DCCruiserX1

We used Indigo Divers in Antigua a few years back and they sail out of Jolly Harbour, which (if I recall) was about 25-30 minutes away. We really liked them. Used The Dive Bus on Curacao and had a great time (shore diving). We did a cruise and went diving in every port and a couple picked us up at the cruise dock, but I can't remember which ones. They were all very responsive to emails, so just ask them.

 

We've been to Bonaire 5x now (not on cruises, just trips to Bonaire) and have used a few operators over the years. We stayed @ Captain Don's once (it was a pit), but the house reef was great. Not sure how it would be for cruisers, but definitely get something setup ahead of time! The island is pretty small and cab rides up to Captain Don's (or other operators near there) would be maybe 15 minutes. I think an added benefit of using a resort dive operator (Captain Don's, Dive Buddy, etc.) is that they'd probably help you get a cab home and everything is contained right there. Not so great that you'd only see their house reef, but since you have limited time, it's a solid option. Otherwise, you really need to rent a truck for the day use an operator like Dive Friends, pick up tanks and plop yourself in the water at one of the clearly marked dive sites on the island.

 

FYI - in all our trips to Bonaire, we've never done a boat dive. The shore diving is fab - but get a copy of Bonaire Shore Diving Made Easy, as she details how easy/difficult dives are based on a myriad of factors and gives advice on parking, entry, exit, etc.

Thank you very much for the link to the guide I will take a look at that. The idea of renting a vehicle and just driving around the island seems a bit daunting - especially being on island for only about 8 hours.

I've read about a few of the resorts - do you have a favorite that you'd recommend? We do plan on going down at some point for a dedicated island vacation.

Thanks again,

Rodney

Bonaire is a fairly small island, nothing is a very long taxi ride! Been there x5 for island-based diving vacations. .... Although I will say that one of the rare times we did a boat dive out to Klein Bonaire (tiny island off the coast of the main island) we saw a giant manta ray...so cool!!

The manta would be awesome! Thanks for sharing. We are really looking forward to diving the island - I know this is a must visit scubacation location, so we're sure to fly down at some point to experience more of what the island has to offer.

Thanks again,

Rodney

We went to Captain Don's Habitat in Bonaire and had two wonderful shore dives. Just take a taxi each way.

Thank you Laurie,

I've not heard of Captain Don's Habitat. Is it a far taxi ride ($)?

Thanks again,

Rodney

Thanks very much! I really appreciate the info. This is our first trip to Bonaire so coming in on a cruise is a bit of a taste-test before heading out there at some point for a week or so...

Thanks again,

Rodney

Wow! That is a creative solution - although I'm guessing a bit of a headache. Do you recall the name of the operator that she ended up using?

Thanks again,

Rodney

Thanks Harris.

I'd forgotten that we're cruising from San Juan - so used to leaving out of Miami or Ft. Lauderdale - duh. I suspect you are correct, although I'll check in with NCL.

Thanks so much for all of the great information!

Who do you use on Western Caribbean cruises? We've used Dreamtime in Costa Maya (ship excursion), Anthony's Key in Roaton (ship excursion - bit chaotic at the shop), and both Dive with Martin (on our own) and Sand Dollar Sports in Cozumel (ship excursion), and Dressel Divers in Jamaica (ship excursion).

Thanks again,

Rodney

Harris,

Thank you so much for the information. That was very helpful and I've already booked with two of the operators and working on the others. I have been to Antigua a couple of times in the last year or so - the first time I did not dive because I'd read it wasn't worth it. The second time was a cruise sponsored by my LDS - we went with Jolly Dive. Aside from a drive and the owners selling t-shirts from the house (no shop) I think they did a good job - although on trip advisor reviews are mixed.

This will be the first time that I've gone out on my own in a large way to schedule dives. I've done one before (ProDivers in St. Thomas) so the local time, my time, and ship time is something I really need to figure out. Don't want to miss the dive boat on one end or the ship on the other... :)

Do you (or anyone) happen to know what Norwegian cruise lines uses for ships time? At this time of year those of us on the east coast are on the same time as the Caribbean. Although when we fall back an hour in a few months they don't do that so when I cruise in February the islands will be an hour ahead. So I need to find out if the published docking time is local time or ship time - and, if ship time what that will be (I am guessing it will remain Eastern???). Any insights?

Thanks so very much,

Rodney

Good afternoon all,

My wife on going to a Souther Caribbean cruise out of San Juan and going to: Bonaire (8am to 5pm), Aruba (8am to 5pm), Curacao (6am to 1pm), St. Lucia (1pm to 7pm), Barbados (8am to 4pm), Antigua (8am to 5pm), St. Kitts (8am to 5pm), and St. Thomas (8am to 5pm).

I am comfortable booking diving trips outside of the ships offerings, but would prefer operators that offer port pick-up and return (all else being equal). I am not trying to pick which locations to dive as I want to dive all of them - divers, dive! :) Does anyone have any recommendations? I've been diving in a couple of these spots but welcome fresh perspective.

Also, I am concerned about St. Lucia and Curacao since those are fairly short port days. This ship is offering a 1-tank dive excursion (of the Antilla) - looking forward to the wreck - amazing history... but 1-tank... you've got to be kidding me. I have reached out to Curious 2 Dive (thanks Harris), hopefully that works out. Any other thoughts on operators in these ports and the time crunch - especially St. Lucia. I understand the north side of the island is a no-go this time of year??

Thanks everyone!