Dive Review of
Caribbean Gas Training - Benji Schaub in
Bonaire

All over Caribbean. Grand Cayman, Little Cayman, Cayman Brac, Bonaire,
Turks & Caicos, Belize, Bay Islands, Bahamas, Belize, Cozumel

Dive Conditions

this was more challenging diving for Bonaire and one dive was a drift dive
so we had to stay together as a group and enter and exit at near the same
time.  

No dunk tanks or tables but this was a day boat to the East Side of Bonaire
where it is much rougher seas than the West Side/  

Overall Rating

While we have been to Bonaire about ten times this was our first trip to
the East “Wild” Side for diving and it is quite different from the calm and
easy diving on the West Side. Benji Schaub is the owner of Caribbean Gas
Training which he was in the process of starting when we dove with him in
November 2006. He is very professional, highly knowledgeable and truly
seems to want the divers to have the best dives possible.
Divers meet the boat at the harbor by the Harbor Village Resort. It is a
rigid hull inflatable with a canopy and a metal interior with tank racks
and two powerful outboards. The boat is so squared away that the captain
personally puts a rubber boot on the end of each tank to prevent the tanks
from making a banging noise on the racks when the sea gets rough. The trip
to the East Side is about 45 minutes and the last 20 - 25 minutes can be
bouncy in rougher seas.
Entry is by backward roll off the sides and there is a good ladder for
exit. Benji led the dives and on the first dive we saw at least two turtles
and a shark, which is not a usual sighting on Bonaire. The fish are larger
on the East Side and although the viz is not as good as on the West Side,
it is still very good. There is one-hour surface interval before the second
dive and divers should bring their own water or snack if they wish.
The second dive was an exciting drift dive where again we saw a shark. For
exit in the current we had to grab a line two at a time and be hauled to
the boat. While two were on the line the others waited at the surface until
the boat came around for them. This was not a problem and is part of the
more challenging experience on that side of Bonaire. The dive profiles for
the trip work best with nitrox but Benji can accommodate air divers as
well.
The boat leaves about 8:30 AM and returns about 2PM so it's a full day.
Besides the East Side this operation can also visit less-dived sites on the
Southern tip of Bonaire such as Lighthouse and Red Slave which are on the
way to the East Side. For experienced divers who want something different
on Bonaire with a bit more challenge, Caribbean Gas Training is a great way
to spend one day of a trip.

 

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