Main Menu
Join Undercurrent on Facebook

The Private, Exclusive Guide for Serious Divers Since 1975 | |
For Divers since 1975
The Private, Exclusive Guide for Serious Divers Since 1975
"Best of the Web: scuba tips no other
source dares to publish" -- Forbes
X
 

Dive Review of Captain Don's Habitat in
Bonaire

Captain Don's Habitat, May, 2010,

by Jeff Reynolds, VA, US ( 2 reports). Report 5525.

No photos available at this time

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

Accommodations 1 stars Food 4 stars
Service and Attitude 3 stars Environmental Sensitivity 4 stars
Dive Operation 3 stars Shore Diving 3 stars
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ 4 stars
Beginners 4 stars
Advanced 2 stars
Comments I went to Captain Don's as part of a dive shop group trip.

Registration and front desk - Horrible. fill out your registration card before you arrive to save some time (resort web site). Front Desk personnel not friendy and even mixed up my dive buddy's (room mate) address with my name and visa-versa. Check out was no different. 1st and last impressions were the worst.

Accomodations - need updating. Our room was on the second floor by the pool. Some units have been updated and maybe mine was but the sliding glass door to the patio had to be forceably opened and closed and came off the track several times. The tile floor buckled completely during the stay. I reported it to the front desk who wrote up a note but nothing was done about it. NO WATER PRESURE to take showers. We should have asked to be moved, but as we only spent a few hours a night sleeping in it. We thought it was more hassle than it was worth so we stayed. Use your SAFE and make sure it is locked at all times. The room below us was robbed while we all were in the mist of packing to leave and running errands during our last day just before check-out.

Resturant "Rum Runners" - Good - it is seperate than the hotel so you have run a seperate tab with them. Breakfast buffet was very good except would have enjoyed fresh fruit. Service was slow but wait staff was friendly. Lunch & Dinner menu was fine but prices pretty high.

Gift Shop - Do not bother. Very small selection of T-shirts and other items.

Dive Operations - Very Good. The airline (Delta)lost my dive buddy's luggage. The dive shop allowed him to use rental equipment Free of charge until his luggage and gear arrived. Dive personnel were all friendly and helpful. Max (dive master, boat captain, photographer and all around good guy) was always pointing out interesting things on each dive as well as helping divers who had issues. Staff made special Nitrox mixes for a few of that went on a very deep dive and even made a few tanks with more than 3000 psi for a couple of people that suck too much air. Almost always first to any dive site. Boat left promptly at specified times. Diver sign-in sheet as you board the boat and a physical count before leaving any dive site. The boat had a rinse tank for cameras only. It was often too small for the amount of cameras on board. Lockers available to stow gear. Bring your own lock. Rinse tanks at dock were often filled with very hot stagnant water.

Resort Reef - Not much to it. The storms and mutitude of divers has taken its toll on the resort reef. We dove it several times during the day and night. If you are lucky you can see an octopus right out front and a few other creatures. The reef to the north gets very bleached.

Overall, I had a week of fun diving, but the accompdations and other issues made me and all others in our group conclude that we all would try Buddy Dive next time (directly next door to Captain Don's.)We ate a few restaurants and the best was It Rains Fish. Bring insect repellant to the island as we all had bug bites on our legs and feet.
Websites Captain Don's Habitat   

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience 101-250 dives
Where else diving Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac, Playa del Carmen, Mexico, Cozumel, Mexico, Kona, Hawaii, Provenciales Turks & Caicos, Nassau and Freeport Bahamas
Closest Airport Getting There

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny, dry Seas calm, no currents
Water Temp 81-83°F / 27-28°C Wetsuit Thickness 3
Water Visibility 70-90 Ft/ 21-27 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile yes
Enforced diving restrictions Dive plan discussed for those not on computer, otherwise no real restrictions or monitoring.
Liveaboard? no Nitrox Available? yes

What I Saw

Sharks 1 or 2 Mantas None
Dolphins None Whale Sharks None
Turtles > 2 Whales None
Corals 4 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]
Was this report helpful to you?
Leave a comment (Subscribers only -- 200 words max)
Subscribers can comment here
 

Subscribe Now
Subscribers can post comments, ask the reviewer questions, as well as getting immediate and complete access to ALL 581 dive reviews of Bonaire and all other dive destinations. Complete access to all issues and Chapbooks is also included.

 
Featured Links from Our Sponsors
Interested in becoming a sponsor?
Reef & Rainforest, Let our experience be your guide -- Reef and Rainforest
Reef & Rainforest, Dive & Adventure Travel
A full service dive travel agency that specializes in Bonaire. We know the best Caribbean and Pacific diving

Want to assemble your own collection of Bonaire reports in one place?
Use the Mini Chapbook Facility to create your personalized collection.

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.

Undercurrent Home


Get more dive info like these and other important scuba updates sent monthly to your email.
And a FREE Recent Issue of Undercurrent

Free Undercurrent Issue
Get a free
monthly email and
a sample issue!


Find in  

| Home | Online Members Area | My Account | Login | Join |
| Travel Index | Dive Resort & Liveaboard Reviews | Featured Reports | Recent Issues | Back Issues |
| Dive Gear Index | Health/Safety Index | Environment & Misc. Index | Seasonal Planner | Blogs | Free Articles | Book Picks | News |
| Special Offers | RSS | FAQ | About Us | Contact Us | Links |

Copyright © 1996-2024 Undercurrent (www.undercurrent.org)
3020 Bridgeway, Ste 102, Sausalito, Ca 94965
All rights reserved.

Page computed and displayed in 0.11 seconds