First Time Scuba

[david d]

We are cruising on the 17th of February and will be in Bonaire. Looking for a place we can scuba for the first time. We are not certified. I have heard that you can scuba for a day or less and go as far down as 40 feet with a guide. Any thoughts or suggestions?

[Claire1000]

I am a moderately experienced SCUBA diver, and I've been to many top ten dive sites, but my boyfriend had never been. We wanted to go in Bonaire, and after a little research I settled on Dive Divi. I was very hesitant to go with a place that is a resort/casino/dive place, and more importantly, I was very concerned about how good the diving could really be that close to the boat (it's like a 2 minute walk).

 

However, I was TOTALLY wrong. The diving was outstanding. By far the best shore dive I have ever been on. Absolutely world class. The reef was teeming with life, the equipment was very nice, and the instruction was good. We went to at least 45' (our group was comprised of a bunch of naturals)!

 

I give them my full recommendation, and that's not easy to come by (see Aruba comments). I would recommend getting their early or calling ahead if possible, as they limit the class to 4 (and then tag alongs like me).

 

That morning after making our reservation, we wandered down the shore. It was nice, but nothing to write home about. However, we loved Bonaire. It was a nice, nice, sleepy island, and aside from lacking mega beaches, it was perfect.

[Crown08]

Is this the type of dive that you don't have to be certified for? Forgive me but I don't know the first thing about scuba diving other than I really want to go in Bonaire! I know the ship offers a tour for "beginners" so I was wondering if this was the same thing. I'm very glad you had such a good experience! Were you able to make reservations in advance? This is going to sound like a very strange question, but are you completely covered up? My FI is very afraid of anything alive in the water but I think I could convince him to go with us if he knew nothing could touch his skin! ;)

[Claire1000]

This is a dive for people that have never been SCUBA diving before, etc. This is probably the same thing the ship offers. We tried to make reservations in advance, but they didn't exactly have someone manning the phone all the time. Two other folks in our group of 5 did get a reservation, so I guess it's hit or miss.

 

No, we weren't covered up. When your diving you can just go in a swim suit or a wetsuit, but your head is still going to be exposed most of the time. On this dive, I wore a shortie wetsuit. Basically, it's like a full suit but stops above the knees and elbows. So ya, in theory you could be touched by stuff.

 

However, I haven't ever touched anything while diving. The fish won't swim into you. In Bonaire I got in the middle of a school of thousands of 2" minnow type fish. None on then touched me. BUT, there are tons of fish, so if you're afraid of them....it may not be a good thing 40' under the water...

 

Claire