Blue Divers, March, 1995. "Simply not well enough equipped to recommend. Our dive shop group of ten contracted for unlimited air for the ten days, but they did not have sufficient tanks to allow us to take two at a time and often the tanks leaked so only had 2000 psi or less. Purchased separately a two-dive boat trip but had to return to dock to refill the tanks before we could go out for second dive." Marshall, MN

Buddy Dive Resort, December, 1994. "Excellent divemasters. Facilities, boats ­­ adequate. Typically excellent Bonaire diving. Guided Town pier night dive outstanding for photos, but got crowded and silty from three dive boats. Shore diving at Buddy's and around island is easy access and excellent for reefs and small fish. Hilma Hooker wreck is easy, excellent wreck dive. . . . Hotel: New rooms are good. A/C limited usage allowed. Limited maid service. Food at hotel mediocre, but operation had just started." Glenn R. Jones, Medina, OH

Buddy Dive Resort, December, 1994. "Bonaire is becoming a condo village. Rooms are difficult to come by and most in Dive and Sunset Beach that are neither top rated properties. Buddy's are condos and new and clean. Bed-rooms are private with balcony. . . . Dive operation is run well although a couple larger boats would be nice, but it was not uncomfortable due to the short run to dive sites. . . . The on-site restaurant just opened and the menu needs work but they are trying to please." Paul Reynolds, Bedford, OH

Buddy Dive Resort, April, 1995. "Two seahorses on Klein. Nice to be able to dive when, where, as much as you want, as deep as you want and as long as you want using computer. . . . Wish we had known about superb wind surfing on east side of the island earlier in the week. Fantastic place to learn. Buddy Dive not fancy but clean, air-conditioning in each bedroom and price was good. Good food at Richards." Dale Hadley, Orem, UT

Buddy Dive Resort, May, 1995. "Generic Caribbean. No large pelagics ­­ excellent for beginners ­­ no challenge, boring for us ­­ we decided to take up windsurfing after two days because the diving was so bland if you've dove elsewhere in Caribbean. Well, maybe Cozumel is more bland. Don't go for the diving unless you are a beginner; beginners will love it." Leza Emad, Santa Rosa, CA

Buddy Dive, July, 1995. "A good deal: four wheel drive, unlimited shore diving and nicely outfitted one bedroom condo. Took four boat dives. Were all right; no fish life to speak of, but topography was interesting and healthy (corals, sponges, black coral, mountainous star coral of Carvel Ice Cream). Rappel is a site worth visiting. I'd pass on most of the rest. Shore diving was energetic -­ buy the book on Bonaire dive spots; explains locations (not really necessary; markers locate dive sites), recommend ways to dive site, what to expect. . . . Most fish life seems to at the Hotel Bonaire pier where there is also a small wreck. After a couple of dives, they start to have similarities but Angel City, Karpata and Nukove can be exceptionally fine dives. Also, Boca Slagbaas has huge buttresses -­ makes your stomach drop. . . . Buddy Dive was a business-like operation if you weren't on a plan to dive with them daily. Otherwise, they were all over you - arranging 'private' boats, dive sites, etc. Not great diving or ambience for the price." Susan Howarth, Mount Sinai, NY

