BigDaddyGlad
Contributor
I've returned from my trip to Diver's Paradise, and thought I'd write out some thoughts for those who might be interested. I've been to Bonaire 4 time previously: thrice for the day via cruise ships, and last year when I spent a week in a 2-bedroom apartment at Buddy Dive. I did feel, after our trip last year, that 17 unguided dives in one week made me a far more proficient diver, so I was excited to see what skills I could improve upon this year. This year's trip was myself and two dive buddies.
I left my home on May 10 with 70 dives in my log. I had initially booked my flights with United, flying YYZ to BON through EWR, but several months ago they switched the flight to connect through IAH, adding a couple more hours travel time. I guess, with the recent situation at EWR, it was probably for the best as flights were otherwise uneventful and we arrived on time in beautiful Bonaire.
Our truck was rented through AVIS. I had a rate which couldn't be beat: $295 for the week. The initial truck was a Mitsubishi with about 64,000km. It died on day 3 at the Hilma Hooker site. AVIS sent out a mechanic, who swapped the battery (didn't work) and then pulled out the whack-stick and started banging at something under the wheel well. Eventually, they determined the key was at fault and drove me back to the airport to swap out for a Changan truck. This time, the key was electronic, so I finally had the chance to use my DryFob (thanks Jann!), which performed perfectly. Other than that 2-hour delay, the truck was just fine, and the return at the airport was easy and quick. For 300 bucks, I wouldn't hesitate to use AVIS next time.
We did run into the folks who rented the Ultimate Dive Truck. For those who have considered it and have the means, it certainly looks like a major upgrade over the basic pickup!
Our home for the week was Kas Manta, a 3-bedroom/3-bathroom villa in the Water Villas community just north of the airport. This rental was a great experience. Communications before the trip were clear and concise, Shanna met us at the airport upon arrival and Lotte met us at the villa to show us where everything was. The villa was very clean, and had everything we could need or want, except for a toaster and a microwave. We made do, but those two omissions should be noted. We also forgot to bring power adapters, and all but two outlets in the villa are EU outlets, so we had to purchase adapters to plug in phone chargers and CPAPs. There are hangers for gear, and a rinse tank, however we weren't able to figure out how to fill the rinse tank, so we never used it. The back deck, overlooking the lagoon, was heavenly. We ate meals out there, chilled in the pool, and enjoyed our post-dive beverages on the very comfortable outdoor couch. Buddy Dive was great, but we all agreed Kas Manta was even better.
We got some groceries at the Van den Tweel, and some at the Chinese market north of Buddy Dive. We prepared breakfasts in the villa every morning, and returned for lunch and a nap after our morning dives.
Tanks and weights came from VIP Diving. We all have our favourites, but VIP has been my operator of choice on Bonaire since my first visit. I dive 100cf DIN tanks, and VIP provides allen keys to easily remove the inserts for DIN divers. Buddy Dive did not, and I had to use an adapter last year. All fills were 3000psi+, at a consistent 31 or 32% for Nitrox. While the drive through at VIP is only open 8:00 - 5:00, the rinse tanks are open 24/7. I understand VIP recently had an ownership change, but the only thing I noticed was the new fleet of trucks. Otherwise, the staff were friendly and helpful as ever.
With six diving days available to us, our goal was a minimum of 16 dives for the week and we hit 17:
- Salt Pier (good thing we did it day 1, as there were ships in port every other day)
- Bari Reef (Isidel park is very nice with the renovations)
- Oil Slick Leap (entry off the cliff, of course!)
- 1000 Steps
- Bachelor Beach
- Hilma Hooker (always do this one early in the morning before the crowds silt up the place)
- Something Special
- Buddy's Reef
- La Dania's Leap (with the exit at Karpata)
- Karpata ( I overshot the exit by about 200m on this one. Missed the mooring lines completely!)
- East Coast 2 dives (didn't catch the name of the first site, but dive 2 was Turtle City)
- Margate Bay
- Angel City
- Invisibles (ostracod dive!)
