Package Details
Resort Details
Destination Details
Traveler Reviews
2nd Diver Dives for Free!
7 Nights’ accommodations, Round Trip Airport Transfers, 7 Days Vehicle Rental with Insurance ($250 Deductible), Daily Breakfast, 6 Days of Unlimited Shore Diving with Tanks, Weights, Weight Belts and Free Nitrox (Not Included Hotel Taxes, Bonaire Government Entry Tax and Marine Park Fees)
Travel Period: Jun. 01 – Aug. 15, 2025
Price and Room Selections:
$1332 1st Diver Pays / $1127 2nd Diver Pays Studio (Double Occupancy)
$1436 1st Diver Pays / $1231 2nd Diver Pays 1 Bedroom Apartment (Double Occupancy)
$1940 1st Diver Pays / $1735 2nd Diver Pays 2 Bedroom Apartment (Double Occupancy)
$1164 1st & 3rd Divers Pays / $959 2nd & 4th Divers Pays 2 Bedroom Apartment (Quad Occupancy)
$1279 1st & 3rd Divers Pays / $1074 2nd & 4th Divers Pays 3 Bedroom Apartment (Quad Occupancy)
$1067 1st, 3rd & 5th Divers Pays / $862 2nd, 4th & 6th Divers Pays 3 Bedroom Apartment (6 Diver Occupancy)
Travel Period: Aug. 16 – Dec. 19, 2025
Price and Room Selections:
$1282 1st Diver Pays / $1077 2nd Diver Pays Studio (Double Occupancy)
$1379 1st Diver Pays / $1174 2nd Diver Pays 1 Bedroom Apartment (Double Occupancy)
$1849 1st Diver Pays / $1644 2nd Diver Pays 2 Bedroom Apartment (Double Occupancy)
$1119 1st & 3rd Divers Pays / $914 2nd & 4th Divers Pays 2 Bedroom Apartment (Quad Occupancy)
$1226 1st & 3rd Divers Pays / $1021 2nd & 4th Divers Pays 3 Bedroom Apartment (Quad Occupancy)
$1031 1st, 3rd & 5th Divers Pays / $826 2nd, 4th & 6th Divers Pays 3 Bedroom Apartment (6 Diver Occupancy)
**Add On**
6 Boat Dives for $225 1st Diver and 2nd Diver Free
Expires at 10:00pm on Saturday June 14th, 2025
Buddy Dive Resort Bonaire
Buddy Dive Resort is located on the popular scuba diving island of Bonaire in the Caribbean ocean. The islands' closest neighbors are Aruba and Curacao. With divers in mind, they designed 11 modern buildings with 1,2,or 3 bedroom apartments and 1 bedroom studios. As a result, the apartments have full kitchens, bathrooms with showers, furnished living areas, and large balconies or patios. The studi...
Bonaire
Bonaire is a diver's paradise for scuba diving from boats and shore diving. The Island is a coveted destination for both scuba divers and snorkelers. Being a Dutch Caribbean island means it has a good infrastructure as well as high standards for education, healthcare and sanitation. Because the locals speak several languages including English, conversation is easy. The American dollar is the cur...
My family and I had the most wonderful vacation @ Buddy Dive. From the pick up @ the airport in the late evening to a super dive facility - all was easy and truly was a diver's delight. This was a dream vacation to Bonaire’s Buddy Dive Resort. It could not have been any better.
- Jackson
The trip was excellent – flights even though sounding horrible actually worked well. We arrived early got all our paper work and dive check outs done. Although flight home was very early…but nice to be home at a reasonable We were upgraded to larger rooms and the staff was great We are already planning to return again next year One thing we overheard was that Buddy has dive boat issues and many need major mechanical overhauls – hope they can get this cared for. The staff believes all monies are being diverted to the live aboard that Buddy is starting versus taking care of the local operation.
- Clark
The room at Buddie’s ended up being a three bedroom instead of the two, this upgrade was a bonus for us. The room met our needs perfectly. The service at Buddies was wonderful and so was the diving. We had a fantastic week in Bonaire. Everything ran smoothly; from the time we were picked up at the airport until we departed. Buddies runs a first class operation. Underwater highlights include a 6 foot green turtle, large tarpon, night dive at the salt pier, and the Hilma Hooker wreck.
- Mark
We had a great time as always. The rooms were spacious. We shared a two bedroom/2 bath with adjoining doors (as oppose to the 2bedroom/2 bath apartment that we had stayed in previously ) and it was just fine. . They have updated their decor with new kitchenettes,refrigerators, and HD TVs. We enjoyed the 6 boat dive much more than the usual 11 boat dive package as we took it easier and didn't feel as rushed. As it turned out, we still did 17 dives. The water temperature was a little colder than usual, so in the future we would probably do Bonaire in the Fall instead of the Spring. Everything went smoothly.
- Alcover
The hotel room was excellent - it is our new favorite room at the resort. Beautifully remodeled and comfortable. We like being on the 2nd floor on the north side of the complex. The service at the hotel was great and the restaurant menus seem to have improved. We were happy to eat onsite for our whole stay. The dive operator were fabulous! John had a couple of equipment issues that Marco was able to fix quickly for essentially no cost. The familiar faces greeted us like old friends. The shore side storage area for gear had been remodeled and was a real improvement. We saw several "squadrons of squid" hanging out in the shallows near the surface. These were the first squid we have seen. There were numerous turtles. Three barracuda followed us as we made our way into the shallows toward shore, with the largest heading right toward us, which got our heart beat rates up. In general it seemed that the reef is quite healthy. A beautiful experience.
- Carol
As usual, our Buddy Resort dive vacation was wonderful. The breakfast buffet was very good. The rooms have been upgraded since our last trip down there ---- bathrooms were very nicely done! Altho the room was OK, it would have been better if the sofa had been a full size sofa or sleep sofa and it would be nice to have a blender in the kitchen. As usual, the hotel and dive staff were friendly and accommodating. We enjoyed the Friday BBQ at Buddy’s and John and Susie (photo shop) gave us recommendations for fabulous dining spots in town for the rest of the week. And, of course, the diving right in front of Buddy’s is great ---- saw several octopi, lots of flounder. Also loved the ‘conservation talk’ about the coral ‘trees’ on Buddy Reef. This was my 8th trip to Bonaire --- my 4th trip to Buddy’s. Before finding Buddy’s, I stayed at Divi Resort but I don’t like the Divi casino atmosphere. I love the hard core diving culture of Buddy’s ---- it attracts the best kind of people and I will be returning as often as I can!
- Elizabeth
Overall, I’d say that the trip was terrific. Diving was great, as always, but I did notice fewer critters on the reef. I think that’s probably due to the Lionfish invasion, which Buddy Dive is taking an active role in hunting, teaching divers how to hunt safely (with an instructor only) and cooking their catch. The dive staff was attentive, a little more controlling on the boat dives than say the Habitat but there is still a lot of freedom on the shore dives. The boat dives are limited to 60 minutes with encouragement to stay at the 50-80 foot level, max at 100 ft. (understandable with the use of Nitrox), and requiring everyone to dive in a general group with some flexibility. The dive operation had a terrific PADI Certified dive course in teaching how to help to regenerate some of the endangered coral (Staghorn and Elkhorn) through the Coral Restoration Foundation that I would highly recommend as it gives you an opportunity to help restore the reef and give something back to the sport. Also, the night fluorescent dive was a cool experience. There is also a very good Photo Center, independently run from the hotel, that can assist you with most photographic assistance including rentals, critiques of your own photos and repairs. Hotel staff was courteous, friendly and always pleasant. As for the apartment, I would say that the bathroom was a bit cramped and the air conditioning which was located in the bedroom, did nothing for the main room, but one can get used to that.
