A diver's island, par excellence. Superb year-round weather; low 74° at night, daytime high 89°. Some rain October­January, but outside the hurricane belt; dives are rarely canceled. Arid cactus-covered terrain topside; on leeward side, expect calm seas, little or no current, and water temperatures in the low 80s most of the time. . . . Thoroughly organized dive industry, many excellent operators, lots of places to rent tanks or book boat dives; though heavily dived the last two decades, unusual coral formations remain pristine; wide range of tropicals and guides point out unique critters; few sharks or pelagics; shore diving in front of every hotel. . . . Savvy divers rent a vehicle to shore dive the island (reserve ahead of time; otherwise you may be out of luck; don't leave valuables in car). . . . Best shore dives include Thousand Steps, Ol' Blue, La Dania's Leap, and Karpata. Southern end often rough, but worth diving when conditions are favorable. . . . Avoid meal plans to take advantage of many restaurants within walking distance of each hotel (and not get stuck if your hotel chef is on leave). Plenty of overnight film processing, good gear rental, repair capacity. . . . Everyone speaks English. . . .

Blue Divers, May 1996, Kelly Hayes-Raitt, Santa Monica, CA. "All shore dives. Eels, seahorses, frog fish, turtles. Blue Divers a fabulous, tiny operation. I priced every operation on the island, and without a dive/hotel package, Blue Divers beats them all. Located off the beach next to cozy guest house Leeward Inn, Blue Divers is run by a quiet islander named Franklin Winklaar who seems to be on a first-named basis with the island's seahorses. Most of my dives were alone with him or with Swiss dive master Isabella Effner."

Bonaire Beach Bungalow, April 1997, Peggy Bowen, Oakhurst, NJ. "Stayed for 26 days. Vis 20 to 200 ft. What was clear in the AM was often 40­50 feet in the afternoon. What was OK in the afternoon was murky the next morning. Seemed to be no pattern in the vis. A few days had large amounts of spot­winged comb jellies and floating siphonophores and red­spotted siphonophores. Neither jelly fish or vis affected our diving. Current: Mostly none or little. Had lots of currents on the Invisible once and near the windjammer on one dive. Other dives in those areas OK as were all other sites. Heavy surf at Karpata for a few days. Choppy at Old Blue for a few days as was Red Slave. . . . Always something to see. At Hilma Hooker and reefs: school of jacks, dog snapper, some big grouper, free swimming moray, a lobster, manta, permit, cero mackerel, rainbow runners, turtles, lots of schoolmaster and black margate, schools of bogas, frog fish. South area (Red Slave to Margate Bay); turtles, jacks, thousands of mojarras, large green morays, possible black tuna. North sites (Witches Hut to Karpata) ­ small spotted drums, squid, medium size green moray, large spotted moray eel, turtles (green in cave at Rappel), highhat, chrinoids, puffers, flamingo tongues, frog fish, palometa. Other things: Smoking sponges, spotted snake eels, lots of rosy razor fish, parrot fish of all types, sea horses, coral crabs, school of anchovies. Coral has recovered from last years bleaching; some showing yellow band and black band disease. . . . Typical dive profile: two of us going off the shore, over an hour dive, no one checked our time or depth. . . . Bonaire Beach Bungalows: Private cottage, a/c in bedrooms, radio, on the ocean, nice reef off dock. Manager helpful. Leave nothing in the car when you dive, use the "club". Close and lock your room and run the air conditioner at night. Do not leave things drying out at night. Food has increased in price in restaurants and at supermarkets since last year. Wider variety of food available. Local people still as nice as ever. Beach patrol and marine park people were nice. Air Aruba and ALM: Lost my suitcase for 26 days. Returned by Continental when I got home. ALM was on strike while we were on the island."

Bon Bini Divers/Lion's Dive Resort, April 1997, Steve & Adrienne Abbott, Boulder, CO. "Lion's Dive Resort from Curaçao has taken over the Coral Regency and is slowly bringing it back into shape, after Coral Regency sold in bankruptcy. Rack rates Resort still very high. The ocean front restaurant is holding on and still does a good job. The best reason to stay, or stay nearby, is Bon Bini Dive. Susan and Francey have kept this operation running at a high level of excellence. Have dived with them 4 times. Bon Bini put on extra trips to accommodate smaller, more experienced groups and we had 4­6 diver trips. Great schools of bogias; shore diving as always great. Bon Bini gave us great advice on how to dive the far south; had 2 very memorable dives in areas not visited as often as the reefs on Klien, which now starting to show some stress. vis 30­70 ft. water: 78 degrees. Diving restrictions enforced were 60 min. 100 ft a.m. 60 min. 60 ft. Dive your computer."

