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Trip Reports: First Timer Trip Report - 4/19-4/25
Bonaire Talk: Trip Reports: Archives: Archives 2000 to 2005: Archives - 2004-08-02 to 2005-05-08: First Timer Trip Report - 4/19-4/25
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jim McCabe (BonaireTalker - Post #11) on Wednesday, April 27, 2005 - 2:24 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Just returned from my first Bonaire trip. Here are some thoughts:

A 20 hour trip each way. AA from LAX to Dallas to San Juan to Bonaire going down, and via Miami returning. Flights went very well, no delays, no baggage problems whatsoever.

I found out that the island of Bonaire isn't what you'd call a gorgeous tropical paradise, is it? More like barren and desolate. Not a big deal, since most time is spent underwater.

Loved SandDollar. Laid back, quiet, almost had the place to myself. Buddy Dive, next door, was far more "active", lots more people, more of a party atmosphere. People diving all hours of the day/night from what I could tell. At Sand Dollar you could do a sunset dive with nobody else around. Beautiful. Buddy had a much better restaurant, with much better choices than Mangos IMO. Next time I'll definitely stay at Sand Dollar again, and walk over to Buddy Dive (Lion's Den) to eat. BTW, the scallop/shrimp wrapped in bacon at Lion's Den is GOOOOOD !!! The studio room I had was wonderful, had a full kitchen (microwave, fullsize refrigerator, oven, etc.), screened in patio, very good air conditioner.

No breakins and nothing stolen during my entire stay. I was a bit on edge the night before I left to fly home though... :-)

No mosquito sightings the entire time.

It's windy/breezy in Bonaire. Constantly. The DM said that it's really calm only a few days per year, as it was on Friday last week.

The diving is incredible at Bari Reef. I spent the entire week just diving off the dock. Also took a boat ride to 100 Steps, but liked Bari much better.

Took a UW photo class from Tim at Fisheye Photo. EXCELLENT !!! Wish I had known about Jerry Ligon's Naturalist class; I definitely would have taken it. He DM'd on our boat trip, and noted a lot of stuff during the dive.

Slim pickings in terms of shopping/supermarkets in the resort areas if you don't have a car (which I didn't). I walked to Pasa Bon Pizza, and to some of the nearby resorts for a change of pace.

IMO, Mango's restaurant (on the water at Sand Dollar) is pretty limited, and not all that great. No desserts. A great bacon cheeseburger, though.

I couldn't belive the boat trips were only $25-30 each. And the diving was so easy: just stroll out of your room, grab your gear in the storage room, grab a tank, and you're off. WOW !!!

All in all it was a wonderful trip. I'll definitely do it again, though next time I might even venture out of the resort for some dives. Or not.

Thanks to everyone on BT who helped me with info, and thanks to the folks I met there (especially Marge, who dove with me and give me tons of great info).

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jim McCabe (BonaireTalker - Post #12) on Wednesday, April 27, 2005 - 2:44 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

By the way, a strange thing happened to me on my first dive after my photography class. Nobody around on the dock, nobody in the water as far as I could tell. Dropped down in the shallow area near the dock, then swam over to the right to where the coral rubble is lined up, about 50 ft. to the right of the dock. Was hovering there, taking some photos. Then suddenly I felt something bump my left arm. I looked over, and there was this guy there, right next to me, trying to squeeze in next to me so he could take a macro shot of an anemone. Still haven't a clue where he came from. Acted like I wasn't even there. So I look over at him, shocked, and he doesn't even acknowledge that I'm there. Just keeps bumping in to me. So I swim off, scratching my head.

In the entire ocean, he picks that one spot that's so important, to take a photo of an anemone, which isn't going anywhere, and has to crowd me out of what I was doing. I guess it's kinda like the folks who MUST take the next empty spot next to you in a parking lot, even if you've got your door open and are trying to load stuff.