- Robert
Our recent trip to Bonaire was extremely enjoyable for both Martha and me. Each day offered fun both above and below the water. Martha made great friends while snorkeling, She even found a $50 bill tucked in the sand at about 10 feet. Once it was snatched from the sea, the three snorkeling friends went right to the bar to splurge on Coco Locos! Accommodations were just fine and the food at Buddy's proved really super. I thoroughly enjoyed the diving and was able to capture some fairly decent shots throughout the week. Will send a couple when I return home and have access to my files. Just a suggestion or two...it would have been nice for the dive masters to be more involved in finding the local critters instead of just floating along watching the group. Also, they might have been a little more proactive in helping change out tanks for the older divers. We all managed though and had great times.
- Judy
We had a great time . We did have a big problem with the airline however. The outgoing flight was on Saturday with United from Austin to Houston to Bonaire. There was a maintenance problem with the aircraft and the leg from Austin to Houston could not be completed in time for the connection to Bonaire. The next flight to Bonaire was the next Saturday, and this meant the entire scheduled trip was going to be missed. I called Buddy Dive and they said that since this was the day we were scheduled to arrive, our entire pre-paid reservation would be forfeited. OK - I understood. Because of this, we rescheduled to fly to Curacao two days later from Houston. We then connected on a local carrier from Curacao to Bonaire and got there three days late on Tuesday. We thus missed half the trip and ran up over $1000 in extra travel and lodging expenses. We bought the travel insurance recommended and are now documenting the claim. All the above being said, when we finally got there we had a great time and are planning to go back soon.
- Bob
Buddy Dive was great, as always. We really appreciated getting the room we had requested (#511). It seems that Buddy has made some upgrades, including paving the driveways and enhancing the dining menus. We had a wonderful time and look forward to returning to Buddy Dive.
- Carol
Buddy Dive Resort experience was excellent as usual.
- Sonja
We had a wonderful time. We got the room location we wanted. There were considerable upgrades to the furniture in the room as well as to the resort since the last time we stayed at Buddy's, about a year ago. Service was good. We only ate breakfast at Buddy's. We never ate at Ingridents, instead we went downtown to It Rains Fishes x 3, Sebastian's, Patagonia, and Casa Bon Pizza. Clear blue seas for diving and saw green moray, hawksbill turtle, large lobster, sea horse and squid. The last dive of the trip was my 500th dive! All in all we had a GREAT time!
- Jeanne
Wonderful Family dive vacation at Buddy Dive. Staff at hotel and on dive boats the best! Just on Buddy Reef saw Octopus and a great night dive with many Tarpons. The coral restoration project amazing. I hope to do the course next visit!
- M.
Buddy Dive was great. The freedom to come and go was fantastic. The staff was very friendly; however, there was very little sense of extra engagement or connecting with the visitors. We often like to spend more time with the dive guides. This is a great place for a larger group or people that want to go it alone. We had fun exploring the island.
- Eric
This was our 4th trip to Bonaire and our 3rd stay at Buddy's Dive Resort. We had a studio in the "new" Lions side of the resort. It was "okay". The only window was a small window in the bathroom at the back of the unit. AC would only go down to 24C. Water heater leaked into the bedroom area...house keeping placed dry towels as a fix. Shower enclosure leaked and ran into the bedroom...house keeping supplied extra towels to "dam" up the water and keep it in the bathroom. The "patio" was was just the walkway into the room...about 6ft by 3ft...two chairs and a small table. Service was great and the food was good...especially the the "Ingredients" fancy restaurant ($75/pp discount did not apply in this restaurant). The food was a little expensive but $75/pp discount made it more reasonable. It was windy so most of the boat dives went to Klin Bonaire which is not as good as the main island. We did get two dives out of nine up north. We thought the coral and fish/critters were not as good as prior dive trips...maybe the time of the year. Nothing unique. I did see a robins egg blue nudibranch that I had not seen before, but only once. We dove the Salt Pier and were disappointed...not much to see but a couple sharp tailed eels.
- Chris
Fifth trip to Bonaire, fourth stay at Buddy's. It was outstanding as it has been in the past. And it's the best dive resort of my trips to Little Cayman, Cayman Brac, Roatan, Utilla, and Cozumel. The included breakfast is the best anywhere. The tank operation is the easiest, the quickest and the most user friendly. Free Nitrox, of course. Vehicles come with the room, with 7 passenger vans (brand new)for larger parties. All vehicles were brand new this year. Bonaire has quite a few European cuisine restaurants with delicious food and reasonable prices, one of the reasons I keep going back.
- Lucien
Our room did not have a hair dryer or an electrical outlet in the bathroom. We had to put down a deposit to get a hair dryer. The only mirror was in the bathroom. Therefore, I had to dry my hair in the bedroom without a mirror. Everything else about the studio suite that we had was great, especially the kitchen. It was stocked with silver ware, cups, plates, and glasses. The new appliances were wonderful in the kitchen.
- M.
This was our 3rd Trip to Buddy Dive. Great resort, great people, fantastic diving. We were going to limit our Bonaire trips to 2 years, then move onto another destination but where else do you have unlimited shore diving of this caliber! Whether it's one or 8 dives a day, there's something for everyone. We have some folks heading back for more on their own in just a few months. We had a great trip.
- Kathy
My wife and I had a great time at Buddy Dive, Bonaire. The reefs are in amazing healthy condition with lots of interesting life. Although we did not do any beach dives the island is so well known for, we did enjoy a couple of night dives right off the Buddy dock. Such a short swim to so much beauty! Although the bed wasn't as comfortable as we had hoped, the room was very clean and the kitchenette was very complete and convenient. And with so many stores and restaurants so close to the property, we had plenty of choices and time for meals without cutting into our dive experience. The entire staff, from the front desk, to the dive operation, on property restaurants & bar and housekeeping were all exceptionally friendly and helpful. We definitely look forward to future visits to this resort.
- Nick
We had a wonderful family dive vacation at Buddy Resort. The resort was very nice but not American type luxury. Also the kitchens are not really set up to cook in. There were only five plates, 5 bowls etc. The diving and snorkeling was beautiful and worth the trip. The only critical remarks I would have is that there was no hot tub, which we really enjoyed after scuba diving, and there were mosquitoes everywhere.
- Lorie
Resort held no surprises. Rooms were spacious & clean. The kitchen could have been equipped alittle better but it wasn't bad. I liked the idea that breakfast was included it made the day start out easy. The resort food & drink prices weren't bad & we never felt taken advantage of. We had a diver certification fall through & they gave us our money back---which they didn't have todo. We appreciated that. I would recommend the resort to friends
- J.
