Do I need permission to dive anywhere? Also, Im planning on 4-5 dives a day for 6 days. Is an unlimited mileage option on my rental car a good idea? whats the cost of gas?

unlimited mileage is good but the island really is not that big...gas is about 6 dollars a gallon...

diving is open in most areas, very few access points are private...

It seems to me that all quoted prices I've seen on car rental are for unlimited mileage (although maybe it's limited to 100 a day or something --- which would be VERY hard to exceed on Bonaire!)

Price for gas is about 6 guilders per gallon. (1,46 Nafl per liter) so about $3.50 per gallon.

You need the Harbour Master's permission dive Salt Pier and Town Pier. And in addition, you need a local divemaster to dive the Town Pier.

Most all other locations no permission is required except if you are crossing somebody's property to get to the water. If you would like to dive at a hotel other than the one you are staying at you should ask permission of the dive shop.

Linda,
Why is it required to dive with a local divemaster at Town Pier? Are there hazards? I thought this was supposed to be an easy dive site.

You can dive the Salt Pier when the Dive Bus is there as they have obtained permission for divers that day. They are there on Thursdays unless there is a ship in. We loved the dive as we found a couple of squid that were willing to let me get very close for photos. Also a barracuda larger than ones normally found and a lot of other fish. The ice cream on the Dive Bus was a nice treat after a 75 minute dive.

John,

While the Town Pier is an easy dive, a couple of the purposes of a local guide are to educate people on what to do and not do. A few of the hazards include overhead boat traffic and fishing line (active and discarded). There's also the issue of site orientation, and explaining to divers how to navigate through the pilings so as not to damage the brilliant sponge and coral life there.

It should be noted that permission to dive the Town Pier does get denied at times, most usually when there is a military boat or large cruise ship in.

I'm sure there are other considerations that I'm not directly aware of.

Jake

Another consideration is the tugs - when they start up, WOW!!!! One could suck up a tank of air if close from the fright, or they will suck you up......not fun.

One of the best guides is Dee Scarr - Touch the Sea.....that particular dive could be one of the top ten highlights of your diving career....it's on my 10 best ever dives.

I agree on both counts! We did the Touch the Sea dive with Dee, it was wonderful. She took us to the Town Pier during the day (the night dive was supposed to be there, but 3 boat loads were already there and we decided to avoid the crowds and do the night dive elsewhere.)

One of the tugs started up while we were under him and about 8 feet away from the "egg-beaters" - I think on purpose, since Dee'd gotten permission for us to be there, and they weren't supposed to be moving. I think he saw our bubbles and decided it would be funny.

I did a quick "head for the hills" (or head for the pier, at least), and it took me a couple of minutes to get my pulse back to normal.

The 'dive guide with permission' rule was put in after a large cruise ship had to abort a landing because of divers where she needed to go. Permission is given when possible.

Doubt the tug operators would deliberately start their propellors knowing anyone was underneath. Come on, kids, they are pros. And have their licenses at stake. They do start their engines; it takes an hour or so under normal operating conditions to warm the diesels up before moving. And the permits sometimes have time limits.
And sometimes errors in passing the paperwork happen, so best not to dive under the tugs. I have been there when the engines were started--it is loud.

I suspect that the permission given is to dive under the pier--not under the tugs. Short but important distance.

How does one contact Dee and Touch The Sea?

You can get all Dee's info at http://www.touchthesea.com

Thanks Linda

Unfortunately I see from her website that she closes for three months from July 1 and we plan to arrive July 10

Just have to come back again!

summers in colorado...poor girl

Glen,

It was actually Dee who conjectured that they did it "on purpose", as a little joke on us. We don't have proof one way or the other, of course; and aside from the shock of the noise as it started up, it certainly didn't do any harm. It was very loud, and the propellor (I know that's what it is, it just looks like a giant egg-beater the way it's configured) was turning; the tug itself was still tied up, and he shut it off after a couple of minutes.

Dee had gotten the OK to be there, and I'm sure they're all aware of what her Touch the Sea class entails - moving around under *and* *near* the pier, since the stuff she shows us is not just what's under the pier, but what's in and around the cast-off stuff surrounding the pier. She certainly gave no indication that we were doing anything but what was standard operating procedure for her.

Anyway, as I said, it was alarming, but that's about all.

Just why it is wise not to venture out under the tugs. There would be no resisting the pull of the big shrouded propellors. I have not seen the underside of the present tugs; the old ones were both tied up on the south side of the pier, one outboard of the other. Almost no clearance under the hulls forward and no life in the rubble under them. 'Nuf said. Dee understands them well enough.