Planning 1st Trip to Bonaire, Happy Holiday Homes vs Sand Dollar?

[scubadada]

A fun dive with BD&A - we did it even though we stay south - is their Naturalist led REEF fishcount. You get waterproof counting gear and the naturalist carries waterproof fishcards. Afterwards you compile your finds and send it in to REEF. Bari has one of the highest number of counted fish species in the Caribbean - I'm sure influenced by their operation.

Does BDA still offer Naturalist dives? I wondered if they were able to replace Jerry Ligon after his death last year. We once did a naturalist dive with him and it was great, such a sad loss.

My wife and I did "Dive with the Naturalist" with Jerry Lignon in 2008. We learned a tremendous amount about fish identification and behavior during a couple hour interactive lecture with gorgeous slides and then a dive with Jerry on Bari Reef. This non-certification activity was one of the most valuable scuba classes I've taken, I still use information I learned on nearly every dive. This course is no longer listed on the BD&A website. Very sad that Jerry died one year ago, I'm very glad to have met him and to have taken his course.

BD&A does offer the PADI Underwater Naturalist specialty and this may be the intro class for the REEF Fish Survey. There are no REEF field stations listed on Bonaire. Bari Reef is listed as the #1 site in the Tropical Western Atlantic Region with 404 species. In fact, Bonaire has 7 of the top 10 sites, the other 3 are in Florida REEF Database Stats | Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF)

 

[diversteve]

We did the REEF count but not with Jerry as he was doing a BMP orientation at the same time. So at the time they had someone else doing it also. I don't remember his name.

Whether it's currently available since his death?

 

[scubadada]

We did the REEF count but not with Jerry as he was doing a BMP orientation at the same time. So at the time they had someone else doing it also. I don't remember his name.

Dive with the Naturalist with Jerry was not REEF fish count. The lecture was about half fish identification and half fish behavior and then reinforcing that on a dive on Bari, with an emphasis on behavior

 

[diversteve]

Read very carefully, I never said it was. I posted "Naturalist led" - you made the incorrect assumption based on follow-up posters comments that I meant the DWTN dive with Jerry.

I even mentioned in my post that you just quoted that Jerry did NOT lead the dive we did as he was doing their BMP orientation that morning.

We're apparently talking about two different things then.

We did a REEF fishcount with another staff member, myself/buddy and one other diver. No lecture/prep other than a basic description of the dive. I actually didn't participate but filmed it instead - the other two divers did though.

They carried waterproof check cards and pencils to mark the species as the BDA staff member (who also identified himself as a naturalist/science diver IIRC) pointed them out. Then they returned to shore, filled out a survey form and we were told they would submit it to REEF,

It was not Jerry as I knew who he was from watching a few minutes of his BMP lecture.

If you're going to correct me, at least get it right....sheesh.

 

[laikabear]

I emailed both Bonaire Dive & Adventure and Dive Friends Bonaire to ask about the various fish ID type class options and info about the instructors. I will post back when I get some replies.

We went with the 2BR at Sand Dollar. They said they don't have pull out sofas anymore and could bring in a mattress to put on the floor, but it is a $150 pp difference for the week. It's just not worth it. We can go "luxury" this time and maybe rough it more next time if we feel like we want to.

 

[scubadada]

Read very carefully, I never said it was. I posted "Naturalist led" - you made the incorrect assumption based on follow-up posters comments that I meant the DWTN dive with Jerry.

I even mentioned in my post that you just quoted that Jerry did NOT lead the dive we did as he was doing their BMP orientation that morning.

We're apparently talking about two different things then.

We did a REEF fishcount with another staff member, myself/buddy and one other diver. No lecture/prep other than a basic description of the dive. I actually didn't participate but filmed it instead - the other two divers did though.

They carried waterproof check cards and pencils to mark the species as the BDA staff member (who also identified himself as a naturalist/science diver IIRC) pointed them out. Then they returned to shore, filled out a survey form and we were told they would submit it to REEF,

It was not Jerry as I knew who he was from watching a few minutes of his BMP lecture.

If you're going to correct me, at least get it right....sheesh.

Overly sensitive, don't you think? You were right the 1st time, we were discussing two different things. Dive with the Naturalist died with Jerry...

 

[diversteve]

@scubadada
Sorry about that, was in a lousy mood this morning...not much sleep last night.

I'm dogsitting and she's a little whiner. Actually quite a repertoire of squeaks, grunts etc.

I really don't see how my sister stands it.

 

[scubadada]

@scubadada
Sorry about that, was in a lousy mood this morning...not much sleep last night.

I'm dogsitting and she's a little whiner. Actually quite a repertoire of squeaks, grunts etc.

I really don't see how my sister stands it.

No problem

 

[lunula]

On the breakfast buffet, some like it. I think it is a time killer and waste of money.

I have to agree with this. We stayed at Captain Don's our first trip to Bonaire and paid for the breakfast buffet and wish we hadn't. Most mornings there was nothing I wanted so I ended up eating cereal and/or toast with peanut butter. They ran out of peanut butter halfway through our trip and a few days they didn't even have bacon (which really annoyed my husband).

Since then, we just rent a condo (@ Sand Dollar) w/ a kitchen and we buy our own groceries. We also like walking to Between Two Buns (about 3 minute walk) for a latte or muffin and frequent it for lunch when we don't feel like making something.

We like Sand Dollar quite a bit and have rented the same unit a few times now. They have a great house reef and two dive shops on site. Easy drive to town for evening meal options (we always eat out for dinner).

 

[laikabear]

Thanks for everyone's advice!

Here's the trip report...