Planning a surprise mid-February trip.

[LovetoFloat]

Booked the flights this afternoon. Air fare is more than everything else! Phila-Atlanta-Bonaire and return. Also booked a Divi Deluxe room with breakfast and transfers at a great price! I figure that we'll rent a vehicle a couple of days while where but don't see the need for one for the entire week (let me know if I am mistaken on this).
I am so psyched up! Am not telling my Mrs. until a week (maybe closer) before the trip. This is going to rock her socks. The cool thing is that we are flying out on her birthday (February 14).

If no one minds, I have a couple of questions about equipment/and or rentals.
1. We own wetsuits. Should we purchase masks/snorkels/flippers or is it better for us to just rent them? I've been reading about equipment on the forums.
2. I would love to rent an underwater camera. Any advice? I understand they have them at the shop at Divi.

Thanks,
Dan.

 

[robint]

Booked the flights this afternoon. Air fare is more than everything else! Phila-Atlanta-Bonaire and return. Also booked a Divi Deluxe room with breakfast and transfers at a great price! I figure that we'll rent a vehicle a couple of days while where but don't see the need for one for the entire week (let me know if I am mistaken on this).
I am so psyched up! Am not telling my Mrs. until a week (maybe closer) before the trip. This is going to rock her socks. The cool thing is that we are flying out on her birthday (February 14).

If no one minds, I have a couple of questions about equipment/and or rentals.
1. We own wetsuits. Should we purchase masks/snorkels/flippers or is it better for us to just rent them? I've been reading about equipment on the forums.
2. I would love to rent an underwater camera. Any advice? I understand they have them at the shop at Divi.

Thanks,
Dan.

Absolutely......... buy your own mask, snorkel, and fins! Fit is so important. A mask that leaks is going to make you miserable and not want to snorkel at all. And the idea of putting a rental snorkel in my mouth after it has been in someone else's and probably never washed... yuck.
Go to a local dive shop and get them to fit your faces for masks. Prices range from $30-100 but don't pick one by price, pick it by how well it fits.
There are lots of different kinds of snorkels out there ranging from $10-100. The cheaper ones are just a tube, the more expensive ones have nicer mouthpieces, vents, spouts, etc.
Fins are another thing that you want to get a good fit on. Most people doing alot of shore diving are going to want the kind that you must wear booties with so they can walk on the broken coral without discomfort. Don't let anyone tell you that you don't need fins. If you want to move around in the water - you need them!

Places like Scuba Gear and Scuba Diving Equipment - Discount dive gear (Cheap online!) have lots of packages but unless you have a very average shaped face, the mask may not fit. You will need to buy defog also.

As far as the rental car, I would get one for the whole week. I guess it depends how far you plan to venture away from Divi.

robin

 

[LovetoFloat]

Robin:

Thank you for the advice. I guess I'll have to tell the Mrs. a little earlier than planned (maybe late January-early February) if we are going purchase equipment. I prefer having my own stuff.

Booked Divi yesterday, but received a competitive offer from Eden this morning. Given that we are first-timers to Bonaire, does it make a significant difference if we choose one place over the other?

If you email me directly at dandelgesso@msn.com I can provide the particulars for your consideration. In the meantime, I will start visiting local dive shops to research snorkeling equipment.

Regards,
Dan.

 

[robint]

Robin:

Thank you for the advice. I guess I'll have to tell the Mrs. a little earlier than planned (maybe late January-early February) if we are going purchase equipment. I prefer having my own stuff.

Booked Divi yesterday, but received a competitive offer from Eden this morning. Given that we are first-timers to Bonaire, does it make a significant difference if we choose one place over the other?

If you email me directly at dandelgesso@msn.com I can provide the particulars for your consideration. In the meantime, I will start visiting local dive shops to research snorkeling equipment.

Regards,
Dan.

I think you should start posting your questions down on the Forum for ABC Islands. There are hundreds of SBers on there who can give you more information regarding the individual hotels. Also, check out Info Bonaire - The Bonaire Information Site - The Most Current and Up-To-Date Information .
robin

 

[LovetoFloat]

Thanks.

Will do. Have been on Bonaire Talk this morning and also InfoBonaire.
Rethinking the auto issue. Am staying with the Divi selection. See no reason to change now.

Am impressed with the amount of dialogue and information folks are willing to share. Looks like I'll have to start thinking about two-week 2010 trip!

Regards,
Dan.

 

[LovetoFloat]

Per Robin's suggestion I have posted the vehicle questions at

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/abc-islands/252464-vehicle-rental-yes-no.html

and also at http://www.bonairetalk.com/newsgroup/messages/32/376045.html?1221227683

Thanks!

 

[tvictory]

Divi is a good choice. I don't know what the "deluxe" category is, but IMO where you want to be is in the units on the northern end of the property, nearest to the dive shop. I think they are called "efficiency" suites as they have a small kitchen set-up. (They may be time-share owned but can be reserved through the regular reservations). When you check in, ask for a key to the gate which separates the Divi property from the road that runs right on the waterfront by the town pier and the dowtown area. It makes it very convenient to walk to many of the good restaurants, shops, etc.

They have (had?) a photography shop separate from the dive op on the premises where I'm sure you can arrange for whatever you need camera-wise. We usually don't rent a car except for a day trip, preferring to do boat dives and the house reef and walking to a different restaurant each night.

 

[LovetoFloat]

Thanks for the reply. Deluxe refers to an oceanfront one-bedroom unit. I figure that if I am taking my Mrs. all the way to Bonaire I had better get her accommodations on the water! I want her to have a "get off the plane, get in your shorts" everything is taken care of vacation, especially since it is a surprise trip for her big 40th birthday (folks tend to take the ones -birthdays- with the zeros pretty hard )

By the way, they do have a photo shop on site. Since I do not have a waterproof camera/flash, I am considering renting one while there.

Regards.