Newbie/newlywed Bonaire Honeymoon

[dmg6768]

Hello there.

I and my future wife will be getting our AOW cert this April. We are also getting married November 9th and hopefully leaving for Bonaire on the 11th. We want to stay about 8 days. We're strongly considering a dive package at Caribbean Club Bonaire for our honeymoon trip and I would love to hear any tips and advice from experienced divers/travelers of Bonaire. Has anyone's experience been good/bad with CCB? Any input would be great.

Most importantly, is most of Bonaire an adequate location for inexperieced divers such as myself? We should have logged several dives by the time the trip comes around, but probably nothing like Bonaire. Probably some local quarry dives and some gulf coast short trips for starters to gain experience and familiarity.

As far as our equipment goes, I'll have all my equipment purchased and tested. She, on the other hand, will be renting. I assume rental equipment should be readily available, but I don't want to assume too much. Is it? CCB will be providing a truck rental, and I've read a few stories about theft. Is this a common problem? I read that we should only bring what we will be taking underwater, with the exception of a towel and some snacks, so as not to have anything of value stolen. Leave the windows down and doors unlocked, right?

I speak English and a little Spanish, my Fiancee is fluent in Spanish and English. Will we be able to communicate effectively for our purposes?

I'm sure I'll have more questions as the trip nears, but for now I would like any and all help that is convenient for you to offer. I will also be searching the board for my answers, but current answers are always more informative, imo.

Thank you so much in advance and I can't wait to hear your advice and stories.

-Dylan (super newbie)

 

[diverjen]

Congratulations on your upcoming Wedding. I can't comment on CCB. However, Bonaire was our first destination after OW certification and compared to the gravel pond we certified in it felt much easier due to way better viz and way less exposure protection and thus weight. If you are anxious you can hire a DM for your first dive or two. I am sure which ever OP you use can accommodate or for especially great treatment do a dive with VIP divers, we used them for our first ever night dive and I can't say enough good things about them.

i am sure the dive op you use will have rentals, but if not another option is Bruce Bowkers Carib Inn dive shop, I have heard great things about his rentals and repairs and reasonable prices.

Your summary about the truck situation seems right on.

Everyone speaks English well enough to get around. The only lost in translation experience we had was buying dry goods at the grocery stores which were labeled in Dutch. Nothing major though.

You guys will have a great time!

 

[diversteve]

Caribbean Club is a Buddy Dive affiliated property. They have a dive shop on-site - Caribbean Club Divers. Everything you need to rent is available. Rental and Repair Every resort has one on-site or works with a local affiliated shop so finding rental gear is not a problem should you decide on another resort.

Also that means you get to use the Buddy Dive Drive-thru tank facility when shore diving elsewhere. I believe - but am not positive that you can also exchange tanks at the 3rd Buddy location at Belmar condos on the south side. It's 5 mins. from the start of the southern dive sites.

I only speak English and had no problems. Most Bonaireans speak English, Dutch, Papimientu and some German.

The U.S. Dollar has been the official currency on Bonaire for several years now so it's easier to do all your transactions.

CCB is a little far north in a quieter area. That can be good and bad depending on what you want. It's not waterfront but the views are better since it's up on a low hill. For boat diving you'll have a short drive to Buddy Dive's boats - or others. We stay at the other affiliated property - Belmar. The way it works there is you get a piece of paper for your dash to use the drive-thru and the shop will have your names added to the boat sign-up sheet at Buddy's when asked.

You'll be driving from there to Kralendijk - it's a few minutes ride. The nearby dive resorts have a bar/restaurant on-site but most of that is in town also. It's fairly expensive but It Rains Fishes would be good for a nice dinner one night. Food, service, view were all great.

While the Bowker suggestion is a good one, that would be too far to drive - Carib Inn is south of town - CCB is about 10mins. north of town. You would pass at least a dozen other dive shops getting there. Bruce will be a good option if you break something on your personal gear - not very likely to happen though.

