Bonaire - Can anyone recommend a guide/divemaster

[firedigger]

Hi,
I am going to Bonaire the week of July 4th with 3 buddies.
We are all experienced divers but would like an experienced dive instructor who really knows the island to show us the best dive sites.
Can anyone recommend one?
thanks

Mike

 

[mala]

read the guide books and chat to the guides in the bar of an evening.

the diving is easy and half the fun will be diving sites that you have only heard about without a guide getting in the way.

 

[kbashara]

I like what mala said... but if that fails, talk to Erica at Toucan Diving based out of the Plaza Resort. Diving is easy - great vis, little or no current and reefs that are accessible from the shore. There is one main road around the edge of the island and the dive sites are clearly marked with little yellow rocks and are mainly on the leeward side. I felt like all of the dive sites were great... you pretty much can't go wrong ...

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[diverjen]

I agree about the ease of the island and diving, but for a special dive or a few special dives checkout VIP Divers, we dove with them towards the end of the week and wish we had started with them - totally awesome! They are really good at meeting your needs whatever the experience level! Check out TA reviews and Bonaire talk reviews about them!

 

[gypsyjim]

Firedugger, if you ask a mod to move this thread to the ABC forum you might get more responses.

I know there is a local that a lot of folks have recommended, but I can't recall his name. If you post in that forum I am sure you will here of, or even, from him.

 

[vladimir]

I cannot imagine what a guide could add for experienced divers in Bonaire. To each his own, of course, but you will see once you get there just how useless a guide would be.

 

[diversteve]

OB1 (Bas Noij) at Vip Diving. Dive like a VIP - probably the same outfit jen is recommending. ^

Bas Tol at BAS Diving for the east side. BAS Diving

On Bari Reef - one of the naturalists from Bonaire Dive/Adventure - Jerry Ligon. They'll find fish you'll go right past. Bonaire Dive and Adventure

moved to the ABC sub-forum...

 

[diverjen]

2nd the dive with Jerry Ligon also, totally changed the way I look at the ecosystem.

 

[sullivan]

I cannot imagine what a guide could add for experienced divers in Bonaire. To each his own, of course, but you will see once you get there just how useless a guide would be.

As someone who visited Bonaire for the first time in December, I could not agree more with the above. Bonaire Shore Diving Made Easy and reference to this site are all we needed to tear it up and we're not experts (approx 50 dives each):

Scuba Shore Diving Region: ABC Islands

 

[gypsyjim]

A second for both Bas, by reputation only, and Jerry from personal experience, as his introduction to the interaction of the reef's marine life adds a lot to your dive experience because you gain new understandings of what you are seeing around you.