Ten things I learned in Bonaire last week

[DiverVince]

Try exiting at Karpata during a strong surge; you will agree with me.

yea Tonka I have many, many times. But between you & me I have never worn gloves on any dive on Bonaire during the last 25 years. And that includes north, south, east, west and Klein.

 

[deco_martini]

I've been going through the ABC subforum this week collecting tips into a huge txt file for my own trip in September, so this thread was sorta timely. Thanks for the all the good stuff.

 

[gypsyjim]

A lot of people also have learned to bring stuff like Crystal Lite, spices they use in cooking, etc. Small stuff you either won't find on island, or that you don't want to buy inlarger quantities, for a short stay.

And DEET: 100%! I always have bug problems on Bonaire, something about my chemistry attracts the little blood sucking monsters! And I can get nasty reactions to the bites too! Last week was the first time I ever tried the 100% DEET, and when I used it, it worked!

 

[diverrex]

A lot of people also have learned to bring stuff like Crystal Lite, spices they use in cooking, etc. Small stuff you either won't find on island, or that you don't want to buy inlarger quantities, for a short stay.

And DEET: 100%! I always have bug problems on Bonaire, something about my chemistry attracts the little blood sucking monsters! And I can get nasty reactions to the bites too! Last week was the first time I ever tried the 100% DEET, and when I used it, it worked!

This was the first trip I took where I brought along a small box (cigarette pack size) of powdered Propel. It worked great. I think I mixed up 8 bottles of it during the week, just over one a day. It tasted better than water alone and really added nothing to my luggage bulk or weight.

The bugs also got me when I tried to go out without bug spray. We did a 2 hour afternoon kayak trip through the mangroves. It was a fun time but the worst for me for bugs. I ended up wit several large welts on my face. Also at dinner I would get bit in the ankles or arms.

 

[parzdiver]

I had Crystal Light "Hydrating." I don't recommend it, it tasted like salty lemonade.

I had both 100% DEET and the Cutter Sportsman Max 40%. Both seemed effective, but the Cutter was easier since it was aerosol. Left it under the sink for the next folks.

 

[gypsyjim]

I found Crystal Lite in paper tubes just before this last trip, and they were a LOT easier to pack along than the regular plastic cup containers that I was familiar with. Left a whole bunch for the folks from our quad that are still on Bonaire this week. They were filling their water bottles with the stuff, but I preferred H2O when diving (better for rinsing the camera lens too ), and kept a pitcher of the Crystal Lite in the frig

 

[parzdiver]

We filled empty diet coke bottles with water. Unfortunately, I kept forgetting mine.

 

[gypsyjim]

I grabbed what I thought was a liter bottle of water when we ran threw the store the first night, figuring I'd reuse it. Turns out I grabbed a bottle of white vinegar, which came in really handy after we had the fire coral encounter on the Wild Side shore dive!

I usually grab one or two large bottle of h2o and reuse them all week, or until, as you experienced, someone loses them. I freeze one for drinking, and keep one warm, for rinsing gear/cameras when we are not near a rinse tank.

 

[tonka97]

I have contacted STINAPA, and will post Ramon's answer to my query re: use of gloves for entry/exit only when he returns from his trip.

 

[DiverVince]

Turns out I grabbed a bottle of white vinegar, which came in really handy after we had the fire coral encounter on the Wild Side shore dive!

Hey Jim..I'm certainly glad that you didn't grab the wrong bottle of vinegar! A word to the wise, I've seen bottles of vinegar sold on the island which have a much higher acidic content than the 5-7% commonly sold in the U.S. Always pays to check exactly what you're buying.