Dive Review of Divi Flamingo in
Bonaire

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Divi Flamingo: "Decent dive operation; better than average resort", Mar, 2015, by Samuel B Johnson, NC, US ( Contributor 12 reports with 5 Helpful votes). Report 8176.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity
Dive Operation		Shore Diving
Snorkeling
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	The dive operation is quite good. Dive shop staff are friendly and very helpful. The dive operation is generally well-run. The normal package is three dives a day, two in the morning, with no return to shore, and one in the afternoon. This is more than many other dive operations where I've gone. Night boat dives can be arranged, but one needs to ask for them and have a minimum number of divers; the dive shop doesn't initiate this. The dive boats are okay, although some are too open and none (I think) have heads. Dive masters are friendly and competent, although the two with whom I dealt could have been better at helping divers find critters. The divemasters recognize and respect competent, experienced divers and let one dive one's own computer and dive plan. The house reef is mediocre to poor but easily accessible. Officially the shore dive is only if one has a buddy, but that is not policed. The equipment lockers are quite nice for one person (bring your own lock) but would be cramped for two, but that's normal for Caribbean dive resorts. The resort is clean, well-maintained and has all the amenities one would expect. The resort staff are extremely friendly and helpful, with very few exceptions. In our room the mini-kitchen area, although small, was surprisingly well equipped and complete. The room had good beds, adequate closet and drawer space, a clean and well-kept bathroom, a nice sitting area at one end of the room, and a pleasant porch. (Divers would appreciate the addition of bars on the porch for hanging small items to dry.) We were in a second floor room at the north end of the property overlooking one of the swimming pools, and that location was excellent. Porches on the first floor have zero privacy. There is no sandy beach, but there is a sandy area with lounging chairs and umbrellas. The pier next to the bar is nice for sitting and for access to swimming and snorkeling. The breakfast buffet is quite nice with good variety. Eggs, including omelets, cooked at request. The resort restaurant is disappointing. Limited variety, mostly "bar food," and not particularly tasty or appealing in presentation. Do not buy a food-included plan, especially since a great variety of restaurants are immediately available outside the north gate. The Thursday night pasta special meal, however, is worth getting. It is served in what is normally the open dining breakfast area, not in the restaurant. Having said all that, the resort really is only for divers. The big plus for Divi Flamingo over the other dive resorts on Bonaire with which I'm familiar is the accessibility of town. If one goes out the north gate, one is at one end of the main drag of the town, Kralendijk, e.g., the very nice restaurant "Unbelievable" is one block away from the north gate. If one is traveling with a non-diver partner, as I do, Divi Flamingo is to be highly recommended.
Websites	Divi Flamingo
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	501-1000 dives
Where else diving	Almost all of my diving has been in the Caribbean. I've dived a half dozen times in California, and once each in North Carolina and the Mediterranean. Caribbean diving includes Dominica, Roatan, Utila, Curacao, Bonaire, Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac, Saba, Cozumel and Grand Turk.
Closest Airport	Flamingo Internat'l BON	Getting There	We used InselAir direct from Charlotte, NC, to Curacao and a short connection to Bonaire.
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, dry	Seas	choppy
Water Temp	78-79°F / 26-26°C	Wetsuit Thickness	3
Water Visibility	30-50 Ft/ 9-15 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	Shore divers at the resort were supposed to dive with a buddy, but this was not policed. On boat dives the divemasters recognized that the group were all experienced divers and enforced no special rules.
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	yes
What I Saw
Sharks	None	Mantas	None
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	> 2	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
Overall rating for UWP's		Shore Facilities
UW Photo Comments	On the dive boat there was a separate bucket for cameras, and the restriction to cameras was enforced. The same was true on the dive dock. Crew were happy to hand equipment to divers in the water and to take up equipment to be returned to the camera bucket.

Subscriber's Comments

By Ronald JOhnson in TX, US at Apr 10, 2015 19:07 EST

Havent been there in 25 years. Sounds like absolutely nothing has changed!

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Dive Review of Divi Flamingo in Bonaire

Divi Flamingo: "Decent dive operation; better than average resort", Mar, 2015,

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):

Subscriber's Comments

Dive Review of Divi Flamingo in
Bonaire