Bon Bini Divers/Happy Holiday Homes, May 1997, Susan Beck, Dover, DE. "Fantastic; one of us finished certification and was led through final dives pleasurably and fully. Then they attended to all our diving needs, from rinsing to carrying equipment, to fish identification, to location for good sights, to extending themselves in rough water to allow us to dive Ladania's leap (1881 and stunning), to giving us the best price; great place to dive shore or boat (resident tarpon and snook). vis: 75 ft. water: 78-80 degrees. . . . Cooked our own food at our condo."

Buddy's Dive Resort, February 1997, James F. Gatti, Shelburne, VT. "Windy, Sunny and dry. Calm in the lee of the island, very choppy elsewhere, currents ranged from none to severe. vis: 30-60 ft. water: 70-80 degrees. No wet suit used, but a hood or vest would have helped. They suggested a profile, but you could do what you wished. You dove with your buddy. Maximum depth 80-90 ft. . . . Air Aruba screwed up connections on both ends. Arrived at 2:30 AM. Continental lost the luggage but got it there day 2. We carried MF&S, Reg. & BC and could dive with own equipment the first day. Not much to do on the island except to dive and wind surf. Scenery is marginal, worth maybe one role of film - a desert island. Town is not much and restaurants are mediocre. Resort has a restaurant that is about the same quality. As many as three boat dives a day, 15-45 minute trips. Shore diving from rental car is very good, but sites do not differ that much except in entry - easy to a challenge."

Buddy's Dive Resort, May 1997, Jeffrey Rappin, Chicago, IL. "Accommodations clean and spacious, even a TV set to watch the Bulls playoff games. Uncrowded with friendly staff. On site restaurant fair. Divemasters experienced and laid back. Knew enough to let experienced divers be on their own. Best bet was the use of a 4 seat pick up included in the rust and a drive in tank pick up and drop off. Made shore diving very easy. vis: 40­80 ft. water: 78­82 degrees. No restrictions enforced for diving."

Buddy's Dive Resort, June 1997, Raymond Fealko, Cortland, OH. "Excellent: people friendly and helpful. Super accommodations, dive operation efficient and comfortable. vis: 100 ft. water: 80­84 degrees. Don't go deep sea fishing with Boyd ­­ a rip off ­­ but Buddy's did provide an excellent meal with what we caught. Caradonna Tours changed prices after deposit and would not work with us. We booked some airfare ourselves for less money and worked with Buddy's direct after hassles and everything worked out fine."

Buddy's Dive Resort, June 1997, Fred and Karen, Oxnard, CA. "Water 75 degrees to 80 degrees; viz 60 to 100 feet. Drive through air fill makes getting in the most dives easy. Drive in, pick up 4 tanks, go shore dive. Come back, drop off and pick up more tanks. Dive to your hearts content. . . . ALM had mechanical problems and then to make up time left everyone's luggage in Curacao."

Buddy's Dive Resort, June 1997, Gary Trommer, Austin, TX. "Water 85 degrees; visibility 80-100 feet. Food great. Car per room was a big plus. Dive the Salt Pier; better than downtown and no crowds."

Buddy's Dive Resort, July 1997, James A. Ralston, Cincinnati, OH. "Diving on Bonaire is well. . . . ok. Vis: 70-80 ft. water: 78-80 degrees. Easy and laid back. Buddy's is a bargain. Paid for a two bedroom, two bath apartment and were put in a three bedroom, three bath apartment. Nice for each kid (19 & 22) to have a separate bedroom and bath. All three bedrooms were air-conditioned and the room was relatively new, clean and in good repair. Four door, four seat pickup truck came with package for no extra charge. Just sign-up for car when checking in. We had a very early flight so just drove ourselves to airport, locked keys in car and they picked it up later. Cost very reasonable."