I'm still scratching my head on that one. Wonder if he's a poster here... :-)

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Cynde (BonaireTalk Deity - Post #13545) on Wednesday, April 27, 2005 - 2:52 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Jim, as a fellow left coaster, it's worth the trip isn't it! Next time rent a car so you can drive around the island, and over to the "windy side" at Lac Bay...see the salt pans...slave huts...etc.

The restaurant at Sand$ is actually kind of temporary by what I understand. Mangos (by the pool) is closed, and they have a "limited" menu on the slab by the water. I believe they have plans to expand and make it a full restaruant....

Bari and Ole' Blue are my 2 favorite dive sites on Bonaire...I see EVERYTHING on Bari when I dive that reef, it is gorgeous!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ron Gould (BonaireTalker - Post #73) on Wednesday, April 27, 2005 - 3:17 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Jim, sounds like you had a good time. Next time rent a truck for shore diving you won't regret it!! Bari is a great site but there is alot to see on Bonaire above and below. You also missed some great food that the many restarants have to offer.
Air Jamacia flies LA-Mo/Bay-Bon next time check with AJ it is alot shorter of a trip and it seems like they are getting their act togeather lately. We are Bonaire bound May 25th for 2 weeks Staying at Dive-Inn just south of town nice place and alot cheeper then the resorts. Have stayed at Buddy, Divi, Capt. Don's, Plaza, Harb/Vill, and a few others but we like to stay on the water front by the public beach(Cha Cha) just north of the Divi. www.diveinnbonaire.com check out Babs website you might like what you see. This trip is 14 nights, divers-truck at the airport, unlimited shorediving and air(AJ) for $3300. Boatdive as we go.. Diane & Ron

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ron Gould (BonaireTalker - Post #74) on Wednesday, April 27, 2005 - 3:22 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

restaurant sounds better Jim. TYPO!!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jim McCabe (BonaireTalker - Post #14) on Wednesday, April 27, 2005 - 3:55 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Yeah, Bari is pretty incredible. Every day I saw something new. One day it was an octopus cruising along the sand, with four fish hovering around him wherever he went hoping for him to dig up something good. They were even nudging him. How annoying !!! :-)

Another day I saw a gorgeous peacock flounder, with its fluorescent blue spots and dorsal fin, undulating along like a magic carpet, then wrapping itself around a brain coral.

Then it was a big porcupine fish scooting by me. Then a pair of big brown filefish. Then a turtle. And those SPONGES !!! YIKES !!! Every day something new. After 5 days diving there I could have spent 5 more.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Michelle S (BonaireTalker - Post #73) on Wednesday, April 27, 2005 - 4:03 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

I'm glad you had a nice trip.

I'll third the recommendation that you rent a dive vehicle next trip. There is so much more so see.

I agree that Bonaire does not meet with our skewed Americanized view of "paradise" (i.e. Hawaii with all of its imported plants, macadamia nuts and animals). Instead, I describe it as Arizona with the best beaches in the Caribbean.

If you want nightlife, tourist traps and all that fluff, take a day trip to Aruba or Curacao. But if you're an outdoors person who wants the best diving, the friendliest folks, really good food and pristine nature, then your next trip to Bonaire will be even better.

Welcome to BT!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Scott Germaise (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #4) on Thursday, April 28, 2005 - 1:28 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Hey Jim...

Sorry I didn't manage to get into the photo course with you. I think I was in Nitrox class that day in any case. Your story about the guy taking the pic is hilarious. It's hard to decide whether to outright hate such people behaving like that or to just be utterly puzzled by their lack of awareness or courtesy. It reminds me of when you're walking down a really wide corridor or path and someone bumps into you in passing; stuff like that is just odd.

