Long Overdue Bonaire Trip Report (May 2006)

[alwaingold]

Rob and I went to Bonaire last May, and afterwards, we wrote a trip report. But we never got around to linking to it from our website, or posting it here. Whoops. Well, here it is:

http://coldwaterkitty.blogspot.com/2006/05/bonaire-may-2006.html

 

[frogoutofwater]

Thanks for the link to the detailed report. May I ask a couple of questions about Den Laman? The condos look great, but I am wondering about the dive shop there. I read a few mixed reviews of their operations, including a few reviews that suggested a) they didn't have enough equipment (including weights) for divers, b) their dive boat was tiny, overcrowded and difficult/dangerous to manoevre in.

I don't mind diving from a small boat (maybe the reviewers I read were expecting a luxury, full-service dive boat with platform, WC and people to wait on them), but I do want to dive safely and comfortably. Mr. frogoutofwater and I are relative novices (he's got about 50 dive over 15 years, mostly in the last few years and I've got about 35 dives, all in the last few years). We'll need to rent all of our equipment except masks and snorkels, so we want to use a dive shop with good rental gear. If it makes any difference, we'd be going in the (Oct or Nov) and maybe it would be less crowded then.

The second question I had is about mosquitoes. I am a bug magnet and react very badly to bites. I realise that it's impossible to avoid mosquitoes when one wants to dive in the tropics, but at the same time I know that mosquito levels can vary drastically from one island to another - and from one resort/condo to another. Bug levels can be affected by matters like strong breezes, presence of standing water (e.g. near the dive op) and regular spraying around buildings. How did you find Den Laman? Average bug-wise, low bug-wise, or buggy?

The third question is whether, if you made the trip again, would you book a studio again or would you upgrade to a 1 BR? I read that studios face the parking lot. What about 1BRs? Did you have a look at any and, if so, do you think it would have been worth an extra few hundred?

Thanks.

 

[piikki]

I wonder what is the reason for nitrox to get locked off earlier? And were the night lockers you mentioned allocated per condo?

Frog: I saw a floorplan somewhere for Den Laman, I think all the 1BR faced the water.

 

[Fab]

Absolutely AMAZING photos!! Beautiful!!! Do you mind me asking...what camera & housing did you use?? Did you use a strobe?

Is Curacao as beautiful as this place?!!!

 

[scubatexastony]

Is Curacao as beautiful as this place?!!!

More! It just takes longer to see all of Curacao!
http://www.allenhost.com/gallery/v/scubatexastony-photos/Living-in-Curacao/

tony

 

[drrich2]

At Eden Beach Resort earlier 3/3-3/10/07, we had maybe 3 to 4 mosquitos in our room over the course of the week. A fairly strong, regular breeze over outdoor Bonaire made mosquitos seem pretty much a non-issue outdoors.

Richard.

 

[alwaingold]

I read a few mixed reviews of their operations, including a few reviews that suggested a) they didn't have enough equipment (including weights) for divers, b) their dive boat was tiny, overcrowded and difficult/dangerous to manoevre in.

We brought our own gear, but it was delayed the first day. They provided us with rental gear for free, and at that time, they appeared to have ample gear. At some point, I think I also traded in my weight because I wanted to adjust that and again, no problem.

The boats are small. I think we were always in the smaller boat (30ft boat, max 10 divers). I think we were in it with the max number of divers at least once. If all of the divers on the boat were competent with their gear and didn't screw around, it wouldn't be an issue at all. But there are always those people standing in the middle of the aisle while you are trying to get by But I definitely wouldn't say they are "unsafe" to maneuver in. I am not a huge fan of diving off boats, and this was at the time the smallest boat I'd ever dived off of, and I was fine with it. You do a backroll entry, which I had never done before, but it was pretty fun (and I am terrified of the giant stride!). Also, they do one tank trips, which I found very convenient, and the sites are all pretty close, you aren't on the boat that long. Obviously for a long boat ride, it would be a bit cramped.

You should seriously consider bringing your own fins and booties, because they only rent full foot fins (because they say renting booties is gross, which I agree with). If you want to do any shore diving at all, you will need some sturdy booties.

How did you find Den Laman? Average bug-wise, low bug-wise, or buggy?

I didn't have any problems with mosquitoes at Den Laman. There were a couple of outdoor restaurants were mosquitoes got me, but that was it.

The third question is whether, if you made the trip again, would you book a studio again or would you upgrade to a 1 BR?