Captain Don's Habitat, September, 1994. "My favorite dive destination because of the great coral condition, truly outstanding shore diving and unlimited diving freedom. It has a semi­arid climate with constant 10­15 knot breeze making the weather very pleasant year­round. It is also below the hurricane belt making it one of the safest bets during hurricane season (late summer through fall) . . . Renting Villa #1 (out of 13);spacious, three bedrooms, three baths and full kitchen with balconies opening from each bedroom to a Caribbean view. The Villa is located near the dive shop for easy access to unlimited dive cylinders. Imagine a night dive where you suit up on your patio, walk about 100 feet down a sidewalk to the dive shop, pick up a cylinder, walk another 50 feet and step off 'baby dock' to a great night dive with a great wall and two wrecks to pick from. . . . We called customs before we left and confirmed we could ship food into the country (they have no restrictions). So we stocked two coolers with Egg Beaters for omelettes, steaks, chicken, then threw in a portable grill with Mesquite chips for cooking out. We brought a radio strong enough to pull in Venezuela radio stations. So we usually cooked our dinner on our large patio overlooking the Caribbean with beautiful Venezuela music wafting in our ears. When the stations were too weak to pull in we played CD's with outstanding music performed by locals and produced right on Bonaire (Nemencio and Grupo Watapana, 'Daila, I Love You). . . . We rented 'Carrier Vans,' loaded cylinders in the back and set off for seven days of shore diving. One of the few operations allowing each person to take as many as three cylinders at a time (versus only one at some operations) so you don't have to return to have your assigned cylinder refilled before you can do another dive. . . . Bonaire has a great climate year round, low crime, good and numerous photographic shops, great dive shops, abundant accommodations, most establishments take American currency and major credit cards. . . .Bad Stuff: Having to come home, visibility can reduce to 40­50 feet, mosquitoes (limited), few pelagics. Dan Lanier, Atlanta, GA

Captain Don's Habitat, Harbor Village Beach Resort, February, 1995. "Harbour Village is the number one place to stay: peaceful, private and has the best rooms along with fine restaurants. But, their dive operation doesn't have the services of Captain Don's. So, I stay at the Harbor and then take a short walk to Captain Don's for their dive operation. Captain Don's offers accommodations but it doesn't come close to the Harbor's first class rooms and food. Captain Don's allows you to dive practically anytime you want and has all of the amenities of a good dive operation." John Cito, Staten Island, NY

Captain Don's Habitat, March, 1995. "Probably would not return to Bonaire - too far, too expensive. . . . Visibility not good (78 degree water). Lot of dead coral. Sea fans all looked dead. Many green morays being found dead for no apparent reason. We saw none - only spotted. Saw only one lobster an it was dead - not killed or eaten, just dead. What goes on? Many small fish though. . . . Good dive operation except no one stays on boat to help or watch for problems. Excellent shore diving at Habitat but Overall disappointed with diving. No currents. . . . Would stay at Captain Don's again if we went back. New restaurant owners filled all our special requests. Good food and service. Junior Suites nice and nice landscaping." Rick and Linda Halaska, Kingwood, TX

Captain Don's Habitat, March, 1995. Everyone, from divemasters to beginners had to attend an hour long orientation and complete a check out dive, where weights and buoyancy were thoroughly checked out. Good buoyancy was stressed. Once completed, divers were free to set their own profiles. We had purchased a package with several boat dives, which we found were unnecessary (except to one dive site ­- Rappel), and we wished we hadn't bought them. Dive sites around the island are marked with yellow rocks and the name of the site. We rented a van and drove to the sites, donned our gear and were on the site within seconds, so a boat is not necessary. We could look up the name of the site in a dive guide book that we bought, and read what type of site, depth, fish life, etc. we could expect. Reefs were pristine, and teeming with fish life, especially compared to Cozumel. . . . Reserve a van before you get there. We had to wait a few days until one became available. We had to wait an hour for one of the two taxis on the island to take us to Captain Don's - they don't pick up. . . . We flew ALM out of Atlanta - this was the worst airline. We were seven hours delayed getting to Bonaire, and then diverted to Miami for five hours on the way back. Locals say ALM stands for 'Always Late Man'. . . . Accommodations and dive operation at the hotel were great, but the food was the pits. After the first two nights, we ate dinner in town and were pleased with the food. We loved Bonaire and will never go back to Cozumel now." Jan Stand, Westminster, CO

