I was in Bonaire from Sep 14 to Sep 29. We did the 12 days unlimited air with Wanna Dive. Although got it as part of our accomodation package, 6 days air there is $90 - very cheap. Check out http://www.wannadivebonaire.com/

Roeland , Menno, and Bart were all great. Menno has a very odd sense of humour that I was never sure if he was joking or not until he'd start laughing

The only minor complaint is that they hot fill there tanks. This means that by the time you get in the water you have 2800 psi. The max PSI I think we ever had was 2850. However, since it was unlimited air, it wasn't a big deal.

Darryl

We were there from the 1 - 15 Sep staying at the Edan Beach and diving with Wanna Dive. We had an occasional bottle that was down to 28 but most were over 3000, we always checked the bottles with the guage provided as it could have been sat there for a time.

As for the staff, very wierd. Seriously they were all great fun and very professional under water. Remember different countries different sense of humour.

We had a great time and met many interesting people.

Dave

Dave,
We found that the guages that they had there were extremely inaccurate (both the one by the shop, and the drive thru one). The only time I ever saw a bottle less than 3k was in the morning. Because me wife and I have identical pressure guages, I talked to a couple of other people who were staying right beside us at Aqua Viva, and were using Wanna Dive, and they said the same thing.

Given the high temp in Bonaire, and the fact they do hot fills, I think it would be quite difficult to fill over 3k without topping up, which they don't do. (meaning 3k after being in the water and cooling off for a couple of minutes)

Darryl

I chose staying at Eden Beach this last March to allow me to dive with old friends who used to work at a bigger resort - Bart and "Bob", I have nothing but praise for them and their crew.

As far as getting a cylinder with 2800 psi of air, unless the cylinder is filled at a rate of less than 300 psi per minute it is next to impossible to get a "full" tank. Cold water baths do little to nothing to help and in my opinion (and others) actually cause equipment problems if aluminum oxide forms inside of the cylinder and when that cylinder is used clogs your first stage inlet filter.

Having managed a dive shop for over eleven years I have heard many complaints about "short fills". For the past 8 years our shop fills no faster than 300-500 psi per minute (per Luxfer Cylinder's manual) and we still get occasional complaints about short fills and also now hear complaints about how long it takes to get cylinders filled - cant win!! I imagine if the dive shops on Bonaire who fill hundreds of cylinders each day took the time to fill slower there would be a whole new thread on this subject.

I am taking 14 diving friends with me to dive Bonaire February 4-12, 2003. Once again looking forward to those 2800 psi fills and diving with Bart, Roeland and Menno again.

I figure we managed to get dives of over an hour on 2800 PSI, so I never felt like I was "cheated" on the air fills...

Faith

Tom,

Any idea how many 'short fills' are reported by divers whose SPG reads low??? I have not found a single dive shop that checks SPGs during regulator overhaul. Should be done against a 'standard' grade guage every time, especially at a low pressure like 200-300 psi, the important pressure range.

Valid point Glen, thanks for mentioning it!

I would not dare to venture a guess the number of SCUBA set-ups out there with inaccurate gauges. Checking the pressure gauge is easy when the regulator is on the work bench, adjust the incoming air and verify accuracy of spg at various pressure readings.

You know Glen, what is alarming to me, are the number of gauges which read "high" when tested.

Many manufacturers in their manuals have a +-10% accuracy rate stated. If the accuracy of my gauge is off (high) by this error rate and I, for whatever reason breath a tank low ----. I hate doing emergency out of air swimming ascents!! Did it once, fourteen years ago - do not ever want to relive that dive.

Another thing to consider is your depth gauge or computer. We find many of those to be off also during simulated depth testing.

Where these services ARE offered, usually at a minimal fee which most times especially in the case of the "Depth Pot test" does not even cover the shop's labor for time spent. It has been my experience that many divers for whatever reasons refuse to have these very important components of their life support systems serviced.

