Moving your gear around on Bonaire

[diversteve]

I take a plain room towel and wrap my mask computer etc. in it. My video camera in it's housing. It goes on the backseat. Fins BC etc. do also - or on the floor. It will be immediately obvious when you see the salt stains on the back seat that it's not the first time that's been done. So in town or anywhere (except at the dive sites) where you want to leave the truck for a short while, you can lock the doors.

The reason there's theft outside of town is - IMO - it's mostly kids/teens, they have all day to watch for traffic and they know the places to hide. Also that most divers are typically gone an hour. At some locations they're likely watching you hide whatever you think you're being smart about also...so don't. The reason for the windows down is so you don't have to pay to replace one. And have to get the glass off the seat - a piece of coral rubble makes a pretty effective window breaker. You'll notice the glass mixed in the sand at some dive sites.

Tanks in the back since no one will touch them. Depending on the vintage of the truck they can have very nice tank racks or smashed up old 2x4' racks in back. Or nothing.

When we hit the water there is nothing in the truck but the towel and a bottle of water. I don't carry my phone, car keys go in a small plastic case on a lanyard around my neck along with $20/credit card and occasionally my c-card if we're diving with someone other than our package dive operator. It's one of these: Witz from LeisurePro - the under $10 ones. I usually bring pliers in my save a dive kit and liberate the car key from whatever the rental company has it attached to so it's thinner. I have yet to rent a vehicle with a smart key but they are there now also - I suspect Budget/Avis etc. at the airport has them.

The reason I think my case works is that there is an o-ring and the case itself is not very thick so the pressure can't get to it. For glasses I might use their glasses case - if it leaked no big deal. I'm pretty sure I would not trust my phone in their phone case though - I think it's more for surface watersports protection.

Your stuff will be 1/2 dry by the time you get out of the water and pack it all and move to the next site. It's a desert island so even in Nov. it's going to be warm and sunny. There's no facilities at any of them so you're not doing a lot of rinsing till back at the Dive Hut anyway unless you dive at a resort where they have showers, lockers etc. Etiquette there is to at least check-in with the onsite operator. At Habitat they're going to charge you $5 for use of the facilities. I'd also rent tanks to use the dock at Bari Reef since the owner is pretty fussy about non-condo guests using it.

I wear microfiber shorts and a t-shirt which is also my dive suit. My buddy wears a 3mil so he changes in/out after dives. Since you should have bought good treaded boots for Bonaire just drive in them. Or old flip-flops.

Since the Dive Hut is in town, you're really not more than 15mins. away from any dive site unless you go far south or into Slagbaai Park. If you want to dive the park sites, I'd suggest you do it on Buddy Dive's or Dive Friends boat trip instead. (there's others also) The longest drive you'll have is if you pass the one-way going to Karpata etc. then you have to drive around thru Rincon and back to town - that takes about 20-30 mins.

Since you're diving with Wannadive, they have two other tank exchange locations - their main shop at Eden Beach north and a tank exchange only point at Windsock Beach south of the airport in Belnem. Which is actually one of the easier entries also so a good place to start. They have showers/rinse tanks etc. there also IIRC.

I believe you'll do your BMP orientation at Wannadive/Eden Beach first since the Dive Hut isn't waterfront.

 

[RJP]

I still have to contact the Divehut about there locking / not locking policy.

You already know the answer.

The "doors not locked, windows down" policy is universal on Bonaire.

 

[redacted]

When we hit the water there is nothing in the truck but the towel and a bottle of water. I don't carry my phone, car keys go in a small plastic case on a lanyard around my neck along with $20/credit card and occasionally my c-card if we're diving with someone other than our package dive operator. It's one of these: Witz from LeisurePro - the under $10 ones. I usually bring pliers in my save a dive kit and liberate the car key from whatever the rental company has it attached to so it's thinner. I have yet to rent a vehicle with a smart key but they are there now also - I suspect Budget/Avis etc. at the airport has them.

The reason I think my case works is that there is an o-ring and the case itself is not very thick so the pressure can't get to it. For glasses I might use their glasses case - if it leaked no big deal. I'm pretty sure I would not trust my phone in their phone case though - I think it's more for surface watersports protection. .

I had one of those cases implode at 90 ft. But the o-ring held.

 

[Dimitri M.]

So I contacted Divehut and they also have the keep the windows and doors open policy. Roland told me that he normally hides the key somewhere near/on the car because you can not take the key with you underwater because it has one of those transponders. I guess we will have to get creative

I also found out that the bottles rented by Wannadive are all Yoke, but I was under the impression -for some reason- that the entire island used DIN, luckily when can rent adapters for a Dollar a day from them.

 

[DeputyDan]

Do not leave your dive gear over night in the public lock up area. Other divers will steal it.... just ask GypsyJim here about that.
I take a beach towel to put the gear on when we take it to the room at night.
We also do not leave the gear in the truck for lunch. We almost always go back to the room for lunch and go out for dinner.
If we do stop somewhere, someone stays with the truck while there is gear in it.

 

[tursiops]

Do not leave your dive gear over night in the public lock up area. Other divers will steal it.... just ask GypsyJim here about that.

LOL and ask 5000 others who have NOT had something stolen!

 

[Lorenzoid]

I also found out that the bottles rented by Wannadive are all Yoke, but I was under the impression -for some reason- that the entire island used DIN, luckily when can rent adapters for a Dollar a day from them.

One might think that with the Dutch influence the island would be more DIN. But almost all tanks available from almost all dive operators are yoke.

 

[Dimitri M.]

One might think that with the Dutch influence the island would be more DIN. But almost all tanks available from almost all dive operators are yoke.

Maybe it is because the majority of tourists that come to Bonaire are Americans, by using Yoke they need fewer adapters

I also remember reading somewhere that yoke bottle are more robust, but I can't see how that is. Maybe because there is no hole?

 

[Lorenzoid]

Maybe it is because the majority of tourists that come to Bonaire are Americans, by using Yoke they need fewer adapters

Yes, despite the many Dutch and other European visitors, I would guess that North Americans still make up the majority.

I also remember reading somewhere that yoke bottle are more robust, but I can't see how that is.

A DIN valve-to-reg connection is more mechanically robust. However, dive operators might prefer yoke valve for rental tanks, because yoke valves are less readily damaged when they are NOT connected to a reg, such as when a tank is being loaded into a truck. The DIN valve receptacle or its threads are more prone to damage due to being thrown around in the back of trucks or from people inadvertently cross-threading them, etc. I have rented a few DIN tanks that would not accept my reg because someone had damaged the DIN valve receptacle/threads. DIN is good for people who take good care of their tanks.

The removable plug that facilitates conversion between DIN and yoke is a great invention. However, I suspect that the plugs could easily be lost from rental tanks.

Hence, yoke valve seems to be more popular for rental tanks everywhere except places that cater to technical divers or Europeans.

 

[oregondiver]

We use an IKEA bag to haul dive gear between dive/to and from condo. Less fancy looking than a mesh bag. And doubles as a grocery bag when we head to vander tweel for groceries. Fast drying to bring home, looks "Trashy" when left in a pickup.See if they have a truck without transponders in the key. I am pretty certain buddy dive/dive hut doesn't have newer vehicles with the transponders in the key. At least the rigs we used in February didn't. I will find out again on Saturday...Shell