Lazy A$$ Bonaire

[KeithG]

Yep. It's going to happen. Once again. Thanks to my dive buddy and vacation co-coordinator (who has 13 more dives than me, but who is counting? Well she is...EVERY TRIP)

looking for lazy a$$ suggestions, feedback opinions, although we think we win regardless...

DO NOT talk about trucks & stick shifts & iron stone. I am looking for improvements in the less than 10 feet from scuba locker to splash world. Yes i am lazy, please blame Explorer Ventures (and especially Tim & Sandra!).

Divi (& dons! & buddies?) almost re-creates this minimal effort diving experience for us lazy people.

Nothing special. We have fallen into the repeat at the Divi Flamingo. We spice it up by looking for high end food.

Bonaire == 3 dives per day simple resort schedule.
- Morning dock dive for 70 - 90 minutes after the resort boats have left.
- afternoon boat dive (hopefully to Klien Bonaire but we really don't care enough to object) limited to 60 minutes (but I cheat and make sure we are last to re-board which many times gives us 70 minute bottom time as we out stare the only other experienced dive couple on the boat...
- dusk dive off the Divi dock. Spend huge amounts of energy trying to convince my dive buddy that the water is just as warm as it was this morning and she is not cold yet... I have developed very selective buddy monitoring skills after about 40 minutes in 15 feet at night.. I pretend to focus on camera, ignore shivering divebuddy, this often ends up with several in dive butt jabs and large Wine penalties at supper after surfacing with well over 1500 PSI

 

[jimw]

We dive Captain Don's in much the same manner--usually don't even get a rental vehicle........Dive out front and a few boat dives to Klein. Been around 20 times now and going again in June........Consider moving this to the Bonaire section--might be more interested folks that see it!

 

[Doctorfish]

Us too.
AM boat dive
Lunch
Early PM dive at Buddy reef or out by truck
Late PM dive at Buddy reef
Night dive at Buddy reef
Dinner

Rinse and repeat

Might mix it up with a Wildside 2 tank AM or a 3 tanker with Buddy's boat going north

Doesn't get much easier than rolling off the back of the boat or the dock.

We used to run all over the island and shore dive from Red Slave up to Bartol, but over the years, have gotten older and lazier. Also found that the house reef at Buddy Dive is about as good as any other shore dive on Bon.

 

[Damselfish]

We did the same long ago when we used to go to Bonaire - just boat dives and shore dives from our resort. Never shore dove around the island after our first trip to Bonaire - for the most part, we didn't think there is enough variety in the sites or critters to make it worth the bother. We got enough of what variety there was by boat.

My lazy a$$ suggestion is, why not do places other than Bonaire? If someone's priority is to mostly avoid boats/schedules, stick to calm water, and/or they don't mind humping gear around the island to get in many (not necessarily much different) dives and dive sites in for cheap, I understand the attraction of Bonaire. And I understand there are other qualities of Bonaire that appeal to some folks.

But if those aren't your priorities and you like or prefer boat diving, IMO there are places to go that have way more interesting lazy a$$ diving. (Including liveaboards, of course, the ultimate lazy a$$ dive vehicle.) Sometimes they're easier to get to, often they have better food, and sometimes they even have nice & easily accessible shore diving.

 

[KeithG]

We did the same long ago when we used to go to Bonaire - just boat dives and shore dives from our resort. Never shore dove around the island after our first trip to Bonaire - for the most part, we didn't think there is enough variety in the sites or critters to make it worth the bother. We got enough of what variety there was by boat.

My lazy a$$ suggestion is, why not do places other than Bonaire? If someone's priority is to mostly avoid boats/schedules, stick to calm water, and/or they don't mind humping gear around the island to get in many (not necessarily much different) dives and dive sites in for cheap, I understand the attraction of Bonaire. And I understand there are other qualities of Bonaire that appeal to some folks.

But if those aren't your priorities and you like or prefer boat diving, IMO there are places to go that have way more interesting lazy a$$ diving. (Including liveaboards, of course, the ultimate lazy a$$ dive vehicle.) Sometimes they're easier to get to, often they have better food, and sometimes they even have nice & easily accessible shore diving.

