Hoag
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Just as a sort of update (and mini trip report) ... I stayed at Bohio in March 2016 for 10 days.
The package that I was on included both breakfast and lunch, but not dinner.
A "typical" day would begin with a hearty breakfast and then get ready for the dive boat to pick you up right at the resort's beach (we were in a group of about 20 people, so to keep the group together, a local dive shop worked with Bohio to accommodate our group). The boat ride was so short to the dive sites that we would already be in our wetsuits when the boat got to Bohio.
As mentioned above, after the dive, it was back to Bohio for the surface interval and to order your lunch.
Then, back on to the boats for the second dive. (Again, only a couple minutes on the boat.)
After the second dive, back to Bohio, the boat crew would bring up (and rinse) your BCD (leave the weights on the boat) & all the tanks, you bring your mask fins and camera.
Grab a quick shower and get into some dry clothes then go for lunch.
As you show up for lunch, they would wave, say Hi and ask if you wanted your lunch right away or if you were waiting for someone & wanted to relax for a few minutes first.
Have lunch and then the afternoon was yours to do whatever you wanted.
At night, dinner was not included in my package, but there was a really good restaurant at the resort. If all you did was look at the menu, it would appear a little pricey, but the portions were huge. (Easily enough to split between two people or to eat half and save the rest for the next day. There were fridges in the rooms, so taking a "to-go bag" was no problem.)
Overall impressions:
The diving was great. It was very laid back and since I was there in March, we could hear the whales on almost every dive. The reef was vibrant and full of life. There were very few Lionfish, and one person in the group described it as "As many fish as the Bahamas had 25 years ago". There were more Turtles than I have ever seen! It was unusual to not see a Turtle on every dive and on more than one dive we saw 5 or more. It was not very "sharky". We only saw sharks (Caribbean Reef Sharks) on one day. The DMs took care of getting all of the tanks, BCDs and regs to/from the boat. You just needed to look after your mask, fins and (if you had one) your camera. There was a DM in the water with us on every dive, and would offer a guided dive to those who wanted it. The only draw back, and it is a minor one, was that the dive briefings were basically "This dive sight is called ___________. Who is going with the DM? Pool's open. See you when you get back."
The Bohio is a cozy little place that is run by a couple of Canadians, and it is very obvious as soon as you get there that it is a family run business. Guests are greeted by name, and are treated like family. The rooms are clean and well equipped and all have fridges. When the cruise ships are "in town", the beach can become fairly crowded with people from the cruise ship, but there are areas specifically for hotel guests that they can not go (the pool or the section of the beach that is adjacent to the hotel rooms). Keep in mind though, that things at the resort do tend to run on "Island time". If you are in a rush, then you might get frustrated. Dinner is an evening event, not a fast food stop.
A trip to Bohio is a very laid back vacation. It may not be the ideal destination for someone who needs to be entertained or is always in a rush. If, however, you want some great diving and an opportunity to do some serious relaxing, then this might just be your dream destination.
I plan on going back some day.
The package that I was on included both breakfast and lunch, but not dinner.
A "typical" day would begin with a hearty breakfast and then get ready for the dive boat to pick you up right at the resort's beach (we were in a group of about 20 people, so to keep the group together, a local dive shop worked with Bohio to accommodate our group). The boat ride was so short to the dive sites that we would already be in our wetsuits when the boat got to Bohio.
As mentioned above, after the dive, it was back to Bohio for the surface interval and to order your lunch.
Then, back on to the boats for the second dive. (Again, only a couple minutes on the boat.)
After the second dive, back to Bohio, the boat crew would bring up (and rinse) your BCD (leave the weights on the boat) & all the tanks, you bring your mask fins and camera.
Grab a quick shower and get into some dry clothes then go for lunch.
As you show up for lunch, they would wave, say Hi and ask if you wanted your lunch right away or if you were waiting for someone & wanted to relax for a few minutes first.
Have lunch and then the afternoon was yours to do whatever you wanted.
At night, dinner was not included in my package, but there was a really good restaurant at the resort. If all you did was look at the menu, it would appear a little pricey, but the portions were huge. (Easily enough to split between two people or to eat half and save the rest for the next day. There were fridges in the rooms, so taking a "to-go bag" was no problem.)
Overall impressions:
The diving was great. It was very laid back and since I was there in March, we could hear the whales on almost every dive. The reef was vibrant and full of life. There were very few Lionfish, and one person in the group described it as "As many fish as the Bahamas had 25 years ago". There were more Turtles than I have ever seen! It was unusual to not see a Turtle on every dive and on more than one dive we saw 5 or more. It was not very "sharky". We only saw sharks (Caribbean Reef Sharks) on one day. The DMs took care of getting all of the tanks, BCDs and regs to/from the boat. You just needed to look after your mask, fins and (if you had one) your camera. There was a DM in the water with us on every dive, and would offer a guided dive to those who wanted it. The only draw back, and it is a minor one, was that the dive briefings were basically "This dive sight is called ___________. Who is going with the DM? Pool's open. See you when you get back."
The Bohio is a cozy little place that is run by a couple of Canadians, and it is very obvious as soon as you get there that it is a family run business. Guests are greeted by name, and are treated like family. The rooms are clean and well equipped and all have fridges. When the cruise ships are "in town", the beach can become fairly crowded with people from the cruise ship, but there are areas specifically for hotel guests that they can not go (the pool or the section of the beach that is adjacent to the hotel rooms). Keep in mind though, that things at the resort do tend to run on "Island time". If you are in a rush, then you might get frustrated. Dinner is an evening event, not a fast food stop.
A trip to Bohio is a very laid back vacation. It may not be the ideal destination for someone who needs to be entertained or is always in a rush. If, however, you want some great diving and an opportunity to do some serious relaxing, then this might just be your dream destination.
I plan on going back some day.
