Drive and Dive Package
Bonaire 2025
April 12th thru the 19th
We're going back to the island paradise of drive and dive recreation in April 2025 - Bonaire. However, this time we are engaging the renowned hospitality of Buddy Dive Resort, one of the largest dive resorts on the island, where you can shore dive, boat dive, snorkel, take part in a multitude of activities or just sit back, relax and enjoy the atmosphere. Their personable staff, spacious accommodation, and onsite dive operation have something for every guest and will make our holiday worry-free. From any guest apartment we are never further than a giant stride away from the beautiful ocean.
Staying at the Buddy Dive Resort is the best way for us to enjoy the whole island. The dive operations at Buddy Dive are geared for us to make the most of our dive vacation. Each guest room comes with a complimentary vehicle rental and with over 80 dive sites on the island and Klein Bonaire there is a diverse selection of diving opportunities. Buddy Dive has a fleet of custom dive boats and a well stocked dive ‘Drive Thru’ offering air and nitrox tanks where every divers' needs can be satisfied.
Bonaire’s sea abounds with beautiful marine life and a fascinating variety of multi-colored tropical fish. The sea is remarkably calm and conditions are superb for both scuba diving and snorkeling, day or night. On average, Bonaire’s underwater visibility exceeds 100 feet and their average water temperature is 82 degrees Fahrenheit year-round.
With Bonaire’s over 60 drive-up dive sites, adventure is everywhere. The fringing reef begins close to the shore, usually less than a short 30 foot swim, making Bonaire world renowned for its ease of shore diving. Novice divers will appreciate the settled waters, reefs that run parallel to shore, and minimal currents. These conditions make it an ideal location to really work on improving buoyancy skills! Additionally, the abundance of marine life living along the shallow drop-off area of the reef slope allows for maximum bottom time, while giving new divers an unparalleled opportunity to develop a level of comfort and confidence in their newly learned skills.
Diving is available 24/7 and nitrox gas is readily available to certified Enriched Air Nitrox divers who will benefit on multi-dive days.
We have a request from the operators on the island, “To help us keep our reef environment healthy for many years to come, we do encourage all divers traveling to Bonaire to familiarize themselves with the Marine Park Regulations prior to their visit.” We highly encourage our guests to respect this request and help maintain the beauty of this island paradise.
For our trip we plan to be on the island April 12th thru the 19th of 2025.
Call today to reserve your place on this must attend diving adventure!
Included in this Trip
• Accommodation for 7 nights
• Daily American/European Style Breakfast Buffet
• Daily Morning Single Tank Boat Dives - 6 days
• Rental vehicle (Pick-up truck or van) for 7 days (insurance included). 1 vehicle per unit. Driver must be over 23 years old
• Welcome drink and managers rum punch party
• Airport transfer to/from airport
• All government taxes
Diver Package Also Includes
• 6 days of unlimited air fills
• FREE Enriched Air Nitrox to certified nitrox divers
• UNLIMITED daylight shore dives
Not Included in this Trip
• Airfare
• $40 Bonaire Marine Park fee not included and must be paid separately
• $75 Bonaire Tourist tax not included and must be paid separately
• Diver Insurance (strongly recommended)
• Travel Insurance (Mandatory)
For Divers
• Valet boat diving available for an extra charge - see Buddy Dive Resort for more details
Other Activities for extra charge include:
• Mangrove Kayak Tour
• Cave Exploration
• Island Tours
• Windsurfing
• Sport Fishing
• Kiteboarding
Pricing Info
Package starts at
$1399
per person (Based on 2 Bedroom 4 occupants)
$1699
per person (Based on 1 Bedroom 2 occupants)
Non-diver rates also available.
To Join This Trip
• Valid Passport Required (with more than 6 months before renewal)
• and Trip Insurance Required.
Full payment due January 12, 2025
Contact Us Today
to sign up,
Night Dive Specials
Night diving on Bonaire is spectacular and uniquely wonderful. Beyond your typical nighttime magic, is the bioluminescence of the ostracods - a phenomenon found in only a few places around the world. Bonaire has the pleasure to be one of these exceptional locations. It is a completely unique experience every diver should experience at least once in their lifetime.