We had a great time! Buddy Dive Resort (BDR) was as just as we anticipated, since this was our 6th vacation at BDR. Our room appeared to be recently remodeled, it had new appliances and was in good condition. The bedroom AC did not function the first evening, we reported it and it was repaired that day. We have no complaints. The pickup we were issued was old, rusted and beat up. The tailgate was hanging on by a thread (rusted chain), however…is served us well, and we were not concerned about the rough look as we loaded and unloaded tanks and equipment each day. They have some new trucks in the lot, so they appear to be rotating their fleet, we just got an old one. The restaurant food was good, and so was the service. I would call it pricey, some of that can be attributed to the location…but $13-16 for a burger is pricey. We were prepared for it. We ate at Blemies and Ingredients, as well as a few places off-site. Fantastic diving! We observed the coral spawning (never seen that before). We encountered loads of turtles, moray eels, and more fish life than we could remember.
- John
I had a great time diving at Buddy Dive Resort. The room was quite spacious and included working kitchen area, living room and deck with ocean views. The morning breakfast was tasty with lots of choices. The dive shop was super professional and accommodating. I would definitely recommend this dive resort.
- Henry
Our trip was great!! Really enjoyed Buddy Dive Resort. We had a delay in getting our rental vehicle the first day, and one of our group members broke her elbow getting in the water off the dive boat, but otherwise the staff and accommodations were wonderful. Really loved having our own dive boat for the group!! Would definitely stay there again.
- Kim
Always great diving and customer service.
- Anthony
We had a great time on our vacation. When we arrived at Buddy Dive at noon after spending a week at Divi, we were pleasantly surprised to find our apartment was ready. It was on the second floor with a great ocean view. However, it had recently been painted and had a strong paint smell. My allergies/asthma did not like it! We tried airing the apartment out, but that didn't really help. We knew that our downstairs neighbors were moving out the next day, so I called the front desk at 9:15 PM suggesting the possibility that we could move to that apartment if no one else was scheduled to move in. Even though the manager had already left for the night, the person I was speaking to immediately called her and got back to me right away, saying that we could move. I mentioned that both of us would be out most of the next day and wouldn't be able to move until late in the afternoon.They said that wasn't a problem. When I went to reception the next day to get the new key, the manager came over to me and gave me a voucher for the buffet at the hotel Friday night. It was for 4 people and 4 drinks! I was quite shocked. She said that she wanted her guests to have the best experience possible. I think that was very impressive. The apartment was clean, had quiet air conditioners, free wi-fi, a nice TV, and fully stocked kitchen. The view was great. The breakfasts were good, and we had good meals at the hotel a few of the nights. I had a few issues with snorkeling off the boat. In two of the cases, the sites chosen were not compatible with snorkeling, and I felt that I wasted my money. I made sure to let them know, though.*:) happy In my various snorkel trips, I saw turtles, sting rays, various eels, and such a large variety of colorful fish and coral. My companion liked the diving and had similar experiences diving. We definitely would stay there again.
- Sheila
This was the first dive vacation after getting certified with my two younger sons (all adults now) so I wanted a really special trip. Overall the resort had a very nice atmosphere and people were helpful. Buddy dive lives up to its t-shirt that says "Eat, Sleep, Dive Buddy Resort". They are well structured to support people there to dive, dive, dive. The average person arriving at Bonaire has significant experience diving and has likely stayed at Buddy on a previous trip. The drive through tank fills with equipment wash tanks was very convenient. They don't hold your hand when you arrive unless you ask for the help so you need to ask for that help (which we did). They were more than helpful if you asked. After you know your way around they are really good about just getting out of your way so you can have fun. We dove about 18 times on lots of different reefs with most of our early dives at the Buddy Dive house reef, which was very nice. I would however say they were running short on lockers in the dive center and the dock was a bit of a traffic jam in the evenings with everyone getting ready for night dives on the reef. The activities center was great to work with on kayaking/snorkeling at the Mangrove Center. Room service at the resort was timely and they did a nice job. The kitchen served our needs and the AC kept up. Breakfast was very good and ready on time each morning (we are early risers). Lunch and dinner at Blennies tasted great with okay service but maybe a bit on the expensive side. We ate in the city a few times and the food was okay (not as good as the resort) but less expensive. The arrival and departure transfers were definitely a 'cattle car' with all of our luggage in big trucks and everyone tightly packed on buses. I suspect this was driven by the fact that several large dive groups arrived on the same plane with us. Next time I might rent an Avis truck near the airport and skip the transfers. Diving on Bonaire: Bonaire met or exceeded all of our hopes for what a great scuba diving destination should be. Clarity was in excess of 100', water temperatures were 81 to 83 F so we just dove with our rash guard shirts and swimming trunks, the abundance of marine life and diversity and health of the reefs was spectacular, night diving was a bit disorienting at first but by the second night dive we were having a great time. Swimming with a feeding school of large tarpons attracted to our dive lights was amazing! We were very careful with our buoyancy so as to not touch anything and we quickly increased our confidence levels after some practice. We did experience a brief rain shower but we were already getting in the water for a dive so who cares. To be clear Bonaire's big attraction is diving…snorkeling in the cave, kayaking and snorkeling in the mangroves, shopping in town, visiting the donkey park, etc…are all very nice but the island is very dry, rocky and most of the plants there are covered with thorns. Thank goodness for a steady breeze that makes the mid-80s temperatures okay.
- Warren
This was our 3rd trip to Bonaire and we love it there! Buddy Dive Resort is a very nice facility and we like it there as well. My only complaint was with the rental truck. They told us it was only 3 years old, but it's had a dang tough life! The shore diving opportunities are excellent on Bonaire, but we could see a definite decline in reef health on every reef from Karpata to White Slave mostly at 35' (10 m) and above from our last trip in 2012. Lots' of bleaching on mostly the hard coral, but we saw some tube sponges and gorgonians that were suffering as well. The dive community had better step it up and force the congress in the USA to get us on a green path or we're not going to have any reefs to dive in the near future. And this thought, these damaged reefs absolutely breaks my heart! It will take us all being very vocal to get this done. Will you help?
- Jim
As always, Buddy was great, dive site and the staff was great as well.
- Bill
Had a great trip, Buddy's was perfect for our needs.
- James
It was wonderful! We had a great time at Buddy Dive and really loved our stay. Buddy's 1 bedrooms are comparable to Don's, and while the 3 bedroom suites were nice, the bungalows at Don's are better. The staff at Buddy's was incredible and they have a great dive operation. The food at Blennie's was decent, but there are better options within walking distance. (We walked over to Don's many times to eat at their restaurant) Week 1 Buddy scheduled our group for 2 tank boats for just our group, which was wonderful. By week 2 we knew most of the dive staff and they were very helpful in scheduling our second week as well. My wife took their PADI Lionfish hunting course. Great instruction. It really enhanced her diving experience. Next year we are looking at going back for at least a week.
