Truck/SUV rental - automatics and insurance

[chiggins]

BTW, be sure to ask when you rent if you can take the vehicle into Washington Slaagbi National Park. It's a very beautiful drive and has some good dive spots, but it's VERY rough and it's an all day outing. Take water and food with you. Most of the big-name rental places will not let you take their vehicles there.

Thank you. I did not make it to the park last trip and definitely want to spend a day up there. Are the dive sites worth a separate 3 tank boat trip to the far north?

 

[chiggins]

check on an SUV from AB Car rental - zero deductible.

IDK their dive gear policy either but you can understand why they don't want wet gear on the upholstery. I'm pretty sure other divers stored theirs on the back seats of our truck given all the water stains.

They recently started renting tanks and dive gear so may be more accommodating than the chains at the airport.

They may also have trucks with automatics.

AB Car Rental Bonaire: the only carrental with ZERO deductible

Off airport but they will send someone to pick you up and drop you/luggage back at the airport.

fyi, if you are going to learn a stick on a rental, street signs are metric. I personally wouldn't because there's a lot of soft spots at many of the south sites (no defined parking) and it's a long walk back to town.

you can't hide your phone somewhere the kids don't know about - sometimes they're watching from the bushes. So unless you get a waterproof case for it....

Thanks. I got a reply back from AB and they also said that the SUV is not for divers. All of their rentals include (require) the extra insurance that I was hoping to avoid. I've pretty much resigned to the fact that I'm going to have to pay for it. AB's rates didnt look bad on trucks, they DO have automatics, and they offer a discount if you rent tanks from them.

 

[Willar]

Thank you. I did not make it to the park last trip and definitely want to spend a day up there. Are the dive sites worth a separate 3 tank boat trip to the far north?

They are nice dive sites if you've checked off everything else. I just like the leisurely drive thru the park plus there's a couple of nice places to park and dive. If you want a day off diving it's a great drive, take your time and take lunch with you so stop and enjoy the views. I'm not sure AB's policy but I thought I'd been told they don't allow their truck to go there.

 

[Trailboss123]

Thank you. I did not make it to the park last trip and definitely want to spend a day up there. Are the dive sites worth a separate 3 tank boat trip to the far north?

To my knowledge, none of the dive operators take boats that far north. All boat dives go to Klein Bonaire, some spots down south and some of the northern sites prior to the National Park. I have done some diving up in the park and personally, I don't feel there are any dive sites that I would go out of my way to make a day trip to dive up there (if that were the sole reason for going). That being said, if the weather and road conditions are appropriate, it would definitely make for a scenic day trip, with a packed lunch and something different to do and if you are going to go up there, then definitely bring tanks and get some diving in. When I have gone, we have taken 3 tanks a piece and made a good, long day of it. Bring food and plenty of water. If anything were to go wrong with you or the car, you are a long way from civilization and take note that their is a curfew and you have to be out of the park by a certain time. My favorite dive site is Boka Wayaka II. It is an easy entry and exit with a set of stairs that takes you down to the sand. You can make 2 nice dives here. Go north on the drop off on one dive and then go south on the next dive. Boka Bartol can also be a nice dive site, if conditions permit. Boka Slagbaai is a gorgeous beach, but the diving there is a "no go" in my opinion. The reef has been pounded by storms and looks like a bomb went off. There are some other great dive sites up north that very few people go to that don't require a trip into the park and I would recommend. If you continue past Karpata and go up and around BOPEC and back down to the ocean, there are a number of marked and unmarked dive sites all the way to Playa Frans, which is the last dive site. Candy Land is the first dive site you'll come to and one of my favorites. It is unmarked, except for a huge pile of stacked up rocks that indicates its location. Nukove is also a nice dive, but on occasion can be riddled with mosquitoes, if so, get in and out quickly.

 

[wwguy]

To my knowledge, none of the dive operators take boats that far north. All boat dives go to Klein Bonaire, some spots down south and some of the northern sites prior to the National Park.

Buddy Dive has offered boat dives to the park off and on over the years. Back around 2010 or so they were doing a 3 tank trip once a week if they had enough people signed up for it. I haven't been on one myself (I haven't been on a Bonairean dive boat since 2003) but I seem to remember reading that a 3 tank trip to the park was basically an all day activity.

In August this year they announced on their Facebook page that they were going to start doing these trips again, this time as 2 tank trips. Total duration dock to dock was expected to be 5 hours.

 

[Willar]

OOPS, there already is a thread on Northern Dive Sites. We can just go there.

Previous post:
I'll start a new thread on diving the park so we don't hijack this thread.

 

[scubaNYC16]

I know there have been numerous threads on car and truck rental on Bonaire in the past. I just wanted to share some observations and hope someone here has further recommendations. I have several credit cards and trip coverage that offers rental car insurance waivers but all exclude trucks. I've been shopping around for an SUV that doesn't specifically prohibit dive gear in the car so that I can use the insurance I already have. I do need an automatic transmission vehicle which limits some options. Avis and Budget both state there will be a minimum $350 charge if they find evidence of diving in the SUV. Hertz wont give a yes/no answer and just reply that I need a truck. I found 2 independent rental companies that offer dive equipped/allowed SUV's in order models, but both these companies require their insurance coverage. Having to pay for the insurance defeats the purpose of renting the SUV.

Does anyone here have first hand experience renting an SUV for diving or know how strict Hertz (or the others) might be about sand and salt? A tarp and some plastic bins might reduce the evidence, but after 2 weeks of diving I think its impossible to expect something not to get a little wet.
)

I was there over the Fourth of July. We rented a great automatic 2017 Nissan Frontier pick up from Avis. They also made us sign paperwork with some outrageous charges for sand in the car. We tried to keep the truck clean but it was full of so much sand and salt at the end of the week. There’s a self-serve car wash in town with really powerful vacuums so for about $2 in change we vacuumed the inside and had no issues returning the truck.

 

[chiggins]

I was there over the Fourth of July. We rented a great automatic 2017 Nissan Frontier pick up from Avis. They also made us sign paperwork with some outrageous charges for sand in the car. We tried to keep the truck clean but it was full of so much sand and salt at the end of the week. There’s a self-serve car wash in town with really powerful vacuums so for about $2 in change we vacuumed the inside and had no issues returning the truck.

Good call on the car wash; I think saw a place last trip that looked like one between town and the airport but didnt notice the vacuums. I'll look a bit harder when I'm there next month.
Did you happen to use Amex or credit card insurance on the truck from Avis? Any issues with them not accepting the insurance or trying to push their insurance? (A decent sign up bonus and the insurance option enticed me to change over to a new card.)

 

[scubaNYC16]

Car wash we went to wasn’t by the airport, it was closer to the center of town. We were splitting the truck 5 five ways so we just took the full insurance from Avis because of the additional drivers. Avis has great cars. Last time we were there we used AB car rental. The truck looked like a Nissan but it was a knock off Chinese brand and that’s what they still use for automatics.

 

[USC8791]

The car wash is across the street from the stadium at the corner of Kaya International and Kaya Gilberto Croes. Great place to vacuum out the sand or rinse off the exterior, especially after a trip to the park or East Coast.