Dive Review of Dive Friends Bonaire/Sand Dollar Condo.s in
Bonaire/Sand Dollar Condo.s

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Dive Friends Bonaire/Sand Dollar Condo.s: "8-Day 30-Dive (all shore) Dive Friends/Sand Dollar Condo.s Trip", Nov, 2019, by Richard J Lunsford Jr, KY, US ( Contributor 14 reports with 12 Helpful votes). Report 11243.
Photos Submitted with this Report Click on an image to see an enlarged version and captions
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food	N/A
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity	N/A
Dive Operation		Shore Diving
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	Traveled alone for a solo shore diving trip. Corresponded with varied resorts via e-mail for an 8-day single traveler, Sat. - Sun., up to 6 1/2 days diving, all shore, nitrox, automatic transmission truck (I don't drive stick, which is most common on Bonaire), prefer included breakfast. Sand Dollar's package deal with Avis (Nissan Navara), Dive Friends (unlimited nitrox) and Sand Dollar Studio Unit F1 came back impressively priced at under $1,900 with breakfast at nearby Breeze 'N Bites at Den Lamen Condo's (adjacent property, other side of the pier). Plus the house reef (Bari Reef) is reputable. Studio unit F1 was very nice and well-equipped; I prefer it over past stays at Buddy Dive Resort. The AC was fine. The hot water heater has a timer like an old microwave oven, and can heat water well. The truck was surprisingly new; on random occasion the ignition would lock up and only vigorous shaking/turning of the steering wheel would eventually let me turn the key and crank it again. Tailgate was stuck closed one day. End of trip a gas station told me they didn't take VISA or Mastercard, so be aware. Bonaire is not a sandy beach destination, but Sand Dollar has a nice, small beach with cordoned off swimming area beside the pier; on the other side is Den Lamen Condo.s (Sand Dollar's beach looks a good deal nicer). Breakfast at Breeze 'N Bites was good, but not buffet like at Buddy Dive Resort (I prefer BDR's). Eddy's is basically ungrounds and good for food; enjoyed live music Tuesday & Thursday. Nearby Between 2 Buns was good for lunch. When it was late and I didn't want to get out, e-mailed (couldn't figure out how to make a phone call work) the Dinner in the Box delivery service and they brought pizzas from Pasa Bon Pizza (they offer other options); pepperoni pizza good, fish pizza not so much. Food's pricey on Bonaire. Dive Friends was very nice and the multiple locations a big plus. Right across from the airport, just before Windsock dive site, is their Port Bonaire location; great for swapping tanks when diving south of town. There's 24/7 tank access. They 'allow' solo diving if you're certified for it; I am. The Cactus Blue food truck between Windsock & Bachelor's Beach sites makes lunch down south easy. Reefs were a mixed bag. Overall, you can find nice corals and lush gorgonians, or corals with a lot of dead areas. Best I saw were the farthest south I went - Margate Bay and Sweet Dreams. Easy to get scraped up in the shallows getting in or out; warm water, but I suggest a 3 mm full suit or similar for protection. Wasn't quite as fishy as I expected, but more big fish; some big barracuda, some tarpon out by day, couple of green sea turtles, cubera snapper & a big ray (devil or manta) swept by at Windsock. Shore diving freedom is great. The temp.s I list are the range of lows. I did 30 dives in 6 days. Didn't do much else. Go for good general Caribbean diving executing your own dives when/where/how often you wish. Main alternative would be Curacao; Bonaire's smaller and has a (mostly) coast-hugging road making packing in the dives easy.
Websites	Dive Friends Bonaire Sand Dollar Condo.s
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	251-500 dives
Where else diving	Bonaire (> 150 dives), Cozumel (28 dives), Key Largo (20 dives), Jupiter, Fl (17 dives), Belize via live-aboard (26 dives), Caymans via live-aboard (25 dives), Turks & Caicos via live-aboard (27 dive), St. Croix (15 dives), North Carolina (9 dives), California Channel Islands (24 dives), a few more.
Closest Airport	Flamingo International	Getting There	Flew United from Nashville to Houston, TN, then on to Bonaire. Got surprisingly good airfare deal.
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny	Seas	calm
Water Temp	78-83°F / 26-28°C	Wetsuit Thickness	3
Water Visibility	75-100 Ft/ 23-30 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	Did all solo shore diving, so none.
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	yes
What I Saw
Sharks	None	Mantas	1 or 2
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
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter		Boat Facilities	N/A
Overall rating for UWP's	N/A	Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	Didn't do any boat diving; there are rinse tanks available at Dive Friend's locations.

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Dive Review of Dive Friends Bonaire/Sand Dollar Condo.s in Bonaire/Sand Dollar Condo.s

Dive Friends Bonaire/Sand Dollar Condo.s: "8-Day 30-Dive (all shore) Dive Friends/Sand Dollar Condo.s Trip", Nov, 2019,

Photos Submitted with this Report

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 Dive Friends Bonaire/Sand Dollar Condo.s in
Bonaire/Sand Dollar Condo.s