Here is the report that I posted on Rodales. I will add more later.

click here for report

or use this Link URL
http://www.scubadiving.com/members/tripreports.php?s=2186

Cris

Very entertaining and GREAT pictures! Thanks for sharing.

Belinda

Cris, most excellent report

Cris, ;-) Fun-factor way up there, thanks to your unique sense of humor. Trip Reports gained a new dimension, inspite of D2D getting the first crack at it.

For all of our pictures you can go to http://www.hallzoo.com/scuba.htm , then click on the Bonaire sections.

OK

Now that we've all had a little fun, I'm going to write a little about Bonaire from a person's perspective, as opposed to a Donkey's perspective. Some of what I am going to say is good, and some is not so good. I'm a pretty straigt-forward guy, so I will not hold back, but I will also try to be fair. I'm not going to talk about every site that I dove, and I'm not going to give depths or times or talk about every restaurant where we dined.

The Journey

Everything went well, except a small delay in San Juan, however, I believe that we got lucky. I can't imagine how Gate 1a, b, c, d, e, f in San Juan manages to do anything on time. This gate (s) is massive chaos. I heard two flights get cancelled due to "mechanical difficulties", and 3 flights delayed for "mechanical" difficulties, just in the short time that we were waiting for our flight. So I have to question….Is there really that many "mechanical problems" or do they cancel flights regularly that do not have enough tickets sold. Either way is not very comforting.

The journey home was uneventful for us, however, 14 of our traveling companions who left later that week, had problems with American and the Bonaire Airport. The main problem was that they wouldn't communicate with them. The airport staff kept saying "plane delayed…reason unknown", for hour after hour after hour. Well, they could look out of the window, and watch them working on the plane. San Juan then tried to charge them for missed connections. American made it right for all of them with some Aadvantage miles…..Way to Go American.

The Accommodations

We stayed at the Sand Dollar Condominiums in Alan and Joan Zale's unit. Great Condo Alan and Zale!! I hope we left it in better condition than when we arrived. This place was VERY well furnished, and the screened-in balcony is great. Alan and Joan have done a wonderful job decorating the place, and making sure that it is comfortable.

We saw several units at Sand Dollar, and they were not all as well furnished as the Zale's place. The layouts were similar, and much of the furniture was similar, but the decorations, feel, and extras were not there in all of the units.

So, Alan and Joan. Thanks!

P.S. Be careful if you bring electronics that are not 50Hz compatible. Most stuff in the US is 60Hz, including my battery charger which didn't make the transition. I was able to pick one up in town that worked out fine.


The Island

Bonaire is BEAUTIFUL, under the water. It is rugged, arid, and sub-tropical on the ground. This was not a surprise to me, because I was prepared, but I'm sure that many non-diving people come to Bonaire and are disappointed. The beaches are rugged and rocky, and cactus is the plant of the day…..not palm trees. I kinda liked the ruggedness, but a "Tropical Paradise", Bonaire ain't.


The diving

The diving was wonderful. There are lots of healthy reefs and the visibility is great! Most of the diving is shallow, so you can generally always get 1 hour + bottom time. The next time that I go to Bonaire, however, I will not do any boat diving. To me, it is a waste of $$$. You can dive any site, just about, without a boat. Yes, you can even dive Rappel without a boat. In fact, someone just posted it here a few days ago. My favorite site was Karpata, followed by Angel City. And many of the sites, you can dive multiple sites. Just exit the water, drop your gear and have someone walk back to the car. Oh, Yeah, Don't waste a boat ride to Hilma Hooker….You can easily beach dive this one.

You aren't going to see the huge coral heads and large critters like Cozumel and Belize, or the walls like Cayman, or turtles like Hawaii, but Bonaire is beautiful, and has massive stands of staghorns and soft corals. The sponges are massive. Also, I think that this is the eel capitol of the world. There are eels everywhere, and lots of different kinds. Bonaire is truly a Macro-Photographers paradise. Little current and lots of small critters.


