My wife is considering waiting until we get down to Bonaire (next week) to buy a wetsuit (probably a 3mil shorty but possibly a 1/2 or 3 mil full body. Any thoughts on the prices & availability down there relative to a typical dive shop in the US?

...and what about availability & prices of minor equipment like knives & lights

Thanks in advance!
Eric

Eric,

I was in Bonaire for the last two weeks...the water temperature was running 85 F (29.4 C)...it was warm for me after an hour dive using just a skin.

I think Bruce Bowker's prices are pretty fair for small misc items. If you are looking for the lowest price, buy at home. You may want to consider just renting a shorty if your wife gets cold. Most of the dive shops rent them.

Hi Eric,

I found some equipment (masks, fins, ...) to be less expensive in Bonaire then in Europe. This was at Wannadive. I'm not sure about the US though.

Peter

Eric, please remember that almost everything you buy on Bonaire has been shipped in. Therefore you will encounter a mark-up slightly higher than you would experience in the US. Availabity depends on the time of year and cargo shipments.

The on-island resorts all have dive equipment shops that are, for the most part, competitive.

Thanks for the feedback everybody - I think we're going to check out our local dive shop & if something really "jumps out" at us, we'll get it before we go... otherwise, we'll just rent or pick something up down in Bonaire.
Thanks again,
Eric