I've been back for 5 days and the PBD has yet to ease up. After my first trip to Bonaire (and first dive trip), I realize that I couldn't have chosen a better place! Both I, and the 23 others that traveled in our group, enjoyed the island and the diving tremendously. In order to prevent myself from rambling, I will give the trip report in sections and elaborate on each category.

Airline - Air Jamaica did an excellant job, with the only issue being a plane that was 1.5 hours late picking us up on the return flight out of Bonaire. At that point, we were all hoping the plane would be a no-show so that we could get another day on the island.

Accommodations - We all stayed at the Sand Dollar Resort, which was clean, well maintained, and very convenient for shore diving. The new pier has a way to go, but the boat diving from the marina was easy as well (just a few minutes by truck or Sand Dollar shuttle). "E.T.", Jerry, and Kenny from the Dive Shop were very knowledgeable and treated us great all week.

Dining - I did no cooking, so I got to sample many of the restaurants on the island, as well as the on-site restaurant at the Sand Dollar on several occasions. I ate Italian, Steaks, Seafood, Chicken, Sandwiches, and I didn't have a bad meal all week. Oh, and the ice cream at Lover's is great. My favorite meal of the week (I had it twice) was the grilled chicken at Beefeaters. Very good and very reasonably priced!

Shopping - I didn't do much of this, other than souveniers for the family. There were plenty of options downtown, and I found what I needed in less than an hour on my last day on the island.

Diving - SCUBA HEAVEN !!! I did 21 dives in 5.5 days and absolutely loved every one of them! I did 12 boat dives and 9 shore dives, 13 Bonaire/8 Klein Bonaire, and 16 Day/5 Night Dives. All were great, and it was interesting to note the differences between North island, South island, Klein, and Night Diving. We hit all of the most popular ones, as well as some of the more remote ones. Some of my Klein favorites were Captain Don's, Rock Pile, Nearest Point, and Carl's Hill (where we were met by a pod of about 30 dolphins). On Bonaire, some of my favorites were Angel City, Invisibles, Barcadera, and 1000 Steps. Great night dives were the Town Pier and Bari Reef, where we swam with the Tarpon's and helped them catch their evening meal (they swam right next to us and used our lights to spot their prey).

Overall, a great trip and I will be counting the days until I can return. Next time, I will make some time to learn wind surfing. Lac Bay is beautiful and looks like the perfect spot to master a new skill.

Thanks to everyone who contributes to the discussions on this site. It allowed me to feel like a local even though it was my first trip there (but definitely not my last!).

Steve

Steve,
Great Report! Glad to hear you had a great time. Your report makes my wait for our trip in August even harder.

May I add my thanks for a great report?
Looking forward to enjoying my first visit in less
than 3 months!
Dan

Great report. Next time, on the off day before flying, do the kayaking mangroves trip through Sand Dollar at Lac Bay. We did it, it was a great way to spend a couple of hours when we couldn't dive.

Steve, Glad you had a great trip. I hopethe PBD isn't too bad. It always helps me to plan another trip right away!

Great report Steve!