By Kelly Hardy (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #1) on Thursday, January 29, 2009 - 2:23 pm: |
My husband and I are headed down to Bonaire in March and are going to be doing a referral certification program there. Our dive shop here will rent us a BC, Regulator and Dive computer for about $165. Should we considered just renting equipment in Bonaire instead? Has anyone else rented equipment
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By Cecil* (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #7257) on Thursday, January 29, 2009 - 2:27 pm: |
Welcome to BT, Kelly. What dive shop are you using? generally the rental equipment in Bonaire is pretty good but it does vary from shop to shop.
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By davevcr (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #8) on Thursday, January 29, 2009 - 2:34 pm: |
If you don't have your own equipment, I would just rent in Bonaire. Not having to lug all that heavy equipment around with you is worth paying a few more dollars.
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By Tom Schamp (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #186) on Thursday, January 29, 2009 - 2:37 pm: |
Depending on your flights, you may have to pay extra for overweight luggage as well, so renting on-island makes sense.
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By Leo Irakliotis (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #179) on Thursday, January 29, 2009 - 2:40 pm: |
Kelly, welcome to BT.
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By Kelly Hardy (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #2) on Thursday, January 29, 2009 - 3:28 pm: |
We are thinking about going with Wanna Dive or Buddy Dive, but we haven't even determined where to stay yet. I've been reading the posts and researching for the last couple of weeks, but I get even more confused on where I should go after I read them
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By Leo Irakliotis (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #181) on Thursday, January 29, 2009 - 3:36 pm: |
Kelly, I know it seems overwhelming. I was in your shoes -- well, fins -- a year ago when I was planning our first trip to Bonaire.
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By Kelly Hardy (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #3) on Thursday, January 29, 2009 - 3:52 pm: |
Leo - thanks so much for the post. I am so excited to go, sometimes I just get so worried about making it the perfect vacation. At least there is this forum, most places I have vacationed in the past I've had to rely on tripadvisor. ;)
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By Dan Jolly (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #484) on Thursday, January 29, 2009 - 3:54 pm: |
Kelly - For my 2 cents worth I am a big Buddy's fan for reasons of dive op /staff, great house reef, rooms, trucks, food, bar, etc.
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By Carl Cadregari (BonaireTalker - Post #54) on Thursday, January 29, 2009 - 4:20 pm: |
Kelly - my wife and I are making our first trip down she's doing a "resort course" and we have a bunch of dives scheduled after that. I found the rental prices at the shop we chose to be very reasonable compared to other shops on other islands.. and not having to lug the stuff down works well too... I think some shops even have a "combo" package that includes BC/Reg/MFS for a less expensive price than separately rented - you may want to see if you can do that too
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By Leo Irakliotis (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #183) on Thursday, January 29, 2009 - 4:24 pm: |
Fair enough Kelly.
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By Vince DePietro-www.bonairebeachcondo.com (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #1954) on Thursday, January 29, 2009 - 6:59 pm: |
Hi Kelly..I'm going to throw my advice into the mix..For a brand new diver I firmly support renting your equipment for your first real dive vacation.
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By Mel Briscoe (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #366) on Thursday, January 29, 2009 - 7:01 pm: |
Leo, your initial assumption about 3 days of diving isn't very good. The certification dives at most take 2 days, or at best 1 1/4. So there is a LOT of time left to dive on her own.
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By Leo Irakliotis (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #185) on Thursday, January 29, 2009 - 7:01 pm: |
Vince, which end?
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By Mel Briscoe (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #367) on Thursday, January 29, 2009 - 7:04 pm: |
Leo, the output end.
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By Leo Irakliotis (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #186) on Thursday, January 29, 2009 - 7:11 pm: |
Mel, I thought that a 7-nighter gives you 5 full days for diving. I assumed that Kelly and her husband will not dive the day of their arrival and the day prior to their departure. What have I missed?
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By Mel Briscoe (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #368) on Thursday, January 29, 2009 - 7:24 pm: |
Leo: Our group typically arrives Sat afternoon. We often get in one of the cert dives that afternoon, the remaining 3 on Monday, done by mid-afternoon. If not that fast then finish with one dive Tuesday morning. There can be an escorted dive on Monday, too, not counting against the allowable three-max training dives. So "fun diving" may begin on Monday, surely begins on Tuesday, plus Weds, Thurs, and Friday until 3 pm or so. I'm not going to split semantic hairs about exactly how many full days of diving this is, but I assure you it feels like more than three!
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By Leo Irakliotis (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #187) on Thursday, January 29, 2009 - 7:29 pm: |
Mel what shop do you sign up with? I am looking for one that offers on-demand orientation (so that we can squeeze a few dives on the day of our arrival). I know that Dive Friends offer on-demand orientation. Anyone else?
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By Lori Mulhisen (BonaireTalker - Post #19) on Thursday, January 29, 2009 - 9:22 pm: |
Leo--Dive Friends worked out great for us earlier this month, especially if you, like us, have been to Bonaire before. Just fill out your forms (they are available for download on their website), turn them in, pay your fee, get your weights, and they give you a short tour of how/where to pick up/drop off tanks. They then tell you which one of their shops at which to do your first dive and you are on your way. The orientation dive can be done any time during the shop's business hours. We have used Bonaire Dive and Adventure during previous trips and I know that they definitely have set times for their orientation.
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By Leo Irakliotis (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #188) on Thursday, January 29, 2009 - 9:35 pm: |
Lori, thanks.
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By Liz ... yes, I dive with pink fins. (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #196) on Thursday, January 29, 2009 - 10:02 pm: |
Leo - you can do on-demand orientation at the Buddy Dive office at Bonaire Oceanfront Apartments, also. We arrived very early a.m. on a Saturday, unpacked, and then just staked out the front door of the dive shop until it opened (8 or 9, I can't remember). We signed the forms, got our tags and were diving very quickly after that. No hassles at all, but they were also aware this was not our first time diving Bon.
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By NoGoSlo (BonaireTalker - Post #15) on Friday, January 30, 2009 - 1:15 pm: |
I agree with Dan. The price of wrist computers have come down to the reasonable, especially on-line. It is very nice to read up on the use and get comfortable with it before you dive.
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By Donald James (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #3) on Tuesday, February 3, 2009 - 10:51 am: |
Besides weight issue - one last reason to rent there. If something breaks you had it back and get another one. My last trip, I just service my regulator, the third dive a O-ring blew. The next day a shop repaired it $40. Luckily my home shop offered me two free servicing to make up for it.
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