Most of the dive resorts are also on known dive sites. So you might start with a couple of those to get an idea of what to expect. Most Bonaire diving is very similar except the entries can be over rougher ironshore and coral rubble. The reef parallels the shore line and the visibility often exceeds 100'. Most have reef balls marking the start of the drop-off - we often spot the rope as we're returning from a dive - the water is that clear. Mid-island there's little to no current - if you find a little dive into it and let it help you back.

The ends of the island are considered more advanced dives primarily because there is some current - as new divers that would be something to do on a future trip. Just stay clear of the red "A's" on this list and you'll be fine. Info Bonaire - Map of All Bonaire Dive Sites

Do a couple of boat dives also, there's some nice dives at Klein Bonaire. Also Small Wall or Rappel nearby are boat-only good dives. Even 1000 Steps, I'd prefer to do it off a boat than walk back up all those steps (64) with gear.

A good starting shore dive is Windsock near the airport. It's a simple entry - walk in off the beach. At other locations, previous divers may have piled up coral rubble indicating the best entry point. At some sites there are sand channels that break the ironshore and lead out to deeper water. We looked for those - why risk getting cut up or falling when you don't need to. Salt Pier is another good easy dive, there's a small beach area just north of the 1st pier that you can walk out from - you will hit ironshore deeper but by then you're floating. The pier itself is only diveable if no ship is loading and check in at the Cargill office 1st. The deepest set of pilings is only about 45' and lots of stuff lives there. The dull brown stuff on the ropes/structure could be Fire Coral so don't touch that.

You can see a lot of the entries in the site descriptions here: Scuba Shore Diving Region: ABC Islands

They'll take the snacks if you're unfortunate enough to run into one of the band of kids that do that...LOL. Buy something like this to take the room key, car key etc. with you. witz cases - Search Results for witz cases - LeisurePro

 

[chauncy19]

have never stayed there but I think its a wise choice staying at Caribbean Club. Have been going to Bonaire for many years and do like this location although as mentioned never stayed there. You'll have no problems with rentals etc. Your future wife's Spanish will come in handy for communicating with wait staff etc. as Spanish is spoken widely by working people you will encounter. Don't need it to order but will serve you well. Bonaire is a great place for diving of every kind. wish you much happiness in your life together!

 

[DeputyDan]

I have stayed there. Get one of the more expensive units with the ocean view. My wife prefers over Buddy Dive. Another option that may work for you is Den Laman. The Buddy Dive folks handle CCB club as indicated above. They also handle the Belmar which I liked better than Buddy Dive as well.

 

[uncfnp]

Unless you are set on a dive resort consider Beachcomber Villas. You could not ask for a more convenient location, privacy, or beautiful ocean view with a huge terrace. And very secure. Search Beachcombers Villas on SB and google. The reviews are accurate.

 

[jujubeess]

Hello Dylan,
Congrats. I got certified in a refreshing temp of 48 degrees 1 month before my wedding in New York, so that I can go scuba diving instead of snorkeling at my wedding destination in Antigua. Every year since then, we have been going to Bonaire and fell in love with the island and the people who live there. We have always stayed at the Divi Flamingo. The location is great(walking distance to town), rooms are great and they have one of the best diving operations on the island. They have 5 boats and a dive shop and everyone gets their own locker, right on their pier.....very convenient. We always rent our truck from Poppy(Telerin), and never any problems. Please private e-mail me if you have any other questions. I would be more than happy to help you further. I've done my research on about every thing and every place on Bonaire.

 

[boat sju]

dmg,

We stayed at CCB last year. A couple of things that we really appreciated: Very efficient airport transfers and the rental truck was taken care of at the resort. We got the truck right there and just left the keys when we left.

 

[dmg6768]

Thanks everyone for the great answers.

Good advice on hiring a DM for our first few dives. Probably will go that route for sure.

We are planning on booking the honeymoon cottage, Dan. From the pictures it looks like that one has a ocean view.

 

[DeputyDan]

Thanks everyone for the great answers.

Good advice on hiring a DM for our first few dives. Probably will go that route for sure.

We are planning on booking the honeymoon cottage, Dan. From the pictures it looks like that one has a ocean view.

I think that you are correct....