Bonaire Divi Tiara Trip report

Report and pictures located at pictures located at
http://www.rummelraiders.com/webbies...e/bona2003.htm

TRIP REPORT only:
We began our adventure as Scuba Divers in 1997 with a trip to Bonaire in the
Dutch Antilles off the coast of Venezuela. Newly certified and thoroughly
unaware of the special nature of our destination, we did not fully
appreciate our first visit to Bonaire, which is appropriately called "Divers
Paradise." Those first dives rarely lasted longer than 30 minutes as we
nervously sucked down tanks of air and squabbled over which buddy had failed
more miserably than the other at following a pre-established dive profile.
Since then we have changed and so has Bonaire. With our local dive group
from Caribbean Dive Shop and sometimes on our on, we have surveyed quite a
bit of underwater landscape. As we have explored Roatan, Cozumel, Cayman
Brac, Turks & Caicos, Belize and Utila, we have consistently compared each
new dive experience to our Bonaire memories. We always knew that one day we
would return. Six years after our first visit we came back to Bonaire --
experienced scuba divers and photographers, able to record our second visit
for a fuller memory.

We were lured back to Bonaire by an attractive package through our local
dive shop which included a full meal plan, 3 boat dives a day and
accommodations at the newly renovated Divi Flamingo Resort. As we have on
many other occasions, we spent a very long day traveling with American
Airlines and making connections with a new airline, Dutch Caribbean. Even
with the more streamlined x-ray procedures, travel these days is not the
most pleasurable part of the dive vacation. This time we arrived at the
Divi late in the evening with another large dive group. Naturally, only one
person was at the desk to check in the 50+ travelers. And Bonaire, which
typically has only 11 inches of rainfall a year, was having a deluge.
Unlike my comrades who endured the three hour wait for dinner in the
restaurant, I gave up and went to sleep, hoping for better the next day.

Once the actual diving begins, the prospect for a good vacation always
improves. The Divi Flamingo dive operation is top notch. Because of the
size of our group, we had their largest boat for the week and two very
competent dive masters (Orlando and Enrique) who alternated underwater
duties. We left for two morning dives at 8:30, usually returning to the
dock by 11:30. Then we scrambled to eat lunch and be back on the dive dock
for the 2:00 p.m. departure. More time before the afternoon dive would have
been a plus, but the schedule gave the diehards a chance to do a late
afternoon and even a night dive if they chose. Shore diving is very
convenient with tanks available round the clock and Nitrox for a fee. Of
course, every dive facility has its highlights and shortcomings. Divi has
good boats and competent personnel who run a safe operation. We found the
Divi Flamingo offered much less in the way of creature comforts than the
Divi in Cayman Brac or Lighthouse Reef in Belize or even tiny Laguna Beach
in Utila. All gearing up, even between dives, was handled by the divers
themselves. We even found ourselves moving tanks around on the boat on a
regular basis. Although I do feel more comfortable hooking up my own gear,
I have come to appreciate dive crews who move my gear from the empty tank
after the first dive to the new tank. It makes for a more relaxing surface
interval and a less tiring day overall. I was also less than pleased with
the gear room layout. Each diver had a small section of wall for hanging
wet gear bags. Since the layout was upper/lower, there really wasn't much
chance anything would dry out in the locked gear room overnight. Wetsuits
hung on a central rack were in fairly close quarters too, and it was not
uncommon to find your suit thrown over the top of the rack by someone who
decided it was dry and not worthy of a hanger which could be used for their
wet gear. However, the separate rinse tanks for suits, regulators and
cameras were always full and clean -- an essential feature.

