Buddy Dive Resort

“Great experience all round.”

Just spent a week at Buddy Dive resort and had a total of 15 dives. The operation here is flawless and staff are all super friendly and a great source of information. Big shout out to Alvaro who is a mine of information and just a great guy. There are over 60 beach dive sites, but be aware that the… more

Just spent a week at Buddy Dive resort and had a total of 15 dives. The operation here is flawless and staff are all super friendly and a great source of information. Big shout out to Alvaro who is a mine of information and just a great guy. There are over 60 beach dive sites, but be aware that the beaches are nearly all coral and consequently rough and slippery, so booties are essential. Water was warm and very clear (100 ft visibility). Would thoroughly recommend!

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“Will definitely come back to Buddy Dive for an amazing diving or relaxing experience!”

Had an amazing week at Buddy Dive Resort! Beautiful location with stunning ocean view breakfast, lunch and dinner. The team was always helpful and kind and served with a smile! Great diving resort with skilled trainers and diving trips on either one of their boats. Also surprisingly good WiFi. … more

Had an amazing week at Buddy Dive Resort! Beautiful location with stunning ocean view breakfast, lunch and dinner. The team was always helpful and kind and served with a smile! Great diving resort with skilled trainers and diving trips on either one of their boats. Also surprisingly good WiFi. Would definitely book here again the next time I travel to Bonaire!

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“Still an excellent operation!”

My wife and I are experienced divers and this was our fourth time diving with Buddy Dive. Our visits have always been excellent and on our last trip we chose Buddy Dive as the best place to celebrate our 30th anniversary. This time, when a long-term plan to get the rest of the family (our two boys… more