- Jesse
The reefs are healthy and beautiful - unfortunately I got sick and only got two dives in. Buddy Dive itself is a little tattered. The twin beds are more crib-sized than traditional American twin beds - really uncomfortable (especially when you get sick and have to spend time in them). I'd go back to Bonaire, but probably not back to Buddy Dive
- Lisa
Exceptional Vacation, Buddy Dive Resort is an all-in-one place to dive and relax. Quality living accommodations, great food. Best boat and shore diving options. You can literally dive 24/7. Nearly all bottles are Nitrox, no tracking tickets. Just Dive, Dive and Dive.
- Scott
Buddy dive is a great dive resort. Everyone involved in the dive operation is knowledgeable and friendly. I had a broken leg 6 months prior to the trip and it was still weak- they helped me in and out of the water every time. The only complaint would be about the restaurant Blennies. We had dinner there 3 times and the service is atrocious. The BBQ, which had always been excellent, was terrible.They ran out of fish and chicken and the line took forever as people waited. We were in line for 45 minutes, only have to wait again unless we wanted only sausage and pork. The breakfast buffet was fine. It seems that they hire students with no waiting experience. It's too bad that after a night dive you can't have dinner at your own hotel without service issues.
- Kathy
This was our 3rd trip back to Buddy Dive and had a great time. As always we were greeted at the airport on time and check in was a breeze. The resort hadn't changed much in the last few years so most everything was the same. Staff was very helpful, boats nice and crew OK. Some better then others. Dive shop was the same and photo center closed as the person who ran it is retiring. They have some new vehicles which was really nice and driving around the island is always fun along with the shore dives. Lots more cruise ships in town which did create problems for us as Buddy Dive is trying to capture more business from the cruise ship passengers. Because of this our last boat trip was almost 1 hour late and the crew was not happy about it although they were great with us. Seems Buddy Dive is understaffed and not enough boats to work this all out correctly. Also, we had a group of 19 divers and 4 snorkelers and usually we would have the same crew for all trips but not this time.
- Ken
Our Bonaire trip was indeed wonderful. As this is the 6th time there, expectations are high, and so was the experience – justifies going back. Buddy’s was great – food, diving, the room ,the training. We’ll certainly be back soon.
- Robert
Buddy Dive was all it's promised to be - great diving, good DMs and captains, dive operation well run. Nice room, pretty good food @ resort. Those are the most important areas, but a few comments about our personal experience, which was just fine overall. But if you want adequate lighting or a screen door that works so you are not savaged (literally) by lil 'squitos, or any kind of ambiance in your room, or a single place to hang wet things - upgrade to another place. I spent hours trying to clear out the bugs (I am NOT an anti-bug freak either!) that were intent on drinking us. Lovely grounds but looked like they needed more care and clean up. Another thing we found odd -a different DM and boat almost every dive - no continuity w/ personnel so you don't get to know them, or they you, and cannot count on diving w/ new friends either - all depends on how quick you get to the board to sign up. Will think hard about returning here but Bonaire is wonderful!
- Anthony
We just returned from a wonderful vacation at Buddy Dive Bonaire. Buddy Dive was great. The staff are very helpful. I get the feeling, having been there 3 years or so ago, that they are investing substantially in their infrastructure. There is also a new manager named Rene who was constantly around and making sure things went well. We would surely love to return in the future. Just for some insight, we learned that Insilair is having alot of financial trouble and therefore equipment problems. There is another airline on those routes called Divi Divi Airline. Yea, sounds funny, but they have smaller planes but they have alot of flights and the passengers say they are great. FYI.
- Dean
Buddy Dive provided their usual excellent accommodations and service. There were more guests present than we've seen in the past, but we still had adequate space for our diving needs.
- Carol
All went well at Buddys
- Donis
Just wanted to tell you that our vacation was perfect. Buddy dive Bonaire is a great operation and everything went without a hitch.
- Harry
Our trip was wonderful. The accommodations were upgraded to a 3 bedroom with plenty of space. The resort is run like a fine tuned engine with all cylinders firing to ensure a well functioning organization. As far as diving goes, Bonaire always rates high on my list of destinations. Taking care of their reef is of utmost importance to this tiny island and it shows. Coral restoration is ongoing and the habitat is thriving making the dives in this area unbelievably awesome. The dive packages are better than I have ever experienced anywhere and my son and I had no problem completing 15 dives each with 6 boat dives among the 15! Buddy Dive stands behind their promise to provide a safe and pleasurable dive destination.
- Naumann
Maduro recommended Buddy Dive and I was very pleased with the resort and accommodations. Their description was acurate and they had great pricing. Bonaire is a great place for underwater photos!
- Harrison
Love Buddy Dive. Spent two weeks for the first time. So much more relaxed than a week. Will be back again. This was my 7th trip to Bonaire, 4th to Buddy Dive.
- Kathy
We had a super trip to Bonaire. The diving was awesome, the PADI course for the kids worked great and who knew there were so many great restaurants there? Plus we windsurfed on Lac Bay and want to go back to try the mountain biking and more boat dives with Buddy. We ended up thinking Buddy Dive had a much more vibrant diving program than Captain Don's. Buddy had lots of families and kids taking courses and in the water. Their dive shop was bustling and we loved the mix of locals and Dutch folks who worked there. For groups with kids, we preferred Buddy.
- Scott S.
We just returned from buddy dive. All went smoothly, they were at the airport waiting for us. We went to the resort, and since we registered online, we were given keys and off we went to our rooms. Augusto the dive shop manager greeted us, we went to the dive shop and signed in. Was able to do our check out dive when we arrived so we could start our boat diving on Thursday. We had our own boat and we had a great schedule. I would definitely stay again!
- Cindy H.
The trip was exceptional. The accommodations were great and the diving was, as always, exceptional. The staff ay Buddy's is always friendly and accommodating. Other than the delayed flight the trip was fun and I am looking forward to doing it again.
- Terry F.
Lovely resort near town, the rooms are a bit tired but still adequate for needs. Many stairs, a consideration when traveling with folks with more limited mobility. Food was amazing, prices reasonable. The diving center was great, super helpful and getting tanks was an easy process. Everything was within a short drive and the island is easy to navigate. Many of the shore entries are challenging for people with more limited mobility and folks with this challenge may want to consider utilizing the affordable boat dive option from the resort. The only real negative of the trip was the Bonaire tax authority which charged us for an individual who could not travel, double charged one individual, and charged us for the whole group. The online payment portal does not work. Suggestion for other travelers would be to register each traveler individually and have them pay the visitor tax with their own QR code. Utilizing a group QR code caused us lots of issues and the tax authority refuses to give refunds for duplicate payments. Paying the marine park tag fee and printing at home was easy and simple. We laminated the printouts to be sure they would survive the trip, a great tip we picked up from other travelers.
- Sarina E.
Buddy Dive has gone cashless, you are forced to use credit cards if you want to eat, drink and be merry. Not the way we vacation - we use cash for our vacation fun. Buy your beer and snacks at the Chinese Store down the road - saves on the bar tabs. The Wi-Fi is not available in all units. They replaced the doors to the patio that block the signal. Since Wi-Fi is free - they do not guarantee that it will work in your unit. You have to either sit outside on the patio and be attacked by mosquitos or sit at the bar. The staff is very friendly, accommodations and attentive. The units are nice and clean. I can't say how the food was, since we couldn't use our cash at the resort. Diving was great although we didn't see many of our usual finds - squid, rays or octopus, all MIA. We did encounter many turtles.
