This is for those divers who have done solos on Bonaire. What sites are your favorite? I've done about six at several different sites such as;Bachelors Beach, 19th palm, and Andrea 2.
I believe Bonaire to be one of the safest islands to solo. Comments

hi jerry,

bonaire is truly diver's paradise

try some one way dives south (atlantis, red beryl, margrate bay) and swim north...dump your stuff and walk back and get your car (or hitchhike)

some of the operators will try to tell you solo diving is illegal so i would not necessarily mention the fact that you are diving solo ;)

enjoy!!!

spongebob (over 100 solo dives on bonaire (i just ain't got no friends ))

Illegal? Many of the Dive Operations offer Solo Courses and will gladly alow those properly trained and equipped to Solo Dive off their boats.

Do you know who offers Solo Certification on Bonaire Walt? I've been going on line to check it out without luck. Thanks. Marcus.

hi Jerry,

The reef off Sand$, Buddy, Lion's and the good Capt. is splendid IMHO. I spent many the dive (20+) solo, day & night, there on my last trip and saw something new and interesting on EVERY dive.

For the record I always carry my 13cft pony bottle and dive conservative "geezer" profiles on Nitrox, and my computer has NEVER registered a depth below 110fsw, nor do I have any intention of having it do so. lol

Those of us who dive the muck & mire of Midwest Quarries with vis measured in inches, not feet, recognize that every dive we make is potentially solo (or one fin kick away from it) anyway and understand the dangers and accept the responsibility.

I never got any grief from any dive operator. It's rather refreshing to visit a place that treats you like a grownup and lets YOU be the boss of YOU. Diving is a wonderful trip through a lethal environment, dress accordingly.

Marcus, for an example of a Solo Certification course, try looking at Walt III's homepage (click on his name and you'll get his profile with a link to RecTek's courses etc. :-)

Thanks Fiona!

My partner has been solo diving on Bonaire many, many times! He is a trained solo diver (Walt trained him) and divemaster. He often solo dives at the Plaza. Have fun

Randy P.

Did you carry your 13cf to Bonaire in luggage? I have one, but am hesitant in bringing it because of all the airport security stuff.

Sarah,
The plaza is a great solo dive. Not much current and with the easy entry a relaxing dive.

What's a 13cf? Thanks.

13 cubic foot capacity cylinder.

Marcus,

It's a 13 cubic foot cylinder (recreation diving is normally done with 80 cu ft cylinders for a comparison).

Jake

Thanks Tom/Jake!

Just to clarify, my 13 cubic foot pony bottle is attached via a quick release to my Primary 80cft cylinder when travelling or my LP95 steel tank when diving locally. It is a fully redundant air supply backup to my primary reg (Atomic B1) and secondary Airsource integrated inflator reg. 13 cu.ft. is sufficient to allow me a slow ascent from 100fsw and a safety stop should either or both of my primary regs or main tank fail. Or of course to hand off to an out of air buddy to make an ascent.

Reading my original post sounded like I was down at 100fsw with only a shabby 13 cubic feet of air. lol

Randy,

Do I understand that your 13 footer is connected to give you redundant, backup air for inflation and buoyancy control or is it only for breathing?? A good, controlled start for ascending without dropping weight is important.

If it is connected for inflation backup, how is it hooked in?

My pony reg - an AquaLung LPO- is on a separate bungee necklace and is only there to provide emergency air. At any depth I'm at there's just enough air in my BC to keep me neutral, so during an ascent there is only the need to dump air as it expands to control ascent rate, never to add it. At the surface I would just manually inflate the BC.

So far in my brief diving experience (5-1/2 yrs and 150 dives or so) I've not had a failure of my tanks or regs and really don't expect to have one. All my gear gets an annual service by my local tech. But it's nice to know the air is there if something DOES break. In my opinion, anyone who runs out of air because they "forgot" to check their gauges, or is diving WAY beyond their training, has fallen victim to Darwin's Law and the intended consequences of same. And such is the nature of Mother Nature.