Buddy's Dive Resort, August 1997, Jeff & Sherry Hotham, Phoenix, AZ. "Excellent set up for shore diving, like a drive-up bank teller system, and is close to all the great dive sites. Big boat "down" but the divemasters made small boats workable. Divemaster Merphyn excellent, guiding dives if desired and pointing out Frogfish (at least eight) and seahorses. No limits on divers with computers. Fish life excellent. Vis: 60-90ft. water: 81 degrees. . . . Rooms have ac only in the bedrooms; lot of stairs to climb, no tub to soak a camera. Accommodations nice and clean. Restaurant: fresh wahoo great. Package prices including continental breakfast and truck was reasonable."

Buddy's Dive Resort, August 1997, Renee Price, Mayfield, KS. "ALM flight delayed three hours - stay overnight in Miami and catch the first flight of day to Bonaire. . . . Green Parrot, good value, good food. Ocean Front, good food, good value (discount to Buddy Dive guests). Jamaican night on Friday is fun. Buddys Reef Restaurant, good value, good food. Beefeater Garden, wide selection of dishes, moderate prices. Denlaman food not good, small portions and high prices. . . . Five in our party; requested minivan, but sold out before arrival. Gave us two pickups at no charge. Drive in and pick up tanks. Staff ensured a good time and answered questions. Beautiful reef off their dock for night diving. Safe in rooms for valuables, $50 key deposit. Dive package included free continental breakfast."

Buddy's Dive Resort, September 1997, Chad DeShazo & Kim Stahler, Reading, PA. "Buddy's more beautiful than described in Fodor's, and the resort is constantly working on improving its grounds. 1 bedroom apt. very comfortable. Well supplied for cooking. Drive through tank part a great convenience. Lots of freedom, flexibility, and friendliness with dive shop. Bonaire is happily vegetarian friendly too. Take along a small thermos for the shore diving you'll do. Buddy's provided us with large pickup truck with front and back seat. Divers all seemed experienced unlike some other islands. Fish plentiful but not huge. Hilma Hooker wreck a favorite. vis: 50-100 ft. water: 80-83 degrees. Paradise for underwater photography. Got some great stuff!! Too much independence for novices (who need guidance at first)."

Carib Inn/Cyndany Lodge, September 1996, C. Douglas Rorex, Olney, IL. "Water 82 degrees, Vis: 75 to 125 feet. Diving as good and as challenging at north and south ends of the island. Sea Fans dominate upper reefs rather than the soft corals seen on the leeward side. Turtles and rays more common; saw small Nurse Shark. . . . Carib Inn friendly, helpful. Edward Diehl, J.J. Joslin, Linda Booker, Tessa Ley was especially helpful in cueing us in on several sensational dive sites (e.g. Margate Bay ­­ hawksbill turtles, southern sting rays and squid ­­ Tori's Reef ­ ­a large eagle ray on 3 of 5 dives). Unlimited diving for $79/week; given a tank and, should you have need one nights or for longer trips North, a second tank can generally be available. Carib Inn has a loyal following and reservations must be made a year in advance. . . . Checked out the unbuoyed sites listed in "Undercurrent." They were spectacular; Yellow Shack had a forest of soft corals, but the distraction of fishing lines and large ropes (tied to the stone anchors used by local fishing boats). Chet's Cove was stunning and we had no problem with other divers crowding the reefs, of course, it was the low season. . . . At Red Slave Huts (sometimes there was a current from hell) saw grouper, barracuda, tarpon, large schools of Creole wrasse, juvenile bar jacks, and mega school of several thousand Yellowfin Mojarra ­­ odd because it is not normally a schooling fish ­ must have been up to something, eh?). . . . Night of 5 September the coral were spawning and Brittle Stars were standing on the coral heads, up on their legs like spiders, and joining in the fun ­ as well as dining. . . . Stayed at Cyndany Lodge (nice, clean, inexpensive) $75 for a room for two. Some inconvenience in not staying where we were diving, but we didn't get in our reservations in time to stay at Bruce Bowker's Carib Inn."

