Spent a week on Bonaire with Buddy Dive resort. Overall it was great!
Transportation
Flew Insel Air from Miami to Curacao then Bonaire. Flights went well, aside from the fact that all four flights were slightly delayed. The only issue we encountered was with the baggage allowance. We were specifically told by the booking agent and the desk agent at Miami intl airport, that as divers we could send all 33kg in one bag. This is in fact what we did leaving Miami and had no problem. However, returning from Bonaire we were not allowed to do this and were told our allowance is for 2 bags one at 22kg and another at 10kg. After a long argument this was resolved by shifting some of the gear to carry-on.
Transportation to Buddy dive was arranged by the resort, so no problems there. The rest of the time we used the trucks included in the dive package. Again, no problems but keep in mind these are stick shift, unless you specifically ask for an automatic (might cost extra I dont know). A few things to keep in mind: 1. If you plan on getting your own insurance for the truck make sure pickup trucks are covered by your policy. This is not always the case. 2. Try getting an old beat up truck. This way nobody will care if it is scratched when you return it
The island
The Island was very pleasant with temperatures in the high 80s to mid 90s. The air is pretty dry and there is always a breeze, so overall this was quite pleasant. You definitely want the A/C working in your room at night. We shopped at one of the local supermarkets for lunch and ate out for dinner. Average cost per person is about 25$ for dinner (alcohol not included). The capital, Kralendijk, has a few nice restaurants and local bars. Overall the food was good and tasty, just be realistic with your expectations Bonaire is known for its diving, not as a foodie mecca.
Buddy Dive Resort:
Very well run in my opinion. Service was great and rooms clean. Using the house restaurant is a good option which we took advantage of at least for 50% of our dinners.
The diving operation runs smoothly, tanks are readily available and the house reef is nice. Make sure to check the pressure of tanks before checking them out. During rush hours we sometimes got low fills, but nothing too dramatic. Rental equipment is available and in good condition. The DMs on the boat dives wanted us to stick close and follow a 25 minute in each direction dive plan. We ended up skipping about half the boat dives and doing the site as a shore dive. This is obviously not an option when diving Klein Bonaire, but my recommendation would be to use the boat dives only for sites not accessible from shore.
Diving:
Logged 22 dives over 5-1/2 days. These ranged from center to the South and a few boat dives on Klein Bonaire. Visibility was 60-80ft and water temp in the 80-82F range.
The reefs are in great condition, aside form the presence of Lionfish (see my comment further below). We saw turtles, squid, octopus, lobster, eels and many different reef fish species. Did not spot any rays or sharks, but supposedly these can be seen on the East side of the Island.
Highlight sites were La danias leap where you jump off a small overhang and swim North, exiting at another great dive site Karpata. Alice in Wonderland is very nice with 2 reef ridges. Can be done as 2 separate dives: one going North and the other going South. Oil slick is another nice dive and Nearest point on Klein Bonaire.
We were planning to do a tech dive on the Windjammer, but in the end decided not to given the cost of the dive (about 250$/person including Gases, permit, guide). We did do one deco dive a bit north of the house reef, which was just o.k., and a longer penetration dive on the Hilma Hooker. We visited the engine room, crew quarters and wheelhouse. Structure is in good condition, minor hazards present and most areas have cut throughs allowing light in. However, there were areas that required lights and negotiation of hazards so do not attempt these dives if you are not trained to do so and have the right equipment.
Comments:
Overall this was a great trip to some of the healthiest reefs I have seen in a while. The island has much to offer from beginner to advanced and I would definitely return to Buddy Dive resort.
The main concern I have is the fact that we saw Lionfish everywhere. I spotted at least 4-5 Lionfish on every single dive. The Island does not seem to have a rationale plan to deal with this. From what we understood the only thing happening is that DMs have permission to spear the fish. However, the presence of DMs is limited to boat dives and, in my opinion, a DM needs to be focused only leading the dive/safety and not spearing. In any case, this plan is not working given the number of Lionfish seen. The authorities on the Island dont need to invent the wheel. They can have a look at what is being done elsewhere and implement a plan before it is too late. In my opinion, allowing divers to cull Lionfish after a short training session would go a long way. Spearing of other species could be prevented by the imposition of fines, etc.
