Bonaire - Dive Operator Recommendations?

[_scuba_steve]

Will be in Bonaire staying at Den Laman Dec 6-13. Looking at which dive operator to go with for wife's OW and some guided dives afterwards since don't think the wife will feel comfortable us diving by ourselves for a while.

Looking at BonaireTalk, tripadvisor, etc I've been turned off to using Bonaire Dive and Adventure since I've seen a fair number of reviews that don't cast them in a positive light. There seems to be a ton of other dive operators in the area and truly they should be competing for my business.

At this point I'm seriously considering either Carib Inn or Yellow Submarine - wondering if anyone has used both and could compare them or at least could comment on one or the other.

 

[vann evans]

my wife and I both were certified by Waldo Wolff at Bonaire Dive and Adventure last year. We are both instructors in whitewater and flatwater canoeing, so we do know what makes good instruction. we both felt that Waldo did an excellent job, instilled confidence, was very patient and thorough. I would have no reservations recommending him.

 

[herman]

I would not write off BD&A too quickly. While at least 1 of the....staff shall we say..has a little bit of an attitude problem IMO, the rest seem quite nice. If you still want to go elsewhere, go see Bart at Wannadiveboniare. They are located at Eden Beach, an easy walk just up the street from DL. You will not find a better dive op anywhere. The owners are some of the most customer oriented and friendly folks I have ever met.

 

[Tom Smedley]

I second Herman's thoughts on Wannadive. They are a true class act and bend over backward to make your Bonaire dive experience a great one. They also do some tasty BBQ at the hut on Thursday evenings.

As for "one" staff member having an attitude - it only takes one to leave a bad taste about the entire operation.

 

[laurelgsc]

I also recommend Wannadive. Two of my three trips to Bonaire have been with them and I have had two great experiences. Awesome customer service, safety oriented and always willing to help.

 

[chauncy19]

Have no horse in this race but would agree with Herman and Vann Evans.
Its much easier to go with the onsite operation. Although I am sure wannadive is superior (atleast to me) its not really a good reason to avoid the dive operation affiliated with Den Laman. I visited Den Laman a couple of years ago and thought it would be a great place to stay. If I choose to stay there I would use the affiliated dive operation.

 

[keithdiver]

The Above post are correct, i used wannadive my first time on the island. Bart, Jeffrey are really good people. They know diving and there stuff. The only problem with BDA is The owner Andre, he is a tough cookie, i do not know what his issues are but he has them. I think he might be Bi-Polar happy now sad later. Also look into Bruce Bowker, he is a legend on the island and if you have an equipement problem no matter what it is, he will get it fixed for you, ok enjoy yourself.

 

[_scuba_steve]

I do agree with you folks - some of the negative press on BDA may in fact be due to one specific member souring people's experience and that's all it takes to leave a bitter taste in people's mouth. Still, if this is true, the shop needs to address it as this is causing negative publicity and costing them business.

Thanks all for the recommendations - everyone's knowledge and experience is truly appreciated.

 

[DiveMaven]

We stayed at Den Laman for 2 weeks this summer and didn't have any problems with the staff at BDA. What I would strongly recommend is that if you buy your dive package with them (for tanks) that you simply get in the habit of keeping 4 tanks in the back of your truck at all times, then keep your gear in your room at night so you can dive whenever you want. BDA's policy of not opening until 8:30am and locking up nitrox at 4:30pm can be pretty limiting when you're trying to take advantage of "diver's freedom". If you're diving air you have until 9pm when everything is locked up for the night, so not quite as bad.

For example, my husband and I kept 6 tanks in our truck (we'd do 3 dives in the morning before lunch), put our gear in the gear room until after dinner, then take it up to our condo and put it out on the lanai for the night. We'd typically be out by 7am and always have dive sites to ourselves for our first dive. After doing 3 dives, we'd head back to the condo for lunch, swap our tanks out for another 6 in the back of the truck, and do our afternoon dives on Bari Reef in front of the condo using the tanks on the dock. Was a nice relaxing way to end the day.

We had no problem with the staff at BDA, but we didn't do any boat diving, so our interactions with them were limited. One of our favorites though is Weize (pronounced like pizza with a W) who is both an excellent instructor and dive master. We also did the naturalist course with Jerry Ligon the previous year and found it to be an excellent experience and one I'd highly recommend. Everything he taught us made it easier to find critters and understand their behavior, and we applied what we learned to our trip this year.

 

[KY_BOB]

One of our favorites though is Weize (pronounced like pizza with a W) who is both an excellent instructor and dive master.

I did 2 boat dives with him as the DM, one off of Klein and one on the east coast (wild side). I thought he was great but he and one of my dive buddies clashed like oil and water. I stuck pretty close to him because he would point out any rare marine life and write on a slate what it was if you didn't know. He was great great at spotting things that were easily overlooked.

I don't know what he's like as an instructor but he's great to dive with.


edit: I didn't mean to put the mad looking face on this post. It was meant to be a compliment to Weize.