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Diving Bonaire: Marine Tag & Check out dive?
Bonaire Talk: Diving Bonaire: Marine Tag & Check out dive?
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By shell (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #1) on Thursday, February 17, 2011 - 3:58 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

I see costs for the marine tag (no issues here) but while at Wannadive website, I saw a fee for a checkout dive (I think it was $25).

Do we need to do checkout dives or just purchase the marine tag?

I know many folks only dive once a year in warm water, so I can understand a checkout dive for weighting etc. But is it required? For those that dive every month (in the pacific northwest, where 15ft viz is a good day)?

Thanks all!
Shell (41 hours until I expect to be underwater in Bonaire!)

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Tom Schamp (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #659) on Thursday, February 17, 2011 - 4:05 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

You're supposed to do your own checkout dive after the talk is over, just to get everything "right".
You don't have to pay anything extra for your own checkout dive, assuming you have the typical dive package with unlimited shore-diving tanks.
I find the checkout dive sometimes is more about water-temperature, then weights.
November over a year ago, I started with my 3mm wetsuit and found I was impossibly warm, so I just dove in my skin. Less lead needed for that, obviously...

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By KOB (LBR32) (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #470) on Thursday, February 17, 2011 - 4:05 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Shell -- FWIW, we have not been asked to do a checkout dive since 1997 or so. But we're both very experienced instructors and stay at the same place every time, so they know us.

You should not be charged for a checkout dive unless there are some unusual circumstance.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By shell (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #2) on Thursday, February 17, 2011 - 4:47 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Thanks Tom & Kob,

So to sound like a total newbie....do you just pay your $35 marine park fee, drop into the water and show them you won't ping pong on the coral?

At least I think that is what it sounds like (correct me if I am wrong please!)....
Arrive at Wanna Dive (Windsock), arrange unlimited nitrox for the week, pay our $25 marine park tag fee, listen to a talk and then we can head anywhere to hit the water to do our own checkouts?

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Tom Schamp (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #660) on Thursday, February 17, 2011 - 4:57 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

They don't normally supervise your checkout dive.
You're pretty much on your own to do that after the talk is over.

But you want to do it in front of your dive shop for a few reasons, especially if you haven't been wet for a while. You want to get your weight right since you'll be keeping the same belt for the week.
(That being said, you can't really tell if your weight is right until your tank gets down under 1000 psi...)

Plus there may be other equipment issues. My GF brought her wrong set of fins last time which did not fit her hard-sole boots right. So she rented fins for the week right there at the dive shop.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Barbara "CB" Gibson (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #6259) on Thursday, February 17, 2011 - 5:01 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Shell, you can stop picturing having to clear your mask for a cranky DI(Ok, I have authority issues.)...just get the talk, get your tag, and do your dive. Unless it's changed, Wanna Dive will do your orientation on your schedule; some places only do it at a fixed time of day, but they are more flexible.

I dive the west coast too, so I want to tell you not to be too complacent about the shore entries...you won't see the our big surf, but the uneven terrain and sharp rocks and coral can provide their own challenges. That said, you will enjoy not eating the beach as you exit....

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Barbara "CB" Gibson (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #6260) on Thursday, February 17, 2011 - 5:07 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Good point about the equipment, Tom. I had a (just serviced)inflator hose blow as I geared up for my first dive....I was so mad....and the dive shop bailed me out...

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By KOB (LBR32) (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #471) on Thursday, February 17, 2011 - 5:11 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Shell -- what Tom & CB said. You pay your tag fee, the DM or person selling you the tag will give you a "briefing" (and will also be trying to assess your skill level), but the checkout dive is generally up to you to do on your schedule.

CB gives good advice, though. If you are not familiar with shore diving or warm water diving or it's been a long time since you dived, do the house reef, so that you can fix any problems before going off on your own.

Most importantly ... enjoy the diving freedom !!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By shell (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #3) on Thursday, February 17, 2011 - 6:15 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Many thanks all!
Since I am cheap, I don't do many warm water vacations and typically dive every month in Washington...but have dove Caymans, Belize, Mexico and Hawaii...and once (just once!) I have done the monastary crawl http://www.scubamonterey.com/infokmonastery.html

But this IS my husbands first time diving in warm water aside from when we dove in San Diego last March...it will be interesting. He has never dove without a drysuit, so it is going to be EPIC!

We will be at wanna dive Saturday mid-day if you want some entertainment (look for red force fins with sparkles)



(Message edited by oregondiver on February 17, 2011)

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Barbara "CB" Gibson (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #6265) on Thursday, February 17, 2011 - 6:19 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Monastery sand is extra crunchy....yum....

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Grunt (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #1235) on Thursday, February 17, 2011 - 7:22 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

The most complete skills rating I've had was from Dive Friends.
I had to do a decent and swim through the plastic obstacle course right off the shop.. and that was it.
Monastery can be a killer...sometimes.
Have a great trip.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Barbara "CB" Gibson (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #6273) on Thursday, February 17, 2011 - 9:37 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

I bet we're all smart enough not to do Monastery on the killer days. I always go planning to walk out, but prepared to crawl. Too much pride is not my problem as a diver.

Anyway, I'm not sure a facefull of sand is any worse than staggering around in dead staghorn coral in mild surge...

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Bart Snelder (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #120) on Friday, February 18, 2011 - 5:11 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Hi Shell,
Just saw your post. I am an owner of Wannadive. We do not charge for your orientation dive as it is called officially, unless you wish us to accompany you. The orientation is a mandatory rule by law in which you purchase your tag ($25 for divers and valid for the calender year) and we will (try to :-)) inform you about Bonaire's diving its rules and regulations and ofcourse the way Wannadive works. Divers then need to make an orientation dive which officially must be made on a dive operations house reef. Especially at Windsock this is no punishment. The reef there is beautiful and a sturdy ladder enables easy access! See you tomorrow!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By shell (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #4) on Friday, February 18, 2011 - 8:38 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Thanks Bart! See y'all in about 14 hours!

Looking forward to it!

 


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