Dive Friends Bonaire

Voted best shore diving for 23 consecutive years; once you experience a taste of diving freedom, you won’t want to go anywhere else. Imagine being able to dive whenever you want to, on nobody’s schedule but your own. Instead of having to follow a dive leader, you can swim at your leisure and marvel in the sights of Bonaire–Diver’s Paradise! Our crew are always happy to recommend their favorite dive sites and keep you informed about recent underwater sightings. We also have several Bonaire dive guide books available. If you want a guided tour of Bonaire’s amazing fringing reefs and sea life, we also offer several options for guided shore diving. Over 60 dive sites accessible from shore. Pick up and drop off tanks at 6 convenient locations. Choose 6 day unlimited air package, dive by the day, or by the tank. Sign up for a guided shore dive led by a member of our staff. Need a buddy? Leave your name and contact info on our Buddy Board. Never done a shore dive? Take our PADI Shore Diver Distinctive Specialty. Complete the mandatory Marine Park Orientation and check out any time during business hours. House Reef There’s no better way to start your visit to Bonaire than with a guided checkout dive on one of our four fantastic house reefs. This way, you can attend the Bonaire Marine Park orientation and have a Divemaster or Instructor assisting you in the water with your buoyancy check. Leeward Sites We offer guided dives on sites between Angel City to the south and Oil Slick Leap to the north. This is a great option for newer divers who’d like to make the most of their dives with a local guide to point out interesting marine life and to do the navigating for you. Hilma Hooker No visit to Bonaire is complete without a dive on the famous Wreck of the Hilma Hooker. This 240 foot former cargo ship makes for a spectacular wreck that attracts a large amount of marine life as an artificial reef. You’ll dive from shore to a maximum depth of 100 feet/30 meters.

Although Bonaire is famous for its shore diving, we have many hidden wonders that can only be enjoyed by boat. We go to Klein Bonaire five days a week, but on Wednesdays and Saturdays we head to the north only visiting sites that cannot be accessed by shore. Klein Bonaire is the flat, small, uninhabited island off the central west coast of Bonaire that is a paradise for divers. Diving on Klein Bonaire offers a great opportunity to see turtles, since this island is now a reserve and a sea turtle hatchery. The Northern dive sites are covered in beautiful coral gardens jutting up against sheer cliff walls. Daily two tank boat dive 9:00 am – 1:00 pm. Hour long dives with in-water guide. 4 comfortable dive boats with places for shade or sun. Fresh cold drinking water with eco-friendly reusable cups. Emergency oxygen, first-aid and spare equipment on board. Note: As an eco-friendly dive shop our boats only leave with minimum of 4 divers.

Guided Bonaire Night Diving If you haven’t already experienced a night dive, you are in for a treat! They are completely different from the dives you make during the daytime. Everything looks different; the fish have different colors than they show during the day and some of the most interesting marine life only comes out at night. Dive lights are available for rent and we also have a variety available for purchase. Guided Shore UV Light Night Dive Even the most experienced night diver will be impressed with the new world of ultraviolet light night dives! When you shine a UV light on certain marine creatures, it will stimulate a fluorescent glow that most divers can only describe as “trippy!”

If you are certified to dive with an integrated dive mask or full-face mask, we offer OCEAN REEF G.divers IDMs for rental. Not certified? No problem. If you are curious about what it is like to dive with an integrated dive mask (full-face mask) we offer a 2 dive PADI OCEAN REEF IDM Diver specialty course where you will learn about integrated dive masks and how to safely dive with one.

Capturing your underwater memories with a camera can extend your dive vacation long after you hang your gear up! If you don’t have your own camera or you’re still not sure on which one to choose; Dive Friends is excited to announce the critically acclaimed Olympus TG-5 as our rental camera. Not only is the camera waterproof down to 50ft (15m), but it is designed with the Olympus PT-058 UW housing rated to 147ft (45m). Olympus’ latest ‘tough’ camera packs a better sensor, better processor, and 4K video capability into a rough and tumble shell that is waterproof, crushproof, shockproof, freezeproof, and dustproof. Olympus actively creates these cameras with underwater photographers in mind, it features several underwater shooting modes for both wide-angle and macro. Rent or try before you buy!

