Dive Review of Dive Friends Bonaire/Sand Dollar in
Bonaire/Sand Dollar

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Dive Friends Bonaire/Sand Dollar: "Diver's Paradise", Nov, 2022, by Joe and Edie Primavera, FL, US ( 1 report). Report 12255.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity
Dive Operation		Shore Diving
Snorkeling
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	We were unable to arrange a connecting flight from Key West Airport (close to our home) to Miami via American. Instead we used the “park and fly” offered at the Sheraton 4 Points Miami Airport. Our room was updated and clean. Service was helpful with planning our shuttle. Their van was new and on time. The driver was helpful with our heavy gear and it was about a 15 minute ride to Miami International. There were no Covid protocols at the Airports in Miami or Bonaire nor were there any in Bonaire. Our flight was three hours to Bonaire International where we picked up a rental truck from Avis. They were not giving out paper maps so download what you need before leaving home as gps phone data can be pricey. Our truck was a 2 seater with a wood hold-down in the bed for scuba tanks. It was about a 20 minute drive to the Sand Dollar Condominiums. Traffic was heavy as it was near rush hour. It gets like Manhattan by 5pm but drivers seem more courteous or at least more patient. At check-in at the gate, Ruthia was very helpful with getting us our keys, answering questions and providing a map and directions to nearby supermarkets. We went to H and W warehouse that had most of what we wanted for breakfast and lunch. We planned to eat dinners at local restaurants. October, November and December are the rainy seasons, with November being the worst. The weather was changeable with rain in the morning, clearing midday and rain in the late afternoon. The roads flood and can be a challenge. Not only several feet of water but hiding large potholes that are found everywhere on the island. We saw one person almost thrown from a scooter with his back pack thrown in a brown pool of water. The lake of standing water in the road outside Capt. Don’s Dive Resort should be named. If you rent a scooter, be prepared for this and the likelihood you will get soaked on your commute. For those renting cars it seems advisable to get the extra insurance for tires and wheels! Our 1 bedroom apartment at the Sand Dollar Condominium was dated and the bathroom door buckled at the bottom making it a struggle to close. The place was clean and well appointed but tired. Glassware was clean but cloudy from age. I am not sure if this is representative of other apartments as many are rental investments managed through Sand Dollar. That first night we tried Eddie's restaurant next door to Sand Dollar. We were advised reservations were necessary but they squeezed us in. My entrée "Beef Emince" with mashed potatoes and broccoli was pretty good (think pepper steak with veggies) and the price reasonable for an island resort. Another night we went with a local friend who recommended “Mezze” and my braised lamb lamb shank was excellent! We also tried take out from both the Chinese restaurant near Capt Don's that was uninspired and from Donner Station not far from Sand Doller that was pretty good. We made our own breakfasts and lunches. For some reason eggs were hard to find and when a shipment arrives they are quickly sold out. Starting a chicken farm would be a great opportunity! We dove with Dive Friends of Bonaire that have a shop next to Sand dollar. There is a combination lock allowing you to enter from gated Sand Dollar. We elected to dive Nitrox and to alternate boat dives with shore dives. Shore diving is unlimited and 24 hrs. You sign a tank in and out. Analyzers are at each tank depot and aboard the dive boat. Tanks were plentiful but fills varied from 2500 to 3000 psi with occasional empty tanks mistakenly capped as full. Gas analysis showed 32 to 33% mixes. Obviously tank fill checks are a diver’s responsibility. The dive boat was a clean, well maintained 42 ft twin outboard catamaran designed for diving. The boat appeared relatively new. It is a spacious and stable dive platform with plenty of shade. Divers can sit on the bow or go topside for sun and a change of view. There are delegated tanks for cameras. Some divers had what appeared to be profession camera/video rigs. The crew and dive team were first class. Everyone had plenty of assistance. Briefings were well presented and dive masters competent in managing 2 groups of about 10 moving in different directions on the dives. You were invited to stay near the dive masters and they would