We just got back from our two weeks in Bonaire, and while I've got a good bit of work left to do before I get around to posting a trip summary report, I wanted to get one little bit on here early.
We stayed at Den Laman and used Bonaire Dive and Adventure for our diving, and the first week was just like the last trip to Bonaire. We had to think a little extra about timing and prefetch extra nitrox tanks to stow in the lockers for our late and early dives. It's really not a big deal (unless you're lazy and whiny), but it *is* one more thing you have to think about. Also, we had to carry our dive gear up to the room every evening, as the gear room would not be open until well after we were on our morning dives.
The news, however, is that they made a significant change for our second week. Suddenly, everything was different, as their new "combination lock box with keys to the gates and analyzer" setup went live. Yes, BDA now has 24-hour gear room and air/nitrox tank access!
Apparently, they were trying it out to see how everything went, but talking to them before we left, it sounds like everything went swimmingly. mb and I were certainly *delighted*, as we no longer had to think ahead *at all*, and we didn't have to carry everything up to the room so we could do our early morning dives. For most of their divers, it's really just a psychological change, but for those of us who like to dive, dive, and dive on our vacations, it's a wonderful improvement to their convenience and puts them basically on par with the others who already had 24-hour access.
We'll be emailing them to thank them heartily for the second week's changes, and I see no reason at all they will not become officially permanent (if they haven't already). So, it looks like the biggest knock against BDA is to be no longer. (That's not to say that some people wouldn't prefer the multiple locations of some others or the world-famous Buddy's tank drive through, but the biggest BDA gotcha is gone.)
Anyway, just wanted to get the news out there in case anyone's pondering their next booking. Having now experienced both limited access and 24-hour access on the same trip, I can say that while the former isn't a show-stopper, the latter is indeed a delightful improvement.
We stayed at Den Laman and used Bonaire Dive and Adventure for our diving, and the first week was just like the last trip to Bonaire. We had to think a little extra about timing and prefetch extra nitrox tanks to stow in the lockers for our late and early dives. It's really not a big deal (unless you're lazy and whiny), but it *is* one more thing you have to think about. Also, we had to carry our dive gear up to the room every evening, as the gear room would not be open until well after we were on our morning dives.
The news, however, is that they made a significant change for our second week. Suddenly, everything was different, as their new "combination lock box with keys to the gates and analyzer" setup went live. Yes, BDA now has 24-hour gear room and air/nitrox tank access!
Apparently, they were trying it out to see how everything went, but talking to them before we left, it sounds like everything went swimmingly. mb and I were certainly *delighted*, as we no longer had to think ahead *at all*, and we didn't have to carry everything up to the room so we could do our early morning dives. For most of their divers, it's really just a psychological change, but for those of us who like to dive, dive, and dive on our vacations, it's a wonderful improvement to their convenience and puts them basically on par with the others who already had 24-hour access.
We'll be emailing them to thank them heartily for the second week's changes, and I see no reason at all they will not become officially permanent (if they haven't already). So, it looks like the biggest knock against BDA is to be no longer. (That's not to say that some people wouldn't prefer the multiple locations of some others or the world-famous Buddy's tank drive through, but the biggest BDA gotcha is gone.)
Anyway, just wanted to get the news out there in case anyone's pondering their next booking. Having now experienced both limited access and 24-hour access on the same trip, I can say that while the former isn't a show-stopper, the latter is indeed a delightful improvement.
