Discover Scuba In Bonaire

[stillaliveBksfld_CA]

Any recommendations for Discover Scuba in Bonaire where a snorkeler can tag/ride along? We had contacted Bonaire Dive and Adventure but she emailed us back and said they didnt want our business because I was discourteous and didnt include a salutation or a signature to my emails??

Makes me afraid to get off of the ship!!

[MandyGirl]

Wow... what a reply to receive from a business! Good thing you didn't "Instant Message" them using all the shorthand our teens use these days with texting --- no telling WHAT kind of reply you would have received then!

[archdelux]

bump..I would love to hear the answer to this as well!

[nigkar]

oh dear !!!

I have just sent an e mail to a place called jibe city,for some info.Hope my e mail fits the strict rules of this Island.Lets hope Jibe city are nice people and will appreciate our business.

jibe city, by the way is a beach bar and wind surf place on Sorobon beach,dont know about snorkeling though.

[MandyGirl]

We have had great replies from Willem at Blue Divers in Bonaire. We'll be able to report back in a few weeks. Their rate is $80 each plus $10 pp marine park access fee. He is picking us up at the pier.

[MandyGirl]

We have had great replies from Willem at Blue Divers in Bonaire. We'll be able to report back in a few weeks. Their rate is $80 each plus $10 pp marine park access fee. He is picking us up at the pier.

 

We went diving with Blue Divers (Baas from Holland) on Wednesday, March 18, 2009 while in port with Celebrity Summit. Here is the excerpt from our posted review here on Cruise Critic regarding this day in port. I tried posting this on Sunday as a new thread before learning you cannot do that, even if it is an excerpt from a posted/approved review here on Cruise Critic. Hopefully our experience will help others. Before booking this cruise in late December, I had honestly really never heard of Bonaire, and with thanks to CruiseCritic, we had a great day with a new location on our "land vacation" list to visit in the future!! (The full review can also be found linked in my signature)

 

Bonaire – We did Discover Scuba with Blue Divers (our divemaster was Bas from Holland) who is PADI certified. He picked up at 1:30, had us back by 5:45, shopped at market, all onboard by 6:45.

http://www.bluedivers-bonaire.com/eng/diving.html

($80 plus $10 marine park fee ---- ship tour was $129 plus marine park fee)

 

We had done Discover Scuba in Cozumel with someone who was not listed on the PADI website and had a blast, but it was not nearly as thorough as this course. In Cozumel, it was literally reminding us how to breathe with a regulator (since we had done Snuba before), a few hand signals, and off the boat we went. With Blue Divers in Bonaire, we watched a 20-minute PADI video, spent at least 20 minutes going over things person-to-person, got fitted for booties, fins, wetsuit, and all that other stuff, then drove to a dive location (shore dive). After getting in the water, we went out a little ways to a sandy area, descended to the floor (about 6-8 feet), and practiced a few skills (regulator retrieval, using the divemaster’s octopus, and something else). If he felt we were ready, we proceeded on our dive from there, which we did. I concentrated on my breathing, long slow breaths, and after an hour still had over 1000 on my gauge for oxygen! I could have kept diving!! Bas kept our camera that we had purchased, and took over 50 pictures of us diving. After he felt comfortable with us and our diving, we used the camera. (Underwater SeaLife digital camera good for up to 75 feet deep – we stayed under 40 feet in depth.) If returning to Bonaire, we will definitely dive with Blue Divers again. Our safety, and following all of the PADI guidelines, were of their upmost concern. While we had fun diving in Cozumel, we now know much more about diving and can definitely tell a difference in diving through a PADI instructor or someone else. It was a completely different learning experience. We saw lots of sea life, but were not as impressed with the coral in that area. (This was the dive spot known as "Invisibles" out past the salt flats.)