Dive Review of Captain Don's Habitat in
Bonaire

Other dive reports on Captain Don's Habitat

Other Bonaire reports
Subscriber Content Preview
Active subscribers go here

Captain Don's Habitat: "A disappointing return to Bonaire", Dec, 2023, by Larry S. Klumb, FL, US ( Reviewer 3 reports with 9 Helpful votes). Report 12856 has 5 Helpful votes.
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
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity
Dive Operation		Shore Diving
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	It had been a few years since we’d dived Bonaire, so a return was in to offing. Previous stays at Divi, Buddy’s and Captain Don’s were all memorable, so where to this time. A return to Captain Don’s was decided with an early December arrival with a group of seasoned divers. I wish I could provide some good news, but unfortunately not. The reefs are all under aggressive attack from spinney coral disease and/or bleaching. Sixty to seventy percent of the reef is affected. This along with a noticeable lack for large fish…oh plenty of small fish, big no big fish. After a week, no nurse sharks, no eagle rays, a few small southern rays, plenty of lion fish and penalty of small, small fish…not a jaw fish to be found. As for accommodations; Captain Don’s has renovated, updated and added new accommodations that were welcomed by all. Our room had an upgrade bathroom (shower with lots of hot water and great pressure), a refrigerator, comfortable beds, plenty of charging outlets and a patio overlooking the volley ball court and pool. Other rooms populated among the group had oceans views, but the baths had not been updated. The restaurant was well run and provided a great morning breakfast or eggs, bacon, sausage, potatoes, pancakes, waffles, cereal, fresh fruit and great coffee. Evening fair was flavorful, with a good choice of dining options. The burger and fries were remarkable. On the downside were the upside prices (more on this later). Monday night was barbeque night, drawing a large crowd for an excellent. all you could eat selection of ribs, chicken, fish and all the various fixings. The real negative was the dive operation. Nothing had bas been updated in years. The storage lockers are the dregs, filthy, rotten, unventilated cubicle lacking hangers or even placed to hang things. The lower lockers were generally sand covered, meaning each morning you needed to rinse your gear before setting off for your boat. No place to hang a wet suit to dry…back to the room. On the upside the rinse tanks were updated and routinely filled with clean, clear water. The one ladder to access the house reef was in disrepair, with the railing collapsing during the week, exposing rusted nails and rotted wood. It was quickly repaired, but left much to be desired. The dive operation has not been updated in years and shows it. Like “Groundhog Day” we always had to ask our dive guides for a gas analyzer, even thou everyone was diving nitrox each and every day. In past years there was a gate between Captain Don’s and Buddy’s where one could walk over for a drink, dinner or just a change of scenery, no longer. The gate is now locked, chained and wired shut! We decided to venture a field to Buddy’s to see how the other half was surviving, and surviving they were. What was immediately noticeable were the manicure grounds, decked out for Christmas. We opted for dinner at Buddy’s on two evenings and were impressed with the new bar, gazebo and outdoor dining area. The food was excellent and the generous wine pours (unlike Capt Don’s). The schnitzel was excellent and is a menu mainstay. Most of the dinner entrees were $15, with an all you can eat rib night clocking in at $25. The menu at Capt Don’s was roughly $10-12 per plate more. But what really caught our eye was the excellent dive operation at Buddy’s. Numerous, new, well-ventilated dive lockers with hangers. Two large area for drying wetsuits. Two aluminum larges for accessing the house reef with accompanying pier. The drive-through tank pickup is well organized and lite. Overall, Buddy’s presents a well-organized, clean dive operation Capt. Don’s not so much. I’ve attached a couple of photos from Capt. Don’s to you allow you to make your own assessment. [None]
Websites	Captain Don's Habitat
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	Over 1000 dives
Where else diving	Truk, Maldives, Cocos Island, Socorros, Guadalupe Island, Hawaii, Guam, Palau, Cozumel, Roatan, Belize, Tobago...most of the Caribbean islands
Closest Airport		Getting There	We used Delta Airlines, American and United also serve Bonaire
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, windy, dry	Seas	calm, choppy
Water Temp	84-°F / 29-°C	Wetsuit Thickness	3
Water Visibility	50-100 Ft/ 15-30 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	Generally yes; maximum depths were established for each dive. Few ventured deep as there was nothing see.
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	yes
What I Saw
Sharks	None	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
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]

Report currently has 5 Helpful votes

Subscriber's Comments

By Thomas Moore in ID, US at Dec 29, 2023 11:33 EST

Thank you for the report. Sad news. I dove Bonaire about 17 years ago, and much of the coral had been broken during a hurricane. I intended to go back, hoping it had regrown.

By report author: Larry S. Klumb in FL, US at Dec 29, 2023 12:42 EST

Diving still gives me the same thrill it did on the first dive years ago, but it is said to see what we all came to love and appreciate to be disappearing in our lifetime. I dived CZL in November 2023 and found the diving superior to most other Caribbean locations, especially the shallow reefs north of Santa Rosa

Leave a comment (Subscribers only -- 200 words max)
Subscribers can comment here

Subscribers can post comments, ask the reviewer questions, as well as getting immediate and complete access to ALL 614 dive reviews of Bonaire and all other dive destinations. Complete access to all issues and Chapbooks is also included.

Other dive reports on Captain Don's Habitat

All Bonaire Dive Reviews and Reports
Diving Guide to Bonaire
Diving Reviews for All Dive Destinations

Want to assemble your own collection of Bonaire reports in one place?
Use the Mini Chapbook Facility to create your personalized collection.

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.

Undercurrent Home

Page computed and displayed in 1.3 seconds

Get more dive info like these and other important scuba updates sent monthly to your email. And a FREE Recent Issue of Undercurrent
Get a free monthly email and a sample issue!

Dive Review of Captain Don's Habitat in Bonaire

Captain Don's Habitat: "A disappointing return to Bonaire", Dec, 2023,

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):

Subscriber's Comments

Dive Review of Captain Don's Habitat in
Bonaire