Aquaspace

[Chelsea26]

Does anyone know anything about the Aquaspace? I understand it just recently was renovated and has returned to Bonaire. Is it the same or different from one of the Atlantis Sub tours? We like to snorkel - should we do that instead or is this a good tour?

[Nanatravel]

Does anyone know anything about the Aquaspace? I understand it just recently was renovated and has returned to Bonaire. Is it the same or different from one of the Atlantis Sub tours? We like to snorkel - should we do that instead or is this a good tour?

 

We have just returned from Bonaire and our cruise. We were the first group to sail on the newly refurbished Aqua Space TriMaran. It is not like Atlantis at all (did that at Grand Cayman years ago). It is a tri-hull all alluminum sail boat with motor. It was designed by a Frenchman for the reasearch team of Jacques Custoueau. First, we enjoyed our 1 1/2 sail both under sail and motoring. Marcel and Harry are both very experienced sailors and navigators. They provided ice cold water, beer and soda during the trip 1 /12 trip.

 

The lower level with the glass hull was experiencing a lack of Air Conditioning. Groups of about 8 went down for about 10 minutes to view the underwater life once we arrived at the reef area. We saw about 3 turtles, a few fish, but not much else. Unfortunately, Hurricane Omar not only caused damage to the boat (which was fixed the day before we arrived) but it damaged the coral and placed a lot of silt on the ocean floor. I am sure time will heal these wounds to this delicate environment.

 

Folks who took ship organized snorkel tours loved it but don't forget to wear a shirt and waterproof sunscreen. It was extremely hot at Bonaire and many got burnt who had snorkled.

 

Bon Voyage

Nanatravel

[Nor'Eastah]

Hi, we did a Sail and Snorkel tour with the Aquaspace guys on Thanksgiving week just after Nanatravel's trip I think. I would highly recommend this tour - it was one of our best! Nana's description is great and better than I could do so I'll just add some details of our experience

 

I had originally booked the 1 1/2 hour Cruise ship tour that is offered on the Aquaspace website. ( http://www.aquaspace-bonaire.com/home.html ) About two weeks before our trip I got an email asking if we would be interested in extending our tour to 3 hours and adding a snorkeling stop. It was originally $32.50 for the 1 1/2hr tour and now $50 for the 3 hour plus snorkel. This worked out perfect for us because we also wanted to snorkel and would have had to rent equipment and probably take a cab. I'm not sure if they will offer this every time but it is definitely worth asking about.

 

Harry and Marcel were great fun, very kind and informative. We were a group of six from age 14 to 70+ with varying degrees of experience and mobility. Everyone loved our Aquaspace experience. There were about 20 people in all on our sailing, a mix of locals, cruise passengers and some land visitors.

 

Harry met us at the dock (about a 5-10 min walk from the ship) and took us over to the Aquaspace in a Zodiac. Some of us were a little iffy about climbing into the Zodiac but all went well and everyone stayed safe and dry. Once on-board there were drinks available (soda, water, beer and wine) and plenty of seats. There are also some mats on the front under the sails..a great place to sit and catch some sun or there was a table with benches in the shade. We sailed out to Klein Bonaire and we took turns going down to the observation area to view the fish and sea turtles. We then sailed closer back to Bonaire and Marcel handed out snorkel gear and instructions to everyone that wanted to get in the water. We had about an hour in the water to snorkel as we wanted. We saw a decent amount of fish but it definitely was a bit stirred up from the previous days storms. The water on Bonaire is really beautiful..all shades of blue and crystal clear...you just have to dive in!

 

This was a great trip with something for everyone in our group. I learned about it here on cruise critic and I was so pleased that I just wanted to post and share our experience and add to the positive reviews.

 

If anyone has questions...I'd be glad to answer if I can.

[YoPhilly]

We're just back from Bonaire....saw Aquaspace and thought it looked strange, so I took a photo from my cabin. Check it out.

[kareng1]

My husband and I went on the Aquaspace tour Jan.13. We really enjoyed the trip. It was a 3 hour trip that sailed over by Klein Bonaire. When we were approaching Klein, the engines were cut and we just sailed over on wind power (the engines are loud and scare away fish and turtles). We went in the bottom deck (it's like a glass capsule) while we were sailing over the reef, and saw a few turtles and a lot of fish. We then went back near the mainland and made a snorkel stop (for about 45 min). They provided snorkel gear, and all during the sail they provided soft drinks, a few different juices, beer and wine. We were with a pretty low key group, but it was a very enjoyable time. On the way back the wind really picked up and the waves started, but the trimaran build of the ship kept it very steady (which made us happy since my husband is prone to motion sickness). The crew was really nice, and overall I would recommend this trip for someone who wants to snorkel a bit but also spend a few hours on a very unique boat.

[TravelinTexans]

Would it be difficult for older folks to go down to the observation area that's underwater? My mother-in-law has had a knee replacement and I'm not sure that she would be able to manage the ladder. Any ideas?

 

The boat looks really interesting!

[Nor'Eastah]

I can't say for sure but my Mom is in her 70's with some mobility issues and she managed going down into the viewing area okay. It is a little tricky because it's a tight space with ladder like stairs. There are handrails and everyone was patient and very helpful. Here's photo of the observation area showing the ladder on the left. Hope this helps.

[John Galt]

Wow, thanks everyone who provided info on this thread... I've been to Bonaire 5 times and had heard about it but knew nothing about it. My next trip is with 3 kids and this looks perfect. thank again.

[sfsd]

Tried e-mailing no response tried calling and got a generic voicemail? I was thinking this would be a great excursion for us that don't really snorkel. Guess maybe we will wing it when we get there..........