There is certainly a noticeable amount of bleaching happening on the reef. The vibrant colours I remember from my earlier visits to the island are fewer between, though the purple sponges seem to be still doing okay. The northern sites appeared healthier to my eye, with the brain corals particularly effected. That said, there is still an overwhelming abundancy of sealife on the reef. We saw more turtles on this trip -- and not even counting Turtle City -- than I can remember seeing before. Eagle rays and sting rays were plentiful. No green morays, but spotted eels were swimming freely. On one of our night dives, we saw 3 tarpon strikes and 1 eel strike. I'd never witnessed that before. Conditions were ideal all week, with water temps around 28*C and air temps around 32*C. Visibility was outstanding and we didn't have to deal with current at all. We dove when we wanted, where we wanted and happy with the 17 dives we did.
It was our first time doing any diving on the windward side, and I was very impressed with East Coast divers. Zin and Jethro were our guides and they were both excellent. The boats they use are RIBs, and entry is done via backroll. Both dives were great, with a lot of surge at Turtle City which was fun! I would absolutely add the East Coast dives to our next visit to Bonaire, as the dives are different from what you'll see on the leeward side. I do also want to specifically mention the ostracod dive: if you've never done it before, I cannot recommend it more. It only happens for 4 nights after a full moon, but it is an absolutely magical experience. I'm happy to answer any questions about it!
As great as the island is for diving, dining is also a high point on Bonaire. I've used this sticky on Reddit to source restaurants for the past couple years, and it's been a great resource. We had meals at La Cantina, Pizza Mare, Sebastian's, Capriccio, the Dominican food truck at the car wash, and Zara's. All were excellent, though I will once again bring attention to the Chef's Table at Zara's as being among the best meals I've ever had in my life. This place deserves to be much busier than it has been in each of my visits.
Saturday was our off-gassing day, so we did the mangrove kayak tour in Lac Bay, which was great. We also wanted to do the blokarts, but after driving up to the site, we learned they were closed for the day because they had no staff. We'll have to try that again next time!
Bonaire is my favourite destination for diving. The freedom it allows is unmatched, at least in the western hemisphere. The diving is about as good as it gets, with conditions in the Caribbean suffering from general bleaching. Now at 87 dives, I feel I'm that much more proficient. With all our dives this week in the 50+ minute range, my air consumption improved and I feel even more comfortable with buoyancy. Bonaire is great for neophyte and experienced divers, and we're already talking about planning another trip for next year!
I left my home on May 10 with 70 dives in my log. I had initially booked my flights with United, flying YYZ to BON through EWR, but several months ago they switched the flight to connect through IAH, adding a couple more hours travel time. I guess, with the recent situation at EWR, it was probably for the best as flights were otherwise uneventful and we arrived on time in beautiful Bonaire.
Our truck was rented through AVIS. I had a rate which couldn't be beat: $295 for the week. The initial truck was a Mitsubishi with about 64,000km. It died on day 3 at the Hilma Hooker site. AVIS sent out a mechanic, who swapped the battery (didn't work) and then pulled out the whack-stick and started banging at something under the wheel well. Eventually, they determined the key was at fault and drove me back to the airport to swap out for a Changan truck. This time, the key was electronic, so I finally had the chance to use my DryFob (thanks Jann!), which performed perfectly. Other than that 2-hour delay, the truck was just fine, and the return at the airport was easy and quick. For 300 bucks, I wouldn't hesitate to use AVIS next time.
We did run into the folks who rented the Ultimate Dive Truck. For those who have considered it and have the means, it certainly looks like a major upgrade over the basic pickup!
Our home for the week was Kas Manta, a 3-bedroom/3-bathroom villa in the Water Villas community just north of the airport. This rental was a great experience. Communications before the trip were clear and concise, Shanna met us at the airport upon arrival and Lotte met us at the villa to show us where everything was. The villa was very clean, and had everything we could need or want, except for a toaster and a microwave. We made do, but those two omissions should be noted. We also forgot to bring power adapters, and all but two outlets in the villa are EU outlets, so we had to purchase adapters to plug in phone chargers and CPAPs. There are hangers for gear, and a rinse tank, however we weren't able to figure out how to fill the rinse tank, so we never used it. The back deck, overlooking the lagoon, was heavenly. We ate meals out there, chilled in the pool, and enjoyed our post-dive beverages on the very comfortable outdoor couch. Buddy Dive was great, but we all agreed Kas Manta was even better.
