How is Buddy Dive??

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ScubaSuzy

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We are considering a week at Buddy Dive in August (or any other resort??). Anyone have any input or suggestions as to the resort and the dive operation? And also, any particular method for booking? Thanks in advance.
 
I've stayed there twice so far, booked directly with them, and enjoyed it. Breakfast buffet is nice. Wifi access from the room both trips was bad; needed to go out & on one trip head toward the restaurant, but that may not be the case with all places, and I was last there April '13 so might be different now. The 2 pier stair ways are nice for entry & exit to the house reef, especially nice for a night dive.

You can get tanks 24/7 down near the pier for diving the house reef, but they didn't want us hauling them off to dive elsewhere. For that, they've got a drive through setup, with 2 stations; 1 for air tanks, 1 for nitrox tanks. But those get locked up around 5 p.m., if memory serves, so if you like loading tanks in your truck in the evening for the following morning, or to do a night dive off-site, bear that in mind.

I found the onsite restaurant comparable to other restaurants I eat at on the island; pricey compared to back home in the U.S.

I liked the grounds, but I don't lay in the hammocks or play volley ball.

Shuttle service from the airport when you arrive & back when you leave, coupled with the convenience of on-grounds truck rental is quite nice. For around $150 extra I got an automatic transmission truck instead of a stick shift.

A fellow guest spoke glowingly about some advice he got from the onsite photography operation; I didn't deal with them directly. I recall they had Canon SD1400's in Ikelite housings for rent, amongst other things.

I didn't use the dive boats, but they've got them.

In summary, I stayed there, went back, and will likely stay there again when & if I get to go back. Don't exact fancy.

If I were checking for specials, I'd probably look at Caradona.com and Maduro.com to see what they were running.

Richard.
 
We were there(group of 30) last August, 2013.........Decent resort, rooms were nice, food was decent(all meals included) & diving was OK.....Buddy's setup itself allowed for easy(house reef) shore dives---we did mostly boat dives(11 outta 20)........Enjoy your trip, we went US(Miami)to Curacao, then Curacao to Bonaire(vice versa on the return).....Reason???--this saved each person about 200 USD on airfare.........
 
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I've stayed at multiple different resorts on Bonaire but ended up going back to Buddy Dive. Richard has given a good overview, which I second.

Good location, good house reef, good dive op. I do use the bats and they run a safe op. Easy access to tanks for going diving by truck ( drive Through )

The resort is a bit shabby but for a dive lodge, it suits my needs just fine.
Don't find the food very good but the breakfast is part of the package. Would eat all other meals offsite as there are many interesting restaurants on the island.
 
Buddy has the advantage of renting their own vehicles; so you only have to deal with one place. The tank drive thru is great, and it amazes me that every operation hasn't copied this yet.

I find their rooms, to be in excellent condition, the food good (but pricey, like all food there), and I think they have the best complete operation on the island.
 
I've been going to Buddy Dive for 15 consequtive years; my 25th trip there will be this October, for 2 weeks. I've been there with just my wife, and with groups as large as 37. I've been there every month except July and August. I've been there in hot weather, rainy weather, wind reversals, during and post hurricanes, and over the Christmas/New Years holidays. The only thing that bothers me is that the gate is now locked between Buddy Dive and Captain Don's, next door, so it is harder to go get a meal or technical training over there. The BD breakfasts are very very good, lunches at the pool bar are OK to good, and the new restaurant Ingridients is excellent but pricy. I don't care for the pool bar at dinner.

We always book as a group through Caradonna, but you can book directly too, same price. A group of four is optimum; many of the condos are 2BR suites. Couples pay a premium, singles pay a big premium. Best to find a group that is going and join up with them. that also gives you some voting rights on the boats...where to go, when to leave, etc. My groups always get their own boat, and we set the schedule (within limits) and destinations. Although shore diving in Bonaire is very nice, boat dives are easier (except right off the Buddy Dive dock!) and you can go to some really great places you can't get to from shore.
 
Buddy's has a lively happy hour. Even when we don't stay there we stop by for happy hour.
 
Other reviews are spot on. Call 866-462-8339 or email and book direct. Convenient one call for lodging,breakfast, truck n dives. Breakfast is great, don't count on WiFi (out 3 of 5 days), good crews, safe op, 2 restaurants on site, accommodations reasonable, clean and the Ac works for sleeping. Located close to town and other resorts/restaurants/shopping. I do sit by the pool on occasion, walk around the grounds, it's pretty. They 'claim' the gate between buddy- capt dons is locked for security purposes, but even walking out to the street not that far. Very responsive when we had issues - non working Ac, needed adjoining door opened/locked.
 

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Thank you all for your responses, they have been very helpful. It seems BD has everything we want. Any ideas on how much the insurance is for the rental vehicle? I read that is not included. Any other input is gratefully appreciated.
 
I think the insurance was $20 something a day. Check with your existing carrier and credit cards to see if you have coverage through them and can forgo the coverage. Bring bug spray. The buddy web tsite has all pricing for all options from ala carte to the dive n drive. View the orientation video on the website to get an idea of layout and operations.
 
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