What's the entry point like for folks diving Bari with Dive Friends?

[diverjen]

Just wondering about where people are entering if they are not diving with BDA and using the dock. I know dive friends is on site beside the sand dollar offices, but wanted to know the logistics of getting in and out.

 

[diversteve]

It's a shore entry off the beach at the south end of the property. Details are about 3 paragraphs down here:
http://www.divesanddollar.com/bonaire-scuba-diving.html#sddiving
I've seen people walk in there barefoot to swim. There's a little patchy piece of reef but it didn't look too difficult to get over.
By then you might be floating anyway.

 

[flots am]

Just wondering about where people are entering if they are not diving with BDA and using the dock. I know dive friends is on site beside the sand dollar offices, but wanted to know the logistics of getting in and out.

It's an easy entry. You just walk in.

BDA has an actual sand beach. If you're over at Buddy Dive, they have a dock and a few ladders and I seem to remember a small patch of beach.

If you're driving around with a truck, going to the other shore dive sites, just be really, really careful of any that have rocky entries. The rocks are very slippery and it's extremely easy to lose you balance and rocks hurt.

flots

 

[diverjen]

We stayed at Sand Dollar two years ago before all the drama. Thanks for the link diversteve, that picture is very helpful. I was basically wondering to which side of the dock people were entering on, or if you had to enter closer to Front Porch. I was combing the Dive Friends site earlier but did not think to look at sand dollar's site. doh!

flotsam - I actually fell out at Angel City last time, but really only hurt my pride (luckily!) - my dive buddy kept telling me to hurry up and get out - lesson learned. Such a nice dive site though. I am returning this time recovering from a knee injury that had me down and out for a bit. Though I dive in the pool at LDS every couple of months. I will probably avoid the rough entries - still thinking about Curacao from that end, but love Bonaire.

We are trying to decide between Bamboo Bali, Bridanda, Den Laman and Sand Dollar. I did really like the setup at BDA and the pictures of Buddy Dive's ladder look good too....

 

[gypsyjim]

We always do a shore entry just immediately south of the Den Lamen property line. Dirt road is on the circle, immediately south of the driveway into Den Lamen. Park near the shore, right next to the Den Lamen condos, and cut down to the beach there, for a really easy entry.

We also do a lot of entries at Buddy Dive, as they do not give you any problems even if you are not a guest, as long as you play it cool, and don't block their driveway. we either gear uo in the parking lot, and walk the short distance to the dock, or quickly drop off gear near the stairs, then park in the lot, and walk down to gear up on their dock. Buddy Dive is very accommodating, even of non guests, which is not true of the folks at Den Lamen.

 

[tracydr]

I seem to remember driving down a little,rocky trail to enter on a rocky beach. It was an easy entry, just sort of rocky.

 

[gypsyjim]

I seem to remember driving down a little,rocky trail to enter on a rocky beach. It was an easy entry, just sort of rocky.

But nice sandy beach after that very short path down.

 

[flots am]

We stayed at Sand Dollar two years ago before all the drama.

I think I missed that. What happened?

flots

 

[Kharon]

There are a lot of wonderful Bonaire shore dives that have ironston beaches. A trick I learned after flubbing around on severtal shore entries - Watch the waves and count. Usually there will be a pattern of increasing wave height with several much smaller waves following the largest. Once you figure out the pattern you wait for the largest and then enter as it's receeding. Quickly go out far enough to float (chest high) and put your fins on.

 

[wwguy]

We always do a shore entry just immediately south of the Den Lamen property line. Dirt road is on the circle, immediately south of the driveway into Den Lamen. Park near the shore, right next to the Den Lamen condos, and cut down to the beach there, for a really easy entry.

This is the way to do it if you're not diving with BDA. This photo captures it pretty well: