Question about beginner diving in Bonaire

[kwonger81]

My wife and I are heading to Bonaire for the first time Jan 20-27, 2007 (anyone else going to be there at that time?). I've been avidly reading the great threads about Bonaire, and it seems that a lot of people recommend Buddy Dive. We are looking for a resort that balances comfort, convenience, and affordability, and it sounds like Buddy Dive fits the bill. I checked out their website and am debating between the Drive and Dive package and the 6 Days in 6 Ways package. My question relates to the fact that my wife and I are beginner divers (less than 10 dives logged, between the Philippines and Costa Rica) - can we get DMs or other experienced divers to accompany us for the shore dives? (I am assuming there will be DMs accompanying us on the boat dives). I'm not sure that we're quite ready to drive around the island and do a shore dive just the 2 of us, but perhaps if we're doing 5 dives per day like others on this board say they have, perhaps we'll be racking up the experience pretty quickly. I'm the more adventurous of the 2 of us, while my wife is more conservative (and not the strongest swimmer) - regardless, safety is the most important issue. Thoughts?

Thanks,
Jeff.

 

[diversteve]

I'm sure Buddy's can provide DM's as needed. There are other options also for new divers.

One is that all the dive resorts near Buddy's - in fact just about any dive resort on the water - have really easy entries off their dive docks. With the exception of Capt' Don's ($5) they're all free if you bring your own tanks. But Capt's Don's is worth the $5, they have two sites offshore, Cliff and LaMachaca, both are easy, can be done shallow and if there is a little current off Cliff, it blows you back to the resort.

The thing to understand about almost all the divesites on Bonaire is that the reef runs parallel to the shore a short distance out. So at many locations you swim out, drop at the ball and make a right or left turn, dive to your turn point, turn around and swim back. Imo it would be impossible to get lost there, I never even looked at a compass in 20 dives. Typically the water is so clear that you'll see the ball or rope on your swim back.

One of the must-do dives is Salt Pier, it's now a DM-escorted dive only and can be setup through Buddy's or anybody else. It's a really shallow dive, in amongst the piers, only one of them is tight enough to be in any way constricting, and the dive ends in about 45' of water unless you drop over the edge. But that's after swimming through 3-4 sets of piers coated with life. Go in the early morning, the sun through the pier is a great photo op.

Also the DM"s on Bonaire freelance, we were offered a Town Pier (Night) dive from our boat DM but Toucan Divers never saw any of that money($20). At your skill level, it's not something I'd do.

A really easy to dive, excellent site is Bari Reef. You can dive with the onsite diveop there, Bonaire Dive/Adventure, and for $40pp they have a naturalist(Jerry Ligon) who will accompany you for 1/2 day, ID all the fish you're seeing (he carries fishcards and a slate), and help you complete an official REEF fish count survey. Bari Reef is the most prolific reef in the Caribbean, something like 4-500 species are found there. I learned more about Bonaire from sitting in on a few minutes of Jerry's briefing than I did from my hour Bonaire Marine Park orientation. Look for the squid right near the dock also, they hang out in 20-30' of water.

You'll find that most everybody else you meet on Bonaire is a diver. So you shouldn't have much problem finding buddies to shoredive with also. Except for Harbour Village most of the resorts north of Town are Dive resorts.

One thing to be watch is that although the shoredive sites are plentiful, many(most) of them are more difficult entries over ironshore and coral rubble. Good treaded boots are a must as well as a good sense of balance. There are some that are easier entries, some have little sandy areas that you can enter/exit. As I recall, there was one at Salt Pier right near the pier. Someone also told me there's good diving at Pink Beach, but I've not dove there.

Also it's no gloves on Bonaire and although most sites are marked with a ball and mooring rope, at least in the south, most of them are covered with firecoral so not something you want to hold onto to descend.

And if you do go really far south, from Vista Blue to the Slave cabins the current can be ripping in the afternoon.

With your experience, you'll find La Dania's Leap and Karpata to the North are pretty difficult entries also. Actually the Leap(literally) is easy, it's the swim to get out that's tough.

Most of the Slagbaai park sites are intermediate/advanced also and you're pretty much on your own up there also.

Do some boat dives also, a few sites on Klein and Rapppel off Bonaire, are some of the best. A good beginner site off Klein is Jerry's Reef, in towards the island the water is 15' deep with Turtles under the ledges, if you go the other way it drops deeper. And divers have snorkeled with Dolphins that are seen on the ride back in.

Once you try it, you'll find that Bonaire diving is really some of the easiest and best there is.

 

[blawler1]

Buddys has a great set up for all divers and the reefs in Bonaire make it easy for beginners to readily perform self guided dives.

The reef in front of Buddys is very easy to navigate as the sand gently slopes down to 20' and the reef gently slopes down parallel to the shore. With the always outstanding visibility as well as numerous land marks, such as the concrete blocks used for the boat moorings makes it a snap to do the dive yourself. My wife and both got our open water referrals next door at the Sand Dollar and were doing our own dives immediately.

If you want some company on your first couple of dives, it is always a breeze to hook up with other divers on Buddys dock as there are always solo divers looking to find a buddy. As you can cover as many as 5 dive sites from Buddys dock, you could easily spend your first few days there, building your diving experience and confidence before venturing out on your own. My wife and I have spent enitire weeks diving from Buddys (its a great beginning night dive as well) Additionally, it is easy to meet other groups of divers who are always looking for new dive buddies.

Additionally, some dive sites such as the Salt Pier and the night dive on the Town Pier require that there be a local dive master (DM) present. Buddys puts these dives on their chalkboard along with the boat dives. All you have to do is add your name to the board and show up at the designated gathering spot. This usually cost $25 per diver paid directly to the DM. I believe the $25 per diver is the going price for hiring a DM as a dive buddy at other sites as well, but as the DM is required to get you on these sites, hey its already part of the cost of diving.