The studios do face the parking lot, but I didn't care. If noise is your concern, that's not a problem. Now if you want an oceanview, that's different. We spent enough time being under/on/next to the water, that I didn't care. The only reason I would consider a 1BR is so that Rob could watch TV (or at least keep the lights on) after I went to sleep. I was totally pooped by the end of each day. Somehow 4 or 5 dives a day doesn't phase Rob

 

[alwaingold]

I wonder what is the reason for nitrox to get locked off earlier? And were the night lockers you mentioned allocated per condo?

I assumed the nitrox thing was either related to controlling who can take nitrox tanks, or not leaving the analyzer out when there is no staff around. The night lockers were per person, we brought our own locks, but they also have locks you can use. They said not to leave other gear in the lockers because they weren't *that* secure.

Fab: I will tell Rob to post the details of his camera...

 

[rhlee]

Absolutely AMAZING photos!! Beautiful!!! Do you mind me asking...what camera & housing did you use?? Did you use a strobe?

Is Curacao as beautiful as this place?!!!

Thanks. I'm shooting an Olympus C5000 using the Olympus PT-019 housing. The camera model is discontinued, but up until recently anyway, you could pick up the camera for cheap on ebay and the housing for cheap from adorama.

I used a SeaLife 960D strobe which I have since replaced with a nicer one. The strobe was just 'ok'. It got the job done, but left much to be desired. Were I to do it again, I would pony up more money for the strobe to begin with. This is perhaps more important in our local conditions than in the carribbean. I also used an Epoque WA lens for many of the shots.

 

[kwonger81]

We were in Bonaire in January and we stayed at DL and loved it. We stayed in a 2BR oceanview (not oceanfront) with another couple and the unit was incredibly nice and the staff were great. We'd stay there again in a flash. We ate at their restaurant one night and the food was fine (can't remember getting bitten); the bartenders/waiters Carlos and Fito are the unbelievably friendly and helpful (they helped us make reservations at other restaurants!) But there definitely are mosquitos around the island so make sure you bring some DEET with you - there were other restaurants (most are open air) we went to where we got bitten. I don't think the bug situation is worse at DL than anywhere else.

BD&A was fantastic. We rented all our gear other than mask/fins/boots/snorkel - no problems at all with the gear. Tank use is on the honour system. It was like $12 if you used 1 tank and then $20 for 2+ (or $120 for 6 days of unlimited tanks). Free nitrox with BD&A (you can get certified there if you aren't already). I'm definitely getting my nitrox certification before our next trip.

I would highly recommend bringing booties for doing shore diving. My wife and I being total beginners (6 dives logged each over a 2 year period), we mostly dove off the dock at Bari Reef, but we did venture out to Buddy Reef and Oil Slip Leap and are looking forward to doing more shore diving on our own on our next trip. Lots of posts on this board explaining to newbies like us how to do it without a DM. And there are always lots of people on the dock you can hook up with for some diving.

We did 1 boat dive (so that we could have a DM) to Karpata (a wonderfully scenic dive). The boat was small but we only had 6 divers plus the DM so it wasn't an issue. The waves were an issue, however, and I ended up feeding the fish after my dive there. A lot of the boat dives are to places that you can access from shore - the benefits of the boat dives are: a) you don't have to lug your gear around as much; b) you've got a DM as a guide; and c) the entries for some of the shore dives can be challenging (such as Karpata, depending on the waves). Otherwise, a lot of people recommend skipping boat dives and just doing shore diving with a rental truck (we managed to do it, with gear for 4 using a car - a Mitsubishi Lancer. Tt's not optimal, but it can be done)

Some restaurants we enjoyed included: Patagonia (awesome steak -apparently the original management of Casablanca left and opened this place), It Rains Fishes, Whataburger, Mona Lisa, Cactus Blue, Pasa Bon Pizza (supposedly the best pizza on the island, but they were sold out when we went so we'll have to wait until next time to find out). Getting groceries for breakfast and lunch is a good way to save money (the chicken patties at the bakery of Cultimara make a good lunch when fresh)

All in all, we LOVED Bonaire. Our only complaint about Bonaire is the PBD (Post-Bonaire Depression); it can be bad, real bad... We're definitely hooked and plan to go back sometime in 2008.

Well, my short reply turned out to be a trip report of sorts (been busy since our return so I haven't had a chance to post one yet)

Have fun!

Jeff.