Scuba Diver Minimum Age: 10 (Junior Scuba Diver for ages 10 to 14) Number of Dives: 2 Approximate Time: 2.5 days Price per person: $222.00 Open Water Diver 11 year old divers). Minimum Age: 10 (Junior Open Water Diver for ages 10-14) Number of Dives: 4 Approximate Time: 3.5 days Price per person: $388.00 Open Water Diver eLearning Minimum Age: 10 Number of Dives: 4 Approximate Time: 2.5 days Price per person: $275.00 (after PADI eLearning) PADI eLearning & Open Water Diver Touch Open Water Diver Referral Minimum Age: 10 Number of Dives: 4 Approximate Time: 2 half days Prerequisites: completion of all classroom and confined water work within the past year with a PADI instructor (with copies of all referral paperwork) Price per person: $250.00 Scuba Diver to Open Water Diver Upgrade Minimum Age: 10 Approximate Time: 1-1.5 days Prerequisites: PADI Scuba Diver Certification Price per person: $167.00 Adventure Diver Minimum Age: 10 (Junior for ages 10-14) Number of Dives: 3 Approximate Time: 1 day Prerequisites: Open Water Certification or Junior Open Water Certification Price per person: $190.00 *With night dive: $217.00 Advanced Open Water Diver Minimum Age: 12 (Junior for ages 12-14) Number of Dives: 5 Approximate Time: 1.5 days Prerequisites: Open Water Certification or Junior Open Water Price per person: $278.00 *With night dive: $306.00 Advanced Open Water Diver eLearning Minimum Age: 12 (Junior for ages 10-14) Number of Dives: 5 Approximate Time: 1.5 days Prerequisites: Open Water Certification or Junior Open Water Price per person: $196.00 (after PADI eLearning) *With night dive: $223.00 (after PADI eLearning) Supplied Air Snorkeling for Youth (SASY) Minimum Age: 5 Number of Dives: 1 Approximate Time: 2 hours Price per person: $95.00 Bubblemaker Minimum Age: 8 Number of Dives: 1 Approximate Time: 3 hours Price per person: $95.00

Emergency First Response (EFR) Minimum Age: None Prerequisites: None Number of Dives: 0 Approximate Time: 1 day Price per person: $162.00 Rescue Diver Minimum Age: 12 Number of Dives: 2 Open Water Training Scenarios Approximate Time: 2.5 days (eLearning 1.5 days) Prerequisites: Advanced Certification & proof of Basic Life Support/1st Aid training in the past 24 months Price per person: $373.00 After eLearning: $292.00 ($169 for PADI eLearning) Enriched Air Nitrox Shore Diver Specialty Boat Diver Specialty Deep Diver Specialty Wreck Diver Specialty Fish ID Specialty REEF Survey Diver Specialty Sea Turtle Awareness Distinctive Specialty Dive Against Debris Specialty Night Diver Specialty Peak Performance Buoyancy Specialty Search & Recovery Specialty Underwater Naturalist Specialty Underwater Navigation Specialty Digital Underwater Photography Self-Reliant Diver Side Mount Diver Ocean Reef Integrated Dive Mask (Full Face Mask) Diver Ocean Reef Integrated Dive Mask Underwater Communications Diver Emergency Oxygen Provider Equipment Specialist

Learn to Freedive Dive Friends Bonaire is proud to offer PADI freedive courses in an alliance with Deepsea Freediving! Deepsea Freediving offers an extensive PADI Freediver Program as well as a snorkeling program and a mermaid experience. PADI Freediver Program Freediving is a sport discipline that teaches you how to dive using your inward power. If you’ve always wanted to enter the underwater world quietly, on your own terms, staying as long as your breath allows, then freediving is for you. Taking the PADI Freediver course is your first step toward discovering why freediving is becoming a popular way to explore beneath the waves. Courses offered by Deepsea Freediving are led by the legendary freediver Carlos Coste: 12x World Record Freediver; the first man to go beyond 100 meters unnassisted on a single breath; and one of the best AIDA/PADI Instructor Trainers. He and his professional team will guide you from basic techniques to the depths you feel comfortable and beyond. Please check out details here: http://www.divefriendsbonaire.com/freedive/