Another option you may wish to consider is to get either you or your wife some training such as a specialty or advanced open water if you have not already gotten this. The AOW will get you 5 accompanied dives (the best deal) This will usually get you an instructor to take you on the check out dives and even if only one spouse is getting trained, the other is always welcome to tag along. The advantage to both of you getting trained is that it will pretty much assure that you will be your own class with an instructor assigned only to you.

Any way you go, Bonaire is the perfect island for beginning divers and Buddys has an excellent setup for divers of all skills.

 

[kwonger81]

Thanks so much for all the great info, guys!!! I really appreciate it, and you've reassured me a great deal. I can't wait!!!

Jeff.

 

[herman]

Welcome to the board Jeff.
The only thing I can add to the advise above is to come over to the Bonaire board. There you can ask if anyone that is going to be on Bonaire in Jan and see if they would like to buddy up with you. I have had good success doing that. www.bonairetalk.com

If it were me, I would do the "Drive and Dive" but then I go to dive. You can always add in the other activites if you decide to once you get there. You do need to hurry with your reservations, I would not be surprized that you find Buddy is full already. They are very popular and are often filled when other resorts are not.

 

[kwonger81]

Thanks for the tips, Herman!

I have sent an email to Buddy Dive. I hope they still have some rooms available for that week (I regret waiting now!)

I will definitely check out bonairetalk.com, perhaps later this week.

Jeff.

 

[divnlite]

Hey Jeff,
My husband and I went to Bonaire last January at that time we had 11 dives each. We did a lot of dives from the docks and shore and only hired a DM for the dive at the pier. Its very easy diving. I think it is the best place for new divers. We stayed at Capt. Dons but would easily stay at Buddys as well. We now have almost 100 dives this year from several locals but still loved Bonaire. You'll be fine and its a great way to build confidence and practice navigation with easy parallel reefs.
Here is a link to my trip report.
http://home.comcast.net/~tperrytrp/

 

[dvrliz1]

Welcome Jeff! All great anwers above! I can help a little bit more. You can definitely hire a private DM on the island. I definitely suggest this, and that you do the "driving and diving". Bonaire has many great sites for newbie divers and the dive master will go with you to each dive. Also, check out the book "Shore Diving Made Easy" It explains specifically all of the shore dives, what you can see, level of expertise and recommended entries. You don't want to miss Andrea 1 or 2, the are easy entry, great for beginners, and you won't want to miss the squid and large midnight and rainbow parrots I've heard that are hanging out there. I am sure that Buddy will be able to provide a DM, if they are booked, email me, I know of a few DMs act as guides. Liz

 

[herman]

............................. I am sure that Buddy will be able to provide a DM, if they are booked, email me, I know of a few DMs act as guides. Liz

She can also hook you up with very nice accommodations. Liz owns Golden Reef Inn on Bonaire. If Buddy is full, give Liz a shot. She is not on the water but no place is far from the water on Bonaire. GRI is close to Buddy in location and offers a clean, safe alternative and you will not find a better host for your first Bonaire trip. www.goldenreefinn.com

 

[skynscuba]

Another great accommodation alternative is the Den Laman. They are adjacent to the south side of the Sand Dollar, which is adjacent to the south of Buddy. The Den Laman is quite new, and everything about the condo is very nice and comfortable. Most Bonaire accommodations are only air conditioned in the bedroom, but the Den Laman is A/C throughout. They are located at the Bari Reef, and the dive operation Bonaire Dive and Adventure in onsite.

We just made our first trip to Bonaire 4 weeks ago. I had about 80 dives, and my girlfriend had about 8 dives, before going. It is a great place to learn/practice basic navigation skills, since nav there is pretty easy, the visibility is good, and the consequences of being off a bit are not critical. Many (most) of the dive sites have a buoy offshore, typically anchored in about 25 feet of water. Take a compass heading from your entry point to the buoy, swim out to the buoy, take note of the depth at which it is anchored, swim directly out/down to whatever maximum depth you are going, turn left or right into any current and take note of your air pressure. Mosey along at one depth for a while, turn upslope to a shallower depth note air pressure, mosey back at that shallower depth. Be sure to be up at exactly the depth of the buoy before you get there, and you can't miss it. Mosey around in the vicinity of the buoy at that depth, and take care of your safety stop, until your air gets down to ~900, then take the reverse compass heading to get back from the buoy to the entry point, compensating for any drift owing to current. I missed a few times, and had to pop up for a look when I got to about 8 feet depth. On some dives, you will want to pick out other landmarks (distinctive coral head or something), either because you don't want to go to the buoy, or you may want extra landmarks deeper than the buoy. My GF and I had a hand signal for "this is a landmark -- remember it and its depth." You won't really know what to expect before the first dive, but the dives are all pretty similar, so you will get the routine down quickly. Soon, you will be able to spend more time on your "tour" and still have adequate air when you get back to the safety stop. Don't worry, though, there is plenty to see in the shallows, so extra air is never wasted.

My GF doesn't like to snorkel or surface swim, so we started burning air as soon as we got to where the depth was 8 feet or so. That also gives one a chance to verify that all gear is working as expected, mask is okay, while still very shallow.

You will really be more competent and confident after doing dives on your own. When I have an instructor or dive master leading a tour, I find that I subconsciously transfer nav responsibility to them, rather than doing it myself. Sort of like not knowing how to get somewhere you've been on land, since someone else was driving at the time.

You're going to have a great trip, but it will be over in a flash!

Gary