Captain Don's Habitat, April, 1995. "As I wrote my check, I thought 'here I go again, making plans to spend a week diving based on an article in In Depth.' As with my previous experiences, the article was as right on as one could expect to have been written about 10 months before my trip. . . . Tanks are available 24 hours a day for your use. Unlike other resorts that I surveyed, Captain Don's does not lock up the dive locker area at night; bring your own lock for your individual locker, which means that you don't have to plan ahead too much if you want to make a night dive. One night at 10 p.m., I was able to grab my gear and jump in. No 'spur of the moment' diving at the other resorts unless you remember to keep your equipment in your hotel room. . . . Don still has a small piece of 'his' place but it is owned by a large corporation. The restaurant offers 3-4 nights a week, a special theme buffet dinner with no other choices from the menu on those nights. It was a bit pricey at $19 for rather ordinary cuisine. . . . The Green Parrot at the Sand Dollar resort was a good value for good food. The Rendezvous in town also offered good food, Dutch waitresses, and a reasonable price. . . . The dive package that I was on did include the morning breakfast buffet at the Habitat. It was standard fare with a lot of tropical fruit, griddle items and typical island time service. . . . I rented a car and do all my diving from the beach, doing my car shopping when I arrived on the island. A week will run about $220 and based on the amount of diving it allowed me and my diving partner; it was a real bargain compared to the boat diving offered. We were able to log 21 dives in the six days that we were on the island compared to the 12-15 that one would make if you had chosen to go the resort boat route. Having dug out my old October 1992 copy of In Depth, we started our week hunting for the 'secret sites' that are not marked with the standard gold dive site stone on the edge of the road and marker buoy in the water. We never encountered another diver at any of the 'secret sites'and when comparing notes with the boat divers, I would say that we actually saw more marine life on most of the our dives. We noted turtles at the southern sites and larger schools of fish than we observed when we headed north. . . . All of the popular boat dive sites (except those on Klein Bonaire) are beach accessible, however a recent housing development just north of the Habitat has closed beach access to sites 11-15. We did our night diving on the Hilma Hooker and other beach locations. The Hooker was easy to get to, no hassle with people or ships and plenty of marine life to keep us down for an hour. Look for the schooling squid any time you enter or exit at the sites on the south end of the island. Visibility was in excess of 100 feet at the salt pier while in the other places, 70-80 was the norm. The pier provides a good fishing spot for the 'salt workers' so carry your 'killer shears' to clip any fishing line that you may encounter. . . . We opted for the Deluxe Jr. Suite, considered a villa. We had a nice balcony that faced Klein Bonaire but spen little time in the room enjoying the view. Our six day, seven night, unlimited beach diving, and breakfasts cost us $692/person. Round-trip air from Miami was $325/person. Add the cost of the car rental and you still have a reasonable dive vacation without the boat diving crowds. I enjoyed the diving in Bonaire and was amazed at the lack of crowds that I encountered both in town and at the resorts. No, we didn't see any large sharks or mantas, but we did see a few turtles and enough variety of smaller marine life to keep my interest for a few dozen dives." Paul Robinson, Belmont, CA

Captain Don's Habitat, June, 1995. "Room, food and diving were great. fourth trip to Captain Don's for Nikonos shoot-out. . . . Dive staff is helpful and friendly, greatly concerned with the environment. Much emphasis placed on reef ecology. . . . Weather and visibility were great. Night dives from the little dock are outstanding -­ convenient and great variety of underwater 'nightlife.' Divemasters were always in the water, but never intrusive. . . . Nikonos Shoot-Out is for serious participants, and every effort was made to help photographers - i.e., choice of dive sites, fresh water rinse tanks on boats and shore. Though resort was completely full, the boats left on schedule, and there was room for all divers and photographers. . . . Aluminum 80s, 72s, and 63s were available, and all arrived with 3000 psi. . . . Dive storage lockers are badly in need of repair. Considering the large number of divers using the facilities, the onsite repair facilities need to be expanded - on several occasions, Habitat divers had to go to other dive operations for such simple repairs as low pressure inflator hose, pressure gauge O­ring, regulator exhaust tee." Rose Marie Ford, Manchester, MO

Captain Don's Habitat, July, 1995. "Lots of fish, different corals, great shore diving. Line in water from pier to reef makes for great night shore dives." R. Czapski, Northville, MI

Captain Don's Habitat, July, 1995. "Accommodations clean and comfortable. Staff friendly, especially William of the dive staff. Food adequate, not exciting. . . . Diving was so easy and incredible as usual. . . . The bad: ALM. Seven hour delay in Miami made our arrival 2:00 a.m., then they neglected to unload 29 pieces of baggage. Going home, their three-hour delay caused us to miss our connection in Miami so we had to overnight. I'll do my best to avoid them next time. . . . I didn't bring mosquito repellent because we had no problem with them in July 1993. Hurricanes in the Caribbean changed the wind pattern so this time it was humid and lots of mosquitoes." Anon.