Carib Inn/Dive Inn/Bonaire Caribbean Club, November 1996, Larry & Fawn Lovecchio, Ignacio, CO. "We stayed on Bonaire for three weeks, two weeks is ideal on this desert island. For beginners, it is an ideal destination as shore diving is easy and the reefs pristine. vis: 60­90 ft. water: 82­85 degrees. Northern dive sites differ from those on the south side, but both unique. Theft is a daily occurrence so when you rent a car (minivan or p/u) always use the club on the steering wheel, but don't lock the car. Otherwise, you're liable for the broken window. Don't carry anything valuable and leave bags open in plain sight. A credit card and travelers checks and only small amounts of cash work good here. Bruce Bowker's (Carib Inn) is a very good (and least expensive) dive operation. Do not miss his free buoyancy control clinic! Resorts are not immune to break­ins, we heard of a few incidents while we were there. Restaurants have good food, but are rather pricey. Good ones include: Olde Inn (try the Rice Table­15 course meal!) Rendezvous, Beefeater, and Leeward Inn for pizza."

Carib Inn/Bonaire Beach Bungalows, November 1996, Mary & Karl Schneider, Anchorage, AK. "Fair to middling experience. After 200 plus dives, a full two weeks of diving was too long. After first week it was difficult to find anything new or interesting, but saw many rarities that Bonaire is known for: sea horses, frogfish a rare red/brown corallimorph thanks to Bowker's excellent staff. . . . November starts rainy season with periods of high humidity, local squalls, and no refreshing trade winds. The population explosion of insects, comparable to the Bay Islands, made outdoor lounging and dinning uncomfortable. Other areas of the island where resorts have tamed wet areas, were less buggy. . . . Since 1992, Bonaire Beach Bungalows has deteriorated to discomfort and some concern for safety. Loose planking on one dock swallowed a guest's foot. Erosion of the cement plastered on the iron shore slope near the dock and patio areas was hazardous. Serious leaks had us resorting to waste paper baskets and towels to contain the water during downpours. . . . Conspicuous increase in crime since '92. At the airport the car rental clerk hands you the Club instructions to use it at all times. Our bungalow had bars on the windows, but nevertheless had been broken into via the patio door just prior to our visit. A guest had their car stolen from the parking area behind their bungalow. . . . Coral bleaching, a result of several repeated bouts of warm water, is being seriously monitored. Restrictions are in effect to protect the coral from over zealous photographers. Bonaire's stewardship for its marine environment is faultless, but they need to work on the social political environment to regain its special status for visiting divers. vis: 120-130 ft. water: 79-81 degrees."

Carib Inn, August 1997, Ron & Dawn Steepman, Cape Coral, FL. "Small dive inn. Outstanding service, good dive instructors and guide service. Unless you eat all meals out, plan to take food - grocery stores sparse by U.S. standards. If you rent a car, take the insurance. We had 2 wheels stolen at night. We love this island and the Carib Inn!"

Captain Don's Habitat, September 1996, Linda Rutherford, Montara, CA. "Water: 84 to 85 Degrees, Vis: 45 to 70 Feet. Package allows you to take both your boat dives in the morning so you can go off in our rental car in the afternoon for shore diving or exploring. Three times a week Don's has a buffet dinner for $23. If you don't feel like eating this much after a night dive, walk to another restaurant. Landscaping attractive. Air conditioning great. Enjoyed the modest evening entertainment program on most nights or either informative slide shows on fish life or turtles, or local steel bands or folk dancers. Diving is relaxing, great fun with an amazing diversity of fish."

Captain Don's Habitat, November 1996, Pat & Carla O'Connell, Colorado Springs, CO. "Read the Chapbook before leaving, so anticipated lost luggage - packed full change of clothes in handbags. TACA lived up to reputation, but delivered bags to lobby the following morning (contact the airline rep before leaving the airport). Outstanding diving. vis: 75-100 ft. water: 75-76 degrees. Reefs have recovered from bleaching and fully inhabited. Efficient boats and schedule - they added a late A.M. boat for us ambitious folks to do three/day, Shore diving from Habitat great - walk to the end of pier and fall in. Cyalumes outlawed on island to avoid pollutants; take a different "marker" for night dives. Gloves outlawed to discourage reef contact, but single glove permitted to descent/ascend on anchor line. Total freedom on own profile. The 5-minute walk to Green Parrot's food is well worth it."

Captain Don's Habitat, January 1997, Kendall Botellio, Phoenix, AZ. "Water: 79 to 81 degrees. Vis: 50 to 100 feet. Diving very good! Some locations had lot of dead coral and fishing line, but overall good diving. Excellent macro opportunities! Saw 6 seahorses! Hotel o.k., restaurant overpriced."

