I have stayed at Buddy Dive so many times we consider it our 2nd home, and the staff there as family. Also have stayed a Cocoview many times back in the day when Mr Bill owned the place. Both have their own appeal. For a single diver going alone, not in a group, I would say CCV/Roatan may be a better choice as there are 2 boat departures a day and it can be easy to find someone to buddy up with. At Buddy Dive there are usually dive groups there that take off together in trucks, so as a solo traveler it may not be as easy to find a companion willing to take you on. Air travel to Bonaire from here is out of Newark,direct flight no connections,no layovers!.No need to go to Miami connection. Just for your information, being that you have not booked as of yet, I have a group going to Roatan April 27th, staying next door to Cocoview. We originally planned on CCV but there was limited space available at the time. We are at Fantasy Island Resort. Same exact shore dive locations ,open 24/7 as CCV,3 boat trips a day,1 night boat dive,3 meals a day,beverages,etc..and I should be able to get you a roommate to avoid single supplement costs.;Also have 2 instructors going if any specialties/training dives requested..of course photos will be shared....We are out of NY located out of Westchester NY. I have some space left for this group if you would like to join us. I also have group booking on airfare that worked out very reasonable. So if interested you can PM me here and I'll send you contact info.I just discovered I can get good flights to either Roatan or Bonaire from Miami in late March, so I'm considering either Cocoview in the former or Buddy Dive on the latter. Anyone have experience at both who can compare them for me?
The most important thing: I'll be traveling on my own, so I'm looking for a place where it's easy to find buddies not just but to dive with, share photos with, etc. I know these are different types of places - Cocoview more self-contained, Buddy with more transients - but I'm still eager for opinions of both or either.