Faith - I agree with you completely. Plus when diving wet and having breathed a cylinder down to 750 psi, I start thinking of a restroom and am no longer enjoying the dive site anway;-{o}.

Tom,

In regard to your response to Faith, I assume you wear a drysuit???

Re guages: I believe all shops should check the SPG as part of a routine overhaul. JFMI, does yours?

I became a preacher after a dive when mine read at least 200 psi low, fortunately. I did a down-up-down in front of Habitat and became fascinated with a small bar jack hanging head down in dark phase being cleaned at the bottom break, about 120'. Looked at the SPG again finally and saw 200 psi. Decided it was time to start up! Measured pace but direct up the slope and then in to the ladder on Baby Dock. Since the computer had said short deco on bottom (which had cleared by the top break, as it usually does) I decided to check the SPG by breathing the tank dry (my tank, my son-in-law owns a shop there and can check tanks). On and on we went with the needle on the bottom peg. Bought new guage. But, you know, I don't practise what I preach: don't know quite how this guage reads!!! No one has a standard guage. :–)

Did the ascent bit once from about 30 feet in the days before SPGs , lobster bag and probe under one arm and a 22 lb lobster in the hand, the other going for the snorkel. The big ones always come at the very end of the dive and I wasn't about to let go of that lobster!! Pull rod on J-valve was down as usual. That was when I learned that an upside down lobster whirled around enough (me getting organized) goes passive. All was well in the end: lobster tasted good and I am still here, as you can tell.. Ah, the good old days of thin wet suits, cold water in Boston Harbor and double CO2 tanks with a double hose.

Hi Glen,

Up here in cold Vermont waters, I wear a drysuit most of the time. Diving Lake Champlain is only warm enough to dive wet IMHO 4 months out of the year if you are warm blooded.

Regarding the standard "certified" guage. I ashamedly admit that since we sold our hydro operation we have not had our own. What we do is compare our digital guage at our local hydro facility (former competition) and recalibrate it accordingly. We do this several times each month when the repair bench is busy.

One of the things I am looking for at the DEMA Show next week is a better digital gauge which has a built in autozeroing feature. Reportedly this guage is accurate to less than 0.25%.

Sure am glad to hear you enjoyed your lobster. Seems like a lot of people I know have at one time or another got themselves in trouble getting that last bug, scallop or just watching the fish.

My own experience was at similar depths. My gauge showed 500 psi one minute, the next I was trying to suck air out of the walls of a aluminum 80. Might have something to do with why I still try to surface every dive with well over 750 psi.

Might be: not much air in tank walls. Will we see you in Boston in March???

Your guage care is better than most, I suspect. Good.

I hope to make it to Boston this year.

Up here in Edmonton, before you pick up a tank, the shop will quickly top it up. The difference is 3-400 psi - which is a lot.

Given the volumne of tanks going through the bonaire shops though, I doubt they'd have time to top them up.

Darryl

Guys, guys (and ladies of course) I don't want to get of rant here buttah..... first of all I'll slap Menno on the head for being too funny. It is outrageous! Second, winter is just around the corner and with the first blizzard, our fills will be the coolest around. I promise. Concerning the gauges... I didn't even know you could maintain them. As a hobby (or out of anger)I sometimes open them up after yet another fatal flooding. When you look inside them you realize why there is such a large caution zone on them. There is nothing but a dial and a brass spring in them. That can never be a precise instrument. I apologize ours aren't either. I have similar complaints with beer. Those bottles never seem to be completely full either. The gauges in the Amstel factory must be WAY off. And the later it gets the worse the gauges. Especially on Bonaire with those tiny bottles.(compare them to 50 cu ft versus regular 80 cu ft tanks) The only solution to avoid a total dry out is getting another one. Just like with our tanks. Feel free to get another one, they are there for you.
See you all at DEMA!
Bart

Bart, do not slap Menno, it is a blast seeing people at work having as much fun as you Dive Criminals do!

Had Mexican for dinner last night - trial run for Coyote's next Wednesday. See you at DEMA. Anything I can bring for Peetu?