- Janet
Overall it was a good trip. We stayed about 10 nights with a primary focus on diving. The resort is kind of dated but they are definitely working to improve things. I found the breakfast buffet at the Ingredients restaurant excellent and the staff at the Blennies bar/restaurant friendly and helpful. My only minor complaint is they seemed to be sticklers about making reservations at Blennies even though the place was pretty empty. I thought maybe it was because they use it to plan for staffing needs, which they are in short supply of (as is about everyone). Advice is, just make a reservation no matter how empty you think the restaurant will be. The accommodations we stayed in, a 3 bedroom apartment, could use some work. Water pressure was poor (even non existent once!) and only the bedrooms have A/C. The 1st floor bedroom is fairly small. The upstairs rooms are more roomy and are "master suite" like. The room cleaning staff was excellent and took care of the room(s) quite well. If it matters to you, the Wi-Fi on property is good when you can get it (which is most of the time). The locations of the access points and the concrete buildings make it difficult or impossible to get connected at times - even in the same apartment. They have, what I call "faux beaches" by the pools with lounge chairs, thatch umbrella shade, sand and oceanfront views that I liked. Bonaire has very limited traditional sandy beaches so it was a nice touch. The bar is nice and convenient to get a drink but you don't get chair-side service. They have a pool that adjoins the bar with seats in the pool water you can sit at. If you are intending to "drive and dive" at Buddy with their trucks be advised most/all of them are manual transmission. The extremely unavailable automatic transmission trucks surprised me a bit. So if you are not able to drive a stick shift, be certain to have this very specific item "locked in" before you arrive.... otherwise you might be scrambling (or learning to drive a stick!). The dive shop at Buddy's was awesome and the staff there were wonderful. Overall it was great experience. I would definitely return one day.
- Brian E.
The diving was great as always and the people at the dive shop were great. The restaurant is slow and people spend more time talking to each other than taking care of their customers. Will most likely go to Bonaire again sometime but will stay somewhere else.
- Darla C.
I just returned from a week down to Bonaire where I had 16 of my divers with me. We stayed at buddies and everything and everyone there was very professional and accommodating. We also did 6 boat dive and I got to do a dive I’d never done because it is inaccessible from shore. It was called Rapel, it was incredible. The corals and sponges looked the way they are supposed to, perfect. Wonderful trip in every way and none of my of my divers had any complaints about anything on the trip, it was just wonderful! Can’t wait until the next one.
- Spencer P.
Prices starting at:
USD $ 826
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7% Off Accommodations – 6% Off Diving!
7 Nights’ accommodations, 5 Days of 2 Tank Boat Dives and 6 Days of Unlimited Tanks for Shore Diving and Government Taxes
Travel Period: May 31 – Jun. 29, 2025
Price and Room Selections:
$941 Studio (Double Occupancy)
$1331 Studio (Single Occupancy)
$1006 Jr. Apartment (Double Occupancy)
$1462 Jr. Apartment (Single Occupancy)
$1055 Apartment (Double Occupancy)
Travel Period: Jun. 30, 2025 – Jun. 29, 2026
Price and Room Selections:
$1012 Studio (Double Occupancy)
$1418 Studio (Single Occupancy)
$1076 Jr. Apartment (Double Occupancy)
$1548 Jr. Apartment (Single Occupancy)
$1125 Apartment (Double Occupancy)
**Note**
Stay Longer and Increase Your Discount!
Expires at 10:00pm on Friday June 13th, 2025
All West Apartments
Scuba Diving in Curacao? All West Apartments are located near the fishing village of West Punt on Curacao Island. So, they have 12 apartments with ocean view and complete with kitchen facilities. Not only is it a favorite spot for scuba divers, but when locals want to get away from the city of Willemstad, this is one of the stay-cation hot spots they go to. Enjoy our blog article on Curacao, Can...
Curacao
Curacao is a Southern Caribbean island with extensive coral reef formations along its coastline. Because of this, the island is a very attractive scuba diving destination. Curacao's has a semi-arid, sunny climate so diving takes place here all year round. Furthermore, the picturesque European-style architecture contrasts nicely with the islands' tropical vibe. The historic capital Willemstad is a ...
We had a great time in Curacao. The apartment at All West was very nice and the diving was terrific. The staff at the hotel and dive shop was always helpful.
- A.
The All West Apartments and staff were great. There was a mix up with room assignments as there was a large group checking in at the same time. However, it was all straightened out in short order. The rooms were great. We turned the living room into a second bedroom with the pull-out couch, so we each had a bedroom. In all of my years diving I have never stayed in an apartment, so it was an interesting (good) adventure. However, we stopped at the grocery store when we came from the airport, and we set up house. The diving behind All West and also the dive shop was very good. And after hour tanks were always available. The dive operation Ocean Encounters (All West Diving) was super. They run a fine operation and are very helpful & friendly. The diving was very good. I didn't see any new things, as it was my 5th time in Curacao. However my son is a new diver and almost everything was new and exciting to him. We did a lot of sightseeing and ate out three nights. We ate twice at The Sol and had the pleasure in spending some time talking to Sunshine. The food was excellent and Sunshine's smiling personality left smiles on our face too. What a great place to eat and spend an evening. We had a great time and are ready to come back.
- Roger
The apartment was fine and we found the local restaurants in West Punt to be very good. The dive operator was okay, although a couple of the dive masters seemed a little bored. Our biggest concern was the lack of marine life, except for reef fish, on all of the dives except one. No lobster, a couple of small crab, and no large fish at all. We did see many fishing boats in the dive areas and since our apartment was near the local dock, we got to see the catch they brought in every day. It's no wonder we didn't see any large fish. We heard many divers say they wouldn't be coming back to Curacao and we fall in the same category. It definitely is not a protected marine environment and I expect the local fishermen to over fish themselves and the dive industry out of business. For that I am truly sad.
- Bill
Love Westpunt. Good dive sites, restaurants, beaches. All West Apts was fine, no problems; Ocean Encounters boat dives were great. Dive masters were very attentive.
- Mike
We just got back from Curacao. We had a wonderful time. The All West apartments and Go West diving were very nice. We LOVED the shore dive in front of the apartments. We saw so many octopus, including 2 Atlantic long arm octopus mating during the day. We also found the home of 3 octopus and they were there 3 days in a row. We saw lots of squid too. The dock at the beach where the fisherman come in was fun. The fisherman would throw fish guts into the water and turtles would swarm the area. We actually did a full 2 hour dive at that site. The reefs are healthy. I can definitely see us returning there for a family trip!
- Susanne
Our trip was fabulous. Diving was great, the divemasters were wonderful and very relaxed - no hurrying anyone, it wasn't too crowded and the accommodations were very comfortable. Airport transfer smooth - they were waiting with a placard and our name on it. And for the return to the airport, we returned one of their rental trucks, so we did not need a ride. Only negative was a delayed departure from Curacao by American Airlines, but that is to be expected at times.