Bonaire is still a divers paradise, even though the damage caused by the
Tropical Storm a few years ago is quite obvious. Shallow areas once rich
with soft coral and staghorn are now sand flats. Much of the existing coral
is covered with sand. However, the fish don't seem to mind; they are as
prolific as ever. It was not uncommon to see schools of squid, trumpetfish
and spotted filefish -- species which are not nearly so common at our other
dive haunts. We saw turtles on almost every dive; these included
loggerheads, hawksbills and green turtles. Various manifestations of
Parrotfish and Trunkfish were constant companions. I can't remember seeing
so many Queen Parrotfish before. In short, the diving was much like we
remembered it on our first trip - a huge aquarium, free of current and full
of extraordinarily friendly fish. Our favorite dive was Salt Pier, large
structures near the Salt storage areas. The area was a breeding ground for
squid and nearly every species of fish found in Bonaire. We did the dive
twice, filling a camera memory card full on each visit. On the last day,
the dive masters took us to their favorite site, Margate Bay. Located very
near Salt Pier, it would be any diver's favorite, a mixture of pristine
coral growth and fishlife reminiscent of pre-storm days in Bonaire.

The resort itself is in excellent condition. I had read mixed reports in
the newsgroups about the state of the renovations, but overall the resort is
much more luxurious than our usual accommodations. A couple of our fellow
travelers had problems with the air-conditioning units in their rooms, but
the resort performed repairs in a timely manner. We had ocean front rooms
with small balconies. Each unit had hair dryers and an iron/ironing board
(unused by us!) Our rooms also had cable TV, but we soon discovered that it
was out of service several hours a day. Movie channels, however, were quite
good in the evening when we could stay awake long enough. During our week,
the resort was fully booked, and the cleanup crew was not up to the task of
cleaning rooms and providing fresh towels. Most days, we had to call for
cleanup and towels, which were then delivered promptly.

We were in the habit of rising early for breakfast, and one day we were
surprised by donkeys on the walkway outside our unit. One of them developed
an instant attraction to Ory and wanted to join us in the room. Ironically,
we had watched the staff struggling to plant sprigs of grass the day before,
and now we were watching the donkeys make their own private breakfast buffet
of the garden. Ory turned the invaders in and the staff escorted them off
the premises, but it was a fun way to start the day. Apparently, donkeys
are indigenous to the island, but the resort wasn't interested in providing
meal plans to non-paying guests.

Meals were a genuine highlight of our trip, once we got used to the rhythm
of island time which pretty much guarantees that a meal takes two hours. We
learned to show up right just before noon for lunch. In the evening, we
found the earlier reservation times got quicker service and it was even
possible to do a comfortable night shore dive. With an unlimited meal plan,
this may be the only dive vacation where I gained weight doing 3-4 dives a
day. I'm still going through withdrawal because I can't have my daily fix
of Caribbean Fish Soup. I can also personally recommend the Key Lime Pie
and Ponche Cuba desserts.

A final warning should be given to other divers traveling with battery
rechargers. The electricity on Bonaire is not standard American or
European. It is 127-50. Many US devices are 110-60. The 110 part doesn't
really matter, but if your device does not say 50/60 specifically, it is
very likely to overheat and malfunction. We knew this in advance and
purchased an International adapter specifically for our battery rechargers.
We did notice a sign indicating that the dive shop offered an outlet in the
shop for rechargers, but I don't think that would satisfy the needs of too
many photographers.

If I could get a package for a reasonable price traveling on my own, I would
return to the Divi and Bonaire, even with the inconveniences of the dive
operation. Without a food package, eating in Bonaire can be very pricey.
Three meals a day is overkill, but the difference in cost between a two and
three meal package makes the full meal plan an obvious choice. Two boat
dives a day with shore diving in between probably would have been more
relaxing, but I'm not sure which boat dives I would have excluded since the
site choices were all so good. Traveling with our group of 24 had economic
advantages, but it also made for a crowded dive boat. Although our personal
party of three usually headed down the reef in the opposite direction from
the rest of our group, I think group travel has lost its appeal for us. We
look forward to our February trip to Utila, a much more intimate dive
experience.

Thanks for the interesting dive report. Please post one on Utila when
you get back.

Eric

I have a Utila report from March of 2003 located at
http://www.rummelraiders.com/webbies...tila/utila.htm
"Eric Weiss" <eweiss@winchendon.com> wrote in message
news:3F2306AE.3050509@winchendon.com...
>
> Thanks for the interesting dive report. Please post one on Utila when
> you get back.
>
> Eric
>