Captain Don's Habitat, January 1997, C. Douglas Rorex, Olney, IL. "Water 79 degrees, Vis: 70 to 125 feet. Great diving. Unlimited tanks 24 hours a day. Good staff, excellent facilities, new dive lockers, buffet breakfast that is tops. Enrico, a divemaster who has been there at least three years provides extensive information on the better dive sites; took us on night dives to the town pier. House reef at Captain Don's is one of the best dives on the island. Most critters right in the Captain's backyard. He is there Tuesday evenings to tell you how it all started."

Captain Don's Habitat, May 1997, Richard Vornehm, Knoxville, TN. "Water 82 degrees. Booked this trip 3 months in advance and requested an ocean front villa at the north end of complex so we could dive "Cliff" at night, right in front of these units. When we arrived were told that these units were overbooked and we had been put next door at Lion's Dive. The resort knew we had not been notified (Said the travel agent had decided not to tell us and they had not pushed the point). The unit at Lion's Dive was the furthest possible from the ocean and was not well furnished (not enough chairs, no bedspreads, no curtains.) After much complaining, they moved us to a better unit and gave us free shore air. We were not the only overbooked divers that week."

Captain Don's Habitat, June 1997, Bill Jurney, Roseville, MN. "Water 80 degrees; 60-80 feet vis. No large critters except tarpon, snook and turtles. Food at Habitat excellent; resort is nice enough. Shore diving outstanding; Salt pier might be better than the Town Pier; Nucove and Angel City my favorites. OK shore dive in front of Habitat but not as pristine as Habitat Curacao. Nice corals and tropicals; lots of small critters; great for beginners and experienced."

Dive Inn/Ocean Front Apts., September 1996, Keith & Patty Maupin, Green Forest, AR. "Second trip to Bonaire. Met at airport by resort personnel, mini van picked up; a vehicle is a must to shore dive the island; boat diving not worth the extra $$. Dive shop and personnel great, good advice and fills. Buy a 2-tank unlimited to keep from returning to town for air between dives. One way road on the north sites makes for trip back to town 30-40 min. Don't leave valuables in vehicle (lost 2 pair of Nike sandals, watch and expensive sunglasses), police helpful, but no luck. Ocean Front apartments clean and well kept; 12 units. Pool and large rinse tank, AC in bedroom only, full kitchen, big grocery store around the corner. Took a suitcase of breakfast and snack food, ate sandwiches between dives instead of hurrying back to town for air, makes for more diving. Best restaurant on the island the Lee Ward Inn across the street from the apartments."

Dive Inn/Bonaire Caribbean Club, July 1997, Rance Wadley, Miramar, Fl. "Water: 80-83 F, vis: 100-200 ft. Buy the new Guide to the Bonaire Marine Park ($30): incredible pictures, detailed site descriptions, access notes. . . . Caribbean Club: young manager Armin speaks colloquial American English, very helpful, 10 minutes north of town, quiet, huge suites in bungalow style with kitchenettes and verandahs, inexpensive, not American style resort. . . . Dive Inn has a shop here and in town; convenient for varied shore diving, lent me equipment for free, friendly and personable, dive boats available, mostly Dutch. . . . Air Aruba left my luggage 3 days in Aruba, even though my friend in Aruba identified the bag and requested it be sent to me; managed to crack hard sided Samsonite and tear off 3 of 4 footers and twist the latch; no apology. . . . Check your rental vehicle for dents and equipment, our minivan did just fine in Washington-Slagbaai, just drive slowly; climb up Brandaris took us only 1/2 hr - not 1.5 hrs. . . . Favorite sites: Karpata, Red Beryl, Angel City, night dive under Customs Pier. Saw bonefish, creolefish with isopods, peacock flounder, 6 inch seahorse, hawksbill turtle, comb jelly, lettuce sea slugs, shovel-nosed lobster."

Divi Flamingo Beach, February 1997, William C. Owens, Boise, ID. "Good divemasters. Only restrictions were depth and time. Computers OK. Much air left. Poor visibility. Great coral for Caribbean. Boats with broken motors, but fast when running. Rooms just OK, but expensive. Food poor and very expensive. $50 (day for buffet). Service lousy and 10­15% service charge for nothing. Rooms OK, but not worth price in comparison. "Carnival" fun in February. Crime and prices have markedly decreased tourism. Ghost town, estimate 20 percent occupancy. The Dutch are mostly arrogant and rude! Beach diving & cheap hotel, best way to go. vis: 50­75 ft. water: 80­82 degrees. Restrictions enforced for diving were first 70 ft. for 45 minutes and second 50 ft. For 45 minutes."