- Julie
The room at All West was so so. The location was great, but some things were lacking. The kitchen could really use a microwave. We prepared our own food. The diving was great. This was my favorite Caribbean diving ever. We did mostly shore diving. There is a pier where the fisherman clean their fish and throw the waste into the water. As a result, a lot of turtles come in to feed. We found a dead barracuda and ended up hand feeding it to the turtles. It was so much fun that the next day we bought a couple of fish. We ended up finding an eel to feed and even an octopus. The octopus loved the fish. It actually stole one whole fish and walked away with it. It was fantastic. And at a different dive site we spotted an eagle ray. And instead of disappearing it hung in the sand feeding. We watched it for about 30 minutes. I took pictures and video of everything. It was wonderful!
- Sue
Prices starting at:
USD $ 941
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3 Free Boat Dives!
7 Nights’ Two Bedroom Apartment accommodations (Quad Occupancy), 3 Days of 2 Tank AM Boat Dives, 3 Free 1 Tank Afternoon Boat Dives and 6 Days of Unlimited Tanks for Shore Diving with Dive Friends and Free Wi-Fi (Not Included Bonaire Government Entry Tax and Marine Park Fees)
Travel Period: Jun. 01 – Nov. 30, 2025
Price: $968
Expires at 10:00pm on Friday June 13th, 2025
Sand Dollar Condominiums
Scuba Diving in Bonaire? Sand Dollar Condominiums are located 2 miles north of Kralendjik. They have onsite management and 7 buildings with 65 units from studios to 3-bedroom units. So, they offer private porches and balconies facing the ocean. Most units offer kitchens, breakfast bars and stool, with free flow breeze through the dining and living area. Lastly, the bedrooms typically come with e...
Bonaire
Bonaire is a diver's paradise for scuba diving from boats and shore diving. The Island is a coveted destination for both scuba divers and snorkelers. Being a Dutch Caribbean island means it has a good infrastructure as well as high standards for education, healthcare and sanitation. Because the locals speak several languages including English, conversation is easy. The American dollar is the cur...
All and all our scuba trip was good. FYI for future reference Sand Dollar was okay. However you should be aware that they no longer serve breakfast, even though Sand Dollars website indicates they do. Also Capt Dons appears much nicer and I am very surprised Sand Dollar is more expensive than Capt Dons. Capt Dons is much more well kept, (drastically) has more activities Sand Dollar has none and serves 3 meals a day. Not sure why Sand Dollar is more??? Also our room was not quite as "waterfront" as I was lead to believe. Also, Total Rental of Bonaire. Our truck was very old and highly rusted. No spare tire, a broken clutch, broken windshield wiper, no water for wipers, appeared unserviced, broken bumper, broken passenger side shock, broken tail light, broken rear cab hatch....and so on. Overall, it was not safe, where as all of the other rental vehicles we saw (Avis, Budget, Buddys) appeared much more well kept. All and all, the total experience did not live up to our expectations. However the diving was good.
- Neil
Overall our trip was a great experience. This was our first dive after getting open water cert in the US. Dive Friends Bonaire was accommodating and very gentle with us newbie divers. I would definitely go with them again. The Sand Dollar was conveniently located next to Dive Friends which made it easy to get there in the mornings. While not the most modernly furnished, we were not left wanting anything else. The front desk attendant seemed to be slightly confused and unable to answer the few questions we had, but we eventually figured things out on our own. The only downside to the trip was the difficulty we had finding places to dine. Many closed during the day and hours seems random. Ingredients at Buddy Dive was bar far the worst meals we had. Poor quality food and terrible service (they forgot to put in our entrees and then avoided our table after realizing their mistake, making no effort to rectify) Coco Beach on the other hand had friendly staff with surprisingly good food.
- Taylor
Overall our trip was a great experience. This was our first dive after getting open water cert in the US. Dive Friends Bonaire was accommodating and very gentle with us newbie divers. I would definitely go with them again. The Sand Dollar was conveniently located next to Dive Friends which made it easy to get there in the mornings. While not the most modernly furnished, we were not left wanting anything else. The front desk attendant seemed to be slightly confused and unable to answer the few questions we had, but we eventually figured things out on our own. The only downside to the trip was the difficulty we had finding places to dine. Many closed during the day and hours seems random. Ingredients at Buddy Dive was bar far the worst meals we had. Poor quality food and terrible service (they forgot to put in our entrees and then avoided our table after realizing their mistake, making no effort to rectify) Coco Beach on the other hand had friendly staff with surprisingly good food.
- Taylor
Prices starting at:
USD $ 968
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3 Free Afternoon Boat Dives!
7 Nights’ Two Bedroom Apartment accommodations (Quad Occupancy), 3 Days of 2 Tank AM Boat Dives and 3 Free 1 Tank Afternoon Boat Dives Plus 6 Days of Unlimited Tanks for Shore Diving (Not Included Government Entry Tourism Tax and Marine Park Fees)
Travel Period: Jun. 01 – Nov. 30, 2025
Price: $1035
Expires at 10:00pm on Friday June 13th, 2025
Delfins Beach Resort Bonaire
Delfins Beach Resort Bonaire is ideally located at Punt Vierkant in Bonaire. The scuba diving resort has 84 accommodations that range from studios, 1-2-bedroom apartments, 3-bedroom Penthouse, or 6-8 person Villas. The units may have kitchenettes or up to full kitchens and living rooms and may be one story or 2 story units. Each unit has TV, WiFi Available, and air conditioning. Enjoy our blog art...
Bonaire
Bonaire is a diver's paradise for scuba diving from boats and shore diving. The Island is a coveted destination for both scuba divers and snorkelers. Being a Dutch Caribbean island means it has a good infrastructure as well as high standards for education, healthcare and sanitation. Because the locals speak several languages including English, conversation is easy. The American dollar is the cur...
Prices starting at:
USD $ 1035
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1 Free Night!
7 Nights’ Deluxe Suite accommodations (Double Occupancy), Round Trip Dumaguete Airport or Ferry Terminal Private Transfers, Daily Breakfast, Lunch and 3-Course Dinner, Drinking Water, Tea and Coffee in Rooms, Complimentary Guided Shore Check Out Dive On Day of Arrival, 15 Tank Dive Package Including Scheduled Apo Island Trips, Daytime Marine Sanctuary Fees and UW Camera Fees Plus Free Nitrox for Enriched Air Certified Divers, Complimentary 30-Min. Executive Back Massage, Optional Visit to Atmosphere Soup Kitchen and Government Hotel Taxes
Travel Period: Thru Dec. 21, 2027
Price: $2500*
**Upgrade**
5 Days of Unlimited Diving $307 per Diver
**Note**
– USD Rate Based on Conversion on Day of Print. Conversion To USD To Be Determined on Booking Date Based on BPI Forex.
– Blackout Dates Apply
Expires at 10:00pm on Tuesday July 15th, 2025
Atmosphere Resort & Spa
Atmosphere Resort & Spa Philippines is an upscale boutique scuba diving resort in Dauin. The resort is a 20-minute drive from Dumaguete on Negros Oriental Island in the Philippines. Nearby and just across the waves is the famous Apo Island Marine Sanctuary and over 20 dive sites. The resort has 36 rooms from deluxe suites, family suites, premier suites, and penthouses. They can accommodate a m...
