Training on Bonaire?

[stortecky]

I personally would just skip all of the extra train unless you are planning on becoming an instructor. I found the classes really did not give you that much help/info and not worth the money for sure. I think you just need to practices and refine the skills you learned in your OW coarse and you will be just fine. But that is just my two cents. I am sure everyone had different experiences.

 

[MakingBubbles]

MakingBubbles,
Please post your choice and how it went.
...
Anyway Iam curious what your experience and your wife's experience is.

Over the past 3 years, I have about over 150 dives logged and my wife has over 60 dives logged. This was our first trip to Bonaire. After looking at the options, we just decided to skip the certification training and enjoy our time on Bonaire diving as much as possible. We'll complete our certification training some time in the future. We did take Jerry Ligon's "Dive with the Naturalist" course at Bonaire Dive and Adventure, which was excellent and I highly recommend it. In a 3-hour classroom and 1 dive, he teaches you some basic fish identification and common behaviors and interactions that you see on the reefs. This course was really enlightening for my wife and I.

 

[Damselfish]

I personally would just skip all of the extra train unless you are planning on becoming an instructor. I found the classes really did not give you that much help/info and not worth the money for sure. I think you just need to practices and refine the skills you learned in your OW coarse and you will be just fine. But that is just my two cents. I am sure everyone had different experiences.

It's true AOW classes are often noted for not being all that great, especially if you've already been diving for awhile. (though having the card can come in handy and under PADI you need it to take Rescue.) Many specialties also have a reputation of not being very useful. On the other hand, Rescue is almost universally seen as a great class to take.

 

[gypsyjim]

I agree. Jerry Ligon's class on Bari Reef reef life, and his dive with you to show you what he was talking about in the class, is worth every penny! Really opened my eyes to a lot of small interactions that I'd never quite understood, and made the rest of our time on Bonaire even more fun than it already was!