Captain Don's Habitat, July, 1995. "Rooms and grounds were clean and comfortable. The breakfast bar was good and ample. Lunch was good and the Antillian buffet was excellent. The dive operation is great. Tanks are always available and diving is good from the dock -­ good ladders for easy exit. Though we didn't see sharks, we saw large tarpon on two dives ­­ a school of six one day and one accompanied us on a night dive from the dock. Although only two night boat dives were offered, a third was arranged. Night dives to the town pier must be done with a divemaster who gets permission from the port authority. This is done for diver safety due to boat traffic. This is a marvelous place for close-up photographs." Anon.

Captain Don's Habitat, August, 1995. "Diving excellent with no restrictions once you pass scrutiny. Same divemaster all week so had lot of fun and interaction. Stuck with busiest and smallest boat, but small inconvenience since did not have to put up with A­hole divers. Reefs alive and preserved (more tropicals than Turks or Curacao). Lots of eels, no rays or pelagics - not thrilling diving but consistently good, relaxing and FUN. Gaby a great divemaster. Travel agent told us we would be met (party of 12) at airport. Weren't. Had to ask drivers what to do. Air Aruba sucks. Lost baggage for two days even when they knew where it was. Seat assignments not honored. On time? A joke. Settle for right day. . . . Richard's, the best restaurant in town. Oceanside restaurant awful." John McGinnis, Cambridge, MD

Carib Inn, March, 1995. "Having been on Bonaire a number of times, I want to caution your readers: Bonaire is suffering from crime problems not seen four or five years ago. My crusty old torn dive boots were stolen from outside my door one night. This was in a compound type are as well. The locals are experiencing home break-ins. Never leave valuables in your rental car." Mike Williams, Boise, ID

Divi Flamingo Beach Hotel, February, 1995. "The rooms have not had a thorough cleaning in years. We won't go back unless we can stay at the Caribe or for more money the Sand Dollar." Anon, Central Square, NY

Divi Flamingo Beach Hotel, February, 1995. "My last trip to Bonaire was in 1985; still in good condition, but a few areas the coral has deteriorated due to boat anchors being dropped. Since being made a marine park, the fish and coral life are proliferating. The boat operation did a good job of picking dive sites and doing orientations. Accommodations were fair/good." John Kelly Coffman,Greenwood, IN

Divi Flamingo Beach Hotel, March, 1995. "My fifth trip to Bonaire, fourth to the Divi Flamingo. George was moved up to head of dive operations from divemaster. He runs it like a military camp, which is my only negative comment. They have gone to two tank trips and no trips to Washington Park. Shore dives are still the best." Doug Welsch, Fennville, MI

Divi Flamingo Beach Hotel, May 1995. "ALM Airlines is just confused. They have no idea what a schedule is. . . . I am a timeshare owner at Divi Aruba and traded for Bonaire. Divi needs to put a little effort into this timeshare unit. . . . The dive operation was run well but with a tight fist. I have seen this operation change slowly since Peter Hughes stopped running it and not for the good. 80 degree water, 75­100 foot vis." Richard Parry, Westfield, NJ

Divi Flamingo Beach Hotel, June, 1995. "Excellent diving, most dive sites can be reached as shore dives. The island wasn't as tropical as we expected. Food was expensive and not really good. We went to town for good less pricey food. Great trip." Doug & Jennifer Corwley, Iowa City, IA

Divi Flamingo Beach Hotel, July, 1995. "Disappointed in visibility ­- due to unseasonal rain storms they said. Shore dives are great ­- well marked. Shore diving is unlimited (up to you) ­- rent a car or van or right in front of most hotels. Snorkeling for nondivers is outstanding. Divi Flamingo had a great, protected beach and snorkel area. Angelfish eat right out of your hand. . . . Richards Restaurant for dinner is a must." D. Seifert, Oregon City, OR