Divi Flamingo Beach, March 1997, Lawrence Cohn, NY, NY. "Good diving operation, but better than 5 years ago. Divemasters helpful and good, not great. Diving good, not great vis: 40­60 ft. No restrictions enforced for diving. Avoid town pier, major rip­off. Resort is fair, need a lot of work, but better than average for the Caribbean. Do not expect a Miami Beach hotel."

Divi Flamingo Beach, March 1997, Maureen and Steve Gordon, Atlanta, GA. "Time share unit clean, comfortable, and convenient. We made our breakfast and lunch, then, went out for dinner. The restaurants in Bonaire were quite good ­­fresh local fish. Touring the island in our rental car fun. Diving in Bonaire is the easiest diving that you can have. Relatively no current; wall diving makes it easy to find your way back to the boat. Abundance of colorful reef fish. Swarms of newly hatched fish everywhere. Diving was completely on your own. The European dive masters tended to be surly and uncaring. Their spoken policy was, "I'll be in the water with these two students, if you have a problem, don't call, because I won't come." The non-European staff was fun to dive with and they always gave you the option of following along with them."

Divi Flamingo Beach, April 1997, Dave Sanders, Centerville, VA. "Water 79 degrees. Third trip to Divi. It has taken a nose dive since 1993. Dive briefing stated you would not be herded in groups, but divemaster insisted all divers dive as a group. Other divemaster too busy with 3 students at 30 feet to know where other 10 - 12 divers were. Steps down to water at Dive II Pier broken with nails protruding. No E-6 processing; Photo Bonaire closed due to bent Photo Bonaire Manager. Resort in state of disrepair. Sharp broken tiles in pools, wooden railings hanging, rotten support beams in restaurant. Second restaurant and Flamingo Nest Bar Closed. From Best to Worst."

Divi Flamingo Beach, July 1997, Jay Lasner, Coral Springs, FL. "A bit run down, as said in latest chapbook. vis: 60-100 ft. water: 80-82 degrees. Dive restrictions: 100 ft. +. Stay away from Highway Transport & Rentals - poorly maintained vehicles."

Harbour Village, April 1997, Paul Seifert, Elm Grove, WI. "Combination of upscale hotel rooms and condos on a sandy beach next to a marina. Three restaurants with excellent food, adequate service. Best resort on island in quality of facilities, grounds, etc. Great Adventures dive shop on premises, excellent set­up, sign up for dives, boat leaves on time, small # of divers/boat, dive computers, surface with 500 psi. Coral and fish unbelievable. vis: 50­100 ft. water: 78­ 80 degrees. Instructors very good with beginners. My 12 & 13 year olds took PADI course. Very impressed by quality and attitude of instructor, Ronald Addicks. Best way to get their from Chicago: Take charter to Aruba, then to Bonaire. Avoid ALM at all costs. Air Aruba reasonable alternative."

Harbour Village, August 1997, John and Sandra Quick, E Grand Rapids, MI. "Water 80-84 degrees, vis 60-80 feet. Third trip to Bonaire, first at Harbour Village. They sure have amenities! Harbour Village beautiful, grounds meticulous, lovely beach, rooms tasteful. Wonderful restaurants at resort. Admiral;s Tavern, great seafood. Dive operation professional. Harbour Village does not cater exclusively to divers but does a fine job. Felt special and pampered because only a fraction of guests are divers. Took two boat dives a day. Loved shore dive off resort. Turtles and five octopus in a week. Genteel resort and dive operation. . . . not inexpensive but worth every penny. . . . Past experience with ALM involved such awful time delays that we flew Air Aruba; who lost our luggage (it arrived the next morning) but we missed a dive."

Harbour Village, September 1997, Yong Choi, Palo Alto, CA. "New boat handles 22 divers. Dive operation excellent, staff members are Jose, Simon, Ron, John, Tom, Vrselar. 4 Divers or more for night dive boat trip. Beautiful room and good food Vis: 80-100 ft. water: 82-85 degrees. Daily boat trip 9 AM and 1:30 PM. New boat-Harbour Lady. Small boat-Breezin."