Randy, the question posted by Joe was how do you get your 13cf through security???????? It can't have air in it or the valve attached. Or is your airport one of those that has slipped through our great Homeland Security (assuming you are from the states)?

Hi Nadine,

My confusion. I drain the cylinder, unscrew the valve and tape the opening to keep dirt out (or use a plastic plug when I find it) and then it just goes in my checked luggage.

No problems yet, and it's easy to inspect should the security folks want to. Most of the airline regulations just frown on closed cylinders under pressure. Air Jamaica, at least so far, allows this method. Of course it's worth a phone call to the airline ahead of time just to be sure.

Talked to Air Jamaica just last week and they advised to remove the valve and take it with checked luggage.

I saw on another board that the TSA has recently ban all tanks. You may want to check with the TSA before heading off with one.

Just checked the TSA...tanks are now a NO NO. See http://www.tsa.gov/public/display?content=09000519800683a5

Not nice. They don't even allow a 'devalved' option. Hopefully our techie friends will address this issue-- no more rebreathers or multiple bottle rigs travelling for them.

Here is a copy of the email I sent TSA. I will post their reply. Regards and see you all next week!!!

Hi,



I am an A300 Captain for ASTAR Air (formally DHL). My wife and I are leaving next week for a scuba vacation to Bonaire. Last year when we went we packed our small “SpareAir” tanks in our checked luggage with the regulator removed so the tanks were completely depressurized and open for inspection – we were told this was acceptable practice by the airline. But today I was informed by someone on a scuba related internet chat that this was no longer allowed. They referenced your web page (http://www.tsa.gov/public/display?content=09000519800683a5) that states in part: "Dive tanks or any compressed gas cylinders are prohibited from carry-on and checked luggage”. I think they have misunderstood your intent as these cylinders contain NO compressed gas with the valve/regulator removed and this is easily verified (big open hole in top of tank) by visual inspection. The airline still thinks its ok to transport these cylinders in the condition I have described. Please clarify as we are leaving in 7 days and these tanks are a critical part of our diving safety.



Thanks

Capt S. A. Spencer

ASTAR Air Cargo.

TKS, Dawn.

My tax dollars at work!!! I’d like your opinions, did my question (see 2 posts up) seem unclear??? The following is what I received from the TSA in response to that question. I intend to bring my Spare-Airs when we come down this weekend. I’ll let you know how that goes.

Scott

The following was received from TSA on 11 Feb:

Thank you for your message expressing your concerns about airport security and traveling with sports equipment.

This information along with other travel tips is located on the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) website at <http://www.tsa.dot.gov>. All travelers, and particularly those who travel infrequently, are encouraged to visit the section on travel tips before their trip. Frequent flyers should review the information periodically for changes and updates. The website has information about prohibited and permitted items, the screening process and procedures, and guidance for special considerations, that may assist in preparing for air travel. You can go directly to these tips at http://www.TSATravelTips.us.

For your convenience, we are including the following information from our website about traveling with sports equipment. We hope this information is helpful.

New screening guidelines prohibit certain sporting equipment from being brought on-board an aircraft. These items include: baseball bats; bows and arrows; cricket bats; golf clubs; hockey sticks; hunting knives; martial arts devices; pool cues; scuba knives; ski poles; spear guns; and any other equipment determined by the screener to be dangerous.
While these items are prohibited from your carry-on baggage, they may be transported to your destination in your checked baggage. Any sharp objects in checked baggage should be sheathed or securely wrapped to prevent injury to baggage handlers and security screeners.
We have found that some air carriers have addressed your specific concern on their website. We encourage you to contact your air carrier or visit their website regarding your special needs before you arrive at the airport and request their assistance with these needs. This should include any assistance you will need with connecting flights.

TSA Contact Center

Morons! Lazy, don't care to take the time to read your email, morons. Please try again, and use simpler language. I really want to know if an empty pony is going to be a problem.

(Message edited by jpwahlig on February 12, 2004)

Here is your simple clear answer Rude John.

Maybe
Maybe not

The TSA agent looking at your baggage allows what he likes and does not allow things he does not like. No hard rules, all decisions are at the agents discretion.