The Dive Operation

I don't remember the name…It is the one connected to Sand Dollar. The Office staff wasn't exactly friendly, The dive masters were mediocre, and Andre (I guess that he is the owner) didn't impress me at all. I will not use this dive operation in the future. Andre placed (not just took), but placed two phone calls during our orientation, and he had a 10 minute conversation with one of his dive masters during our orientation. The orientation took 1 and 1/2 hours (not counting the dive), and it could have been done in 15 minutes. Andre also promised our friends that they would do their orientation the afternoon that they arrived. Well, when they arrived, Andre said that he was busy and couldn't do it. Not keeping your word is NOT a good business practice….even if you are on "Island Time".

On a positive note, the Photo people were really nice and helpful. They even offered to let me use their battery charger.


The Orientation

Folks, I know why this is in place, but this thing has got to go…..or at least be changed. After traveling a least one day to get to Bonaire, and then having to wait for a mid-morning orientation, you can't get into the water until noon or so. You can fly to Cozumel and be diving in a matter of hours. I know why the orientation is required, but why make people who have been there in the past 5 years do it again? I say pay your tag and go if you have been to Bonaire within the past 5 years.

Also, I saw some dive masters that could use some lessons on what they tried to teach in the orientation. Cudos to one dive master. Roger was really good. He told us what the plan was, and where to look for critters, and had a REALLY GOOD ATTITUDE. I would dive with him again.


Eating

The food was mostly good, but expect to pay for it.


Bottom Line:

Bonaire is a great destination. I WILL go back someday. The diving is easy, and I will probably take my kids there when they first get certified. I will probably not stay at Sand Dollar next time, because of the dive operator on-site. Klein Bonaire is not worth the price of the boat ride, You can see it all on the main island. The town and the people are colorful and relaxed. The motorcycles roaring up and down the streets ruined the mood at times, however. Bonaire Talk is the single BEST resource available for any destination. I felt like I knew the island before I arrived.

The people on this board are the most helpful and positive folks that I have ever met. I have no doubt that Bonaire would suffer a huge loss if this board ever went away.

Thanks to all.

Cris

Great report Cris. I second everything you said about the Zale's condo. It was great. I will also second everything you said about the dive operation. However, we dove with more of the divemasters after you left and I have to say Michael, Larry and the young guy whose name I can't remember, were really great. You could tell they were working under less than perfect conditions and making the best of it. They only had two boats running and if you didn't sign up quickly you couldn't get on a boat. I hope hearing from some of the customers will make the dive operation take a closer look at how they are operating. This was our second trip and we had a great time, I know we will be back also. I hope to get my own trip report out here soon.

Shelly

Chris that was great! Very entertaining report and I love the pictures!

Good report, Cris, especially helpful I think for first-go-ers as well.
I ended up reading and looking at photo's of your San Diego trip. I'm going there within 6 days.
And I think it's going to be an adventure! But I'm used to a much worse visibility, here in the Netherlands. So, I think we can handle some challenge!

Thanks also for that report!!

Great report! I also enjoyed the one from the donkey's perspective.

Thanks Cris for tour report. We are coming to Bonaire next month so found the Diving tips v useful. Up until now I'd been considering doing a boat dive, now I'm thinking twice about it.

Cris, Great report, succinct, objective and honest. Great photos. Unfortunately we largely concur with your opinion of the dive operator. Although the facility itself is terrific, there is room for improvement at the management level and within the office itself.

Well Shelly, You just have a few minor things on your mind before you get your trip report out....LIKE MOVING!!!! Have a good Labor Day, and see you next weekend. Cris

Deb, I'm glad that I'm not the only one. I hate to be so honest, but only being positive and saying only good things doesn't help Bonaire, or it's visitors.

Hopefully the staff will get the message, if enough people speak candidly, maybe they will get the message and make changes.

I hope that they see this as an opportunity and not a threat..... We'll see.

Regards,

Cris

Cris, again I agree with you - I just hope that our comments are not dismissed as the grumblings of the picky few. For every person that provides constructive feedback there are 10 that can't be bothered to complain but certainly won't return. I have heard that BD&A usually receives 9 out of 10 ratings from Sand Dollar guests. Although high ratings are well deserved in most respects, customer service is more important to me than a pristine dock. With a few changes, BD&A could become one of the top operators on the island. They have so much going for them. M2CW. I hope BD&A posts a reply addressing our comments.

First we would like to thank everybody about the kind words about our unit. We really appreciate it. I have been in touch with the people who oversee BD&A and it is being addressed.

Again, thanks for enjoying our home away from home at Sand Dollar. We're glad you enjoyed it.