Bonaire Dive Operator recommendations?

[tommyi]

Hello and Happy Thanksgiving weekend everyone. I'm heading down to Bonaire in January but not staying a dive resort - staying at Lighthouse Beach Resort. Does anyone have recommendations as to what dive operator we should use? We're there for a week and hope to do Klein Bonaire several times as well as some shore dives. We'll be renting a pick up. Thank you in advance for your help!

 

[diversteve]

Your closest options will be Toucan Dive at the Plaza, Photo Tours Divers at Port Bonaire or the smaller Buddy Dive location at BelMar condos.

Lighthouse Beach offers a dive pkg. with Toucan. We dove with them a couple of years ago, they do a nice job - no fuss - uncrowded boats and dive the better sites rather than the closer ones.

I don't know anything about Photo Tours at Port Bonaire. But PB is on the Belnem side of the lagoon so it's a slightly shorter drive than to Toucan.

We stayed at BelMar so I'm familiar with the setup there. Although they have street-side tank pickup, you may only be able to get tanks when they're there, afterhours BelMar guests use their key. The main Buddy location has a drive-thru pickup, but it's 10-15mins. north. I'm not sure if they send the boat down to the BelMar dock to get you either. Not exactly sure where LBR is but BelMar should be within a few hundred feet. I think it's between LBR and Bachelor's Beach on their map.

 

[CLEAR BLUE]

It's not as close but we had a great time with Wannadive Bonaire. A couple of dives off Klein Bonaire is plenty. It's all about shore diving!

 

[herman]

I would use Toucan just because LBR has a relationship with them. IMO it's usually easyist to use whatever shop the resort has a relationship with. If you don't go with Toucan, Wannadive is a great choice with 2 locations, downtown and at Eden Beach. Buddy is also another good choice but I am not sure if they tell off siters how to get into the dock tanks at night. If they don't, late night tanks could be a problem, the drive thru is locked after 5pm. The good news is, I don't know of a bad op on Bonaire so any op you choose is going to be fine.
If you have not already done so, I encourage you to do a search on Bonaire on this board. Many members have posted some great information over the years like their favorite restautants, dive sites, local customs and other hints and tips. Hours of reading but well worth your time if this is your first trip. If your interested in sampling some local food, give Liz at Golden Reef Inn a call and ask about her Monday night BBQ. She has a local chief cook several local dishes and a local band playing. My last group loved the evening but how do you not love Gibi's goat stew.....dang PBD...you'll learn about that too.

 

[tommyi]

Thank you all very much for the advice - very much appreciated. I've contacted Toucan for some more information as well as Dive Inn, who apparently has free tank delivery service. I'll also look further in the SB posts. Thanks again for all the info.

 

[Diverraygr]

The times I have been there I stayed at Buddy's twice and like their dive operation, great staff and big boats. The last time I was at Bonaire I stayed at Captain Don's and had a great time diving with them as well.

Ray

 

[lmorin]

Your closest options will be Toucan Dive at the Plaza, Photo Tours Divers at Port Bonaire or the smaller Buddy Dive location at BelMar condos.

Lighthouse Beach offers a dive pkg. with Toucan. We dove with them a couple of years ago, they do a nice job - no fuss - uncrowded boats and dive the better sites rather than the closer ones.

I don't know anything about Photo Tours at Port Bonaire. But PB is on the Belnem side of the lagoon so it's a slightly shorter drive than to Toucan.

We stayed at BelMar so I'm familiar with the setup there. Although they have street-side tank pickup, you may only be able to get tanks when they're there, afterhours BelMar guests use their key. The main Buddy location has a drive-thru pickup, but it's 10-15mins. north. I'm not sure if they send the boat down to the BelMar dock to get you either. Not exactly sure where LBR is but BelMar should be within a few hundred feet. I think it's between LBR and Bachelor's Beach on their map.

Concur with the comments about Toucan. Friendly, helpful, unpressured. No experience with the rest.