Taking new divers to Bonaire

[Doctorfish]

I agree re Eden Rock and comments re learners permits but:

Eden Rock has been exposed to intro to scuba divers, cruise ship divers and other issues for years. The site also sits near the cruise ship moorings and the harbour and has been bashed by ships, exposed to illegally dumped waste from ships and the sewage run off from Georgetown as well. Turtle Reef on GC has been a training site for years as well and is in very good condition. On GC, no one seems to push for buoyancy control skills the way the instructors and DMs do on Boniare. Put one finger on live coral to steady yourself for a picture and see what happens.

If we insist that new divers only dive/train in areas devoid of life, they will not be likely to stay in the sport, which would be a loss.
Kharon, you should move your comments to the Grumpy Old Divers forum.

 

[Jersey]

Having taken 2 newly minted divers to Bonaire it proved the perfect training ground, short of an 82 degree, 60 foot deep pool. One (my brother) is kind of anxious so the ability to call a dive, walk ashore, regroup and do it again in an hour was very appealing and while he never called a dive it's always good to have options. It's easy to work on buoyancy in Bonaire as there is rarely surge, swells or down currents to impede learning. Doctorfish is right - I've seen DM's give divers the 'up off the reef' signal and in a couple cases given a gentle tug on the fin of someone smashing about. I've also seen the DM's take divers aside post dive to help them - check weighting, weight distribution, explain effects of breathing in and out. Most DM's on Bonaire go above and beyond compared to what I've seen elsewhere.

 

[cpace]

If you think any newly certified diver has great situational awarness and great buoyancy skill, I have a bridge in Brooklyn that you might want to purchase. Or perhaps some waterfront land in Florida.

I was merely trying to point out that your broad generalization that all new divers suck is incorrect. There is no need to be an ***hole.

 

[oldschoolto]

In my trips to Bonaire, i have not seen a real problem with people screwing up the reefs.. In fact, I see most divers stay a good distance from the reefs.. Most divers know that the reefs are fragile and if their diving is not great they stay away from being to close...

Jim...

I don't like telling people that they suck as divers and don't go to Bonaire... But, Freely let people say the crime is so bad, That no one should go... LOL

 

[DustyC]

I was merely trying to point out that your broad generalization that all new divers suck is incorrect. There is no need to be an ***hole.

It's all he knows

 

[Kharon]

I was merely trying to point out that your broad generalization that all new divers suck is incorrect. There is no need to be an ***hole.

It's all he knows

Ah, so you are too thin skinned to handle sarcasm, but you can throw abusive ad hominum comments. Sweet. 2 ignores added.

By the way, I stand by my conviction (supported by observation) that virtually no new diver has great buoyancy and situational awareness. Bye

 

[wwguy]

Just like their more experienced counterparts, newly minted divers don't require "great" buoyancy control to dive without presenting danger to themselves or to the reef. They merely need to possess and demonstrate sufficient buoyancy control skills to descend/ascend safely, hover without support or significant movement at desired diving depth, hover similarly at their safety stop depth, and establish positive buoyancy on the surface.

At the end of the day new divers are people too, just like veteran divers. Some of both groups will inevitably neglect to demonstrate good buoyancy control when distracted or overly-enthusiastic about closely exploring the underwater world. In my instructing and recreational diving experience I've seen overconfident situationally ignorant veteran divers with $1000 camera rigs hanging on to coral heads far more often than I've seen an errant hand or fin from a new diver touch the reef. In at least 3 instances on Bonaire I've discovered corals known to host seahorses and frogfish to be utterly destroyed by myopic "experienced" photographers. I'm not trying to knock all of you photographers out there. Just pointing out that there a a few loose nuts in every tree and that generalizations are just that.

As mentioned earlier in this thread I can't wait to return to Bonaire with two more newly certified divers again next year. I hope they love it as much as all the other new divers we've shared Bonaire with previously, and as much as we loved it when we came here 20 years ago as new divers ourselves.

 

[honey bea]

I'm getting my mom and sister certified and will be taking them somewhere in April on their first diving trip. I've previously been to Roatan but not Bonaire, which is at the top of the list.

Is Bonaire a good place for them to finish up their OW (they'll have their eLearning and pool dives done) and then get their feet wet?

Or would it be better to take them somewhere like Roatan where we will have a DM, etc?

Yes! I took my son to Captain Don's to get certified before he turned 12. It was fabulous for him and I spent the whole week diving while he was in class. By the end he was certified and allowed to do a couple of dives with me before we went home.

 

[honey bea]

Not been to Roatan yet, but to Bonaire. The shore diving in Bonaire can be a bit difficult/intimidating at times for new divers(i.e.. getting thru the surges without getting knocked over and cut up by the coral and rocks, giant stride off the 8' overhand at oil slick) Cozumel is drift diving and 80' to 100 plus vis off a boat for the most part. Easy and relaxing for beginners.

But....if you are getting certified the Dive Master is not going to be doing surging shore dives.

 

[tkaelin]

In response to the original post, Bonaire is a fantastic place to take new divers who are going to finish up their cert with their open water dives on a referral. Do the referral at with a dive op with a convenient easy shallow dive set up such as at the Divi, Buddys or Capt Dons (there are likely more but these are the ones I know). Our 12 and 15 year olds did just that at Capt Dons and in all my travels I have not seen a more ideal place to get a new diver in the water, get comfortable and get certified. Easy comfortable set up area next to the water. Easy stairs in and out. Shallow. Easy giant stride in. Sand rubble shallows under the dock. Rarely current, rarely surf, almost always excellent vis.

Yes there are shore dive sites that could be more difficult - so just don't go to them until the comfort and experience level are up to it. There are plenty of easy ones plus boat dive options that would be wonderful for a diver who just completed their open water dives in Bon. There will be more than enough easy dive sites to accommodate everyone's interest, experience and comfort levels. Happy Diving!