Transportation
Flew Insel Air from Miami to Curacao then Bonaire. Flights went well, aside from the fact that all four flights were slightly delayed. The only issue we encountered was with the baggage allowance. We were specifically told by the booking agent and the desk agent at Miami intl airport, that as divers we could send all 33kg in one bag. This is in fact what we did leaving Miami and had no problem. However, returning from Bonaire we were not allowed to do this and were told our allowance is for 2 bags one at 22kg and another at 10kg. After a long argument this was resolved by shifting some of the gear to carry-on.
Transportation to Buddy dive was arranged by the resort, so no problems there. The rest of the time we used the trucks included in the dive package. Again, no problems but keep in mind these are stick shift, unless you specifically ask for an automatic (might cost extra I dont know). A few things to keep in mind: 1. If you plan on getting your own insurance for the truck make sure pickup trucks are covered by your policy. This is not always the case. 2. Try getting an old beat up truck. This way nobody will care if it is scratched when you return it
The island
The Island was very pleasant with temperatures in the high 80s to mid 90s. The air is pretty dry and there is always a breeze, so overall this was quite pleasant. You definitely want the A/C working in your room at night. We shopped at one of the local supermarkets for lunch and ate out for dinner. Average cost per person is about 25$ for dinner (alcohol not included). The capital, Kralendijk, has a few nice restaurants and local bars. Overall the food was good and tasty, just be realistic with your expectations Bonaire is known for its diving, not as a foodie mecca.
Buddy Dive Resort:
Very well run in my opinion. Service was great and rooms clean. Using the house restaurant is a good option which we took advantage of at least for 50% of our dinners.
The diving operation runs smoothly, tanks are readily available and the house reef is nice. Make sure to check the pressure of tanks before checking them out. During rush hours we sometimes got low fills, but nothing too dramatic. Rental equipment is available and in good condition. The DMs on the boat dives wanted us to stick close and follow a 25 minute in each direction dive plan. We ended up skipping about half the boat dives and doing the site as a shore dive. This is obviously not an option when diving Klein Bonaire, but my recommendation would be to use the boat dives only for sites not accessible from shore.
Diving:
Logged 22 dives over 5-1/2 days. These ranged from center to the South and a few boat dives on Klein Bonaire. Visibility was 60-80ft and water temp in the 80-82F range.
The reefs are in great condition, aside form the presence of Lionfish (see my comment further below). We saw turtles, squid, octopus, lobster, eels and many different reef fish species. Did not spot any rays or sharks, but supposedly these can be seen on the East side of the Island.
Highlight sites were La danias leap where you jump off a small overhang and swim North, exiting at another great dive site Karpata. Alice in Wonderland is very nice with 2 reef ridges. Can be done as 2 separate dives: one going North and the other going South. Oil slick is another nice dive and Nearest point on Klein Bonaire.
We were planning to do a tech dive on the Windjammer, but in the end decided not to given the cost of the dive (about 250$/person including Gases, permit, guide). We did do one deco dive a bit north of the house reef, which was just o.k., and a longer penetration dive on the Hilma Hooker. We visited the engine room, crew quarters and wheelhouse. Structure is in good condition, minor hazards present and most areas have cut throughs allowing light in. However, there were areas that required lights and negotiation of hazards so do not attempt these dives if you are not trained to do so and have the right equipment.
Comments:
Overall this was a great trip to some of the healthiest reefs I have seen in a while. The island has much to offer from beginner to advanced and I would definitely return to Buddy Dive resort.
The main concern I have is the fact that we saw Lionfish everywhere. I spotted at least 4-5 Lionfish on every single dive. The Island does not seem to have a rationale plan to deal with this. From what we understood the only thing happening is that DMs have permission to spear the fish. However, the presence of DMs is limited to boat dives and, in my opinion, a DM needs to be focused only leading the dive/safety and not spearing. In any case, this plan is not working given the number of Lionfish seen. The authorities on the Island dont need to invent the wheel. They can have a look at what is being done elsewhere and implement a plan before it is too late. In my opinion, allowing divers to cull Lionfish after a short training session would go a long way. Spearing of other species could be prevented by the imposition of fines, etc.
