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Dive Review of Captain Dons in
Bonaire

Captain Dons, Aug, 2003,

by Artie Burke, TX, USA . Report 793.

No photos available at this time

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

Accommodations 4 stars Food 5 stars
Service and Attitude 4 stars Environmental Sensitivity N/A
Dive Operation 5 stars Shore Diving 4 stars
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ N/A
Beginners 4 stars
Advanced 5 stars
Comments We went for 2 reasons - had heard great things about Bonaire and had great connections from Houston via Jamaica to Bonaire.
The first half day of potential diving was a waste - had to sit through an 1hr 15min discussion on marine park and facilities which could have been done in 30 mins - then had to wait for marine tags, weights etc. Finally got in the water right after noon on first day. All could have been done night before if organized to get you diving that morning. After that things went well.
Enjoyed a mix of boat diving with Captain Dons and shore diving on our own. We found 2 seahorses and 2 frog fish - very exciting.
The shore diving wasn't as easy as I thought it would be - some sights -such as Angel City and Andrea - had rocky entances. Karpata was great. Wish we had purchased a Guide to Shore Dives as this may have helped in finding specific points of each site. Angel City was the most difficult as we had a fast current and wasted a lot of air just getting to the wall on the way out but was able to have a decent swim back in and readily found the exit point.
Facilities at Capt Dons was OK - we stayed in the jr. suites-nothing fancy but adequate. These had nice ocean views. The cottages were newer but no view. The food at Rum Runners (restaurant on site) was very good and we had beautiful sunsets. Also went to Richards for a wonderful meal at sunset as well.
We enjoyed having a rent car and some freedom in our dive timings although it was not easy to and from the vehicle to the water on every site. A good break was diving on the boat and that gave us access to some good sites as well as diving on Klein.
The dive masters at Capt. Dons are great - especially enjoyed Neatto, Jonathan and Sherman.
Our return trip was not so great as Air Jamaica cancelled the flight from Jamaica to Houston and routed us to Atlanta and then to Houston - so we got home about 8 hrs after our origninal plan flights. But all the gear made there and back with us so really can't complain. Overall, enjoyed Capt. Don's, the facilities, the dive crew and shore diving overall.

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience 101-250 dives
Where else diving Indian Ocean, Carribean
Closest Airport Getting There

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny, dry Seas calm
Water Temp 82-84°F / 28-29°C Wetsuit Thickness 1
Water Visibility 60-100 Ft/ 18-30 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile yes
Enforced diving restrictions If on your own - no restrictions. If on the boat - 1 hour bottom time, max 100 ft on morning and max 80 ft on afternoon dives
Liveaboard? no Nitrox Available? N/A

What I Saw

Sharks None Mantas None
Dolphins 1 or 2 Whale Sharks None
Turtles 1 or 2 Whales None
Corals 5 stars Tropical Fish 5 stars
Small Critters 5 stars Large Fish 2 stars
Large Pelagics 1 stars

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

Subject Matter 5 stars Boat Facilities 3 stars
Overall rating for UWP's 4 stars Shore Facilities 4 stars
UW Photo Comments Great place for small fish - first time I used macro and got some decent results. The photo shop was helpful in pointers and support such as batteries. Several people rented digital cameras and were pleased with them and the results.
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Note: The information here was reported by the author above, but has NOT been reviewed nor edited by Undercurrent prior to posting on our website. Please report any major problems by writing to us and referencing the report number above.

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