Divi Flamingo Beach Hotel, August, 1995. "Visited the Divi Flamingo in 1990 and 1984 and was pleased. The resort is in desperate need of maintenance. Employee morale is horrible. . . . However, the dive operation is still good. We have no complaints about that. Checked out Captain Don's and the Sand Dollar while there, and both seem nice. We'll stay at one of them on next visit. . . . If you're an outdoor person, a visit to Washington Park on the north end of the island in a 4-wheel drive vehicle is a must." Janice Parmelee, New Orleans, LA

Divi Flamingo Beach Hotel, August, 1995. "I have been diving since 1960, am a PADI Instructor, and have made many trips to Bonaire. I like the water conditions, the freedom of shore diving and diving on my time schedule and profile. I am an underwater videographer; freedom of time, and only my dive buddy, is important to me and the ability to choose the proper profile, not someone else's depth and time limits." Roy Murphy, Wichita, KS

Harbour Village, August, 1994. "Beautiful hotel, nice, easy and enjoyable Bonaire diving. A pleasant spot for a family vacation, not just diving. Superb spot for an experienced diver to initiate a spouse or son/daughter in the pleasures of diving. They also have a few smaller tanks available -­ great for small women or teenagers." Daniel Spitzer, M.D., Piermont, NY

Harbour Village, September, 1994. "Good Stuff: Not a hard­ core dive resort that worked out okay, we had the dive boat to ourselves for almost the entire trip; boat only holds 12. We could use computers; divemaster led us on the deep part of the dive, then returned to the boat, and left us on our own 'till we hit 500 psi or 60 min. The shore dive to the Something Special Reef in front of the hotel was easy and good by day, and super at night. The reef was really alive, and the dive-master worked hard to point out many sights (the shore dive at night was not part of the package; $25 per person extra, but well worth it). Not many big fish. Plenty of spotted morays. Reefs are in good condition. Dive staff great, as was the resort (But for the prices they charge, they better be.). . . . Bad Stuff: Reefs fairly similar; no swim­throughs. Drop­offs and water clarity not as good as Grand Cayman. Boat dives were all one­tank, 9:30 and 2:00. While I liked getting a late start, having only one tank dives meant most of the day was shot. There is something to be said for starting early, getting in two tanks and then having the afternoon free to do other things." Matthew Rifkin, Tokyo, Japan

Harbour Village, April, 1995. "Our third time in Bonaire and our second at Harbour Village. The only really good hotel and the best restaurant on the island. Hotel is seemingly never full and therefore dive operation never seems crowded. Extremely pleasant attitude of dive and hotel staff. Much more expensive than elsewhere on Bonaire, but well worth the landscaping, and shade trees, and marina. . . . The highlight of the trip was a course with Dee Scarr -'Touch the Sea.' Shook hands with an octopus, petted a scorpion fish, stroked a moray and a spotted eel, was kissed by some grunts, and generally partied with some very friendly critters." Jay Ehrlich, Washington, D.C.

Sand Dollar, November, 1994. "We were impressed with the overall operation. We rented a condo with another couple ­- very nice. Rented a small utility car, a must to get around. Varied restaurants including a local hole­in­the­wall called 'Sonrisa' - excellent Bonairian food (in town on the main street). Green Parrot restaurant average food, great special drinks. Dive operation well run and friendly. Very efficient. Did a lot of shore diving and snorkeling in front. Night diving fantastic. Met 'Charlie,' the tarpon. Did shore diving at Washington Park and had excellent experience: easy access, beautiful reefs. Did fish identification course with Jerry. Fantastic. All the fish you ever wanted to see right in front of Sand Dollar. This course is a must." Ted Colwell, Caldwell, ID

