Hello All,

We will be staying at Diver's Paradise September 26th - October 3rd, 2009 for our first stay there. This will be trip # 7 to Bonaire.

Any feedback on the property and diving the small wall there will be appreciated.

Thank You!

Vernon

small wall is one of the best dives on bonaire..we love it. i know people who stayed at divers paradise in #7 and it had a great view...clean, nice rooms. it's not on the water (it's on the east side of kaya rotterdam and there are waterfront houses on the west side of the street) and you will probably drive your truck to black durgon to dive...a couple hundred feet. it's not far, just too far to walk with your gear (imho). room 7 had a nice view of the water and a nice breeze. i'm sure the other rooms are nice too but that's the only one i've seen

Thanks Pat. Is the property next door to the Black Durgon or across the street?

Vernon

I stayed there last month. While you can dive small wall while staying at Dive Paradise, you are required to use tanks from Black Durgon. Cost was $15 US for three tanks. The property is across the street and south about one city block. One other note: every house in the area has a dog that barks at night. If the AC is on in the bedroom you are fine. Tiny tiny kitchen too.

Be sure and dive Small Wall at night. Right at dusk it is a fish highway. After dark the orange cup corals come out and critters start going up and down the wall. It's great.

Is small wall ok to snorkel or is it too deep to see much? We were thinking of booking with DP for October but will only be snorkeling. Thanks.

If I remember correctly, the top of SW is about 30 ft, and vertical to about 65 ft.

AlMOST all of Bonaire waters are fine for snorkeling...for me, anyway. But remember, Small Wall is a WALL. So you won't see what the divers see.

When I stayed at BD a couple of years ago, I would snorkel right after breakfast to cool off. Then dive later. IMHO it is one of the best snorkeling spot on the island. Unless Omar took all of the iron shore structures off of the shorleline, you can snorkel North or South for over an hour and see a ton of life. There used to be a resident Rainbow parrotfish at least 3 to 4 feet long.

Again, don't know the current condition since Omar. Hopefully the iron shoreline stayed in fairly good tact, so it should be outstanding.

Still great snorkeling up and down the shore from BD. I dont know how it was pre Omar but it is loaded with life now. The reef here seems to start a little deeper than on the south/North ends of the island so I wouldnt call it the best snorkeling place but still very good.

Small Wall is a great dive. At night trumpet fish stay here hiding in the spiral corals. One night their had to be 30 or more on the wall. The reef is healthy and full of critters. If you like being away from the crowds at the more popular resorts, BD is a great way to go.

Jason

Jason, most of the snorkeling I did at BD was along the shore North and South. The large iron shore came out a ways, so there was lots of life in 5 to 10 feet of water. Is the iron shore still there?

I am not sure what you mean by "iron shore" There were large formations in 5-10 feet of water with lots of fish life. I thought It was rock but if it iron then I guess thats it. There is not much coral or sponge growth here beside orange coral cups but plenty of fish activity.

jason, "ironshore" is just a term that refers to the rough, rocky shoreline and the bottom right at the entry point.

Thanks Pat jason, good to know that part of the shoreline is still there. There is so much sealife along the shore there. That is not the case at a lot of other resorts/places to stay.

Ok thanks for the info. In that case the ironshore is still great. BD is the only place I have stayed so I did not know that this was not the norm along the shore. It was great to be able to take a snorkel before breakfast and enjoy seeing so much life.

I stayed at Diver's Paradise in early March. I don't dive or snorkel, but can comment on the property...the room/view are decent...beautiful breeze if you keep the doors open...but it depends on what you find important/comfortable...there is no real internet access (although we did get some spotty wireless), no telephone, the beds were not terribly comfortable. The manager at black durgon is very, very nice, but very laid back and hard to find and not quickly responsive if you need something. Took several days to get extra pillow/ enough towels and I never got the iron I requested when I booked the reservation and asked about several times upon arrival. The hot water in the kitchen didn't turn on and he never came to check it out.

