Bonaire: Shore Diving Paradise

      Kralendijk, Caribbean Netherlands

      BP
      Blue Planet Scuba
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      142 reviews
      Sep 4 - 11, 2021
      Group size: 7 - 21
      Bonaire: Shore Diving Paradise
      Kralendijk, Caribbean Netherlands

      Blue Planet Scuba
      • Email address verified
      • Facebook verified
      • Twitter verified
      142 reviews

      Sep 4 - 11, 2021
      Group size: 7 - 21

      About this trip

      Join Blue Planet for another week of world-class diving in Bonaire, this time over Labor Day weekend. This Caribbean island has been a Marine Protected Area since 1979 and is teeming with life. And the best part is that almost all of the dive sites are accessible from shore! Plus we'll be there during Ned and Anna DeLoach's Marine Life Education week!!

      Bonaire 

      For forty years, Bonaire has led the Caribbean in the conservation of its marine resources. This tiny island, formerly a Dutch colony, has a long history and rich culture. Part of the ABC (Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao) islands off the coast of Venezuela in the southern Caribbean, Bonaire is an oasis for divers. We’ll be staying right on the water outside of town with easy access to diving, shopping, restaurants, etc. English is spoken widely, and the US Dollar is the official currency. Does it get any easier?!

      The Diving

      Minimum dive certification/experience:  Perfect for beginners. A great spot to complete your Open Water Diver certification, Advanced Open Water Diver and more. 


      You’ve probably seen Bonaire highlighted again and again in dive magazines, and with good reason: the island not only has a healthy marine environment, but also excellent macro life, visibility, and an unusually high number of fish species.


      Several factors combine to offer Bonaire visitors shore diving opportunities unlike any found elsewhere in the Caribbean. One is the sheer number of shore dive sites available. With close to 60 marked sites, and any number of easily accessible unmarked entry points to choose from, divers will run out of vacation time long before they run out of diving options.

      Other Activities

      Bonaire has plenty to do when you’re not underwater. Mountain biking, ocean and mangrove kayaking, windsurfing, kite boarding, birding, and snorkeling are just a few of the activities you can try out. There’s a great national park, the donkey sanctuary, and of course, shopping.

      Buddy Dive

      One of the premiere dive resorts on Bonaire and in the world (as recently rated by Scuba Diving Magazine), Buddy Dive offers divers everything they could want: condos with full size kitchens and spacious living areas, two pools, two restaurants, an on-site dive shop, drive-through tank pick-up, diving dock and more.  

      Travel

      You should plan to fly into Bonaire (BON) on Saturday, September 4. You can fly home at any time on September 11. Please email or call the shop before booking your flight!  

      Cancellation Policy

      Upon cancellation of a reservation for any reason, the refund of the deposit and payments made or due will be contingent upon Blue Planet reselling the participant's reservation. Any refund may also be subject to a $200 cancellation fee and payment of any non-refundable fees imposed by the tour company, dive operator or any other contractor associated with the trip. 


      Dive accident insurance is required for all divers on this trip. We strongly recommend travel insurance to protect your vacation investment. Contact us if you need more information. 

      What’s included

      • 7 nights accommodation
        Double or single occupancy in a 1 or 2 bedroom condo
      • 9 boat dives
        1- and 2-tank trips throughout the week
      • Unlimited shore diving
        On the Buddy Dive house reef or at any number of sites around the island
      • Nitrox
        For Enriched Air/Nitrox certified divers
      • Full breakfast daily
        At Buddy Dive
      • Food credit
        50% food credit at Buddy Dive (max discount of $75 per person)
      • Truck rental
        One vehicle per condo
      • Taxes, etc.
        Car and room taxes and service charges
      • Airport transfers
        Roundtrip transfers to the BON airport

      What’s not included

      • Flights
        international flights to Bonaire
      • Scuba equipment
        Only tanks and weights included; rental gear available
      • Tips
        Tips for the dive shop's excellent crew
      • Marine Park fee
        $45 USD per person paid in advance online
      • Rental truck insurance
        To be paid on site

      Available Packages

      Two Bedroom Condo, Double Occupancy

      Double occupancy in one bedroom of a 2 bedroom condo. Each bedroom contains two twin beds which can be combined to make a king. Each condo also includes two bathrooms, a fully equipped kitchen, living room, patio and balcony.


      Bringing a non-diving companion? Contact us for pricing!

      $1,280
      Deposit: $500
      Two Bedroom Condo, Single Occupancy

      Single occupancy in one bedroom of a 2 bedroom condo. Each bedroom contains two twin beds which can be combined to make a king. Each condo also includes two bathrooms, a fully equipped kitchen, living room, patio and balcony.


      Bringing a non-diving companion? Contact us for pricing!

      $1,850
      Deposit: $500
      One Bedroom Condo, Double Occupancy

      Double occupancy in 1 bedroom condo. The bedroom contains two twin beds which can be combined to make a king. The condo also includes a bathroom, a fully equipped kitchen, living room, patio and balcony.


      Bringing a non-diving companion? Contact us for pricing!