My wife and I are experienced divers and this was our fourth time diving with Buddy Dive. Our visits have always been excellent and on our last trip we chose Buddy Dive as the best place to celebrate our 30th anniversary. This time, when a long-term plan to get the rest of the family (our two boys in their late 20s/early 30s and their wife/fiancé) certified came to fruition, Buddy Dive seemed the perfect place to do a bucket list-worthy family dive vacation. Their proven track record of care, friendly and competent staff, great diving and ability to support both shore and boat dives were all strong reasons for the choice We also know that it is tough to run a dive resort. A little empathy and sympathy for the owners and staff is not too much to ask. There are so many moving parts and some guests get unreasonably upset over the smallest things. We tend to "go with the flow" and understand that everybody gets to have one bad day. So, we tried not to make snap judgements based on one moment. Let's start with the rooms. We had a three bedroom suite on the 2nd and 3rd floors of one of the larger buildings (Rather like a townhouse/condo.) Each room had its own shower and there was a kitchenette on the second/main floor. It was well-apportioned with cook and dinner ware. Water pressure and temperature were fine. Each floor had a balcony with table, chairs and drying hooks for wet suits and other gear. The rooms were partially cleaned on a daily basis Beds were straightened and towels intentionally left on the floor replaced with new ones. Trash was not removed every day and it was not clear who was supposed to clean dishes. (We simply assumed if we made them dirty, we needed to clean them, but not every guest felt that way.) A little clarity on Buddy's part would clear that up. We chose the breakfast included package and were not disappointed. The bill of fare will support any diet. The food is well prepared and the orange juice is fresh-squeezed in front of your eyes. There are two restaurants - Blennies - which is casual and Ingredients, -which is not - and where breakfast (casual) is served. We found the wait staff to be pleasant and attentive without hovering. When one of our party was a little under the weather at dinner, the staff was able to get something whipped together for her. That level of attention is impressive. If you do eat breakfast at the resort, there is no better place than the outside terrace. You'll need to keep an eye out for voracious terns and yellow legs who are just waiting to make a swoop at your plate, or a charming brown-throat parakeet who will try to get the same results through cute and charming behavior. It will drink from your glass if you allow it. Should you wish to use the kitchenette in the room for meals, be advised to find the Van Der Tweel supermarket in town and stock up. The only local options are - to use a phrase - pretty awful. Van Der Tweel is worth the trip. But diving makes - or breaks - a dive resort. Buddy Dive remains a solid 4-5 star operation, but unfortunately there are signs of that starting to slip. Some of that can't be help[ed. but more on that later. Buddy's tank farm remains a stellar operation. The fill was always generous and those of us diving Nitrox never saw a tank out of specifications. A special shout-out is due to Marlon, the friendliest, most professional guy who ever filled tanks If he doesn't run the tank farm, he should. Many staff members come and go, but Marlon has been a constant and welcome presence. Buddy Dive's rental gear is quite good. The staff behind the rental counter were more brusque and borderline unpleasant than before. This was over several days and with different groups. It's hard to see why - although there is a crush of customers on the days when the planes land, so perhaps that was part of it. But - here's two examples. One of our party was sure her BCD had a leak. At first the staff member couldn't hear it and was pretty condescending / snarky about what she was sure was a false alarm. This changed when she suddenly did hear the leak. (The leak was real - others of us had heard it. The hose was rapidly replaced and worked well for the rest of the trip. The other example occurred at the initial gear issue. One of members of a different group was given a small BCD and couldn't get it to fit. The Buddy Dive employee grabbed it, and in a whirlwind of adjustments sized the BCD to perfection - but all the while radiating silent disapproval, and exasperation followed by a disparaging comment about the guest to the rest of the staff she was issuing gear with. This isn't a huge thing, and safety was always first, but making customers feel bad or embarrassed is not smart business. (And is probably counterproductive where tips are concerned.) The dive shop was an oasis of calm. The staff were quick to answer questions and help. When one of our party came down with a bug and missed scheduled morning dives, the staff were able to arrange an afternoon dive, Such flexibility is much appreciated. Shore divers will continue to love Buddy Dive - as long as you know where you want to go, and the reef guide "Bonaire" by Popper, Wagner and McDougall remains a highly recommended reference. ... although a new edition would be welcome, as some conditions have changed. By all means include Salt Pier on your planned shore dives, as well as the Hilma Hooker, Oil Slick Leap and the series of dives in the vicinity of Angel City are also rewarding and depth can be adjusted for new divers. . Bachelor's Beach is also an excellent site - and, absent a ladder, the easiest shore entry on the island. And don't forget Buddy's reef. It's easy and teams with fish and wildlife, Which brings us to boat dives. For the first time, the "Big Buddy" broke down on a dive. It took some time to get that straightened out. They next day, rather than run two boats with smaller numbers of divers per boat, Big Buddy sailed out with only one engine, which wound up reducing the number of accessible sites, that would have been accessible had there been two engines. The crew were surprisingly frank about their belief in the need for the Buddy fleet to have an overhaul. (That's hearsay of course, but it was an unusual and seemingly sincere conversation.) There was also a mix up about tanks. There were two divers who were listed to have 100 cubic feet tanks (vice 80). It was on the manifest. That would mean 4 tanks were needed, but only two were brought aboard. There were no extra 80s and no boat was used to bring out the tanks during the first dive. No, the solution was to bring everyone back to the dock after the first dive and take on the extra tanks. (By the way, there are no racks to fit 100s. This makes rigging up a trifle more challenging.) Again, we have never seen this before. It's not a huge problem, but it's not the kind of error you want to see once a boat leaves the dock. The biggest issue and one beyond Buddy Dive's control, is the health of Bonaire's reefs. Like coral reefs everywhere they are under pressure - from global warming, to diseases. This is, or should be a national issue for Bonaire and the impact is real. Some former popular dive sites are now seldom or never dived. Hard corals have taken a beating and bleaching is a problem. Buddy deserves credit for supporting reef restoration and there are patches of success. They also are careful about gear rinse in an effort to slow or stop the spread of disease. And Bonaire is not like Florida or the Maldives where coral loss is as high as 90%. There is a fighting chance, but it is something future visitors will want to consider when deciding whether to visit sooner or later. I won't end this review on a down note. We had a wonderful vacation and Buddy Dive remains a wonderful experience and a well-run resort. It is family friendly and suitable for all levels of divers.

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“Just ok”

I wasn’t impressed. Front desk staff was GREAT. The ingredients’ staff was good too. The breakfast staff was surly at best The bar/casual was inept/terrible. We had multiple AC issues between our two 3-bedroom units. One was repaired. The other wasn’t. The apartments don’t have AC except in t… more

I wasn’t impressed. Front desk staff was GREAT. The ingredients’ staff was good too. The breakfast staff was surly at best The bar/casual was inept/terrible. We had multiple AC issues between our two 3-bedroom units. One was repaired. The other wasn’t. The apartments don’t have AC except in the bedrooms. None in the great room/kitchen.

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