Sand Dollar, August 1996, Tim Fitzpatrick, Rockford, IL. "Especially for first time divers. Wicho and Willy were our favorite divemasters. Diving beautiful right off the dock!! The wall diving is exceptional down to 100+ feet. Vis 75 to 100 feet, air temp. upper 80's, minimal humidity. Bugs almost nonexistent. Boat rides short to all sights. Klein Bonaire is a fifteen minute boat trip and in my opinion not worth the time. "Helma Hooker" is 10 years down, so not much to see there. Renting a Suzuki mini­van is great for shore diving. Sand Dollar allows you to take tanks for shore diving. Land is very baron; no lush tropical paradise. More animals on the island than people, and lots of cactus. . . . Green Parrot Restaurant at resort: good food, slow service, like rest of island. Richard's and Mona Lisa's restaurants are the best; meals run about $25 per head, and the food is exceptional!"

Sand Dollar, October 1996, Joe and Gayle O'Connor, Laurel, MD. "Fifth trip to Bonaire. Stayed at Sand Dollar every time. Decided to try Plaza Resort. Checked out after one day. Dive operation only had one boat in operation. Checked in at Sand Dollar and started diving; vis: 70­90 ft. water: 80­82 degrees. Four boats with great flexibility. Saw sharks at southwest corner at Klein Bonaire on our last trip but none this time. Shore diving wonderful. Richards restaurant is a must."

Sand Dollar, October 1996, Tom Rain, Irving, TX. "Wonderful dive experience. Very easy diving. Excellent for beginners. vis: 80­100 ft. water: 80­82 degrees. Diving restrictions enforced were 80 ft. in morning, 60 ft. in afternoon dive. Turn back at 1500 psi. Could pick which boat to dive from and which reef it was going to. Left to dive our own profile with only a depth limit given for the afternoon dive. I like the "European­flavor" of Bonaire."

Sand Dollar, June 1997, Steven Dingeldein, Burlington, NC. "We (4 divers, 4 snorklers) enjoyed Bonaire. People friendly and seemed to like Americans. Folks at Sand Dollar nice and went out of their way to accommodate us even though we were not part of the Nikonos Shootout. Vis not great but still ok; vis: 40-70 ft. water: 82-85 degrees. Klein Bonaire is wonderful and mostly pristine. Would like a/c in condo, but a good trade wind helps. Do town pier with a DM from shore; Wednesday night boat dive at town pier too crowded. Great for novices."

Sand Dollar, June 1997, John and Betsy Robinson, New Vernon, NJ. "Professional dive operation; well-furnished condos. Four boats, you can go on one morning and one afternoon dive. Diving is usually above 80 feet, with no reason to go below 60 ft. Computer divers allowed 60 minutes of bottom time; Operation service-oriented, with guides available if you want. vis: 50-100 ft. water: 78 degrees. Coral healthy, abundant species of fish, lots of little critters. No single aspect particularly spectacular, some sameness from site to site. Large storage room for dive gear. Separate morning and afternoon dives create the hassle of setting up, rinsing and storing gear twice a day."

Sand Dollar, June 1997, Phil Hampton, Merritt Island, FL. "Excellent accommodations. Very busy dive operation. 10 boat trips in morning. Good scheduling. Everyone got their site and time desires most days. The dive boats are terrible! Far below Caribbean standards. Small, crowded, rough and very wet rides. vis: 50­100 ft. water: 80­83 degrees. This was our 17th visit to Bonaire. Most of our stays at Flamingo Beach, but once at Sunset Beach and once at Capt. Don's. Would not return to Sunset Beach due to their boats, unless I did only shore dives."

Sand Dollar/Capt. Don's Habitat, July 1997, Bob & Doris Schaffer. "Sand Dollar dive staff arrogant, rude and condescending. Would not permit back to back dives which limited divers to one AM boat dive and one PM boat dive. Dive boats inadequate and uncomfortable and not built for diving, making ocean entry and exit difficult and dangerous. . . . We ended up going to Capt. Don's Habitat where we found very good boats and a friendly and competent staff. We were able to dive back to back boat dives. We didn't like the inability to dive more than one tank on any boat; dive operators require divers to come back to the dock and go out on the next boat to get in two morning or two afternoon boat dives. vis: 25-50 ft. water: 77-79 degrees. Diving is beautiful but there was a sameness to it that made it kind of boring after about 4 days."