Ostracods are tiny crustaceans that live in fresh and saltwater. A few days after a full moon, they perform a mating display that lights up the ocean with a bioluminescent light show. The males glow to attract a partner in a cascading frenzy. Each fleeting show lasts mere seconds but the overall event lasts for 20 minutes at an exact time and at a precise depth. As a diver, being in the right place at the right time to witness this natural light show is a privilege. As it happens, the full moon in April appears the night we arrive, which means we will be on the island at exactly the right time to enjoy this rare demonstration for several nights. If you want to enjoy such a unique night dive, ask someone who has seen this phenomenon for additional information or schedule a guided night dive event with Buddy Dive!
Need to Know Facts
1. Bonaire’s National Marine Park was founded in 1979 and includes the underwater world around Bonaire and even around Klein Bonaire.
2. Bonaire’s Washington Slagbaai National Park is comprised of two former land plantations, Washington & Slagbaai. These two plantations once supplied salt, charcoal, aloe extract, and goats for export to Curaçao and Europe.
3. The island has over 22 beaches, of which some disappear and appear, depending on the tides and other natural causes like wind and waves.
4. Many people have seen dolphins swimming by between Bonaire and Klein Bonaire.
Yellow Rock Facts about Bonaire
5. Yellow painted rocks on the side of the road or along the coast mark the dive sites on Bonaire.
6. Some of these yellow rocks can also indicate ‘do not enter’. This is because, for example, it is a marine reserve that does not allow snorkelers or divers. It could also be because birds lay eggs in that area and you are not allowed to walk there.
Additional Facts
7. An added bonus, you can also hike various trails in the North of Bonaire. For example the Dos Pos Trail or the trail via Gotomeer.
8. Sometimes, people on Bonaire come across an iguana chilling in their swimming pool. It looks pretty funny to see an iguana swim! Don't worry, they're harmless.
9. Scuba Diving Magazine’s Annual Readers’ Choice Awards recognized Bonaire as the #1 Shore Diving Destination in the Caribbean/Atlantic for the 24th consecutive year!
10. There is a flip-flop tree on Bonaire that has at least 150 flip-flops! Though, has anyone ever counted them?
11. Bonaire has colorful, healthy coral reefs all around the island AND around Klein Bonaire!
12. Even though the temperature almost never drops below 77F, Bonaire has snow-like mountains!
13. It takes a few days for a ship to load thousands of tons of Bonaire’s salt onto the ship via a conveyor belt. And if it is raining, the conveyor belt has to stop.
14. The stories of 10-15 workers having to sleep in the slave huts around 1850 are not true. Studies prove that each hut was often occupied by only 1 or 2 workers.
15. Because of Bonaire’s own water filtration system, tap water in almost all houses and hotels on Bonaire is good for consumption and delicious!
16. Last of all, Sea Turtle Conservation Bonaire confirmed a total of 114 healthy turtle nests in 2016, which makes 2016 the highest nesting year ever for STCB!
This is a Ladies Only Trip
This Package Includes:
May 6th thru 18th
Rarely visited due to its location and its status as a marine preserve, Tubbataha is made up of two reefs, simply referred to as the North and South Reefs. The North and South Reefs both enclose a sandy lagoon. On the southern tip is an islet with a lighthouse used as a rookery for birds and is frequented by turtles. Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park is home to no less than 573 species of fish, 373 species of corals, 11 species of sharks, 12 species of dolphins and whales, nestling hawksbill and green sea turtles. A veritable splendure of ocean perfection - these 7 days will be incredible.
400 documented species of corals (that’s 65% of the world’s corals!), the vibrant walls of Siquijor, and snorkeling with whale sharks in Oslob!
Included at the Azores Tubbataha:
15. Because of Bonaire’s own water filtering system, tap water in almost all houses and hotels on Bonaire is good for consumption and delicious!
February 20 thru March 4
February 2024 represents the 150th anniversary of HMS Challenger’s crossing of the southern polar circle. Modern oceanography began with the HMS Challenger Expedition between 1872 and 1876. It was the first expedition organized specifically to gather data on a wide range of ocean features; including ocean temperatures, seawater chemistry, currents, marine life, and the geology of the seafloor. A crew of 200 and 20 naval officers supported six scientists from varying disciplines – naturalists, chemists, physicists and even an artist to chronicle the voyage and its discoveries. Within their four year journey they covered 127,000 km and the information they gathered is still used by scientists today.
There are 7 Goals of This Voyage
Palmer Science Station
The cabin-based pricing is per person, based on double occupancy unless otherwise noted. At the time of booking, you will be asked to select a cabin type. Your final price is based upon your cabin selection.
October 12th thru 22nd