The property is kind of "down the street" from black durgon on a corner...it's a short walk, though. It's a nice quiet, safe area and for this non-diver, the view from the deck/pier at black durgon is absolutely beautiful!

Donna,
I would say your assessment is fair in highlighting the negatives to Diver's Paradise. Al as you say is hard to track down and not always responsive to requests. Having said all that I have been 5 or 6 times to Black Durgon and will be there again this August. Love the place,Al and Doris. Thought it ran smoother when his daughter and son-in-law were involved but the place still fits us well. Internet access is at the Black Durgon and doesn't cover all the rooms equally but is always good by the kitchen area. Don't really know what the deal is at Divers Paradise. Personally would only have an interest in Diver's Paradise vs Black Durgon in the "busy" season (March). Doris is the go to person at the black durgon for towels etc I have never seen her over at divers paradise. Much prefer the Black Durgon. You just can't beat diving off the dock with the dive cage so close by.
If you don't dive or snorkel don't recommend either place. Being able to dive the small wall and jumping off the dock are highlights. also eating by the water is hard to beat.
Anyway appreciate your view.

rona, are you reading this? mary and i aren't the only ones who miss you. (but you already knew that)

bob is right, Doris is the go to person, plus the fact that she is an absolute love. Al is the manager for DP and Doris does the cleaning, she can help out with your needs. Don't forget the tip!!!! at either place.
I have spent a lot of time diving and snorkeling small wall and the BDI house reef.(was there for 3 months earlier in the year) Every time in the water there is great- maybe because I'm so familiar with it- but each time I find something special. There is a lovely octopus that lives just to the south of the pier and, of course, the froggies right near the buoy....ooops that wasn't supposed to be a secret was it?
Love the place and the people, doris's breakfasts and company are the best!!! Al's too

P.S/ september will be a great time to be there as it is when the coral spawns- hope to see you then

So Anne - more info please as we will be there shortly! And I've never found an octopus or frog fish on my own. Start with going off the BD pier ........! And maybe we'll have some luck!

Since Rona left, we resolved our blanket problem by bringing our own in our dive bag. Not too much weight, but so much more comfort.

Al definitely needs help....... but can't or won't see it. now we won't get the extra pillows.....

hey Gail! I wish I knew how to post pictures on this site. Net incompetent! The froggies are usually at 23 -30 ft (little boy) and 45-60ft (big girl) just near the dive boat tie up off small wall. the octopus had his lair in an old drive shaft just near there in 15-20ft and I've got the most wonderful shot of one munching a big cowrie in a lair 10ft off shore just south off the kitchen/patio. Lovely baby squids and morays abound out there also.
I was there helping my dear friend Al with the horses etc. I'm hoping to be back for another extended stay the 2nd week of September. the house reef is my favorite- all the way up to the site before Andrea 1( don't remember the name ) and south to the freighter buoys by the desalination plant. Dive or snorkel it's always an adventure!!!! If someone can help me with getting some photos up here I would appreciate it. Annie

Wow Gail, when was that profile photo taken? You've been there since the new pier haven't you? Have a great stay!

Hi anne, the photos must be less than 100kb in size.. save them to your computer where you know where they are.. In the Add a Message box type
\image{boy frog fish} {mind the slash and the bracket it is the squiggly one.. no spaces inbetween the slash or the brackets} you can put what ever title you wish between the brackets..

Hit the prieview/post message button and it will come up as a black and yellow rectangle.. hit post again ad it will prompt you to find the image o your computer.. do so and click on it to make it go into the space.. hit post and you should have a photo. posted.. if you need any more help just holler!!!

Anne,very impressed that you get to stay for such a long time. its almost like living there :-)
big fan too of diving off the dock in either direction. Hoping Doris is there in August and not back home. Enjoy her and her breakfasts.

Yes Anne - Old photo! Been there every year since 2000. This year is our 10th trip.

Thanks for the info. We'll go slow and look carefully! (And I won't tell the others until we get the first look!)

Small wall is a nice dive, very easy. Just need to ask permission if you aren't staying there. Al was very accomodating. A few pics from last month.