Dive Review of Photo Tours/Hamlet Oasis in
Bonaire

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Photo Tours/Hamlet Oasis, Oct, 2003, by Bob & Carolyn Smith, MA, USA . Report 837.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity	N/A
Dive Operation		Shore Diving
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$	N/A
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	This was our fifth trip to Bonaire, and it was delightful, as usual. The diving was superb. We made 25 dives over 8 days. We spoke to some marine biologists who are studying the status of corals throughout the Caribbean. They claim Bonaire is by far the healthiest reef in this part of the world. We did not see any turtles, green moray eels or eagle rays on this trip, although others did. We stayed at Hamlet Oasis in a 2-bedroom villa, which is actually a one-bedroom apartment with an adjoining studio. It is clean and quiet, with a pool on site. The bedrooms are air-conditioned, and the buildings are situated so the breeze moves straight through the living room. Management was friendly and accommodating. The kitchen lacks an oven, which we did not expect, but we managed to cook meals planned for the oven on top of the stove. We always dive with Photo Tours, and are never disappointed. The rates are reasonable, the service always friendly. They have a shop next to Hamlet Oasis, one downtown, and one close to the airport at Caribbean Court. They also operate the Pink Bus, which is a real asset to those diving the south part of the island (the bus is located at one particular dive site each day, and offers refreshments, items for basic repairs, and a place to store things if needed). As usual, we had to be careful regarding petty theft while diving. While shore diving, we brought nothing with us that we would not want stolen, and left the windows down. Thievery is a real problem on the island, and although the dive operators are up in arms about it, the police are not cooperative. There was a suspicious, obviously local, car and driver parked partially concealed near divers at the Hilma Hooker site. One member of our party marched over to it and took down the license plate number on a dive slate. The car was gone when we surfaced from the dive. We became friendly with a woman who had gas siphoned from her truck every night, since she was the only one in the neighborhood without a locking gas cap. Although the theft problem is disturbing, we cannot stay away from Bonaire.
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	101-250 dives
Where else diving	New England, Bahamas, Red Sea, Florida
Closest Airport		Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, cloudy	Seas	calm, noCurrents
Water Temp	84-88°F / 29-31°C	Wetsuit Thickness	0
Water Visibility	70-90 Ft/ 21-27 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	Stay within recreational limits, start back at 1500 psi, surface with no less than 500 psi. No gloves, don't touch anything on the reef.
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	N/A
What I Saw
Sharks	None	Mantas	None
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	None	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish
Large Pelagics
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter		Boat Facilities	N/A
Overall rating for UWP's		Shore Facilities
UW Photo Comments	[None]

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Dive Review of Photo Tours/Hamlet Oasis in Bonaire

Photo Tours/Hamlet Oasis, Oct, 2003,

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

Overall Rating

Reporter and Travel

Dive Conditions

Dive Policy

What I Saw

Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):

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

Dive Review of Photo Tours/Hamlet Oasis in
Bonaire