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For Divers since 1975 The Private, Exclusive Guide for Serious Divers Since 1975 |
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Dive Friends Bonaire/Condo: "8th Trip", Aug, 2021,by Richard White, VA, US ( 1 report with 1 Helpful vote). Report 11780 has 1 Helpful vote. |
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No photos available at this time | |||
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best): |
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| Accommodations |  |
Food | |
| Service and Attitude | |
Environmental Sensitivity | |
| Dive Operation | |
Shore Diving | |
| Snorkeling | N/A | ||
Overall Rating |
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| Value for $$ | |
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| Beginners | |
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| Advanced | |
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| Comments |
Our 8th trip to Bonaire and the first with our 13YO daughter and our first two-week trip (and my first report). Ran into issues getting our PCR test before departure because the pharmacy cancelled our appointment due to expired tests. Was able to get another test and off we went. No issues at the airport, flight was on time COVID screening and immigration went smoothly and Sunbelt met us outside the baggage area with the keys to our condo. Accommodations: Can’t say enough about the Bellevue apartments in Belnam. We love the place. The condo is very spacious and well equipped, the on-site rinse tank and storage locker is very convenient, especially since the condo has its own private beach with great diving. Sunbelt has been great to work with over our past three trips. If you want to stay in a condo/house and not a resort, Sunbelt is awesome. Plus, you save the additional Air BNB/VRBO fee you would pay on those sites. Rental Car: For the second time, we rented through Budget. Very good price and conveniently located at the airport. Only issue was the first truck they tried to give me had an inoperable tailgate - not ideal for shore diving. They were able to get another truck and no issues after that. Dive Operator: Dive Friends was extremely accommodating with our shore boat package. Very convenient having locations across the island to swap tanks. The boat crews were very professional and made the dives a lot of fun, especially for our 13YO on her second ever dive trip. The boats were in good shape, and we had no real issue. DFB was also very helpful in fixing a couple of BCD and regulator issues that popped up during the dives. We were also able to do a couple of shore dives and one night dive with Esther from Tropical Divers (formerly of Deep Blue View/Gooodive). We have been diving with her for over 10 years and were very happy that she could take our daughter on her first Bonaire dive. Dives: Fantastic diving. My daughter enjoyed the leap at Oil Slick. She also had a lot easier time getting in and out of our shore dives than my wife or I did. Finally got my wife to agree to do 1000 Steps, with the caveat that we did it as a boat dive… In two weeks, we were able to get a good amount of diving in, as well as some shore activities. All the dives, both shore and boat were awesome. This year too we were treated to a pod of 8-10 dolphins swimming by while we were on one of the Klien Bonaire dives. Dining: Second only to the terrific diving on Bonaire is the terrific dining. Because our daughter was with us, we were not able to do Chefs Bonaire, At Sea or Carpaccio this time, but we were able to do Sebastian’s for both the Sunday Italian and a normal night’s dining. Really hope they can get the pier repaired for the dining experience. We were also unlucky in that the Cactus Blue crew was on vacation while we were on vacation. Maybe next time. Departure and Final Notes: We were able to schedule and do the departure COVID test at the facility across the parking lot from the airport. Very convenient. Overall another fantastic trip to the island. Most of our previous trips had been for one week except that we were able to do a 10-day one once. Two weeks may have been a little long, hoping that Delta will continue (restart?) to do a mid-week flight. |
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| Websites | Dive Friends Bonaire Condo | ||
Reporter and Travel |
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| Dive Experience | 251-500 dives | ||
| Where else diving | Aruba, Bonaire, Key Largo, St Lucia, Roatan, Guanaja, Panama, New York | ||
| Closest Airport | Flamingo International | Getting There | Only issue was finding a place to take the PCR test when our appointment cancelled at the last minute. |
Dive Conditions |
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| Weather | sunny | Seas | calm |
| Water Temp | 81-83°F / 27-28°C | Wetsuit Thickness | |
| Water Visibility | 80-100 Ft/ 24-30 M | ||
Dive Policy |
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| Dive own profile | yes | ||
| Enforced diving restrictions | Depth limit for our 13 year old. | ||
| Liveaboard? | no | Nitrox Available? | yes |
What I Saw |
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| Sharks | None | Mantas | 1 or 2 |
| Dolphins | Schools | Whale Sharks | None |
| Turtles | > 2 | Whales | None |
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best): |
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| Corals | |
Tropical Fish | |
| Small Critters | |
Large Fish | |
| Large Pelagics | N/A | ||
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best): |
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| 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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