Sand Dollar, January, 1995. "Stresses continuing diver education and offers free buoyancy clinics (regular and advanced) and several opportunities to learn about underwater marine life, including a snorkeling identification tour and a weekly slide show by the head of the photoshop, Jim Brondan. . . . Plenty of well-marked, easily accessible shore dive sites. They provide unlimited access to tanks for shore diving; a book detailing the shore sites is kept by the tanks. A great shore dive is right off the Sand Dollar docks at the Bari Reef. In keeping with Bonaire's concern for marine life the Sand Dollar encourages all divers to hone their skills to protect the reefs. It shows. Kathleen Van Dyke, Fairfax, VA

Sand Dollar, February, 1995. "Incredible macro life. Something different each dive. 80 degree water. Lots of baby porcupine fish under each elk horn coral. Lots of baby fish. Naturalist at Sand Dollar gave a great snorkel tour. . . . Room was great." Anon., Wallingford, PA

Sand Dollar, February, 1995. "I started diving Bonaire in the later 70's. While there was at least 100 ft, vis, it was hard to see because there were so many fish, turtles, rays, etc. Before this year, my last visit was in '86, with French angels, turtles, and schools and schools of fish. Bonaire is still idyllic and pristine underwater, but a lot of the fish have vanished or were on holiday last February. . . . I was with a group of 12 divers, most new to the sport in the last three years. They thought that there were a lot of fish. I guess so when compared to the BVI's, Grand Cayman, Honduras, Cozumel, Provo. . . . Macro is good. Numerous frog fish. On one dive we saw five seahorses. Lost of lettuce slugs. Some flamingo tongues. My buddy and I made the first official sighting of the seldom seen Manytooth Conger (in shades of brown) on an evening shore dive in front of Sand Dollar. . . . Dive Operation: Very good, although two women at their 'front desk' seemed to have more important things on their mind than to give you a correct answer to your questions. Every instructor/dive master/crewperson was in good spirits, helpful and knowledgeable with the exception of one instructor who seemed to think he was instructor God and 'ye shall be superdiver when you do your check­outs with ME.' (Imagine OW checkouts, Peak Buoyancy, and Divemaster in only one course). Disturbing to witness those poor people. . . . Had a terrific condo with every imaginable kitchen gadget. Nicely furnished. Exceptionally clean. Each condo is independently owned, so some are more decorative than others. . . . Thank God there is no nonstop airline from any NE or Midwest major city. Let's not spoil the place any further." Inge Schmidt, Ardmore, PA

Sand Dollar, February, 1995. "Generally very satisfied." Gilbert Cotten, Hartsdale, NY

Sand Dollar, March 1995. "Got some crap about filling my pony bottle (13CF). Reason: 'some people have been letting their kids use them'. My 'kids' are 25 (6'3", 180 lbs.) and 22 (6'5", 240 lbs.) don't think they will use a 13CF tank as their primary air source. They finally agreed to allow me 'one fill only' which was fine with me. . . . A great week of diving though. Sand Dollar is a class dive operation." Anon.

