Hello, I am new to this board. We are going to Bonaire in October and are fairly new divers. We would appreciate any advice as to what dive equipment we should to take with us. We don't have our own BCDs, regs or dive computers. Is it better to rent at a shop in Bonaire or rent in the States and bring with us? It seems like most divers who post on this site bring their own equipment. Thanks!

Pamela, I would vote you rent on the island. The equipment I have seen is well cared for, plus, you don't have to lug eqipment through airports! You will also have more room in your luggage to take back your memories of Bonaire if you don't have to bring rental equipment back home.

Pam,

If you don't own your own gear, you should definately rent on the island..two reasons: don't have to lug it through airports and if you have any problem, it can be remedied on site. As Dean said, most of the rental gear I've seen on Bonaire is good stuff. I believe Plaza rents their regs with a computer

Pam,

Bonaire caters pretty seriously to divers. You should have no trouble finding excellent equipment to rent there.
Also, if you use different BC's, Regs and computers, it will give you a chance to see what you like in case you want to buy your own equipment in the future.

Hi Pamela,

If the fear is getting poor quality gear on the island, in my opinion you have the same risk bringing rental stuff from home too. At least if you rent locally the dive op has an added incentive in keeping you safe & happy. Plus if one island shop doesn't have the quality/style you want, there are LOTS of places from which to choose right down the road. You don't have to rent gear only from where you are staying.

Just a Tuesday Thunk from drizzly Chicago.

Pamela, I don't know what size you are, but I'm a size 2 US. The BCD I used for the O/W pool sessions was rather big for me. If you have a special requirement, xs/small size etc. I would just drop an e-mail through to your dive operator and have them reserve one for you. Eventually, if you really take to diving, you'd be better off owning your own equipment.

Most of the people who post here have their own dive stuff because not only are they Bonaire addicts, most are also dive addicts and dive whereever and whenever they can. As you can tell when they describe some of their close to home dives.

Hi Linnea,

My name is Randy and I'm a Dive-a-holic.. lol

Having my own gear not only opened up a lot of options for local diving but also made me feel safer and more comfortable underwater. I knew all the gear was in excellent condition, where all the buckles and straps were, how everything worked without thinking about it etc. I do realize it can be rather pricey up front, but the rewards last a long time.

Oh, and 36 days and counting.

Thanks for all the advice. We're really looking forward to our trip...

always opt for our own equiptment..find it all fits in the carry on rolling suitcase..with a bathing suit and tevas and instant coffee for that first morning untill you get to the store for provisions..rental gear is good on the island if you don't have your own...like the "feel" of my own gear'have evrything hooked up to my specs...good luck and have fun....