Yes. My rental truck rate from Telerin is $40/day without CDW. We use American Express's option
al PCRP coverage to insure the truck for one-time fee of $25 for any rental period up to42 days maximum. We usually stay for several weeks at a time but a 6 day package at the same rates works out to around $265.
For the diving we use Dive Friends Bonaire, who offers a 10% discount if you're staying at any of the dozens of accommodations on the island that they're affiliated with. That works out to $162 for all the gas you can breathe during 6 days of shore diving.
So I guess I was wrong, LOL. That's $427/week, not $400/week. Still priceless, and still peerless.
wwguy, if you get your buddy to cough up half the dough for the truck you are under $300, with 4 it is $230 for the week! But I am sure you already know that.
I get that the high airfares are a big negative and understand that. Years ago, for example, Honduras was big on my budget diving destination list when you could get to San Pedro Sula for a good price then the flights to Ceiba and Roatan or Utila were dirt cheap. Guest houses, food and diving were, and probably still are, a bargain and I enjoyed the vibe immensely but now the higher flight costs within Honduras makes going to other places more cost effective. Cozumel being a favourite, with cheap accommodation at Hotel Pepita, great food at good prices a couple of blocks back from the malecon and very competitive boat diving rates made the whole package work. So I agree the high cost to get to Bonaire is a big consideration.
As far as the diving goes, the reef, corals and fish life, water temperature and visibility in Bonaire is very good but arguably some destinations may be better in some respects. But the thing that distinguishes Bonaire from anywhere else is the diving freedom. Get in the truck, choose your spot when you want, dive as fast or slow as you like, linger and enjoy or photograph to your heart's content. Stay in for an hour and a half or two hours as long as your breathing permits. No "chase the dive guide", no herding like school children, no tank clanking to go up after 45 minutes, no hupping-to to the boat schedule. From that point of view, I have yet to find anywhere else to compare at any price. That is why I am in Bonaire now, that is why I also spent 5 weeks here earlier this year, last year and numerous shorter trips other years since 1996. And I will be back again with regularity.
Don't get me wrong, I love the visibility and drift of Cozumel, the diversity in Asian diving and adventures elsewhere so will continue to experience other places, but the style of diving in Bonaire is worth the airfare for me. But to each his own.
Cheers
Andy
