How do you round up the group while on Bonaire?

[song]

We've got 8 people traveling to Bonaire in early July. It's loosely a group since we are staying at a couple of different places but will try to coordinate dive & activities while there. I realize how spoiled we have gotten with our omnipresent cell phones at home, but what to do while traveling in a different country?

The AT&T international packages are still expensive. Could rent a phone while on Bonaire with a prepaid SIM card. But what do you do with your phone while diving...wouldn't want to leave it in the truck? We won't necessarily be doing every single dive together but will probably want to meet up at some point on each day. How do you handle it?

 

[under water]

Seems to me you sit down together and plan when the next time is you will sit down together.
Doesn't seem that difficult to me. It's how us old folks used to do it.

 

[b1gcountry]

Are you all diving with the same dive shop? That would be the best bet. Just meet at the shop each morning. Decide where you want to go. Split into groups based on who wants to go where, and dive.

I've met up with lots of folks at Bonaire. The best I've found is just to meet up at a pre-arranged time and place.

Tom

 

[diversteve]

I can think of a couple logical places to meet up. Anyone diving the south sites will be on the one main road going north past the airport and once you get north of Capt's Don's the same is true. At the south sites if you dive within one or two sites of your friends, you'll see them, most of the coastline is very flat with few trees. Only the north is hilly.

However if you go too far north, the road becomes one-way and you have to drive all the way around through Rincon back into Kralendijk from the NE. About 20mins. driving.

A couple of meeting options: The Lovers Ice Cream/Chat n' Browse parking lot by the rotary just south of the North dive resorts. It's right off the main road, there's also a small market and ATM at the bank next door. Chat n' Browse rents phones/sim cards also.

If you park along the lagoon south of the Plaza Resort, your friends will drive right by as that's the only way to get to the south sites or back to Kralendijk. Bring apples/carrots for the donkeys.

If the cruisers aren't in town, there's a couple places you can park/meet there as well. Just East of town there's a couple of small parking lots - one's just across from a strip mall that leads to the KFC.

Also you used to be able to park along the water in some areas near City Cafe also - at least temporarily. But not when a cruise ship is tied up at Town Pier. You wouldn't want to be in town anyway with 2000 cruisers - it's a pretty small place. I'd suggest that if you even see a cruise ship in port, you go the other way.

If anyone's diving with Buddy's, both of their locations. The drive-thru at Buddy's is located just off the road and there's plenty of space to wait nearby, their tank pick-up at BelMar to the south has room for maybe 2-3 cars without impacting their guests, it's right off the main road going to all the dive sites south. All of the south sites are no more than 100' or so off the main road so you 'll see your friends trucks anywhere in that area. Tie something unique to the antenna so you don't have to drive off the main road to check - there's a lot of similar looking dive trucks on Bonaire.

Any of the dive resorts. There's good diving at Capt' Don's (Cliff/LaMachaca), Buddy's (Buddy's Reef), Sand Dollar/Bonaire Dive/Adventure (Bari Reef), Eden Beach (Front Porch?), Divi Flamingo(Calabas Reef) and maybe the Plaza(18 Palms).

If you want to carry a phone, there's this: Witz Phone Locker. Not sure if it's 100% Waterproof at depth. I've used their smaller case for about 5 years now with no leaks but mine is quite a lot thinner - not sure if that would be a factor.

 

[song]

some in our group (females) are good at getting things organized, while others (males) can't seem to make much of a decision much less plan ahead. Guess we'll have to force the guys to make plans or else they can just get dragged along for the dive.

thanks for the meeting place suggestions. Especially helpful since half of us have never been to Bonaire before. Only 37 days until we arrive on the red-eye!

 

[DiveMaven]

If it were me, I'd do either one of two things: I'd either plan to meet for dinner every evening and plan the next day, or I'd plan on a central location to meet every morning and plan the day.

Where are you guys staying and who are you diving with? It looks like we'll be on island at the same time as you (29 days for us!).

 

[CLEAR BLUE]

I think you can rent phones at Chat and Browse.

 

[spectrum]

I'd stick to specified gatherings sort of like Dive Maven mentioned. The more integrated you try to be the more time you will waste in rendezvous and in overcoming group inertia. This is compounded by not lodging at the same site.

Pete

 

[almitywife]

why not at the end of the days diving and before people head off to their hotels you make plans for the next day?

 

[DiveMaven]

That only works if they're all diving the same sites everyday. Since they are a group of 8, they might want to break up into a couple of smaller groups to dive.