Sand Dollar, March 1995. "Two phrases characterize this operation: 'No Problem' and 'Four Star.' . . . We arrived at the Sand Dollar late Saturday night. Our bags had been misplaced by ALM (Always Luggage Missing) Antilles Airlines. Our C-cards, diving gear, etc. were all somewhere between Curacao and Quito. The next day, Alvin, at the dive and photo shop told us that their policy was to lend you all the equipment we needed until luggage showed ­-no charge. No problem. They even offered to call NAUI to fax our certification info to the shop. . . . The best way to reach the island is to fly ALM from Miami. If you stop anywhere else, you will not make connections or have your luggage lost. You must call and confirm your itinerary before leaving home and again before returning home. Our return flight had been canceled and we had to fly standby to get off the island and make our homebound connection. . . . Sand Dollar accommodations are truly four-star. The Condos are neat, clean, modern, have a dishwasher, radio, TV, air conditioning, hot water (not all island accommodations do), full kitchen. The service is wonderful and the people are really friendly, trustworthy, helpful, courteous, kind, cheerful, etc. . . . The food at the Green Parrot is OK but a bit pricey. There is an expensive seafood restaurant immediately adjacent to the compound. You can also try Richards, about two km south for good food at reasonable prices. The Sand Dollar has a small convenience store adjacent so if you wish to do your own cooking, you can save a few bucks. . . . The dive operation is excellent. Alvin, Elisabeth, Willy, Jopie, and others were wonderful. You didn't have to carry a tank or lift a finger. The boats left on time. Everyone was helpful. The divemaster always dove with the guests but never imposed profiles on anyone. The Sand Dollar offers a free buoyancy clinic and dive as well as a free photo buoyancy clinic. I dropped four pounds of lead after their clinic. The boats carry about 12 divers to any of the local sites. You enter the water by doing a backward roll off the side. The only restriction is to not go deeper than 100 feet in the am and 60 feet in the afternoon - and to stay with your buddy. The rental equipment is new and in excellent shape. You can dive your own profile and take as long as your air holds out. Our dives averaged about 50-55 minutes. Use the request book to schedule yourself for dives a day or two in advance to insure that you get to the sites you want to see. You can ask for any of the sites listed on the map but most of our diving was within about 15 minutes of the shop. That includes about 30 different dive sites so you won't dive the same spot twice unless you want to. You can go on one boat dive in the morning and one in the afternoon. There are two shifts of up to five boats in each time slot so you can go early-early, early-late, etc. There is unlimited shore diving with free air fills. You can rent a car next door and access most of the dive sites from the shore or just dive Bari reef in front of the shop. You can do one boat and one shore dive in the morning, one each in the afternoon and one or two night dives every day. There is no problem as long as you watch your nitrogen. . . . There were no pelagics and few large fish. The water was calm, clear and warm. This is an excellent site for the novice diver but might get a little boring for the experienced diver." R. Athanasiou, Troy, NY

Sand Dollar, March, 1995. "Dive operation is busier and more rigidly organized than we like: the docks often look like Grand Central at rush hour. Our most enjoyable dives were shore dives, away from the crowds. . . . The resort is a good choice if you are bringing children (as we did)." McCombie & Friedberg, New Haven, CT

Sand Dollar, May, 1995. "I don't think you could ask for a better place to go. When I look at the big picture Bonaire has all you could ask for." George Ballinger, Hannibal, MO

Sand Dollar, June, 1995. "Great diving, but ALM sucks. Every flight was two hours late, they lost several people's luggage and didn't give a damn about finding it. A complaint letter went unanswered. . . . Only the bedroom in the Sand Dollar condos is air­conditioned, a fact that is down-played or missing in their ads. Try the cheaper (but still large) studio rooms for full air­ conditioning. Green Parrot Restaurant at Sand Dollar: terrific food, prices okay, slow service." Jim Chambers, Tucker, GA

Sand Dollar, June, 1995. "One bedroom on the beach, only 30 yards from restaurant and dive operation. Choice of two morning sites, two afternoon sites; filled up quickly - had to sign up night before. . . . Washington package trip $9 extra but worth it to see something different. Try to stick with divemaster Willy. He cares if your enjoying yourself. Dockside building serves as equipment storage - hangers at a premium." Scott Kramer, Los Angeles, CA

Sand Dollar, July, 1995. "Have stayed at the Sand Dollar three times in the last three years, having always been satisfied. This time was the exception. . . . I made the arrangements for 12 people in three, two bedroom condo units. Unit F-20 was very nice, but A-7 and especially A-5 were well below expectations. In A-5, the dishwasher didn't work, dishes, pans and utensils were insufficient, the living room furniture was stained, torn and falling apart, the curtains at both sliding glass doors were stained and falling off the curtain rods, and, the sliding door in the master bedroom would not lock. . . . The dive operation is one of the best run I have had the pleasure of dealing with but the same degree of conscientiousness is not being applied to the condo facilities." Richard Vornehm, Knoxville, TN

Sand Dollar, July, 1995. "You don't need to do a lot of boat diving. Easy shore dives and you can almost see same as boat dives. Night dive at Town Pier was great, but too crowded. Sand Dollar was clean and well maintained. Great place for beginners, but scenery underwater can get boring." Wayne Joseph, San Mateo, CA