Philippines
The Philippines is located in the western Pacific Ocean of Southeast Asia. It consists of 7,641 islands and offers 1300 marine species on hundreds of dive sites. Therefore, this destination will cater to every level of scuba diving. Furthermore, the island's melting pot of western and eastern cultures means much is to be discovered. The local population, called Filipinos, are particularly friendly...
Prices starting at:
USD $ 2500
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7 Night Dive Package for the Price of 6 Night Package!
7 Nights’ accommodations, Round Trip Airport Transfers, Welcome Cocktail, Breakfast Daily, Free Wi-Fi, 11 Scheduled Boat Dives and 6 Days Unlimited Shore Diving with Free Nitrox, Resort Service Charges (Not Included Bonaire Government Entry Tax and Marine Park Fees)
Travel Period: May 1-31, 2025 FREE NITROX!
Price and Room Selections:
$1413 Standard (Double Occupancy)
$1999 Standard (Single Occupancy)
$1488 Deluxe (Double Occupancy)
$2211 Deluxe (Single Occupancy)
$1564 Studio (Double Occupancy)
$2309 Studio (Single Occupancy)
$1406Studio (Triple Occupancy)
$1332 Studio (Quad Occupancy)
Travel Period: Aug. 1-31, 2025
Price and Room Selections:
$1413 Standard (Double Occupancy)
$1999 Standard (Single Occupancy)
$1488 Deluxe (Double Occupancy)
$2211 Deluxe (Single Occupancy)
$1564 Studio (Double Occupancy)
$2309 Studio (Single Occupancy)
$1406Studio (Triple Occupancy)
$1332 Studio (Quad Occupancy)
Travel Period: Dec. 1-19, 2025 FREE NITROX!
Price and Room Selections:
$1413 Standard (Double Occupancy)
$1999 Standard (Single Occupancy)
$1488 Deluxe (Double Occupancy)
$2211 Deluxe (Single Occupancy)
$1564 Studio (Double Occupancy)
$2309 Studio (Single Occupancy)
$1406Studio (Triple Occupancy)
$1332 Studio (Quad Occupancy)
Upgrade to All Inclusive for Only $990 per person for the week!
Expires at 7:11pm on Wednesday December 10th, 2025
Divi Flamingo Beach Resort & Casino
Divi Flamingo Beach Resort & Casino offers 129 rooms in several styles on Bonaire Island in the Caribbean. The scuba diving resort is a five minute walk to downtown Kralendijk. The casino is onsite. The resort has two pools, two restaurants, and too many lounge chairs for one person to count. Both their dive boats as well as their accommodations are wheelchair accessible. Enjoy our blog articl...
Bonaire
Bonaire is a diver's paradise for scuba diving from boats and shore diving. The Island is a coveted destination for both scuba divers and snorkelers. Being a Dutch Caribbean island means it has a good infrastructure as well as high standards for education, healthcare and sanitation. Because the locals speak several languages including English, conversation is easy. The American dollar is the cur...
We had a fantastic time. The diving, as always was superb. We love everything about the dive operation. The hotel was fine. Check-in and check-out are very streamlined and efficient these days. I’m sure you know they have upgraded both pools as well as the ocean front and regular rooms. Housekeeping service is much better than it was for awhile. It is dependable and actually leaves you towels unlike a couple of years ago. Our only complaint is that they took out the wardrobe piece of furniture that held hanging clothes and had some shelves in it. Now the only clothes storage in the room now is one 3-drawer dresser and a small open rod over the room safe. They put in a desk instead of the wardrobe which, in my opinion, is a total waste although maybe they are trying to attract more business people??? Food was good. Waitstaff in both in Pure Ocean open air breakfast area and Chibi Chibi are a delight. I love them. Food service in the Chibi was fast at lunch except for one day when they were overwhelmed with lots of what appeared to be unexpected business people. We did not eat there at night except we did eat at the BBQ buffet on Saturday night before we left and it was excellent. We did learn that there is a new manager, as of last week I believe. The manager who had been there for the past couple of years who I believe was responsible for all the positive changes is gone. I hope the new one can maintain all the positive things that have happened.
- Suzanne
The trip was GREAT!!!! Everything went well, no issues.... Good flights, resort was good, food was good, diving was TERRIFIC!!!! A good time was had by all!
- Norma
I wanted to give you a trip report, especially after I said that the Divi resort in Bonaire was sliding again on service. The difference between our experience this past week and just this past January (3 months ago) was marked. As you remember, we had a reservation for 8 nights, the first night in standard room and next 7 nights in deluxe. When we arrived, Ottmar had jiggled things around so that we got into the deluxe room the first night and did not have to change rooms. So nice! Plus, they have a new Food & Beverage manager and he has that place hopping! Food was good and the service and efficiency of getting the food out, especially during the lunch rush was the best ever. We had a great experience with the resort this time so just wanted to make sure I let you know. The diving, as always, was outstanding— both in terms of the actual dives (great viz, LOTS of fish and other critters) and the always wonderful service by Serge and his team of dive masters.
- Suzanne
Bonaire was FANTASTIC! We had a GREAT TIME! Everything at the resort was good, check in was fast and efficient, they sure have improved that process. No complaints on the rooms other than they’re showing their age but according to the new manager they are starting to upgrade them all in March. Diving was good as always, Serge runs a very efficient operation. We had quite a bit of rain through the week which is unusual for Bonaire. I think we only had 2 or 3 sunny days the whole week. With clouds and scattered rain the other days. Oh well, we were still on vacation and the rain did’t negatively impact the diving. So all was good!
- Norma
We had a great week! Everything went off without a hitch, the flights, the diving, the resort, the weather, it was all Perfect! Several people even liked the Ocean-Front rooms better then the Time Share Units, the only drawback they are quite a bit further from the Dive Shop. The Manager, Celine was very attentive and reached out a couple of times during the week to make sure everything was going o.k. and if there were any issues. I was very surprised to hear that Serge from the Dive Operation is leaving Divi after 21 years, WOW! He is going to be a hard act to follow for anyone, they have HUGH shoes to fill to hire someone to take his place. He had that Dive Operation running like a well oiled machine, I hope things don’t change for the worse with his leaving.
- Norma
The dive operation was first class, period. The dive lockers were all replaced last Fall after a hurricane hit the resort and the reef was pretty wiped out at 30 feet and above. Below that, everything was fine. No complants here. If there was anything that could be improved, it's having rooms available when the early morning flights arrive. There is a KLM flight that left just as we arrived at 6:00AM, so between that and the passengers already at the airport to depart on the plane we arrived on, the resort had plenty of empty rooms. However, they do not start cleaning until the regular shift. So everyone had to struggle to live out of suitcases all day. There was no sense or urgency by anyone at the resort to help remedy the situation. We finally were able to get a room at 4:00PM. I did meet a Dutch manager later in the week that was a get-it-done person when we had very slow service in the restaurant at lunch. Unfortunately, not much has changed here in three years.