Totally agree on the live aboard idea. When not at Bonaire we are on a live aboard. Either Belize dancer or T&C explorer. these are our 3 goto dive destinations.

Do you have suggestions for other Caribbean alternatives to Bonaire?

The only one I am aware of that comes close is cocoview in Roatan. All other places seem to be 2/3 scheduled dives a day with maybe 1 night dive if you are lucky. And the scheduled dives are either "DM lead group dives" or way too short. Being real lazy, I hate to gear up for anything less than an hour dive.

---------- Post added March 27th, 2014 at 12:58 PM ----------

Us too.
AM boat dive
Lunch
Early PM dive at Buddy reef or out by truck
Late PM dive at Buddy reef
Night dive at Buddy reef
Dinner

Hang on. that's 4 dives! You are gearing up 1 time too many. Not nearly lazy enough.

Gotta stretch your dive time out a bit so you can avoid that extra effort.

4 dives a day should only be done on a live aboard where you do not have to drag bottles around or keep re-hanging your bcd for every dive.

 

[Pedro Burrito]

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A ScubaBoard Staff Message...

Moved to the Bonaire forum

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[mchiapetto]

Anthony's Key Resort is close to what you describe for lazy diving. The lockers are about 10 feet from the dive boats. But it is not the same freedom of schedule as on a live-aboard. They do schedule two AM, two afternoon and often an evening dive. And they handle all the tanks for you so it is similar to a live-aboard in that respect.

Keep in mind that our idea of lazy diving on a live-aboard is at least 5 and sometimes 6 dives per day. Typically our goal is to spend more of our awake time under water rather than above water.

 

[Damselfish]

Little Cayman Beach Resort is a pretty good all-around lazy destination. It's 3 scheduled dives and the occasional night dive - with no shore diving a lazy diver would consider - but the place makes you too lazy to do more anyway. And I'd rather 3 Little Cayman dives than 6 Bonaire dives. I think they request 50 minutes the first dive (and 60 on the others), but you can probably stretch it out a little if you get your lazy a$$ in the water first. Like many places, they may do guided dives by default, but have been fine with anyone competent going off on their own - we pretty much never dive with the guides there. BCs/regs get left on the boat so not much gear effort, and the AI meals are no effort and pretty good. Just steps from food to bar to pool to jacuzzi to hammock to boat. Not necessarily in that order.

Compass Point/Ocean Frontiers - East End Grand Cayman - can be another good lazy place (but again with no shore diving that wouldn't require a drive and too much effort to qualify.) 2 tank morning dives, 2 tank afternoon dives, a couple night dives. We also don't usually dive with the guides here and they're reasonably generous with times. (Much of this has changed from some years back.) They take care of ALL gear if you want, just stroll down the dock to the boat. Good food is somewhat less convenient, but I'm fine with that, and the options on that end of the island have improved.

We just did a trip to the Bay Islands. A week at XBalanque on Roatan, which now has it's own dive op. Followed by a week on the Caribbean Pearl. I have to finish my reviews, but suffice to say it met our criteria for lazy diving pretty well. (Though no shore diving, and if we hadn't been going on the liveaboard the second week we would have had to make a little more effort to get in sufficient dives to keep us happy for the land-based part.) I liked the diving and food way better than at Cocoview, although XBalanque needs to work on it's food to make it match the place, and we ate in West End many nights.

Kura Hulanda Lodge on Curacao almost works, and the on site shore diving is very good, but everything there winds up being more effort than it should be to qualify for a good "lazy" rating. And with a couple exceptions it's too far to good food. Still a good place to go though, and while it's close to Bonaire the dive sites have much more variety.

We may sometime try Barefoot Cay on Roatan. And I have wondered if Turneffe Island Resort might fit the bill...?


(You might gather I'm not only a lazy diver, but prefer as nice a place as I can get that still works for the diving...)

 

[Lorenzoid]

deleted

I have no idea what the OP is asking.

 

[drrich2]

I think he's looking to reduce the 'bother factor' of shore diving Bonaire, as opposed to, say, a live-aboard.

I'd aim for easy entry/exit sites like Windsock, preferably sites with short swim outs, and where I could park the truck really close to the entry (sort of the opposite of 1,000 Steps).

Richard.