We are visiting the island in August, and have booked a dive & drive package with Buddy Dive. I've read most of the postings in this most informative forum but can't find any information on Buddy Dive. How are the accommodations, restaurant, and most importantly, the dive shop/staff? Can anyone help?

Hi Lorraine and Welcome, if you go to the bottom of this page there are some icons.. click on the keyword search icon[looks like a key} and it will bring you to another page.. at the top of the page the Key word search engine can be enabled if you type the words Buddy Dive in the box hit the Preform search at the bottom of the screen and you will come up with all sorts of info on Buddy's Dive.. Good luck and again welcome to this most addicting site...also look in accomendation section for Buddy's Dive..

(Message edited by scubahb on July 13, 2004)

here is a link to get you started.. Buddy's Dive just click on the purple letters ...

Lorraine, I haven't stayed at Buddy's but used their dive shop last summer. Staff is excellent. Lourdes in the dive office is so sweet, Augusto, Martin, Alex, and Sandra at the dive shop are all great. You will love their shop, and the accommodations are excellent as well. Don't remember reading anything bad about the experience. Dock of the Bay is the restaurant on the property and has a buffet breakfast, and they offer lunch and dinner....a nice big burger after a noon or morning dive is great! We had Martin video Kelly and I on a dive, and it is a great thing to pop in the VCR when PBD kicks in big time!

Ha Freddie! Didn't know you were here! LOL!

Lorraine, here is a link to their website:
Buddy Dive

Thanks Freddie & Cynde

This information on the search is most helpful, and Buddy Dive's website was the first place I looked.

Thanks so very much.

Hi Lorraine,

I just returned from my 5th annual trip to Buddy Dive. My first day there is spent hugging the staff and the last is spent the same way. In other words, the staff is great. They are always happy to see their guest and go out of their way to make my stay a good one. The rooms are clean, in good condition and have most anything you need. The bedrooms are ACed but the rest of the condo is not but if you open the doors and let the breeze go through, it's fine.

The dive op is well run and the staff are always helpful. The facilities are very convenient both for shore diving and boat diving. They have 4 boats of various sizes. Nitrox and air are available 24/7 in AL-80 and 63 sizes. The shop had most any rental gear you may need.

The restaurant, Bella Vista, is good as well. Breakfast (included in your package) has eggs, bacon, fresh fruit (pineapple, cantaloupe, watermelon), cereal, fried potatoes and custom made omelets plus some other things I don't recall off hand. The lunches and dinners are good as well. The prices are not bad, maybe a little more than here in Raleigh NC but not by much. I would suggest that you go and explore the other restaurants on the island, there are dozens of good places to eat.

If you have specific questions, drop me an email.

Herman

Thanks for the particulars concerning the dive operation (i.e. boats, nitrox, and tanks), as well as the restaurant and accommodations. I'm sure we'll have a great time.

Does the dive shop have lockers to store gear and is a master lock needed to lock them? Do they have E6 processing-(costs?).

After reading several posting, we decided to try Richards, Den Laman, and Green Parrot (is it still at Sand Dollar?)for dinner.

Again, thanks for the intel.

Lorraine

The "locker" is a common storage room that is locked at night (but you still have 24/7 access). We have not had any trouble with things "missing" but I never leave the regs or computers there, got to log the dives anyway. They do not do any photo processing on site....Capt Dons MAY and is an easy walk from BD. There is a photo shop down town. The Green Parrot was (tearing up..)distroyed in Oct of 99 due to wave action from a hurricane. The restaurants you mentioned are good but don't avoid the smaller places, many of them have great food at reasonable prices. BobbyJan's takeaway has really good rids, chicken and steaks but is a really small place. Same goes for Gibi's, it's small but good food. Rum Runners (at Capt Dons), Lions Dive (next door) and Mangos (at Sand Dollar) are all easy walks and have good food as well. By the way, there is an ATM a short walk away that you can get $ or Guilders from if you need cash.

We will be at Buddy's 18-26 August for our seventh time; I think that alone speaks for our high regard for the resort and the dive operation. Corinna runs the dive operation superbly, and the rest of her staff is great. All the folks at the front desk are always glad to help you out as well. The shore dive right there on Buddy Reef is always excellent (ask around for tips on frogfish and octopus locations), the drive thru is super convenient for picking up tanks 24 hours a day for drive and dive, and the boats go out twice in the a.m. and once in the p.m. (p.m. boats usually go to Klein Bonaire, which obviously cannot be shore dived). Breakfast is fine there, and you can cut thru unlocked gates to walk to Lion's Den and Rum Runners restaurants at the next two resorts adjacent to the north. You might want to check Capt. Don's or Sand Dollar (adjacent to the south) for photo processing. If your stay there overlaps ours at all, I'm sure you'll see me around (I'm 6'5 with a beard and a New Yawk accent) and Gale and I would be happy to dive with ya -- I'm sometimes also looking for a late afternoon dive buddy while Gale takes her siesta. Hope this is helpful; feel free to send me a private email if you'd like any more details, tips, gossip, etc. After seven trips we're pretty familiar with the place.

Scott

Thanks for the tips. We are coming down on the 7th-14th with our NY dive club; Scuba Divine in Brooklyn (George Horne's group). So sorry we'll miss you, maybe if we venture back on another trip me and Kevin(my better half) would look forward to diving with you.

Thanks
Lorrie