TAKE THE NEXT STEP AND BECOME A DIVE PROFRESSIONAL WITH THE PADI DIVERMASTER INTERNSHIP IN BONAIRE. Becoming a dive professional is a life-changing experience. At Dive Friends Bonaire, we conduct our Divemaster program as a two month internship. During these months, you’ll study dive theory and PADI standards, hone your dive skills until they’re demonstration quality, perfect your rescue drills, complete a water skills and stamina test, assist instructors with courses and walk (and swim) along on guided dives. You will work five days a week at one of our locations, doing both the training, the fun work (guiding dives) and the less fun, but necessary work (cleaning, filling tanks, helping out around the dive shops). Since you’ll be working at Dive Friends Bonaire, we need to be sure that you’ll be a good fit with our team and with our customers. Please send us your CV (both diving and professional) for consideration. Here are the pre-requisites for the PADI Divemaster Program: Certified as PADI Rescue Diver Logged 40 scuba dives Completed EFR Primary and Secondary Care training within 24 months Medically evaluated and cleared for diving by a physician within 12 months In order to be successful and enjoy your experience at Dive Friends Bonaire you need to be: Independent Self-motivated Responsible Mature (at least 21 years of age) Flexible Open-minded Because you work for the course, there are no course costs. You will, however, need to buy the books and slates, and pay the PADI fee for the dive master application (approximately $400.00) We do not provide accommodation or living expenses. However, we can provide you with contact information for several reasonably priced short-lease apartments around the island. We also require that you have your own dive insurance. If you are not already covered, please have a look at www.daneurope.org (European residents) or www.diversalertnetwork.org (North American residents). Please contact us for more information about our Divemaster internship program.

Dive Friends Bonaire offers four retail stores in Kralendijk that can provide whatever you may need during your dive vacation or the souvenirs you may wish to bring home. Certainly with such a selection, there is no need to spend valuable vacation time locating a shop that carries the dive equipment or perfect souvenir you seek. For your convenience, we also offer a limited selection of dive accessories and t-shirts at each of our seven dive centers. For a wider selection, ask for directions to the shops at any Dive Friends facility. If you don’t find it at the Dive Retail, Dushi Shoes, or Reef, you probably won’t find it on Bonaire! Dive Friends Retail The Dive Friends Retail specializes in dive equipment, BCDs, regulators, computers, wetsuits, dive accessories and underwater cameras. Top-of-the-line brands such as ScubaPro, Suunto, Tusa, Cressi, Henderson, Akona, Subgear, Neosport, Sherwood, Ikelite, GoPro, Scuba DoRag, OceanReef, Underwater Kinetics and Otterbox. We can outfit you from head to toe. Divers who are looking for accessories to customize their gear, or tools to make their dives easier, will have a wide variety of clips, keepers, noisemakers, and slates from which to choose. We keep up with the newest trends and technology to keep you looking and feeling good under the water. We carry souvenir coffee table books by world-famous photographers such as Dos Winkel and Bertie Rook. These books show you the island’s essentials and the beautiful aquatic life in high quality images and colors. Breathtaking wildlife and underwater pictures, posters, postcards, and books make for perfect souvenirs of Bonaire. We also have a large selection of guide books about diving, Bonaire and marine life, including Duikgids Bonaire. If you have any questions about items that we have in stock or wish to pre-order something from Scubapro, please contact us. REEF Store Bonaire As the premium surf travel brand, Reef has a deep appreciation for the natural world. Reef continuously creates high quality, comfortable sandals and surf apparel for an active lifestyle. Their products are eco-friendly as they constantly strive to improve our environment. This made their clothing, accessory and shoe line the obvious choice for Dive Friends Bonaire. Right around the corner from Dushi Shoes. Dushi Style For a great selection of fashion, beach and sport apparel for men and women. Dushi Shoes Dushi Shoes has everything from flip-flips to running shoes. Popular brand names in stock are Nike, Clarks, DC Shoes, Guess, Birkenstock, Crocs, Sockwa, Ipanema, Ryder, and Havaianas. If you need some new flip-flops or want to check out the latest shoe styles from Europe and the US, just follow your feet to Dushi Shoes. If you’re wondering why a dive center would have a shoe store, well, Dive Friends Bonaire knows that quality merchandise is important AND that Crocs can be used as dive shoes! OCEAN REEF ITC Dive Friends Bonaire is an OCEAN REEF International Training Center offering training, retail sales, rental, and equipment repair & servicing for OCEAN REEF products. Stop by our Dive Inn location or visit our OCEAN REEF IDM (Full-Face Mask) page for more information

Pick up or drop off air or nitrox tanks at any one of our 7 locations. From 8 AM-5 PM, divers can sign out 2 tanks at a time and head out to over 60 different shore diving sites! Stop in and check with our crew for best places to dive and daily condition reports.