A great Bonaire trip

[Mossman]

I love September there! Warm water and Ned DeLoach will be at Buddy's and it is a good place to be that time of year

I'm guessing that since Sept. '09 was your first trip to Bonaire, that you don't have too many September experiences to draw on

There's a reason why Ned DeLoach is there in September and it's not necessarily because he likes September best. Hopefully you're at least going for the coral spawning. Wind reversals can slam waves into the resort docks making hotel shore diving dicey at best. Lack of any wind means it stays hot even at night, uncomfortable for dining outside or indoors without a/c (which is the majority of dining options in Bonaire). And it's smack dab in the middle of hurricane season. Sure, Bonaire is out of the hurricane belt, but that doesn't mean complete freedom (see Hurricane Omar, Oct. 2008). Also, if you're connecting through Houston, hurricanes can cause the airport to close which is a big deal when there are only a few flights/week off the island (see Hurricane Ike, Sept. 2008).

Just me, but if I were leading a trip (presumably taking advantage of the freebies at least, if not actually on the margin between advertised and actual trip cost), I'd make sure I were going at a safe time of year to maximize the chance of the group's happiness, or else cover my butt by providing full disclosure of all the things that might go wrong during that particular time of the year. Good luck!

 

[Papa_Bear]

Thanks, but not new to the Caribbean! That is what we have this board for, isn't it???? Chances of being hit in any one week is September is aprox 1 in 80 given the Hurricane frequency of Bonaire and that is why they offer trip insurance! I live in the land of the Santa Ana!

 

[Mossman]

Thanks, but not new to the Caribbean! That is what we have this board for, isn't it???? Chances of being hit in any one week is September is aprox 1 in 80 given the Hurricane frequency of Bonaire and that is why they offer trip insurance! I live in the land of the Santa Ana!

I wasn't talking about direct hurricanes, I was talking about wind reversals. Does trip insurance cover missing half your dives or more because of a wind reversal?

It's the same as diving Cozumel in the winter. From my experience, it's very likely northers will blow out half the dives of most winter trips there, which is why I'm very unlikely to book another winter trip to Cozumel.

Go on your own and take the risks, sure, but lead a trip there without telling the divers they bear a strong risk of being blown out of half their dives and that it's non-compensable with standard trip insurance?

 

[Boat Chick]

Having been to Bonaire nine times, all at different times, it's not a guarantee that you will get wind reversals in September, and even if you do, the leeward side is still very diveable (at least it was on a trip in September and one in October). If it does reverse, it's a great time to get some East side diving in

As for hurricanes, no guarantees either...lol...my worst was one in mid July. San Juan airport closed, reopened...the worst flight I've ever been on...ceiling panels in the center of the plane fell off, wires hanging everywhere...no one was allowed to get out of their seat. I'm surprised we landed in Miami in one piece! lol!

The coral spawning is also spectacular, and the DeLoach's are very friendly and eager to talk with fellow divers. Have a great time Papa Bear.

To Mike, the OP, glad you enjoyed your first trip to Bonaire, sounds like you are hooked and will be back

 

[ncchuck]

I visited Bonaire once in September. I actuallly got there an entire day late because there was a hurrican headed for the US and all the planes left the Miami area for safer ground. I was on the last plane that landed in Miami and it was really weird. I'll bet there weren't more than 5 planes there. The next day was pure choas. There were way too many passengers for the one plane that was leaving for Bonaire. I have no idea how they decided who got on an who didn't. We made it. This was the old airline that everyone always complained about - can't remember the name but they no longer exist.
On Bonaire the waves were unbelievable and there was no shore diving for 3 days. We mostly boat dive anyway so it didn't effect us that much. The island was deserted and many resorts were almost empty. It was extremely hot. The diving we did was excellent and there was no wait at any restaurants.

 

[Mossman]

Our September experience was similar. Hurricane Ike closed Houston, Continental's hub for our flight. Had the sent the plane out to Bonaire, we would have been able to fly back as soon as the airport re-opened. Problem was, they didn't send the plane down, leaving all the Continental passengers who were supposed to be flying home that Saturday morning stuck on the island. Sunday's flight from Newark arrived on time and that plane turns around flying people home via Newark. "Fortunately" due to our medical situation (her leg in a cast) and my platinum status with Continental at the time, and the likelihood that the return flight to Newark wasn't already full at that time of the year, we managed to snag seats 1 A & B where she could at least prop up her leg to prevent swelling - even though our original first-class tix were purchased with air miles and therefore not usually worth a damn when the dung hits the fan. We lucked out (though she didn't feel so lucky in that cast , made it back home only a day late after CO got us back to LAX from Newark on a Northwest flight via Minneapolis, and we took an airport shuttle to ONT where our car was parked.

We really lucked out, and that was only due to a medical emergency and platinum status, and it still took me 3 hours and a huge cell phone bill to be able to get us off the island only a day late. Since there were more people stranded on island from the canceled flight to Houston than could fit on the remaining seats on the Newark flight and Delta's return flight to Atlanta, I have no doubt at least some people were stuck for up to a week before they were able to get home.

 

[Mike Boswell]

Having been to Bonaire nine times, all at different times, it's not a guarantee that you will get wind reversals in September, and even if you do, the leeward side is still very diveable (at least it was on a trip in September and one in October). If it does reverse, it's a great time to get some East side diving in

As for hurricanes, no guarantees either...lol...my worst was one in mid July. San Juan airport closed, reopened...the worst flight I've ever been on...ceiling panels in the center of the plane fell off, wires hanging everywhere...no one was allowed to get out of their seat. I'm surprised we landed in Miami in one piece! lol!

The coral spawning is also spectacular, and the DeLoach's are very friendly and eager to talk with fellow divers. Have a great time Papa Bear.

To Mike, the OP, glad you enjoyed your first trip to Bonaire, sounds like you are hooked and will be back

Hi Boat Chick - We drove around the east side and it was windy and rough with very few places where you could get into the water even if you wanted to. For me, that spelled "G R E A T D I V I N G" but the wind would have to die down a bit, you would need a boat, and it would be a very long haul from the dive resorts like Buddy or Captain Don's. Do the boats go over to that side when the wind reverses?

 

[Boat Chick]

Hi Boat Chick - We drove around the east side and it was windy and rough with very few places where you could get into the water even if you wanted to. For me, that spelled "G R E A T D I V I N G" but the wind would have to die down a bit, you would need a boat, and it would be a very long haul from the dive resorts like Buddy or Captain Don's. Do the boats go over to that side when the wind reverses?

Hi Mike, the East side isn't shore divable all times of the year. It's pretty much only divable by shore when there's a good wind reversal, or no wind at all anywhere (which can happen in September and October, been there and believe me it's HOT) lol. There are only a couple of boat operations that go the East side. East Side Divers, which has gotten mixed reviews, Menno from Deep Blue View has a boat he takes to the East side, and Larry of Larry's Wild Side I hear is getting a new boat. They go to the East side pretty much all year round conditions providing. I've only shore dove at Lac Cai, never done the boat; but from all the reports I've read over the years it's pretty spectacular.

At Lac Cai, the reef is very healthy and things are bigger...fish are bigger. Lots of rays, turtles, etc. I think the fish are bigger because there are more nutrients in the water due to the currents etc. This is only speculation on my part and from gathering info from locals.