Anyway, my situation was similar to Jim's... only stayed at Plaza Resort. Everything was very convenient there, boat dives, shore dive on house reef 18 Palms, getting gear for shore dives, etc. There's tons of diving stuff to do, but just about nothing else on Island. Zero problems with theft for me, minimal mosquito issues, really no problems at all. American Airlines flights where fine in terms of getting there, though the 45 minute delay leaving NY did get me a bit anxious about making the San Juan transfer. And the Eagle pilot on the way back to San Juan took 3 bounces to get it on the ground. Didn't seem to be any crosswind or anything. I'm a pilot myself and didn't see any reason why he'd need to do that, but... oh well. They didn't lose my checked bag coming or going and they got me there and back around when I wanted, which is really all that matters in the end.

I'd definitely stay at Plaza again and return to Bonaire. While I'd been to St. Thomas, I've mostly dived in northeast U.S. and in Florida, so this was my first "real" dive trip. It's absolutely a worthwhile place to go.

Scott

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Brian (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #976) on Thursday, April 28, 2005 - 1:54 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Jim

Thanks for sharing your trip with us. I had a similar experience at Small Wall last year; it was a boat dive and we were the last in the water. I was on my own taking a shot of the Frogfish and the next thing someone dropped down and sat on me to get the shot. Apparently it was another dive group doing a drift dive.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Randall Jones (BonaireTalker - Post #13) on Thursday, April 28, 2005 - 12:53 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Jim,
Thanks for the trip report.

My first impression of island was similar to yours. Once you get underwater, it's real beauty becomes apparent.

Scott,
Thanks for your comments.
We stayed at Plaza last year and really enjoyed visit.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Wes Adams (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #10) on Thursday, April 28, 2005 - 9:00 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Good trip report Jim, glad all went well.
My group will be the staying at he Sand$ late
June. Can you highlight a few questions for me?
Pool, done??
Dive Shop, all's well??
I will also travel via AA with a layover in San Juan. Did you stay the night, and if so, where
did you stay??
All the best.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jim McCabe (BonaireTalker - Post #19) on Thursday, April 28, 2005 - 9:48 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

The pool looked done, but I never saw anyone in it, and there was construction going on all around it as they work to complete the new Mango's.

Dive shop, all is well. Not sure what you mean, but it looked fine to me. As you may know, it looks like there is a new building next to the dive shop which houses the Den Laman restaurant (which is open for business), and also Tim's new Fisheye Photo shop (which is being remodeled inside). Otherwise it looks like everything is going fine.

My longest layover was about 4 hours in Dallas. The San Juan layovers were only about 2 hours. So I just hung out at the airport. Though I did hear the steward on the flight into San Juan talking about where to stay, but I didn't pay attention. Though as we were landing I noticed there are quite a few hotels and restaurants very near to the airport, possibly walking distance.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jeni VanDusen (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #2) on Friday, April 29, 2005 - 12:06 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Jim - Thanks for the trip report. My husband and I will be making our first trip to Bonaire in four (3 and a half, really...but who's counting) days.

I think you will find people like that guy everywhere. We call them leaches and/or a photo whore. I spent 12 days in the Philippines with one of them last year. The guy was all over the reefs, crushing the coral and turning over every rock to get "the shot". About 1/3 of my photos have his flash (Sea & Sea YS-25) in them. Plus he ended up scaring away most of the really interesting subjects. By the end of the trip, if anyone saw something really cool, they would look around first to see where he was, then signal for everyone else to come see it before he scared it away. I did mention to him that he wasn't diving in a reef-conscience way, but he just laughed. Some people will never get it. I know he won't. The scariest part is he's a Dive Master candidate! IMO, he's one of those guys who needs the title to have something to brag about.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Toby and Sandy (BonaireTalker - Post #32) on Friday, April 29, 2005 - 6:46 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Hi Jim
Its really gratifying to hear such positive comments from a first timer. I'm really glad you had a good experience and got to find out what this very special place is all about. Here's the cool part-there's more. Keep coming back (though 20 hours is a bit of a damper) and you'll find something special every time.
This goes for you too Jeni. I'm oozing green over your upcoming trip. Only 330 and a wakeup for us!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Lorraine Meadows (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #947) on Sunday, May 1, 2005 - 8:58 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Masha danki for the report!
Now you understand.

 


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