STINAPA Nature Tag - anywhere to get them on Saturday PM?

[RJP]

I know most resorts do the orientation the morning AFTER you arrive and give you your tag then. Anyone know of any place where my buddy and I can get our tag on Saturday late afternoon? We are early starters, and for us waiting until 10 or so on Sunday for the orientation (which we already know well) means we've already missed two dives at the best time of the day.



Thanks!

 

[wwguy]

I've done the Saturday afternoon orientation before. I like it for the reasons you mention, but it stresses my wife out because she feels "rushed" to transition from travel to diving. (I've since acquiesced to her more relaxed pace on arrival day. We stay for several weeks during the winter holiday and I know I'll have plenty of time to dive.)

Dive Friends is usually pretty flexible about issuing tags and doing the orientation on-demand. In the end I think it'll depend on your arrival time and how fast you can retrieve your luggage, prepare your dive kit, and get to the dive shop. DFB's Port Bonaire, Dive Inn, and Yellow Sub locations close at 5 PM and the other locations at 4:30 PM. My experience has been that "closed" time means the staff is locking the gate and leaving, not get ready, so you'll probably need at least 1/2 hour to do the paperwork, get your weights and tag, and do a weight check (usually supervised and assisted from shore.) After that I don't think they'll care if you're still diving when they close the shop.

 

[tursiops]

We stay at Buddy Dive, get our tags upon arrival, and orient as soon as we can, usually that afternoon. Please note the orientation dive is required, whether you are a return visitor or not. the STINAPA rules are very clear on this.
"2. Orientation: All SCUBA divers must attend an orientation with their dive operator (the center from which air tanks are obtained) before diving in the BNMP. The orientation consists of a ‘dry’ part and a ‘wet’ part. The ‘dry’ part is a briefing on the Bonaire National Marine Park rules. The ‘wet’ part of the orientation is the check out dive, which is always supervised by the dive operation providing air. Repeat divers are required to attend a dive orientation and perform a check out dive every time they are back on island."

 

[redacted]

We stay at Buddy Dive, get our tags upon arrival, and orient as soon as we can, usually that afternoon. Please note the orientation dive is required, whether you are a return visitor or not. the STINAPA rules are very clear on this.
"2. Orientation: All SCUBA divers must attend an orientation with their dive operator (the center from which air tanks are obtained) before diving in the BNMP. The orientation consists of a ‘dry’ part and a ‘wet’ part. The ‘dry’ part is a briefing on the Bonaire National Marine Park rules. The ‘wet’ part of the orientation is the check out dive, which is always supervised by the dive operation providing air. Repeat divers are required to attend a dive orientation and perform a check out dive every time they are back on island."

My Sept trip to Buddy Dive was the 2nd this year. The shop said we did not need to attend the orientation briefing but did need to do a checkout dive.

 

[uncfnp]

I have done the orientation thru Buddy Dive and Dive Friends and by far Dive Friends was the most diver friendly. As wwguy said, they will do it anytime during their operating hours. Twice this year we arrived early Saturday afternoon and was checked in and doing our first dive that same afternoon. But I think Carribean Club is associated with Buddy Dive.

 

[tursiops]

My Sept trip to Buddy Dive was the 2nd this year. The shop said we did not need to attend the orientation briefing but did need to do a checkout dive.

I've become a sort of "deputy DM" at Buddy Dive due to all my many visits over many years, always with a group. I am now allowed to do my own orientation with my group, and I manage their first dive, too. So they get the same thing as the newbies, but on our schedule.

 

[mbs]

We do it as well with Toucan (at the Plaza Resort) Saturday afternoons. I would think most shops would offer it.

 

[RJP]

We stay at Buddy Dive, get our tags upon arrival, and orient as soon as we can, usually that afternoon. Please note the orientation dive is required, whether you are a return visitor or not. the STINAPA rules are very clear on this.
"2. Orientation: All SCUBA divers must attend an orientation with their dive operator (the center from which air tanks are obtained) before diving in the BNMP. The orientation consists of a ‘dry’ part and a ‘wet’ part. The ‘dry’ part is a briefing on the Bonaire National Marine Park rules. The ‘wet’ part of the orientation is the check out dive, which is always supervised by the dive operation providing air. Repeat divers are required to attend a dive orientation and perform a check out dive every time they are back on island."

Yeah... well "always" seems to mean something different in Papiamentu. Last time we watched the video and then the dive op said "Any questions...? No...? You guys are good, right?" and that was the last we saw of him.

 

[boat sju]

Hmm. We've never done a supervised orientation dive. Closest dive to such was go out and check your weighting here at Eden Beach and then you're off on your own. Basically we've always done an "easier" first dive to get squared away.

 

[Lorenzoid]

DFB (Hamlet location) did the orientation for our group on a Saturday around 4 pm. The "wet" part of the orientation was somewhat glossed over compared with what I recall at Buddy's.