Mon May 02, 2011 9:12 pm
Haven't seen much traffic on the latest Sand Dog in Bonaire. Maybe because Bonaire is old hat for so many, but for my wife and I, it was exciting. It would be tough to imagine an environment where the diving and the logistics are any easier! My wife got certified many years ago and then never dove again until this trip (except for the PADI refresher course right before we left), so I especially want to thank everyone for making her feel welcome and trying to "guide" her into being a better diver. While we were all newbies once, it can be aggravating, and I thank everyone for being so gracious.
This year's Sand Dog had six participants: Herman and his wife Cathy, Scott Christofferson, Rob Sewell and me and my wife Ginny. Herman and Cathy flew in early Saturday morning, while Scott, Ginny and I were on the later Delta flight. Herman met the Delta flight at the airport and arranged for the three of us to get the required orientation from the dive resort that afternoon. By 4:30, we were in the water, sorting out weighting and diving on the reef that's barely 25 yards from the resort dock. Scott and Herman both had cameras and, from what I saw, got some good photos during the week; however, I'll let them and their photos speak for themselves!
The accommodations were clean and the 3 bedroom "townhouse" worked out well: each bedroom had a separate bath, and the living/kitchen area was where we congregated. The Buddy Dive dive operation is first-class as well. The weather was excellent as well.
Rob and Scott tried out the Healthways Gold label that Herman reported on earlier. Rob also had a Voit 50 Fathom. Scott and I had Phoenixes. On one somewhat crowded site (the Helma Hooker), I really liked that it was easy to pick out the divers in our group -- just look for the double hoses!
For Ginny and I the ability to kick back and relax was just what we needed -- no boat schedule to deal with, just grab some tanks and jump in off the dock, or toss 'em in the truck and go. I made 12 dives, Ginny 10 and Rob, Scott and Herman had more than that.
Diving in Bonaire could be *real* addicting -- we're already talking about going back.