      $1,500
      Deposit: $500
      One Bedroom Condo, Single Occupancy
      $2,290
      Deposit: $500


      Itinerary

      Saturday
      Arrival in Bonaire

      Arrive at the BON airport and transfer to Buddy Dive. Check in at the resort and dive shop. Get a shore dive in if you arrive in time! Everyone is required to attend a Dive Orientation at Buddy Dive and complete their first dive on site.

      Your Organizer


      BP
      Blue Planet Scuba
      142 reviews
      Blue Planet is a different kind of scuba diving organization — aimed at providing the best education and experiences to divers in the Washington, DC area and beyond, while harnessing the excitement and adventure of scuba diving to help protect our fragile oceans.

      Reviews

      Heather & Jonas were excellent trip leaders making sure everyone was well taken care of. The Galapagos Aggressor had a super crew and the diving was challenging and stunning! We saw hammerheads, penguins, seals, sea lions & dolphins! I really appreciated the personal touches like our matching jackets and a cake for my birthday. I would highly recommend this trip.
      By Catherine W for Explore the Galapagos on Mar 02, 2024
      This review is belated, I know... ...But that only means I took **serious*** consideration into reviewing my experience with Blue Planet DC, and ranking them very highly. Its been almost a year since I was OW Certified with Blue Planet in Cozumel - my training during that trip was thorough enough to provide me with a solid foundation to continue scuba diving afterwards many, many times. The trip itinerary, accommodations, and overall pacing of the scuba lessons were incredibly well organized. The instructors were patient and attentive - at various times I was provided specific one-on-one, actionable feedback regarding things like my trim or my breathing rhythm impacting my buoyancy and what I could do to improve my technique. They made sure we knew our stuff before letting us loose into the ocean, and during our checkout dives they stayed closeby and kept a watchful eye on us, so I felt more at ease and safe. (Even with the drift moving us around!) My main priority for this trip was to learn how to scuba, but that said, there were opportunities at Cozumel to (after the day's lessons are done) be a tourist and explore the area. The resort itself is a very beautiful spot with relaxing, open air dining, lounge, and balcony areas as well as a fantastic view of the ocean horizon. I also really appreciated that lodging AND meals were included in this travel package - it saved me the trouble of having to figure that out on my own, which made a big difference by freeing up more time after each full day of lessons to just relax and chill. I know each trip is always different of course in terms of other group trip attendees you may end up with, so of course this can just be sheer dumb luck, but everyone else on this trip was chill. Even the more seasoned divers who were already certified and doing this for years were friendly and happy to drop useful advice or recount from their personal experiences how it was like them becoming certified the first time. The time I did this it was "drift diving" and of course that scared me a ton. But the PADI material that is mandatory to study goes over what drift diving is. When doing my checkout dive the drift didn't like, wash me away from the group dive route. You'll be under instructor supervision so people are keeping an eye on you, and the drift itself is mild - I didn't have to struggle against the current (if you've ever surfed, you'll see that this isn't at all like a riptide or undertow). If anything, managing your buoyancy will end up your primary concern or worry during the checkout dive. Hope this review helps anyone considering who to go with for getting certified on their first ever scuba trip! I'm very glad I went with Blue Planet.
      By M T for March Certification Weekend in Cozumel on Feb 19, 2024
      EM
      This was my first liveaboard! 🛥️ Anthony was a fantastic trip leader and teacher, as always! The Aquacat crew was fun, the food was delicious and the diving and excursions were great! I would definitely recommend this trip with Blue Planet, especially as a first liveaboard experience! I had a good time learning about sharks, too! 🦈
      By Elsbeth M for Ring in 2024 on a Liveaboard in the Bahamas! on Jan 15, 2024
      Thanks for joining on another amazing trip! Hopefully we will be on another fun trip in sharky waters soon.
      By Anthony White on Jan 17, 2024
      AW
      This was my first trip with Blue Planet and my first liveaboard - both were a great experience! The communication and prep from Blue Planet was excellent (pre-trip meeting was really helpful, paperwork was clear and organized). My husband and I are new divers and Anthony (trip lead from Blue Planet) was an invaluable resource - we learned a lot during the dives and felt safe with him looking out for us. The liveaboard itself was amazing. The bed was comfortable, the food was amazing, the staff were wonderful. This was one of the best trips of my life - it's going to be hard to top with the bar now set so high!
      By Rachel L for Ring in 2024 on a Liveaboard in the Bahamas! on Jan 08, 2024
      Thank you so much, Rachel! I am glad you and Ben had such a good time on the trip. You were both great divers, and I can't wait to see you on more of our trips. I look forward to diving with you some more!
      By Anthony White on Jan 13, 2024
      AW
      JR
      Had a great time diving, wonderful people and nice accommodations; hotel was super convenient to dive boats.
      By Jennifer R for December Certification Weekend in Cozumel on Dec 11, 2023
      Thank you so much, Jennifer! We’re so happy to hear how much you enjoyed the dive experience with Blue Planet in Cozumel. We look forward to you joining with us on a future trip!
      By Blue Planet Scuba on Dec 12, 2023
      BP
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