Dive Review of Buddy Dive Resort/Rental home in
Bonaire

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Buddy Dive Resort/Rental home : "Super Diving for Scuba Sages", Oct, 2019, by Judith Schanel, NC, US ( 1 report with 1 Helpful vote). Report 11317 has 1 Helpful vote.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food	N/A
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity
Dive Operation		Shore Diving
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	Okay, so I will admit, I am over 60. I have done numerous cold and warm water dives, wreck and reef, deep and shallow. I have joined the ranks of scuba sages. I exercise regularly, including strength training, and I do this because I love to dive and don’t want to stop. Even with my efforts I know I am not as strong as I was in my 30’s. What disappoints me is how many people I know that have given up diving, their passion, because they are too old. Bonaire is a dive destination that can satisfy all ages and levels of dive experience. This was our second trip to Bonaire and we have already booked our third one for next year. You cannot beat this location for easy shore diving. We especially enjoy the comfort afforded by renting a private home and a truck and getting away from the resorts. This is diving on your schedule- when you want, how you want, and with very few restrictions, almost anywhere you want. There are some things to keep in mind when booking a trip. Renting a pickup truck is definitely the way to go. Some resorts include them with your reservation. We rented one in advance through one of the several rental agencies available. Standard transmission is less expensive. There are many dive operators with boat and shore diving options too. With so many sites accessible from shore, we chose not to be restricted by when boats leave. Sign up for a tank package with a shop, drive up in your pickup, throw some tanks in the back, and off you go. All offer air and nitrox and several charge the same for both. We heeded the advice to not lock our truck and not store anything valuable inside and we had no problems. Some shops offer delivery service of tanks to your lodging and some shops have multiple locations for tank pick up. Before leaving I purchased a book on the many dive sites and noted the ones we wanted to check out. I would strongly advise doing this. All sites are marked along the road with a yellow rock, A word of caution for scuba sages- some sites are very easy to access, enter, and dive and a some have more challenging entries and exits. The diving itself is incredible with warm water and great visibility year round. Our most exciting experience was on our first trip when there was a giant bait ball off the wall. I mean GIANT! We could not see the top, bottom, or either end of it. Suddenly large fish- jacks and tarpon... were swooping through for a feast. We managed to find the bait ball a second time the next day and had another adrenaline rush. This trip we heard from several other divers with a bait ball experience and we missed it. We have routinely spotted jacks, tarpon, barracuda, multiple types of eels, all the typical tropicals, and seen the occasional turtle and octopus. The health of the coral varies by site. It was good to see the healthy “gardens” of staghorn that have been planted through the conservation effort. We also saw many large healthy sponges and beautiful sea anemones. Our favorite dives were the Salt Pier and Oil Slick Leap. While many rave about the Hilma Hooker, we were not impressed. If you have done a lot of wreck diving you may be disappointed too. We did enjoy diving the double wall in that area though. In fact we enjoyed every site we visited and in two trips we have only hit less than half of the marked sites. We usually picked up our tanks and then assembled our gear on the back of the truck to minimize lifting. We would slip our gear on and off leaning against the tailgate. Be sure to check out the best entry before donning your gear. Many sites have very short walks to the water. Definitely invest in some dive boots with sturdy soles to make it easier on your feet. Several of the resort sites have short staircases with railings to enter and exit the water, tanks available right on the dock, places to assemble your gear, and rinse tanks- extremely easy entries and exits, no to very minimal waves, and no to very minimal current. Perhaps that is why we saw so many fellow scuba sages at Buddy Dive dock. They even have a rope underwater that you can follow to the wall. We generally did a surface swim to the reef wall and descended. Then we completed a gradual ascent throughout the dive. We would return under water completing our safety stop on the way in while checking out the small critters and fish. You can rent a private home, condo, or apartment on line. The house we rented our first trip was perfect. This trip the house we rented had a few little quirks like no ceiling fans in the living area or on the covered porch and a submerged rinse tank that you had to bend to use. We spent a little time with a realtor and we were able to see a few houses before we rented one for our next trip, assuring we will not be disappointed. Our next trip will involve a boat for at least one dive day. We have yet to visit Klein Bonaire.
Websites	Buddy Dive Resort
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	251-500 dives
Where else diving	DE, VA, NC, FL, MD, SC, Bahamas, Belize, Truk, Yap
Closest Airport	Flamingo International	Getting There	Flight options are limited for travel to Bonaire. We booked on Delta with a connection in Atlanta. It was definitely worth us paying to upgrade our seats for my husband who is over six feet tall. Make sure you book enough time in Atlanta to make your connecting flight. Airfare to Bonaire is pricey however the reasonable lodgings and diving easily offset the cost.
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, windy	Seas	calm, no currents
Water Temp	82-84°F / 28-29°C	Wetsuit Thickness
Water Visibility	75-100 Ft/ 23-30 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	We appreciate all the efforts being made in Bonaire to protect the marine environment. All divers must receive a briefing before diving and complete a checkout dive on the house reef. Once that is complete you are good to go and dive when you want, where you want with very few limitations.
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	yes
What I Saw
Sharks	None	Mantas	None
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	1 or 2	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish
Large Pelagics	N/A
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter	N/A	Boat Facilities	N/A
Overall rating for UWP's	N/A	Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	[None]

Report currently has 1 Helpful vote

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Dive Review of Buddy Dive Resort/Rental home in Bonaire

Buddy Dive Resort/Rental home : "Super Diving for Scuba Sages", Oct, 2019,

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 Buddy Dive Resort/Rental home in
Bonaire