Dive Review of Bonaire Dive & Adventure/Sand Dollar in
Bonaire

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Bonaire Dive & Adventure/Sand Dollar, Dec, 2007, by Laura Austin, VA, USA ( Sr. Reviewer 9 reports). Report 3809.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity	N/A
Dive Operation		Shore Diving
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$	N/A
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	We actually say the manta ray while at the dock--waiting for the boat to take us to Klein Bonaire. By the time we had jumped in, the manta was long gone. But I didn't imagine it--all the crew and guests saw it and there was great excitement! This is our 2nd trip to Bonaire--same time of year. We all agreed that the visibility was not as good as before; I understand they had received a great deal of rain in the previous weeks, so that might have been a contributing factor. It was also windier than we remembered from before, and there was some surf, so getting in and out of some of the sites was a challenge for clumsy me--I pretty much had to crawl my way out of Ol' Blue, thank God nobody was there to see! Took the "shortcut" home from Ol' Blue, btw, and that was quite an adventure, too. We had six boat dives, mostly on Klein. We did go to see the Hilma Hooker. I'm afraid this wreck just doesn't do much for me. We managed 19 shore dives this time around: Ol' Blue, Oil Slick Leap, 1000 Steps, Andrea II, Cliff, Invisibles, Angel City, Something Special, Front Porch, and, of course, the house reef, Bari. Bari and the next-door Front Porch were frequent repeats; easy access, of course. Neither is exactly a pretty reef, but they are both loaded with eels and fish and critters. Never managed to find the frogfish at Bari, but did see a great octopus. Lots of turtles this time around. Our condo at the Sand Dollar was very comfortable with a great view. The resort is a bit spread out, but the tennis courts are in good shape (used them once). The pool is an afterthought, but they do have one. Breakfast could be better and a little more variety would be nice. All in all, we prefer Buddy's, particularly for their dive operation. We had no break-ins and nobody stole anything from our truck. We kept the windows opened and the doors unlocked, as advised, and we took anything with value with us or left it back in the safe at the condo. Since we were there over the holidays, there was a cruise ship or two in town nearly every day. Didn't feel the impact too much, as we are not people who shop. The town was very crowded one night (ship hadn't left yet) and Lac Bay (windsurfing and snorkeling) was full of them on New Year's Day. New Year's Eve, btw, was very quiet--after the fireworks were finally finished. We couldn't even find a place open to eat in town. Wil's is without question the best restaurant in town. Fantastic food. But our favorite is still Casablanca. Salad, potatoes, and plenty of meat at a reasonable price with good service. We had enough leftovers for lunch the next day, which meant one less trip to the supermarket and more time to dive! It's hard to beat Bonaire--particularly when you are traveling at this time of the year. I've found that other places in the Caribbean are not so realiable weather-wise for divers. But shore diving is the best reason to visit Bonaire. I like boat dives, but there is something so wonderful about diving when you want and where you want, particularly if, like me, you really love the afternoon rush hour dives.
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	101-250 dives
Where else diving	Roatan, Cayman Brac, Cozumel, Belize, Florida Keys
Closest Airport		Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, windy	Seas
Water Temp	0-0°F / -18--18°C	Wetsuit Thickness	3
Water Visibility	0-0 Ft/ 0-0 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	N/A
What I Saw
Sharks	None	Mantas	1 or 2
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	> 2	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish
Large Pelagics
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter		Boat Facilities
Overall rating for UWP's		Shore Facilities
UW Photo Comments	BDA's boats are small--they only go a short distance, of course. Photographers stow their equipment in the cabin. DMs hand equipment to divers. There is a rinse tank on shore marked "cameras only" but sometimes people miss the sign.

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Dive Review of Bonaire Dive & Adventure/Sand Dollar in Bonaire

Bonaire Dive & Adventure/Sand Dollar, Dec, 2007,

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Overall Rating

Reporter and Travel

Dive Conditions

Dive Policy

What I Saw

Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Dive Review of Bonaire Dive & Adventure/Sand Dollar in
Bonaire