We got some groceries at the Van den Tweel, and some at the Chinese market north of Buddy Dive. We prepared breakfasts in the villa every morning, and returned for lunch and a nap after our morning dives.
Tanks and weights came from VIP Diving. We all have our favourites, but VIP has been my operator of choice on Bonaire since my first visit. I dive 100cf DIN tanks, and VIP provides allen keys to easily remove the inserts for DIN divers. Buddy Dive did not, and I had to use an adapter last year. All fills were 3000psi+, at a consistent 31 or 32% for Nitrox. While the drive through at VIP is only open 8:00 - 5:00, the rinse tanks are open 24/7. I understand VIP recently had an ownership change, but the only thing I noticed was the new fleet of trucks. Otherwise, the staff were friendly and helpful as ever.
With six diving days available to us, our goal was a minimum of 16 dives for the week and we hit 17:
- Salt Pier (good thing we did it day 1, as there were ships in port every other day)
- Bari Reef (Isidel park is very nice with the renovations)
- Oil Slick Leap (entry off the cliff, of course!)
- 1000 Steps
- Bachelor Beach
- Hilma Hooker (always do this one early in the morning before the crowds silt up the place)
- Something Special
- Buddy's Reef
- La Dania's Leap (with the exit at Karpata)
- Karpata ( I overshot the exit by about 200m on this one. Missed the mooring lines completely!)
- East Coast 2 dives (didn't catch the name of the first site, but dive 2 was Turtle City)
- Margate Bay
- Angel City
- Invisibles (ostracod dive!)
There is certainly a noticeable amount of bleaching happening on the reef. The vibrant colours I remember from my earlier visits to the island are fewer between, though the purple sponges seem to be still doing okay. The northern sites appeared healthier to my eye, with the brain corals particularly effected. That said, there is still an overwhelming abundancy of sealife on the reef. We saw more turtles on this trip -- and not even counting Turtle City -- than I can remember seeing before. Eagle rays and sting rays were plentiful. No green morays, but spotted eels were swimming freely. On one of our night dives, we saw 3 tarpon strikes and 1 eel strike. I'd never witnessed that before. Conditions were ideal all week, with water temps around 28*C and air temps around 32*C. Visibility was outstanding and we didn't have to deal with current at all. We dove when we wanted, where we wanted and happy with the 17 dives we did.
It was our first time doing any diving on the windward side, and I was very impressed with East Coast divers. Zin and Jethro were our guides and they were both excellent. The boats they use are RIBs, and entry is done via backroll. Both dives were great, with a lot of surge at Turtle City which was fun! I would absolutely add the East Coast dives to our next visit to Bonaire, as the dives are different from what you'll see on the leeward side. I do also want to specifically mention the ostracod dive: if you've never done it before, I cannot recommend it more. It only happens for 4 nights after a full moon, but it is an absolutely magical experience. I'm happy to answer any questions about it!
As great as the island is for diving, dining is also a high point on Bonaire. I've used this sticky on Reddit to source restaurants for the past couple years, and it's been a great resource. We had meals at La Cantina, Pizza Mare, Sebastian's, Capriccio, the Dominican food truck at the car wash, and Zara's. All were excellent, though I will once again bring attention to the Chef's Table at Zara's as being among the best meals I've ever had in my life. This place deserves to be much busier than it has been in each of my visits.
Saturday was our off-gassing day, so we did the mangrove kayak tour in Lac Bay, which was great. We also wanted to do the blokarts, but after driving up to the site, we learned they were closed for the day because they had no staff. We'll have to try that again next time!
Bonaire is my favourite destination for diving. The freedom it allows is unmatched, at least in the western hemisphere. The diving is about as good as it gets, with conditions in the Caribbean suffering from general bleaching. Now at 87 dives, I feel I'm that much more proficient. With all our dives this week in the 50+ minute range, my air consumption improved and I feel even more comfortable with buoyancy. Bonaire is great for neophyte and experienced divers, and we're already talking about planning another trip for next year!
