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Dive Review of Dive Friends Bonaire in
Bonaire


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Dive Friends Bonaire: "Bonaire development everywhere", Aug, 2018,

by Casey & David Kneipp, MD, US (Reviewer Reviewer 3 reports). Report 10464.

No photos available at this time

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

Accommodations 5 stars Food 5 stars
Service and Attitude 5 stars Environmental Sensitivity 5 stars
Dive Operation 5 stars Shore Diving 5 stars
Snorkeling 4 stars

Overall Rating
Value for $$ 4 stars
Beginners 5 stars
Advanced 4 stars
Comments This was our 6th trip to Bonaire, there was a ten-year gap since the fifth trip, and a twenty-year gap from the first trip. On our first trip in 1998 we were charmed the phone numbers were only 4 digits. Accommodations options were limited to about 5 operators. There was little to do but dive.
Now your options are vastly expanded, and we lost count of the construction cranes we saw. Investment and immigration have taken off since Bonaire left the Netherland Antilles and became a municipality within the Netherlands.
We stayed at a condo right on the water in Belnem. We rented through Sunbelt Realty, [sunbeltbonaire.com link] . Sunbelt Realty was very responsive before, during and after the trip. There were a few restaurants within walking distance, and dozens to choose from in the town of Kralendijk. We recommend grocery shopping at Van den Tweel Supermarket [vandentweelgroep.nl link] It is the Whole Foods of Bonaire. Most everything is in Dutch, but the staff are very helpful.
We dove with Dive Friends Bonaire [divefriendsbonaire.com link] They have multiple locations on the island, both retail and tank exchanges, making it easy to dive from many shore sites without hauling tanks everywhere you go. They are happy to accommodate the type of diving you want to do. They have a large selection of tank sizes in both air and nitrox.
Visibility varied from a low of 40 feet on Bonaire proper to a high of 80 feet on Klein Bonaire and was dependent on how windy and choppy the water was. Shore diving is easy on Bonaire as there is no large surf. The challenges are climbing down on entry through the coral rock drop offs and loose coral rubble on entry and again on exit. We recommend reviewing the information provided in the booklet produced by Susan Porter, ‘Bonaire Shore Diving Made Easy’. The most recent printing is the 7th edition. She provides good information on where and how to best enter and exit each site. She also lists sites not shown on official dive maps. [bsdme.info link]
Websites Dive Friends Bonaire   

Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience 251-500 dives
Where else diving Caribbean, Florida , Hawaii
Closest Airport Flamingo Getting There From NE US you can only travel to & from on Saturdays via Delta

Dive Conditions
Weather sunny, windy Seas calm, choppy
Water Temp 79-80°F / 26-27°C Wetsuit Thickness
Water Visibility 40-80 Ft/ 12-24 M

Dive Policy
Dive own profile yes
Enforced diving restrictions back on the boat with 500 psi
depth limit to you certification level.
Liveaboard? no Nitrox Available? yes

What I Saw
Sharks None Mantas None
Dolphins None Whale Sharks None
Turtles > 2 Whales None

Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):

Corals 4 stars Tropical Fish 4 stars
Small Critters 5 stars Large Fish 1 stars
Large Pelagics N/A

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

Subject Matter 5 stars Boat Facilities 5 stars
Overall rating for UWP's 3 stars Shore Facilities 5 stars
UW Photo Comments Dive Freinds Bonaire provides a dedicated bucket on board for cameras.
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Other dive reports on Dive Friends Bonaire

All Bonaire Dive Reviews and Reports
Diving Guide to Bonaire
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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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