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Dive Review of Captian Don's/Captain Don's in
Bonaire

Captian Don's/Captain Don's, Sep, 2002,

by Michael Cleaver, OR, USA . Report 334.

No photos available at this time

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

Accommodations 4 stars Food 1 stars
Service and Attitude 3 stars Environmental Sensitivity N/A
Dive Operation 5 stars Shore Diving 5 stars
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ N/A
Beginners 2 stars
Advanced 4 stars
Comments When we arrived at Captain Don's we immediatly recognized that this was the right place. The diving was amazingly convenient as the Scuba lockers and dock were 50 yards from our room. The sign up system was also wonderful as there were 3 chalk boards with tomorrows dive and you just wrote in your tank number to reserve a spot. The most amazing part was the shore diving which Bonaire is famous for. The rental pickups from the resort have handy little tank racks and dive sites are marked along the side of the road. We found that it was more fun not to plan the site, but just find one that looks interesting as the whole protected side is diveable. If you dont feel like shore diving I would recomend renting a car anyways and exploring the other side of the island, hunt for flamingos, eat ice cream, and drive through the national park.
As with any of these destinations there are drawbacks. The island is a true desert island. It looks like a piece of Arizona dropped in the carribean with cactus lizards and all(which kind of adds to the charm). Also the rooms at Captain Dons are not all equal by any means. Each 4 room complex differs especially by it's age. We were in the 300 complex which was very new with a television and all of the comforts of home, but the first night my room was occupied and the bathroom gave off an odd odor and seemed a nest for bugs. If booking a trip try and get one of the newer built rooms. Also dont expect wonderful food. It's interesting to search around the island for a place to eat, but it's very difficult to find good food, (seafood is usually the best choice). If you are a large fan of mustard you may need to bring your own as strangely enough i couldnt find any mustard on the island. Beware of the yellow squeeze bottles because they usually hide creamy and terrible mayonaise.
The most entertaining thing on Bonaire was Captain Don himself. He does hillarious slideshows every tuesday. He has women in the audience pick from a bag "rings of memory" which coincide with a story. However the stories change nightly as they become rediculous with pirates and reality television stories. So if you are planning a trip to bonaire I would heavily recommend staying with Captain Don for the convenient diving, laid back atmosphere, and the Captain himself. Also give yourself plenty of time, most people that I met there were on a 2 or 3 weeks stay. There's always a new reef on down the road.

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience 26-50 dives
Where else diving I was certified on the Oregon coast, and since then decided to go to warmer waters. My first trip was to kauai, then cozumel (which was great), then Bonaire, and our most recent trip was to Roatan Honduras.
Closest Airport Getting There

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny Seas calm, noCurrents
Water Temp 70-80°F / 21-27°C Wetsuit Thickness 3
Water Visibility 75-150 Ft/ 23-46 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile yes
Enforced diving restrictions Captain Don's is the "home of diving freedom" so they gave a profile at the beginning and told you to have fun. As long as you find the boat they did not mind.
Liveaboard? no Nitrox Available? N/A

What I Saw

Sharks None Mantas None
Dolphins None Whale Sharks None
Turtles 1 or 2 Whales None
Corals 3 stars Tropical Fish 3 stars
Small Critters 4 stars Large Fish 2 stars
Large Pelagics 1 stars

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]
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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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