point out critters and fish or dive your own experience as long as you were able to see and be seen by the dive master. Divers were limited to 1 hour. You were expected to do the standard 3 minutes at 15 feet at the end of your dive. Entrance was giant stride and exit was with 2 sturdy ladders at the stern. We appreciated that the ladders were long enough to assist coming back aboard with gear. Water temp was low to mid 80's F. We wore 3/5 wetsuits that were comfortable but more buoyant then were use to wearing at home in the Lower Florida Keys. This translated to wearing more weight and took a couple of dives to tune buoyancy. Despite the rain, visibility ranged from 80 to 100 feet. Reefs were in good shape for the most part with a variety of soft and hard corals. Bonaire requires purchasing passes to dive the protected sanctuary surrounding the island. Fish were plentiful but not large. Bonaire is not known for pelagics. Reef fish are well represented. We saw one Reef shark in the shallow distance as we went over the reef edge at Kalli Reef. We dove Country Garden, Knife, Bom Bini Nan Kas, and Small Wall to name a few sites. At different locations several barracuda were sighted. Morays, green and chain variety were observed. Clouds of brown and blue chromis were around for every dive. Bar and horse eye jacks were common. We didn't see any turtles or frog fish. Parrot fish, grunts, pork fish, wrasse, Atlantic triggerfish, butterfly fish, trumpet fish, Yellowtail, puffer, damsel, blennys and gobis. 1 lobster and and 1 slipper lobster were seen. Basket stars and brittle sea stars, Pedersen shrimp and Arrow crabs were found tucked in the corals and sponges on a dive. At Small Wall, guides pointed out 3 seahorses! Prior to that dive the briefing instructed Divers to take turns observing and to limit photo and video time to 1 minute so everyone could see. On our dives most seemed careful to manage their space and share interesting finds. We limited our shore dives to the Bari Reef in front of the Sand Dollar. This was an easy dive for us right from the dive shops pier. Bari is a great dive representative of Bonaire diving with all the usual suspects. There is a tank stand on the dock. You pick a tank, check the fill and mixture and then you set up on the benches on the dock. A giant stride gets you in and there are steps on the dock when you return. There are rinse tanks separated for booties, wetsuits/BCDs and 2 for cameras as well. Carts are available to lug your gear back to the locked storage area. Numbers are assigned to hooks for holding your gear. This was our third trip to Bonaire over a 25 year period. The reef shows some signs of stony coral disease, as well as fish depletion, but Bonaire has several coral restoration projects active. That said, for the cost, convenience and ease of diving you really can’t go wrong.
Websites	Dive Friends Bonaire Sand Dollar
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	501-1000 dives
Where else diving	Most of the Caribbean (the usual suspects: Saba, Dominica, St. Vincent, Turks and Caicos, Andros, Carriacou, Caymans, Statia, etc.) Fiji in the Pacific. New Jersey wreck dives. Florida Lower Keys (e.g.Looe Key Reef).
Closest Airport	Bonaire International	Getting There	Could not arrange a connecting flight from Key West Airport (close to us) so we drove to Miami the night before and stayed at Sheraton 4 Points Miami Airport a "Park and Fly Hotel" where we spent the night and were shuttled to the airport that morning. We left our car in their lot and returned to pick it when we returned.
Dive Conditions
Weather	rainy, cloudy	Seas	calm
Water Temp	82-84°F / 28-29°C	Wetsuit Thickness	3
Water Visibility	80-100 Ft/ 24-30 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	Time limit of 60 minutes. Depths were determined by certification and use of EAN. Dive Masters generally kept the group to about 60 foot max for natural light and safety. That said you could dive your own profile if the Dive Master could see you and you could see them.
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	yes
What I Saw
Sharks	1 or 2	Mantas	None
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	None	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		Boat Facilities
Overall rating for UWP's	N/A	Shore Facilities
UW Photo Comments	[Delegated rinse tanks on the docks and boat. Dive crew very supportive.

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Dive Review of Dive Friends Bonaire/Sand Dollar in Bonaire/Sand Dollar

Dive Friends Bonaire/Sand Dollar: "Diver's Paradise", Nov, 2022,

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 in
Bonaire/Sand Dollar