New to diving / first time on Bonaire - questions

[bobdod04]

Hello, my fiance and I will be spending our honeymoon in Bonaire this coming September. We picked Bonaire because of the geography (South of the huricane belt) and found out that its a great diving destination, so we decided that it was time to get certified. We both now completed our classroom and pool dives for the PADI open water diver certification. Our options for completeing the certification are going to a quary in PA this weekend or doing the referral and completing the certification in Bonaire. We will not be staying at a resort as we are renting a house for the two weeks we will be on the island. The two of us would like to do some shore diving on our trip, but as we will be new divers we will probably want to do some group diving at first.

Does anyone have any advice for us regarding completing our certification (open water dives)? Should we do them in Bonaire, and which outfit would you recommend? I was thinking if we complete our certification there we might meet some other new divers and also learn a bit about diving around the island.

Additionally, we will need to rent all of our equipment (other than mask/snorkel/fins) while we are on the island. Any recommendations/advice about where to go?

We are really looking forward to our trip in a few weeks and reading this forum has proven to be very helpful in learning about the island and diving in general.

 

[DeputyDan]

You will get as many opinions about where to do your certification dives as their are members on this board. I always say train hard and dive easy. So - I would recommend certification dives in the cold dark (low vis) quarry. others will have different opinions and they are not right or wrong - just different.

As to who to use on Bonaire. First off - check with the folks you are renting the home from and see if they have a tie in to a dive operation. That may be the best way for you to go.

There are many different dive operations on the island - and almost all of them are good. Most folks here will have a favorite based on personal good experiences and familiarity as opposed to having a really bad experience.

Buddy Dive might be the most popular on the island Buddy Dive - Eat, Sleep, (Buddy) Dive!

Others are:

Wannadive Bonaire - Courses, shore and boat diving

Bonaire Dive and Adventure

Welcome to Dive Friends Bonaire

They are all fine and any will serve your needs. There are other dive operations as well

 

[chauncy19]

bobdod04
Deputydan has good words of wisdom about this board and diving in general. I will just add that I would personally use the Carib Inn or VIP diving if I was new to diving. Actually I recommend them no matter... Carib Inn is a small dive operation run by Bonaire Legend Bruce Bowker. Its a great operation and I am sure he has great rental equipment. Did dive with them several years ago and boat diving I did with them was the best imho on Bonaire. Gary a dive instructor,dive master seemed like he would be great person to learn from.

Vip Diving I don't know alot about the operations but did dive with Bas Noij founder and he is a GREAT dive master, instructor etc. Would love to dive with him again. Would also be more than willing to get instruction from him too
The other dive ops that deputydan mentions I am sure are great too. I do have some experience with WannaDive and really liked the owner Bart. Bottom line your choice of Bonaire is a great one and I am sure you'll have a great time!''
I am a confirmed warm water diver and would have gladly done my certification dives in Bonaire instead of the cold waters of Maine but it really does depend on what your intentions are. Deputydan is sure more knowledgeable than Iam about diving!

 

[NE_SSI_Diver]

First off, welcome to the world of diving! It is a beautiful, but often expensive place

Now to answer your questions:

1. As long as you know that you can handle diving in the quarry (I presume it's Dutch Springs) I would get certified in quarry. It will make your experience Bonaire so much better. You will also figure out if you like cold water diving.

2. I recommend Buddy Dive for a dive op. They are great, and even though you might not be getting certified with them, you can sign up for their boat dives. I would recommend boat diving for some reasons that I will explain latter. Another reason why I like Buddy Dive is that the offer Nitrox for free. However, if you don't plan on getting Nitrox Certified it doesn't matter.

3. I would recommend Boat Diving with Buddy Dive over shore diving, unless you are able to navigate under water. I loved boat diving with Buddy Dive, They can take you out to Klein Bonaire and also on a 3-tank trip to the park. I had one of my best dives off of Klein Bonaire. Back to the shore diving: while navigation can be as easy as you want to make it, it can still be intimidating to new divers. To make it easier you can snorkel out to the buoy and descend and then at the end of the dive you can ascend near the buoy and snorkel back. Most dives North of Kralendijk, Bonaire are sloping walls which make it an easy dive. However, towards the South, there is a double reef system which gets very confusing when trying to navigate (personal experience). Either way Bonaire is a wonderful place, both above and below water!

