Where to stay? Best house reef? Dilemma

[Kksmama]

To be clear, I'm happy to walk for food - it is walking with tanks, and having to get in a vehicle more than once a day which I find to be a buzz kill.

 

[Kharon]

Oh wow, you all were supposed to make this easy, but now I think I need to make at least 2 trips to Bonaire!

I'd bet that once you experience Bonaire you'll make more than 2 trips.

 

[Kharon]

To be clear, I'm happy to walk for food - it is walking with tanks, and having to get in a vehicle more than once a day which I find to be a buzz kill.

Load the vehicle up with tanks, drive to any of the park close & easy entry sites, and dive your butt off. There are some sites with a very short walk to the water, a sand entry, and are worth doing more than a single dive. Some that come to mind are: Tori's Reef, Yellow Submarine, and the Fuel Pier (un-marked & not in any book I found) - across from the airport on the north end of Windsock. Park close to the pier and use the pier columns (north side) for support to put your fins on. Batchelor's Beach is also a park close & easy entry but IMO isn't as good as the fuel pier. Once you get to the end of the pier go right, or left, or down the slope. It's all good. Just be careful far to the right. If you get to the breakwater you are coming up on the channel. The channel is the entry to Port Bonaire and there are boats entering and leaving. But that's a heck of a long way. I've never dove the Salt Pier, but that's a park close and easy entry ovewr sand site as well.

Personally, I don't mind jumping back in the truck to head to a different site. Gives me something to do during a surface interval. If I'm near a good snorkeling site, I'll spend my SI snorkeling. I stay at Hamlet Oasis, so when I get back to the shack I can drop my empties, grab tanks for the next day, grab a couple more for a late afternoon dive and a night dive, grab something to eat, or a nap. If I'm tired I'll just snorkel there. Day or night it's interesting.

 

[Kksmama]

I'd bet that once you experience Bonaire you'll make more than 2 trips.

I'm sure you're right. Especially when I find great airfare deals ($219 RT from Miami on American).

 

[Kharon]

I'm sure you're right. Especially when I find great airfare deals ($219 RT from Miami on American).

Wow!!! That's great. Probably a direct flight too. I wish!!!

But Bon has captured me. I'll pay the long price to get there and have the absolute dive freedom. I just wish it wasn't such a chore to find reasonable travel times back. From Bon to Albany, NY it's 20+ hours unless I jump to Aruba. If I do that I need to stay a few days to make sure I make connections and to make it worthwhile. That's OK. I plan to do some exploratory snorkeling and check out the back country. Just wish the travel was easy (short) both ways - going & returning.

 

[Kksmama]

Yes, nonstop. But I actually live in Tampa so I'll pay separately and almost as much for those flights. Still, putting together my own plan saves a LOT over the straightforward booking of air between Tampa and Bon.

 

[mbs]

Another option for you to consider is the Plaza Resort. It has a very good house reef - Eighteenth Palm. The dive shop is a good walk from the water, but they stage tanks in 2 different areas with rinse tanks. The dive op - Toucan Divers is excellent! Nice sandy beach. Large clean rooms. It is also all inclusive. The food the past 2 years has been meh, but the price is pretty good and its very convenient. Nice beach bar. Not a bad walk into "town" to check out some of other fine restaurants. Short drive to great southern dive sites. Just thought I'd throw this in there to add to the confusion The resort is a bit spread out so if you really don't like walking...

 

[scubadada]

This is all getting much clearer thanks to all of you. Can anyone address the dive logistics at Den Laman, Sand Dollar, Coral Paradise? I love shore diving (dislike being time limited by boats), but I read elsewhere and I agree that sometimes it is like camping - the schlepping and hot sun and logistics. I think I read that at Den Laman they have tanks on the pier, and then you just jump in from there? That sounds more like a live aboard, and we will dive more if hauling tanks is minimized.

The gear storage unit, the pier, and the tanks on the pier are for the use of Dive Friends customers staying at Den Laman and Sand Dollar. Other visitors to Bari Reef use the parking lot just south of Den Laman. Dive Friends boats leave from the pier every morning and some afternoons. In my opinion, some of the Klein Bonaire sites and northern sites not accessible from shore are well worth visiting. Last two visits, multiple seahorses at Sampler off Klein Bonaire.

We prepare most of our own food, Den Laman and Sand Dollar are great for that. Nothing like sitting out on the balcony, sipping a beer, and watching the sun go down after a long day diving

 

[diversteve]

about the Plaza - Toucan is at the far south end of the property on the lagoon. They keep their boats there, lockers, the compressors etc. 18 Palms is almost at the far north end of the property - near the pool but a little farther north.

Except for the resorts - there are no facilities at any shore dive site on Boniaire except for wherever the kitesurfer food truck is that day. So you bring everything but only what you need, the standard protocol is to leave nothing of value in the trcuk, windows down, doors open. Plan on it being gone thru while you're gone at any of the more remote sites. I think it's just kids but IDK.

It's actually easier than it sounds. We use the back seat (most trucks are 4dr) for our gear loose, tanks in the back since no one touches those. What we found after the first day was we passed our condo several times per day so could get fresh batteries, food etc. as needed. In fact if you dive a south site then drive to a north site - there's your surface interval. It's partly why the Buddy drive-thru is popular - it;s just off the main road.Dive Friends also has one at Hamlet but it's about 2 blocks in off the road at Cliff. Their Sand Dollar shop is streetside also.

Bring something waterproof for the truck keys and anything else you carry with you diving. I use a Witz case - you can get them on leisurepro.com.

edited to reflect updates...

 

[diversteve]

If you like shore diving, you've picked the right place. There's more than you can do in a week - we tried but only managed about 25 dives.

Scuba Shore Diving Region: ABC Islands is a little dated but has pictures of the sites, entry points even gps coordinates.