Sand Dollar, July, 1995. "Visibility was fantastic until a few heavy rainstorms hit, then the runoff clouded the reef, especially shallow. Fantastic proliferation of small marine life, the most I've seen. Easy shore diving, would advise trying sites widely spread out, since many are similar. Klein Bonaire has some wonderful sites. I would recommend taking advantage of boat dives so as to see some of them. Staff was exceptionally helpful and friendly. Requests for specific sites were granted fairly and often. . . . Green Parrot restaurant is pretty lame. Rendezvous in town is outstanding." Michael Kates, Atlanta, GA

Sand Dollar, August, 1995. "Seas calm and flat; water temperature 80_­85_; visibility 60­80 feet; could dive own profile; all shore diving unguided." Thomas R. Kelly, New York, NY

Sunset Beach Resort, October, 1994. "The resort needs some repair. I had a group. Some rooms were nice, but others poor: fixtures, roaches, etc. . . . The diving in Bonaire while still good now lacks a lot of creatures I used to see there. Even night dive under the old town pier failed to produce sea horse. They used to be easy to find. Maybe all the Nikonos shootouts with the careless photographers moving things for the perfect shot killed them off." John Duggan, Universal City, TX

Sunset Beach Resort, November, 1994. "Fine for novices, but no large marine life. Did one week of tourist diving. Would not go back."Singleton, Emerald Isle, NC

Sunset Beach Resort, February, 1995. "Shore diving in front of hotel very good; excellent night diving with huge eel on wreck ­­ tarpons use diver lights to hunt. Night dive on Hilma Hooker turned up a couple of big rays. . . . Klein Bonaire has best vis. Hotel nice and as advertised. Clean and quiet. Diving Center helpful, boats left on time and were receptive to our group's requests. Beach diving with rented van allowed unlimited dives. . . . We did not like hotel restaurant and ate at Green Parrot a lot. With van tour of the island took a couple afternoons." Herb Booth, Carlisle, KY

Sunset Beach Resort, February, 1995. "The dive operation was one of the worst I've encountered. For some reason, they refused to take us to requested dive sites and offered poor predive briefings consisting of only a gross description of the topography with no mention of what to look for. . . . The shore diving was lovely when we finally got the vehicles promised by the hotel. We were to have a vehicle daily, but were unable to get any until midweek. . . . None in our group will return. At one time we asked for an explanation of dive operation. None was given. Their rude arrogance continued throughout the week. . . . The hotel service was awful as well. Two of our group had to deal with luggage that did not arrive. The hotel and ALM airlines just kept saying 'it will be on the next flight.' They said this for three days. It wasn't until we contacted our travel agent at home that the luggage was tracked down and sent to Bonaire. . . . Diving was good, though no large fish or pelagics - the beautiful healthy reefs had lots of critters and never have I seen so many spotted drums in one place." Harriet Russell, Chicago, IL

Sunset Beach Resort, March, 1995. "Staff at the dive shop is outstanding. Made the trip enjoyable and worth considering for return. Hotel accommodations were average/acceptable (not much need for higher level of room 'extras' when the diving is main attraction)." Paul Steffen, Milwaukee, WI

Sunset Beach Resort, April, 1995. "Good stuff: Great diving offshore right at hotel. Wonderful sloping wall full of life. Fantastic life right under boat dock in 12 feet of water. Bad stuff: Cattle boats. Rooms range from OK to bad. Food so-so." F. & V. Morabito, Williamsville, NY

Sunset Beach Resort, July, 1995. "You can't beat the Dive Hotel package. The rooms are fine. There are lots of places to eat and prices vary. I have never had any problems with dive operation; have always been treated well. They had a boat down but they were able to use the one boat to the max. I'm amazed at the great shape the coral is in for the millions of divers who visit. Great family dive destination." Dennis Munden, Del Mar, CA

Copyright 1996 by DSDL, Inc., publishers of Undercurrent. All rights reserved. No portions of this report may be reproduced in any way, including photocopying and electronic data storage, without prior written permission from the publisher. For more information, contact DSDL, Inc., P.O. Box 1658, Sausalito, CA 94966.