Good Luck with your Certification!

 

[wwguy]

IMHO you should make the extra effort to do your open water dives before you go, for several reasons:
1) "Train hard and dive easy", as DeputyDan said. Your first dives in Bonaire's clear warm sea will seem less challenging after doing your open water dives at home.
2) You'll gain additional skill and experience before diving on your own in Bonaire.
3) You'll have more of your vacation time available to enjoy your new sport.

I also agree with DeputyDan's assessment of Bonaire dive operations. My personal favorites are Buddy Dive (first dove with them in '96) and Dive Friends Bonaire. Both of these operations, along with Wannadive, have multiple locations where you can pickup and return tanks for shore dives.

All offer dive packages for boat dives, shore dives, and combinations of both. Our personal preference is shore diving. (We visit Bonaire annually and haven't done a boat dive there since 2003.)

Check out the dive operation web sites and compare prices for dive packages and gear rental etc. Not all are the same.

For gear rental I'd consider Bruce Bowker's Carib Inn. Bruce has been running a small but top notch dive shop and operation for years. IMHO he's got the best dive shop and service skills on Bonaire. If I was using a rental regulator, i'd want it to be one that Bruce services regularly.

 

[Kharon]

Ditto the above post. I would definitely certify before going.

In addition, you might want to consider having your fridge stocked before you get there. Shopping is Easy with the Bonaire Personal Shopper Renee is most reliable and she also does guided dives & snorkeling.

I would encourage you to buy Bonaire: Shore Diving Made Easy. Bonaire Shore Diving Made Easy, BSDME, Author Susan Porter
It lists and evaluates all the marked and some unmarked dive sites.

My best tip for shore entry on Bonaire is to get geared up and get to the shore. Watch the rhythm of the waves and count. You will find one or a couple of really high waves and then a some (usually much) smaller waves. Once you determine the pattern you go as the big wave is breaking and get out far enough to float and put on your fins. NOTE: You definitely need boots and open back fins. The shore is rough with rock and coral.

Two places to dive if you only have full foot fins are "Yellow Submarine" and "Torrie's". See BSDME for details. There are a few other places (resorts where you pay a day use fee) where entry is from a dock or beach but for the most part you will be walking on some hard stuff and will need boots. Also, check for current and direction. At some sites there might be some and it's important to know the direction.

I recomend that you at least dive Torrie's, Yellow, and Angel (a double reef). Torrie's is a totally easy entry and not a long swim to the drop off. Stuff to see on the way. Lots of turtles there either north or south. Yellow is easy and you might see the eel that hangs midway to the drop around a very small coral head. Angel is a mind blower. Diving in a valley between two sheer slopes and fish everywhere. I envy you guys.

Last note - the freaking yellow rocks that mark the dive sites are much smaller than you might think. They are rocks not boulders. LOL. I missed sites because I wasn't looking for small enough rocks. Once you see the first you will adapt.

 

[-hh]

First off, welcome to the world of diving! It is a beautiful, but often expensive place

Now to answer your questions:

1. As long as you know that you can handle diving in the quarry (I presume it's Dutch Springs) I would get certified in quarry. It will make your experience Bonaire so much better...

I agree its probably Dutch, but it might alternatively be Willow Springs, PA. Getting the certification dives done in a local coldwater quarry will make one really appreciate the warm & clear waters of the tropics...even if the coldwater bug bites

For Bonaire, I see that the house rental has already been decided, so I'd factor in its location when deciding what dive operations are on your 'short list'. Carib Inn is down south of town and Buddy's is north of town, for example. You don't really want to have to make a 45 minute round trip drive just to get tanks before every dive, for example.

For the initial dives, I'd recommend paying to take the boat out. It is a bit easier in several ways, plus it is the only way to get over to the Klein Bonaire dive sites. Some of the businesses have lockers where you can store your (wet) gear down near their docks, so take along a padlock in case you choose to use one of these; others have equipment sheds which operate on an honor system, etc.

For shore diving - - and also for the rental house - - do be aware of the 'petty theft' issues on Bonaire and take all of the recommended precautions, both for rental cars and for rooms. This is the main reason why my non-diver wife so strongly dislikes Bonaire. Also, do be a quick learner on the different shore dive sites for how far you'll need to haul your gear to/from the water ... there's no shame in being lazy^H^H^H smart even if you're a fit young whippersnapper newlywed ... afterall, who's going to be chivalrously carrying HER gear to & fro? Do save some of your energy for other recreational activities too

If all is going ducky after the first week of diving, you might want to see about arranging a night dive at the town pier. I believe that this is still permitted, although it requires a local guide (or can be done by diveboat?). Expect it to take a couple of days advanced notice to schedule.



-hh

 

[tracydr]

Ditto the above post. I would definitely certify before going.

In addition, you might want to consider having your fridge stocked before you get there. Shopping is Easy with the Bonaire Personal Shopper Renee is most reliable and she also does guided dives & snorkeling.

I would encourage you to buy Bonaire: Shore Diving Made Easy. Bonaire Shore Diving Made Easy, BSDME, Author Susan Porter
It lists and evaluates all the marked and some unmarked dive sites.

My best tip for shore entry on Bonaire is to get geared up and get to the shore. Watch the rhythm of the waves and count. You will find one or a couple of really high waves and then a some (usually much) smaller waves. Once you determine the pattern you go as the big wave is breaking and get out far enough to float and put on your fins. NOTE: You definitely need boots and open back fins. The shore is rough with rock and coral.

Two places to dive if you only have full foot fins are "Yellow Submarine" and "Torrie's". See BSDME for details. There are a few other places (resorts where you pay a day use fee) where entry is from a dock or beach but for the most part you will be walking on some hard stuff and will need boots. Also, check for current an direction. At some sites there might be some and it's important to know the direction.

I recomend that you at least dive Torrie's, Yellow, and Angel (a double reef). Torrie's is a totally easy entry and not a long swim to the drop off. Stuff to see on the way. Lots of turtles there either north or south. Yellow is easy and you might see the eel that hangs midway to the drop around a very small coral head. Angel is a mind blower. Diving in a valley between two sheer slopes and fish everywhere. I envy you guys.

Last note - the freaking yellow rocks that mark the dive sites are much smaller than you might think. They are rocks not boulders. LOL. I missed sites because I wasn't looking for small enough rocks. Once you see the first you will adapt.

Great tips. Bonaire is a wonderful place to learn shore diving.
Though I've never used a boat diving service, we got nitrox from Wannadive last time in Bonaire and I found them somewhat friendlier to us than Buddy Dive. Just my experience. But, I've only used either shop for purchasing small bits of gear and our nitrox.
Wannadive just seemed to be friendlier, given we weren't spending gobs of money on classes or boats.
As for navigation, if you stick to sites in the middle of the island, navigation is quite easy and not critical. You can practically swim to shore and get out anywhere. It's much trickier up north of the oil storage area and down around Red/White Slave. I'd recommend staying in the middle, unless you hire a dive guide. There are some great guides and those sites in areas further out are my favorites.
As far as navigation, that is a skill you can practice on land with a compass. Go to a park or field and take a dive compass. There are plenty of guides online which can help you to learn how to use the compass. I highly recommend becoming proficient with it on land before getting confused in the water, anyway.

 

[divemonkey33]

+1 for getting certified before you go
+1 for Buddy

 

[Doctorfish]

My daughter did her open water a few years ago at Buddy Dive and it was an exceptional experience; they were patient, thorough, friendly and fun. I have no personal experience with training through the other shops but I would think they are all good. ( they have to be as it's competitive ). I would do it all through one operator, gear rental, completion of OW, boat diving and shore diving from their house reef. As you will be new divers, it will be easier to be centralized, rather than running all over the place. Once you are comfortable and certified, take advantage of some of the many shore dive sites on the island as well. Ask at the dive shop re local conditions, waves, entry etc. it changes from day to day. Navigating on shore dives on Bonaire is easy as it is all miniwall. Head up into the current on the way out and back the other way. I would suggest you do your first night dive at a shore site you have been diving regularly, then do the Salt Pier and Town Pier if open.