Sand Dollar, August 1997, Mark Riley, Bryan, TX. "Water 81 degrees. Overall good experience. Minimal hassle from divemasters. Boat dives morning and afternoon, but more fun to go off on your own (need car) for excellent shore dives. Reef in front of Sand Dollar is ok but has trash (old beer bottle, etc.) Great place for kids - organized programs if desired. My Children (ages 7, 12, 16) loved it."

Sunset Beach Hotel, March 1997, Donald & Merideth Parker, Las Vegas, NV. "Booked through Caradonna Tours to take advantage of a money saving. A good value, but hotel is under renovation and our spacious, but older room was "threadbare". Our package included a buffet breakfast which was ample, but the same every day. Other food on the island was expensive and mediocre. . . . Dive operation not up to the quality of other parts of the Caribbean. vis: 60 ft. water: 80 degrees. Only one dive boat and one of the two engines did not work several days which limited the diving to the closest locations. No rinse tank on the boat. Boats were manned by a driver only (no in­water divemaster), who got in the water for two short time periods to find seahorses. The boat was never washed out after a dive and, by the end of our week, sand in our equipment was a problem. Warning: flamingo preserve at the Solar Salt Works is not truly open to the public. We discovered this only after we were locked in the Salt Works when it closed at 4:00 p.m. for the night. The preserve is a point of interest on every tourist map that we had and on none of them did it indicate that tourists should not go there. We did find a one sentence note to that effect deep in the "This Is Bonaire" guide book in our hotel room after we drove "cross country" around the locked gate on the far side of the salt ponds. Will go back to live­aboard diving."

Sunset Beach Hotel, May 1997, Jerry DeVore, Tacoma, WA. "First trip to Bonaire. Coral preservation outstanding, fish easy to approach. No large fish or pelagics. Strong currents on one dive, otherwise good conditions. Dive briefings good, but brief, good attention to conservation. . . . Sunset Beach hotel pleasant, but badly in need of renovation. Service friendly, but slow. Food mediocre. No problems with ALM except flight in was one hour late (due to presence of "Miss Curaçao!") Very enjoyable trip. vis: 60­80 ft. water: 78­82 degrees."

Sunset Villas/Buddy Dive Resort, September 1996, Karen and Bob Burlet, Terrytown, LA. "Some mild currents, easy to handle, Water 80-82, Vis: 80 feet, all beach dives on our own. Everything except large pelagics. Initially booked with Sunset and when we arrived at our Condo the pool was green, the a/c did not work, and the grounds were filthy. Went to Sunset's reps and they refunded our money and then we went to The Sunset hotel - pathetic and also dirty. Ended up at Buddy Dive Resort. A Great condo place. Pristine coral and easy diving. We did all beach dives and just had some problems with my poor husband's back (he had to carry my stuff). The cost was $18/day for all refills you need. Best diving we've ever done. Prices are obnoxious for eating out. Shop at local grocery and cook your own."

Toucan Divers/Plaza Resort, January 1997, Michele Goldman, New York, NY. "Water: 75 to 78 degrees, Vis: 60 to 100 feet. I wish I had received the Chapbook before and prepaid 3 days of meals. Hotel was next door to a great restaurant "Richard's" (ate there 2 times). Dive operation was great; staff couldn't be more helpful. Drove us to get a part my husband needed for his camera. Also lent us FREE a (scuba pro) BC and reg after my husband's octopus free flowed. . . . Mostly Dutch and Europeans. Rooms are spacious and clean. Ocean view is deceiving unless you're on the second floor. Too much foliage in the way. Still constructing; should be real nice when completed."

Toucan Divers/Plaza Resort, August 1997, Robert Jackson, Birmingham, AL. "Water 76 degrees, 50-75 feet vis. Operation efficient; diving in no way remarkable and experienced divers will be disappointed. One of the delights is the ability to dive from the shore; especially important for photographers who must dive undisturbed and frequently without a buddy. Resort does not permit solo beach diving (even after I completed a NAUI instructor course on premises)."

Copyright 1998 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.