny thing, but nobody's laughing.

So go.

Nothing is the same and especially dive locations in the Caribbean after 30 years, so mentioning how it was to someone who has not been makes no sense, unless you just wanted to tell us all you were there when we had 8000 residents. Enjoy Bonaire diving, topside activities, people and you did get that correct the food is great but go off the beaten path the get real local food. Try goat pastrami. Best we can do is work to help the area we live in and the reefs because I would like my great grandkids to enjoy some great shore diving