Last minute questions for the Bonaire trip...

[divematt]

We're going to Bonaire in 2 days and just wondered...


1. What's the day and night air temp. in Bonaire normally this time of year?

2. What's the water temp. normally this time of year.

3. Should I bring anything nicer than a T-shirt and shorts for any of the restaurants?

4. If you have to leave your windows open when renting the truck to shore dive, (for fear of theft) can you still take a hotel towel or T-shirt to leave behind (in the truck) for the drive back to keep the seat from getting wet as you sit on it? I mean if they steal everything that you leave in the truck and you have to take your keys and everything else with you in your bc pocket during the dive, it would be nice to at least have a dry seat in the truck for the drive to dinner after the day is over! I'd like to be comfortable being able to take the shore dive book, a towel, a T-shirt, a bottle of water, and some money to the dive site during the day of diving. I can't put all of that in my BC pocket.

Thanks

[JDog]

You should be fine. I didn't have any trouble there. I left towels, water, tee shirts, and cheepo sunglasses and didn't have any issues.
Water temp is pretty much 80's all the time.

[CheddarChick]

In Curacao last year, I could have used a jacket. especially after night dives.

[herman]

Mid 80s during the day, mid 70s at night. The water temp should be 79-80.
I am unaware of any restaurant where anything more than a reasonable T-shirt and shorts would be necessary.

We leave towels, tshirts and water in our truck all the time with no problems.
We buy a 1L water for each of us on arrival and refill it from the tap all week. Put it in the fridge on it's side over night 1/2 full and fill it the rest of the way in the morning. Wrapped up in our towels, it says cool for the dives. We also take an empty 2 or 3 L soda bottle full of water along with us. Leave it in the truck bed in the sun while you are diving and it makes a nice after dive rinse....an extra lid with 2 or 3 holes in it turns it into a nice shower.

Honestly, the thieft thing gets blown way out of proportion. Just don't leave anything worth stealing in the truck.

[diversteve]

Although I doubt it'll even be touched, you could bend up the cover on the divebook so it has no resale value. As I recall after the first day, I just left ours in the room.

Stores in Bonaire are used to wet money also. And you don't need your c-card anywhere once you have the BMP tag clipped to your BC.

We just used towels from the condo. Near the end of the week, we left our good divebags in the truck also, nothing was touched. And we did at least six dives where we were the only ones there for at least a couple of hours.

As herman mentioned, the theft problem is highly over-hyped. Mostly by people here who've either never been there or never left their resort when they were. I'd leave stuff in the truck there before I'd leave it in my car here unlocked. And I live in a good neighborhood.

I wore a casual collared shirt to It Rains Fishes and Casablanca. More because we had time to change before going there.

[reefdiva]

My husband usually wears a nice t-shirt and shorts to dinner at Pasa Bon Pizza, BobbeJan's, Lion's Den or places at lunch. For dinner at Wil's, Mona Lisa, Bistro de Paris, Den lamen he usually wears nice shorts and a polo style shirt. Some people wear long pants if they are bothered by bugs.

[rottielover]

tagg'n along, hopefully I won't need a last min. questions thread when the wife and I are getting ready to go in about 29 days! I can't wait!!!!

[divematt]

Thanks for all of the helpful responses.

1. Can I get away with a nice T-shirt in those "collared shirt" places?

2. Are the bugs pretty bad? Worse at night? Bad all of the time?

3. What do you do with your prescription glasses for driving, while you're diving?

4. Do the dive equip. lockers at Plaza Resort require us to bring our own combination lock?

5. Are there safes in the rooms?

6. Is Nitrox available at all hours? In other words, do I need to reserve it, to have it ready very early in the morning before we go out for early morning dives? Or do we have to wait until they open to get it? What about getting it the night before?

7. How does this tank thing work? Do they just have a place with full tanks that you get yourself? And another place to put empties?(Plaza Resort)

8. How strict is the 44 lb. per person policy on the Curacao/Bonaire flight, and how much is it gonna cost if you bring two 50lb. suitcases?


Thanks again for all of your help. You people are great!

Matt

[diversteve]

1. Can I get away with a nice T-shirt in those "collared shirt" places? Sure

2. Are the bugs pretty bad? Worse at night? Bad all of the time? Bad under the tables at night in some places. Esp. the ones with tablecloths. Spray some DEET on your legs before you go eat
3. What do you do with your prescription glasses for driving, while you're diving? I have one of those Witz cases. Leisurepro sells them.
4. Do the dive equip. lockers at Plaza Resort require us to bring our own combination lock? (edit)No - see post 10.

5. Are there safes in the rooms? Yes http://www.plazaresortbonaire.com/rooms2.htm

6. Is Nitrox available at all hours? In other words, do I need to reserve it, to have it ready very early in the morning before we go out for early morning dives? Or do we have to wait until they open to get it? What about getting it the night before?
Don't know since we only dove with Toucan during the day. And my buddy was the only one diving it. You do have to do your own analysis and record it in their book. And I think the analyzer is in the locker room. You'll get all the details during your BMP orientation.

7. How does this tank thing work? Do they just have a place with full tanks that you get yourself? And another place to put empties?(Plaza Resort)Pretty much. The trick there is to drive to the south(west?) end of the parking lot and then down the little road to the tank room. Much less of a carry than when you park in front of the dive store.

8. How strict is the 44 lb. per person policy on the Curacao/Bonaire flight, and how much is it gonna cost if you bring two 50lb. suitcases? No idea..

[Boat Chick]

Thanks for all of the helpful responses.

1. Can I get away with a nice T-shirt in those "collared shirt" places?

2. Are the bugs pretty bad? Worse at night? Bad all of the time?

3. What do you do with your prescription glasses for driving, while you're diving?

4. Do the dive equip. lockers at Plaza Resort require us to bring our own combination lock?

5. Are there safes in the rooms?

6. Is Nitrox available at all hours? In other words, do I need to reserve it, to have it ready very early in the morning before we go out for early morning dives? Or do we have to wait until they open to get it? What about getting it the night before?

7. How does this tank thing work? Do they just have a place with full tanks that you get yourself? And another place to put empties? (Plaza Resort)

8. How strict is the 44 lb. per person policy on the Curacao/Bonaire flight, and how much is it gonna cost if you bring two 50lb. suitcases?


Thanks again for all of your help. You people are great!

Matt

HI Matt,
1. Yes, you can get away with a nice t-shirt. They won't kick you out of anyplace, but at the nicer restaurants they appreciate folks not wearing grub t's and shorts :-)

2. I spray myself several times a day, and usually come home with one or two bites. My hubby doesn't use spray, and never gets bit...Guess I'm tastier :-)

3. I put mine in a soft glasses case and slip it in my bc pocket along with the car keys and a waterproof pouch with a cc and some guilders :-)

5 and 6, don't know, never stayed at the Plaza, however, most places have full tanks in one spot (this includes nitrox at a separate station so you can analyze the tank - they provide the analyzer), and then in the same area a place for dead tanks.

8. Have no clue!

Have a great trip :-)