Hi everyone
I need information about dive shops ( My wife needs to buy a wet suit , fins and boots).
How is the best store in Bonaire ?

Thank you

There are many -- I am a big fan of the Carib Inn (located near the Divi). There are also many others...

Definitely agree, Bruce's prices for the most part are as good as if not better than the states. When we need something when we are on the island, that is where we go.

And the customer service is EXCELLENT !

In my opinion ...you can find almost everything for scuba diving here in bonaire (very competitive prices) in kaya grandi (Kralendijk main street) you will see a lot of Dive shops ,but one of the best is Carib inn dive shop.also you can find dive shops in several hotels.....have a nice trip.

I can't say enough good about Bruce at Carib Inn. They have excellent prices and the service is incredible. I have had to go to Bruce many times about mask problems and he has always been able to help me in either advice, repair or replacement.

I completely agree about Carib Inn's Dive shop and Bruce - I have never had someone be so attentive and ingenious when we had some "fin" issues. We wound up buying a new mask as well and he helped us rig Pete's fins so that we could finish our diving for the week. His prices are great, the service is terrific and the people are just as nice as they can be.

Mara

(Message edited by mara2196 on October 27, 2004)

We are lucky to be able to leave our gear on Bonaire. Making the trip very easy for us. But we do have to have it serviced. I stopped counting the dives in Bonaire 500+ three years ago. I know most or all the dive shops and there people, all pretty good. But I only go to Bruce, why you ask, because of the service. We have such a short amount of time there; I want to spend it relaxed. I know that Bruce will do my regs correctly, fast, and at a very fair price.

I have gone to him over the years with countless problems and he, or his staff has corrected the problems in a timely manner. Trust-service-fair pricing. I wish we had a dive shop like that here north of Boston. We are a party of 4 and over the years we have bought BC’s-Regs- masks-fins-wet suits, in fact I think we might have one or two items of everything he sells?

Jerry--
If you're looking for a good shop up this way, I can heartily recommend Atlantic Aquasports in Rye NH -- the "trust-service-fair pricing" you mention holds true for them. Not the biggest shop in the world, not the largest stock/selection, but nice, honest folks who will go the extra nine yards to help you out.

I'll chime in on Bruce. He replaced the high pressure seat in my son's reg last summer. It was quite obvious that our local shop had cut corners during the annual. (another story) Bruce was great; had the reg fixed in less than fifteen minutes and we didn't miss any dive time. His shop is well stocked and he and his staff are all around nice folks.

I agree with Scott if you are looking in our area. Don and his daughter are very informative and will put you in the right direction. That is where I got my new Atomic Liquid blue fins and I got to try them in his salt water pool first!

Many, many years ago Don sold me my 1st BC. Took care of all my gear. Because I work seven days a week in summer, and do not dive cold water any more (frost bite climbing MT. Washington in winter-not a smart move on my part)I only have evenings, and Don is never open when I have the time. But the good news is, all my stuff is kept in Bonaire. When I can no longer dive, I will just give it away. It will never be back here.

I'll second, third, fourth .... that emotion relative to Bruce and his staff at the Carib Inn. We often stay somewhere other than a resort and Bruce's place is where we dive from. Tanks, air, weights, friendly and knowledgeable people and great service - they're terrific!

In my two trips to Bonaire, Bruce and the Carib Inn have been great!

My wife and I have rent a house on EEG boul in Belnam. We are looking for a professional dive shop with Nitrox and 24 hours access.
Any suggestions for one close to the house we have rent?
Thanks!

Your closest dive shop is the branch of Toucan Diving located right in Belnem, but it might not provide 24 hour access. Maybe you could just pick up the number of tanks you will need ahead of time?
Otherwise you will need to drive north to one of the bigger dive shops.
Tish

only dive shop I know of that has 24 hr Nitrox is Buddy dive, and you have to get it from the dock. Otherwise you must get your gas by 5

I know that at Captain Don's they close up the nitrox tanks at 5, but if you test and label (with the mix, pressure, and your name and room number) a few and leave them outside of the enclosure for later they have no problem with that. I would think other diveshops are the same. It's just a matter of planning ahead.

Divi Dive Bonaire at the Divi Flamingo locks its Nitrox room at 5 as well, but they have a pickup area where you probably could leave tanks for later.
Since the big dive shops are quite a distance from where you are living, your easiest solution is to pick up your tanks ahead of time from Toucan Diving at the Belmar in Belnem. They are a branch of the bigger Toucan Diving at the Plaza Resort.
Tish