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Dive Review of Buddy Dive Resort in
Bonaire

Buddy Dive Resort, Mar, 2012,

by Steven Y Davidson, GA, US (Contributor Contributor 15 reports with 6 Helpful votes). Report 6513.

No photos available at this time

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Accommodations 4 stars Food 1 stars
Service and Attitude 4 stars Environmental Sensitivity 4 stars
Dive Operation 4 stars Shore Diving 4 stars
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ 3 stars
Beginners 5 stars
Advanced 2 stars
Comments This was our tenth trip (or so, I lost track) to Bonaire over that last 30 years. We may be getting jaded but the coral and fish life seemed to be lacking. Lionfish are a problem, like everywhere in the Caribbean. They have a "Lionfish Catching Course" or something like that, for $250.00 that allows you to wear gloves and harvest Lionfish. I would be glad to help them get the Lionfish out of the reefs but I'm not that interested in paying them for the privilege. I was surprised to see Pink Beach is gone. Its ironshore now. One positive, most of the shore dive sites have markers showing the best entry point.

Ionly did shore dives but the resort has a very nice boat and most in our group loved it. They do two tank dives instead of the one tank dives they did on the smaller boats. Much more efficient. They advertise a day trip to Washington Slaagbai but I don't think they actually do it.

Buddy Dive Resort is well managed as is the dive shop. You won't go wrong with Buddy Dive. The one weak spot is the restaurant. Breakfast is included and its pretty good. Eggs the way you want them, pastries, etc. Lunch and dinner range from pedestrian to nasty. The Buddy Club Sandwich with three day old bacon and stale bread was nasty. Captain Dons next door has much better, but still expensive, food and you used to be able to get to it pretty easy through a gate between the properties. Buddy Dive locked the gate so you have to go out and around down the street.

Security on the island continues to be a problem. Several divers volunteered that they had lost personal items from their trucks. Our group of 20 had a regulator/computer stolen as well as a high BC from their porch. Get a second floor room. If you are on the first floor, don't think your stuff is safe drying on the patio. Its not. Its probably significant that our divers had their stuff stolen on the last day. The last night, one of your party had the battery stolen from their truck downtown. I doubt anything is safe in Bonaire that is not locked down.

I was pleasantly surprised to find a huge modern grocery store on the island. Nice. Restaurants on Bonaire have always been expensive but they have gotten sky high.

Bonaire is still a great dive destination for newer divers or divers who like shore diving. But its expensive and risky. Little Cayman and Cozumel have more appeal to me.



Websites Buddy Dive Resort   

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience Over 1000 dives
Where else diving Bahamas, Bonaire, Utila, Roatan, Cocos, Tahiti, Fiji, Cayman, Tobago, St. Lucia, etc.
Closest Airport Getting There

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny, windy Seas calm, no currents
Water Temp 78-80°F / 26-27°C Wetsuit Thickness 3
Water Visibility - Ft/ - M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile yes
Enforced diving restrictions None
Liveaboard? no Nitrox Available? yes

What I Saw

Sharks None Mantas None
Dolphins None Whale Sharks None
Turtles None Whales None
Corals 3 stars Tropical Fish 3 stars
Small Critters 3 stars Large Fish N/A
Large Pelagics N/A

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Subject Matter N/A Boat Facilities N/A
Overall rating for UWP's N/A Shore Facilities N/A
UW Photo Comments [None]
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Note: The information here was reported by the author above, but has NOT been reviewed nor edited by Undercurrent prior to posting on our website. Please report any major problems by writing to us and referencing the report number above.

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