Bonaire (never been) or Roatan again?

[marigodiva]

So, my husband and I do a dive trip, usually, Caribbean every winter. We have never been to the same place twice. We've been to Belize, Costa Rica, Little Cayman, Similans in Thailand, Maui, and last year Roatan. There have been pros and cons to each experience, of course. We really enjoyed Roatan last year and would consider going back. We are also looking into Bonaire and two of the three placed my husband emailed are booked. We only dive once or twice a year and I am most comfortable with a DM nearby. Does going to Bonaire require unassisted shore dives and for those who have been to Roatan and Bonaire, which would you choose? We dove with Barefoot Divers and stayed at their hotel while there. Thanks in advance!

 

[highlandfarmwv]

You can always do the boat dives with your resort in Bonaire...

 

[Doc]

Marigodiva, you really do owe us some trip reports.

I'll take a different look at what you are saying... the thing about "I am most comfortable with a DM nearby".

Unless you are hiring a personal DM, do not assume that they will be of any use to you. This applies in terms of pointing out "pretty fish" as well as teaching you any skills, or what I think you are alluding to- saving your skin if you get into trouble. Do not imagine what the credentials or duties of any DM is... unless you have asked specifics in advance.

I would suggest that you do whatever it takes to get past this perceived "need", one that is unattainable unless you are paying for private assistance.

 

[Mud&Rox]

all the DM's on Bonaire are doing guided dives at the salt pier for $35 im sure they would also guide on any of the other dives....ive been to Belize, Costa Rica and Maui all once and Bonaire 3 times now.....Bonaire is still my personal fav. especially if Insel air will keep there fairs down

 

[sffrenchman]

I have dived both Roatan and Bonaire. While I did enjoy the week at CocoView, I don't think that I will go back to Roatan. I know that there are a lot of Roatan fans on SB but I am not one of them. Overall, I thought that the sites were very monotonous and marine life quite depleted. Again this is just my personal opinion and based on a single trip. I went on a trip to Bonaire in September and I really enjoyed it, and would go back in a heart beat. The dive sites were very good overall, with amazing soft corals and lots of marine life. The southernmost and northernmost sites were the best in my opinion. The big appeal for me was the absolute flexibility in terms of diving. No schedule to follow, just take the truck and tanks and go diving! Most of the sites have very easy entry and navigation is a breeze. If you need to dive with a DM, you can book boat dives but i think that you will miss what makes Bonaire so special.

 

[Mike]

So, my husband and I do a dive trip, usually, Caribbean every winter. We have never been to the same place twice. We've been to Belize, Costa Rica, Little Cayman, Similans in Thailand, Maui, and last year Roatan. There have been pros and cons to each experience, of course. We really enjoyed Roatan last year and would consider going back. We are also looking into Bonaire and two of the three placed my husband emailed are booked. We only dive once or twice a year and I am most comfortable with a DM nearby. Does going to Bonaire require unassisted shore dives and for those who have been to Roatan and Bonaire, which would you choose? We dove with Barefoot Divers and stayed at their hotel while there. Thanks in advance!

My advice is to realize quickly that you have developed a very dangerous false sense of security of having a dive master nearby, then move forward with more training... AOW then Rescue Diver. Nothing will advance your safety more than advancing your training.

Your sense of security should be coming from your dive buddy long before the dive master. Unless you are hiring a private DM with the expressed agreement that he is to watch out for your safety (basically taking the place of your dive buddy), the DM is essentially just a group guide who may or may not come to your rescue or intervene to prevent a potential disaster. Many, many, many newer divers project onto dive masters their own sense of who and what they think they are until they discover otherwise. It's also not uncommon to eventually have more dives then some of your divemasters. There are good ones and bad ones and it's dangerous to put your life in the hands of somebody you really know absolutely nothing about. Put that faith in your dive buddy.

That being said you can boat dive in Bonaire but I think Bonaire will probably be the place you will find evidence that dive masters are not there for your personal safety. Shore diving Bonaire is the perfect place to take your confidence up a notch and dive self-sufficiently. Their are plenty of dive sites that are very tame and perfect to test the waters of your new found independence, safely and at your own pace. Since you've already been to Roatan and like to explore new places I'd say to go to Bonaire and see what it has to offer. In my opinion the diving is far better in Bonaire and you haven't been there yet. Start with a couple of boat dives to get your feet wet then move on to some simple shore dives, taking your time and stay shallow. Navigation is simple and there is a wealth of information here on this website for the "how-to" dive in Bonaire. Worst case, hire a private DM in Bonaire for a day or so with the expressed desire for him to watch you and his goal of being to take you to the point of diving without him.

But please lose the dive master safety crutch as quickly as you can, you're living in a false sense of security.

 

[beaverdivers]

We just had a group in Bonaire about a month ago. Everyone had a great time. We have been going there since the early 80's, and the diving was better than ever. The best value is the six one tank boat dives with unlimited shore. A DM will be on all the boat dives. Then you can either hire a DM for shore dives, do more boat dives or venture out on your own.

Roatan should be on every divers hit list, but there are so many islands. Why not do something new? BTW, we specialize in travel. Any more questions?

 

[beaverdivers]

Dito, on Mike's idea of more training. Our divers did a shore and U/W nav. specialty while in Bonaire. By the end of the trip they had gained invaluable confidence.

 

[dolesorchard]

I am in Roatan now. After trips to Bonaire each of the last two years, I would choose Bonaire over Roatan. The reef here is prettier with more color but there are far fewer fish and fewer species of fish. More seahorses here though, had four on one dive yesterday. It is also quite cool here for the past two days. Watre temp is low 80s with air temp low 70s yesterday and today with high winds. If you go to Bonaire, I can highly recommend VIP Divers. They guide shore dives all over the island and are quite good. Did a few dives with them both years on both sides of the island. Bas Noij is on here and you could contact him for more info on VIP.

 

[jlevine]

I've been to Roatan several times and Bonaire once. They are different diving and topside experiences. Bonaire is very well set up for shore diving. Many folks do the drive, dive, repeat thing. Many resorts and dive shops also offer boat diving. Boat diving is the only way I know of to see Klein Bonaire, the little island off the shore of Bonaire. If you haven't done so already, check out the site <http://www.bonairetalk.com>. You'll find lots of information about diving and accommodations. They recently (well, relatively recently) switched to a new version of software so make sure you check the old archives.

Also, regarding the comfort you have from a nearby DM, a DM, if present, is generally there to guide you. The DM will often help you with problems that arise but I wouldn't depend on that. Once you have a certification, you are responsible for yourself. If it works for you, it would be good to take the Rescue Diver class. My level of confidence really grew after that class because I learned more about spotting problems underwater.

I hope it doesn't sound like I'm putting you down. I just think that you may be putting a little too much emphasis on the DM.