I don't think anyone here works for you, John, so answering your e-mails is completely voluntary. Not a sacred trust, or a job, or an obligation. If your mail has the same tone as your posting, I am not surprised at your lack of responses.

I suggest you try one of the nasty scuba boards out there, preferably their tech divers section, where you may find others like you, eager to name call.

Seb,

You seem to have some insight into TSA operations. I am well aware that no procedures manual can cover every contingency, but it seems to me that in this case clarification would benefit the TSA as well as the traveling public. As far as the airlines go an open un-pressurized air tank is no problem as it is not considered HAZMAT. I certainly agree name calling accomplishes nothing but, for what its worth, the TSA works for every US tax payer.

Thanks and Safe Diving
Scott

John.......ya want an easy answer.


NO!!!!!!
YOUR NAME HAS BEEN FORWARDED TO THE ATTITUDE POLICE and you will be allowed a small bag and a package of crackers.....that's all,

Enjoy your trip

OK I was as rude as others (ya know who you are)
Sorry for the rudeness, but Seb is right.
I'm going to have a civility cocktail now and then be nice to everyone else I speak to today

el joe

Dawn, the unhappy truth is that no matter what the guidelines and manuals may say, TSA will do as they please in my experience, and there is no recourse except not to fly. I've had all sorts of stuff kept at various airports, and I let it go, because I want to go where I'm going. I'll post an announcement when my Tourist Diving Locker operation is open on the island, and everybody can buy their ponys and leave them there.

(Message edited by seb on February 12, 2004)

(Message edited by seb on February 12, 2004)

Seb is way too right. I was flying to Fla last spring and had a small (2lb) weight from my camcorder housing in my carryon. The TSA agent wanted to confiscate it because it "could" be used as a weapon. Disregarding the fact that my computer power supply, in the same carryon, was the same general weight and had builtin swinging handles (the power cords), he decided that a metal small heavy thing "could" be a weapon, thus wasn't allowed on the plane. Fortunately I had time to get a box and check the two inch square weight in a great big box. Seems a bit shortsighted to me to use all that space for a "could be" weapon, but TSA seems to make the rules and make them up as they go along. It doesn't really do any good to argue with them, they control the gate, ya just gotta go along to get along.

Have a good trip

Civil Joe

Joe, I've had them refuse to let me take stuff in my checked baggage. And pretty innocuous stuff too. In fact, I think our last trip to Bonaire they didn't go through my carry on maybe for the second time since I started diving.

I just pretend TSA are the fire department and it all seems very easy then to me.

John,

You have a very valid question to which many of us would like a definitive answer.

Please note that this a forum of individual divers whose opinion of what TSA inspectors will pass is absolutely irrelevant to what will happen when you get to a security screening point.

It is moronic to expect a useful answer here, not because we are morons but because we are not part of the system. Even a pilot's wife has gotten a bureaucrat-speak response that didn't even address the words about compressed gas containers that you can read on the TSA web site.

Kindly talk to TSA and/or your airline rather than be offensive to BT posters. When you get a good answer, please let us know the result so we can all benefit from your good work.

Seb, Joe, Glen:

Please re-read this entire thread.

Are you thinking I was calling you, or any other BTer a moron? I wasn't. I was calling people in general who don't have the patience to completely read something before flippantly replying with a response unrelated to the original question or statement.

I was replying to, and directly underneath, Scott’s post (Dawn Spencer post #9): “My tax dollars at work!!! I’d like your opinions, did my question (see 2 posts up) seem unclear…”

My apologies if I called you a moron and you are not.

Glen: It is NOT moronic to expect a useful answer here, because Scott is trying to get the real answer from the real people involved and seems kind enough to be posting the results.

Hi all,

Just got back yesterday from a wonderful two week stay at sand dollar. Dawn and I are both going through painful Bonaire withdrawal but are already talking about a month long stay next year. Anyway just to let everyone know - transporting our Spare-Air tanks with the regulator removed was a NON-ISSUE, no problems at all. Thanks to all who helped make this visit a VERY pleasant one and hope to see you all next year.

Regards,

Scott