Bonaire - shore dive with tanks on dock and good stairs with handrails

[w&k]

Hi folks-

We are visiting Bonaire on a cruise ship at the beginning of next month, and I am looking for a pair of shore dives for my group of 4.

We're all experienced middle-aged divers, but have knee issues, so we need to do shore dives. I'm trying to find a place that has good stairs with a handrail (not a ladder) and tanks right there.

Divi Flamingo looks perfect, but so far I have been unable to reach them by email, and another of our group has had no luck with their call center. (if someone has direct contact info for them, I would be very grateful for it).

Last time, we booked with Buddy Dive, who had good stairs, but we ended up having to haul tanks up and down the dock, which isn't a possibility for us this time.

Any ideas for me?

Thanks so much for your help!

Wendy

 

[darook]

Maybe Bruce Bowker's Carib Inn could provide what you need. They are next to Divi. I think if you told one of the Buddy Dive staff what your issue is they would help you too. A $5 tip would likely cover it. I believe Capt. Don's has tanks right on their dock and it is the same dive as Buddy's. Divi just completed a pretty large renovation so maybe try them again as they may be more responsive now. Their setup is sweet. Good luck!

 

[KeithG]

You will first have to locate an op that caters to cruise ship divers. I know Divi does not. Even though they are extremely close to the cruise ship dock.

The issue is that you will need to attend a mandatory Stinaapa briefing and then have a checkout dive. Divi only does the briefing once a day at 9am. I have seen lots of divers showing up in the afternoon and being told that they could not dive until tomorrow.

I am sure the cruise ship question has been asked recently, so try a search or just browse some of the Bonaire threads. You may need to hire a personal VIP type service.

 

[wwguy]

Generally speaking the transient cruise ship traffic is perceived by locals and regular visitors as an unwelcome commercial blight on this otherwise laid back dive destination. The simultaneous arrival of two cruise ships in port can temporarily increase the island's total population by 35% and the tourist population by 200% or more. Thus most Bonaire dive resorts are reluctant to invite cruise ship visitors to share the property, facilities, and services that are primarily intended for their regular paying guests.

Your best chances will probably be to find an independent dive operation with their own dock but no hotel etc. The only one I can think of that fits this criteria is Bonaire Dive and Adventure. They own their own dock, their dock has stairs, and it's located right in front of Bari Reef, which is one of the most popular and diverse shore dives on the island. They have tanks on the dock for boat dives. For a reasonable tip they might let you use them too.

Since you're not diving with a cruise ship excursion you may also be required to purchase Bonaire Marine Park tags for $25 each, attend a marine park orientation session, and conduct a supervised "checkout" dive.

 

[diversteve]

BD&A was my first thought also. Nice steps and there's handrails. Plus it's Bari Reef.

Click on this: http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/re....bonairepanoramas.com/panorama/bari-reef.html

and zoom straight in - it's the little dock with the white stair railings. The multi-colored building is Den Laman Condos - the shop is there. So not a far carry if you ask someone there for help.

Habitat has stairs but they're wood and the last two in the water were unexpectedly green and slippery so be careful.Swim north and you can reach Cliff after a short swim - we did it u/w. There's also the LaMachaca wreck to find for a 2nd dive. And the diver's memorial near Cliff. If it's still there.

IDK the exact process there but you can see tanks in the photo - I'd guess full because of the awning. Just off to the right in this photo is their boat dock also. https://500px.com/photo/68602431/baby-dock-by-captain-don-s-habitat-dive-resort-bonaire - the view from shore: http://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/04/30/4e/80/captain-don-s-habitat.jpg

I know they accept outside guests because we were - you pay $5 to use the facilities. My guess would be that would include someone to haul tanks out to the end of the pier if asked. Esp. if you set it up in advance. Probably costs more for tanks - we brought ours. No stairs, just a ramp down from the upper level also. Ask the cab driver to drop you at the traffic circle closest to the bar and not the office - it's closest to the ramp if you're hauling gear. https://www.habitatbonaire.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Resort-700x865.jpg

giffenk is right about Divi - as counter-intuitive as it seems since they're so close to the cruise pier - I've also heard they don't take walk-ins. The other issue with Divi is that you can't go north towards your ship while it's moored there so that limits the dive somewhat.

 

[Kharon]

I'd try Dive Friends Bonaire. You can do a very nice shore dive right across the street from their shop. I'm sure the guys there would carry your gear across. The entry is from a sand beach. Dive Friends Bonaire - Best Bonaire Diving and Services

 

[gkrane]

At Captain Don's you will need to haul tanks back and forth down the dock as well. If you dive Nitrox there you will need to haul those up and down the ramp, then back and forth down the dock. How do you walk down to the shore if you can't walk down a flat dock to do a giant stride?

 

[howswedeofme]

I second Kharon's suggestion (assuming Dive Friends is OK with cruise ship business). The Yellow Sub location has a really easy sand (and shell) entry and the employees when we were there were excellent so I'm sure they'd be happy to help with tanks. There is no set time for the buoyancy/marine park check, either. You will need cash for the $25 fee per person, though. Our check out took less than 10 minutes and then we just went under for a dive on their house reef. While not one of the popular dive sites on the island, it was an incredibly easy in and out and a really great dive. We saw a turtle right away, and the fish were the same as we saw anywhere else. Here's a picture of the dock/steps/entry which is right across from the dive shop: http://www.divefriendsbonaire.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/yellowsub.jpg

 

[oldschoolto]

I second Dive Friends at the yellow sub shop... Walking from the cruise ship is all of five minutes if your on island time (slow).. Check dive and Marine park brief anytime.. Very friendly staff and the reef in front I'd a very nice dive... I'm sure the guys would carry the gear back and forth to the water for you.. They are just that nice..

Jim...

 

[jimw]

Thanks for the Yellow Sub and BDA suggestions--never done a cruise to Bonaire and might someday! We were at Habitat for the umpteenth time in August and they were NOT allowing outside divers. They say it depends on how full the resort is, so check before arrival. We did dive Something Special (just north of Yellow Sub, next to and south of the harbor entrance) in August and it's a great shallow dive--not so much on the reef slope! So, I would head north over the sand and look for squid, turtles and macro stuff. We dive Blue Heron Bridge at home and this dive is better=great viz!