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Dive Review of Dive Friends Bonaire/Sand Dollar Condo.s in
Bonaire/Sand Dollar Condo.s

Dive Friends Bonaire/Sand Dollar Condo.s: "8-Day 30-Dive (all shore) Dive Friends/Sand Dollar Condo.s Trip", Nov, 2019,

by Richard J Lunsford Jr, KY, US (Contributor Contributor 14 reports with 12 Helpful votes). Report 11243.

Photos Submitted with this Report


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

Accommodations 5 stars Food N/A
Service and Attitude 5 stars Environmental Sensitivity N/A
Dive Operation 5 stars Shore Diving 5 stars
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ 5 stars
Beginners 5 stars
Advanced 5 stars
Comments Traveled alone for a solo shore diving trip. Corresponded with varied resorts via e-mail for an 8-day single traveler, Sat. - Sun., up to 6 1/2 days diving, all shore, nitrox, automatic transmission truck (I don't drive stick, which is most common on Bonaire), prefer included breakfast. Sand Dollar's package deal with Avis (Nissan Navara), Dive Friends (unlimited nitrox) and Sand Dollar Studio Unit F1 came back impressively priced at under $1,900 with breakfast at nearby Breeze 'N Bites at Den Lamen Condo's (adjacent property, other side of the pier). Plus the house reef (Bari Reef) is reputable.

Studio unit F1 was very nice and well-equipped; I prefer it over past stays at Buddy Dive Resort. The AC was fine. The hot water heater has a timer like an old microwave oven, and can heat water well. The truck was surprisingly new; on random occasion the ignition would lock up and only vigorous shaking/turning of the steering wheel would eventually let me turn the key and crank it again. Tailgate was stuck closed one day. End of trip a gas station told me they didn't take VISA or Mastercard, so be aware. Bonaire is not a sandy beach destination, but Sand Dollar has a nice, small beach with cordoned off swimming area beside the pier; on the other side is Den Lamen Condo.s (Sand Dollar's beach looks a good deal nicer).

Breakfast at Breeze 'N Bites was good, but not buffet like at Buddy Dive Resort (I prefer BDR's). Eddy's is basically ungrounds and good for food; enjoyed live music Tuesday & Thursday. Nearby Between 2 Buns was good for lunch. When it was late and I didn't want to get out, e-mailed (couldn't figure out how to make a phone call work) the Dinner in the Box delivery service and they brought pizzas from Pasa Bon Pizza (they offer other options); pepperoni pizza good, fish pizza not so much. Food's pricey on Bonaire.

Dive Friends was very nice and the multiple locations a big plus. Right across from the airport, just before Windsock dive site, is their Port Bonaire location; great for swapping tanks when diving south of town. There's 24/7 tank access. They 'allow' solo diving if you're certified for it; I am. The Cactus Blue food truck between Windsock & Bachelor's Beach sites makes lunch down south easy.

Reefs were a mixed bag. Overall, you can find nice corals and lush gorgonians, or corals with a lot of dead areas. Best I saw were the farthest south I went - Margate Bay and Sweet Dreams. Easy to get scraped up in the shallows getting in or out; warm water, but I suggest a 3 mm full suit or similar for protection. Wasn't quite as fishy as I expected, but more big fish; some big barracuda, some tarpon out by day, couple of green sea turtles, cubera snapper & a big ray (devil or manta) swept by at Windsock. Shore diving freedom is great. The temp.s I list are the range of lows.

I did 30 dives in 6 days. Didn't do much else. Go for good general Caribbean diving executing your own dives when/where/how often you wish. Main alternative would be Curacao; Bonaire's smaller and has a (mostly) coast-hugging road making packing in the dives easy.
Websites Dive Friends Bonaire   Sand Dollar Condo.s

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience 251-500 dives
Where else diving Bonaire (> 150 dives), Cozumel (28 dives), Key Largo (20 dives), Jupiter, Fl (17 dives), Belize via live-aboard (26 dives), Caymans via live-aboard (25 dives), Turks & Caicos via live-aboard (27 dive), St. Croix (15 dives), North Carolina (9 dives), California Channel Islands (24 dives), a few more.
Closest Airport Flamingo International Getting There Flew United from Nashville to Houston, TN, then on to Bonaire. Got surprisingly good airfare deal.

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny Seas calm
Water Temp 78-83°F / 26-28°C Wetsuit Thickness 3
Water Visibility 75-100 Ft/ 23-30 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile yes
Enforced diving restrictions Did all solo shore diving, so none.
Liveaboard? no Nitrox Available? yes

What I Saw

Sharks None Mantas 1 or 2
Dolphins None Whale Sharks None
Turtles 1 or 2 Whales None
Corals 4 stars Tropical Fish 4 stars
Small Critters 3 stars Large Fish 4 stars
Large Pelagics 2 stars

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

Subject Matter 4 stars Boat Facilities N/A
Overall rating for UWP's N/A Shore Facilities N/A
UW Photo Comments Didn't do any boat diving; there are rinse tanks available at Dive Friend's locations.
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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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