Diving with Divi Flamingo Question?

[Ruth]

Hello-

We are staying at the Divi Flamingo in July...Want to set up driving with them....Has anyone been diving with them...Any information would be appreicated. Cost, service etc we want to do at least 2 tank boat dive at morning maybe 6 days....

All the Best

[DiveCruiser]

Hello-

We are staying at the Divi Flamingo in July...Want to set up driving with them....Has anyone been diving with them...Any information would be appreicated. Cost, service etc we want to do at least 2 tank boat dive at morning maybe 6 days....

All the Best

 

Ruth,

What week in Jully?? We have a time share there and will be there from 15 jul - 29th. The dive operation ther is great. all the dive masters and boat captians know the sites well. You can call down and book your dives ahead to their front desk @ 011(599)717-8285 (asked to be transfered to the dive shop DIVI I) or just wait till you get there. Never been over booked yet.

We LOVE Bonaire!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If you are going to rent a car for the week contact Netty, http://www.nettyscarrental.com/home.html She is a local that has been in business for over 15 years that I know of.

 

Any question email me @ divecruiser@verizon.net

 

Bob

[10X]

Ruth,

 

My underwater pictures from Bonaire, that you asked about, are now posted at:

 

http://www.sunfield.smugmug.com

 

Click on "Cruise 2006", then on "Bonaire Scuba".

 

I envy you going there for a week. It was some of the best diving I've ever had and my wife was super excited about the snorkeling. We get another stop there next year while on a cruise and we're really looking forward to it.

 

I used Divi Flamingo and they were most helpful to us, even though we were only going to be there for a few hours. I'll use them again when we return. I talked with my LDS and that's the only people they deal with on Bonaire and they have a trip planned there in 2007.

 

Denny

[DiveCruiser]

Denny

 

Why not spend a week or two in bonaire? We go donw mid July for two weeks and relax. You can dive and your wife can snorkle. We have a greeat time. Been going since 1990.

 

Bob

[10X]

Bob,

 

That sounds great and it's probably something my wife would jump at the chance to do. However, dive vacations are a problem for us. The main thing is that I don't have a buddy to dive with on vacations like this.

 

The prospect of arranging 2 weeks in Bonaire and then not being able to dive just doesn't appeal to me. If I'm diving, my wife is left to snorkel alone, something that doesn't appeal to her (diving doesn't appeal to her either). We need to find the right mix of people that will allow both to happen.

 

The second problem is what we have planned for the next 2 years (I'm a great looooong range planner).

 

We have two back-to-back cruises scheduled in 2007. Fortunately, one stop is in Bonaire. I've connected with some people on the "roll call" for the ship and, fortunately, I might have found a dive buddy.

 

I plan on retiring at the ripe old age of 59 in 2007 and, as a result, we're working on an extended vacation that goes something like this: 2 weeks in Fiji, 2 weeks in Australia, 2 weeks in Hawaii.

 

I can usually get away with using a dive operator for a few dives on our current vacation style, but something that's strictly diving related just won't work right now. If I can ever hook up with a dive buddy for a trip to Bonaire (or elsewhere), I'll fly out tomorrow. Our preferred vacation time is in winter so we can escape some of Michigan's cold weather.

 

Denny

[DiveCruiser]

One thing in Bonaire @ the Divi you'll never be without is a dive buddy.

I am an avid diver where my wife and daughter go occationally. I just hook up with some one on the boat. Before my dausghter was certified I would dive in shallow (where all the fish are) and she would snorkle above.

That is the great thing about Bonaire great dives and snorkles shallow.

Also I don't concider 59 a ripe old age anymore. Only 2 years behind and my wife says I'll never retire. If you ever plan for boaire in the furtue let me know we could hookup, The wives could snorkle and we could dive!!!!

Life is short you never know.

 

Bob

[TomCrooz]

Denny, those are some great underwater pics from Bonaire. My wife & I and 7 other couples will be stopping there next March as we take our 2nd cruise with Princess. We first snorkeled on our first cruise in Trunk Bay, St. John, and then off a catamaran on a small island near St. Martaan in March 2005. We are hooked on it and can't wait to do it again.

 

What kind of camera did you use? Great clarity.

 

Did you need scuba certification for your tank dive? We may want to try that, and from what I've heard, Bonaire is the place....

 

Looking forward to hearing from you.....Tom & Deb.

[10X]

Bob,

Thanks for the Bonaire info. I didn't think it would be so easy to find a dive buddy because I thought everyone would be part of a group. Maybe a trip to Bonaire following my retirement next year wouldn't be a bad idea.

 

Tom,

 

I'm glad you enjoyed the pictures. I took the scuba diving photos and my wife took the snorkeling photos.

 

Here's some snorkeling info on Bonaire from a previous post I made about snorkeling. It might be useful to you.

 

"We had arranged for my wife and two friends to do a snorkeling excursion with Renee, but due to surgery, Renee could not make it. The three of them approached a gate guard and asked if he knew where they could snorkel and he said he heard the "Airport Beach" was good. It was a $10 one-way cab ride to the beach where they had some of the best snorkeling of our 14 day cruise. They saw two Octopus, eels, and a variety of fish. My wife came back with some excellent photos of the octopus. The original excursion was going to cost them $25 each, for $75 total. The cab rides totalled $20 and the snorkeling was great. If you want to save some money, I would recommend that you explore this option."

 

As far as cameras, I use an Olympus C5050 with an Olympus PT-015 housing, and an Inon D2000 strobe. I have two Inon lenses that I can use, one for wide angle and one for macro. My wife uses a Canon A95 with a Canon housing. Both cameras are 5MP. Neither camera is currently in production.

 

If you already have a digital camera, you can see if an underwater housing is available for it here, just click on your camera name, select the model and it will tell you if a housing is available:

 

http://www.digideep.com/

 

If not, look into the Canon A610 and A620, which are on closeout right now. I just saw an A620 on sale at Staples for $299. This was regularly $399 a month ago and it is a 7MP camera. Canon also sells an underwater housing for it. It would be ideal for a snorkeler.

 

For tank diving you do need to be certified and you must display your certification card to the resort before you are allowed to dive. However, many resorts have a "Discover Scuba Diving" option, which allows you to do a dive with an instructor at hand so you can see if diving is for you. You can probably do this with a local dive shop where you live. That way, if you like it, you can take a class and be certified for your cruise.

 

Denny

[Ruth]

Wonderful info...Looks like my husband and I will be there the same time Bob is at the Divi...So will see you at the Divi Bob.

All the Best

Ruth