- Frank
the vacation was absolutely wonderful! 1. The room was very good- we were in an upper level ocv and this time the a.c. vent was not on the balcony, so we got some nice use of it! 2. The service was wonderful--the staff at Divi is always so helpful and good-spirited, and warm. 3. The diving--incredible; no other word for it. 4. We saw our first rainbow parrotfish and also midnight blue parrotfish; also an ocean triggerfish. We had good luck on turtle sightings (4!) and only a few lionfish, thank goodness. we love this island and hotel! If I have one minor negative in the entire vacation it's that loooooong wait for a room to be ready after the red eye. The Divi staff got us in as soon as they could, but 2pm is a long time to sit when the plane gets in at 5a.m.
- Nancy
We had a GREAT TIME! Everything was PERFECT! The weather, sunny & hot everyday! The Diving, a flat ocean and great visibility. (I made 22 dives!!!) I got some GREAT pictures. I got an Angel fish that could be a Skin Diver Magazine Cover shot! The resort was also perfect, they upgraded the entire group! A few of us to Ocean front and the majority in the TimeShare Units. Everyone was VERY PLEASED! They remodeled all the rooms, they are all very nice! They only issue we had all week and it was one we anticipated was the fact that it took quite awhile on Saturday for everyone to get their rooms. They all knew that would be the case but no matter how you try to prepare people when they're tired and cranky from an all night flight, their mood gets the best of them. The resort was full so they had to wait for many people to check out at 12:30, then the rooms had to be cleaned and prepared for us. Some people didn't get a room until around 3:00. I talked to the front desk several times throughout the week and smoothed everything over. A solution would be to have everyone book an extra night (Friday) and that way when they arrive their room would be waiting. For an extra amount you get a room as soon as you get there. Norma
- Norma
I had a great time. The staff at Divi continues to amaze me with their friendliness. I saw so many people there (Americans and Dutch alike) who don't even talk to their servers at meal time. I don't understand that. Housekeeping is cleaning every other day. I did see my next door neighbor had a "please clean this room" sign hanging from the doorknob on one of the off days and I did see the cleaning crew there later that day. I am somewhat famous among my friends for not realizing there is a refrigerator in my hotel rooms. Same story here - it was cleverly disguised as part of the writing desk and I didn't realize it until Thursday. I could have saved myself from drinking some really bad Divi prosecco by knowing that and going to the grocery store and buying the good stuff! The resort had its own testing facility. There was a poster in the lobby with a QR code you could scan that would take you to the website where you could make your reservation for testing. Very convenient. The only unsatisfactory part of the trip were the airport transfers. When I arrived, there were 2 people with Divi signs but they were for the dive groups. I was told that the individual picking up guests not part of dive groups had already been there and left. After a lot of confusion and some calls to Divi, I was told I could get on one of the dive group's buses. Not sure why the people at Divi wouldn't have asked me to catch a taxi and reimburse when I arrive. Had the opposite happen when I left. Nella (?) was the customer service manager at the resort. She heard of my issues with getting to the resort and promised me that the return would be taken care of and a taxi would be called. I saw her while I was in the lobby waiting for the taxi and she said the same thing - the taxi driver would pick me up at noon. The buses for the dive groups came, loaded up, and left. At 12:15, I asked Nella about my taxi. She went inside and was told that someone had arranged for me to go on the bus with the dive groups. Unfortunately, no one told me. So, no taxi. Luckily, she ran to the last bus that had just shut its doors and was starting to leave and was able to stop it. Other than that, diving was good and the resort staff and room were great.
- Becky
This was our 15th visit to Divi Flamingo, and our week did not disappoint! It started with a warm welcome by reception at the resort, the newly remodeled timeshare units are terrific, the resort was in pristine condition! The Divi dive operation is top- notch and our DiveMasters for the week Denise & Ruud were knowledgeable, helpful and a lot of FUN! It was a perfect week of diving, relaxation and fun in the sun! Can’t wait to return!
- Norma C.
We had a wonderful stay at Divi Flamingo. Hotel staff was friendly and accommodating.
- Teri C.
This was our 9th time we dove at the Divi and again we were not disappointed. The diving was great: easy diving and lots to see (turtles, eels, seahorses, tarpin, rays, etc.). Divi Dive operation was very professional and helpful. We did all boat dives with several dives including night dives right from the resort. We met Orlando (dive master) whom we had met years before and it was good to see him again. We ate at the Chibi Chibi restaurant most of the time and the food and service was excellent. (Mahi mahi was fantastic.) Our room was very nice and maid service always did a good job. The biggest concern about the room was the shower. The water temperature was usually cool and not very hot. The weather was extremely hot and consequently after diving, we did very little other than to stay at the resort. I am 77 years of age and have been diving for over 35 years. Hopefully my age and arthritis won't keep me from continuing an activity I really love.
- Jim S.
We went to Divi Flamingo in Bonaire with a party of 8 for a week beginning March 6, 2024. Divi met/exceeded our expectations very well in almost all respects. The dive shop was professional and all of its people were very knowledgeable and helpful in and out of the water. The dive masters took us to interesting and different places for each dive over five days and always seemed to find unique creatures including sea horses, turtles, squid, octopus, eels, etc. Our room at the resort was very spacious and clean with a beautiful view of the water. Breakfast buffet was very good with many choices to get the day started. There was always cold flavored (citrus or cucumber) water at reception to fill up water bottles and stay hydrated. My one suggestion would be for the resort to have some area where one can buy light snacks at any time of day. This would be a revenue source for Divi and also helpful if one needs a little something between meals. All in all a great vacation and would highly recommend.
- Oren C.
Another great trip
- Elizabeth W.
Prices starting at:
USD $ 1413
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50% Off Breakfast Rates!
7 Nights’ accommodations, Round Trip Airport Transfers, Vehicle Rental Including Insurance ($250 Deductible), Daily Breakfast, 6 Boat Dives and 6 Days of Unlimited Shore Diving Including Tanks, Weights, Weight Belts, Free Nitrox and Government ABB Tax (Not Included Hotel Taxes, Bonaire Government Entry Tax and Marine Park Fees)
Travel Period: May 10 – Jun. 06, 2025
Price and Room Selections:
$1478 Studio (Double Occupancy)
$2422 Studio (Single Occupancy)
$1582 One Bedroom Apartment (Double Occupancy)
$2630 One Bedroom Apartment (Single Occupancy)
$2086 Two Bedroom Apartment (Double Occupancy)
$1569 Two Bedroom Apartment (Triple Occupancy)
$1310 Two Bedroom Apartment (Quad Occupancy)
$1722 Three Bedroom Apartment (Triple Occupancy)
$1425 Three Bedroom Apartment (Quad Occupancy)
$1247 Three Bedroom Apartment (5 Diver Occupancy)
$1213 Three Bedroom Apartment (6 Diver Occupancy)
Buddy Dive Resort Bonaire
Buddy Dive Resort is located on the popular scuba diving island of Bonaire in the Caribbean ocean. The islands' closest neighbors are Aruba and Curacao. With divers in mind, they designed 11 modern buildings with 1,2,or 3 bedroom apartments and 1 bedroom studios. As a result, the apartments have full kitchens, bathrooms with showers, furnished living areas, and large balconies or patios. The studi...
Bonaire
Bonaire is a diver's paradise for scuba diving from boats and shore diving. The Island is a coveted destination for both scuba divers and snorkelers. Being a Dutch Caribbean island means it has a good infrastructure as well as high standards for education, healthcare and sanitation. Because the locals speak several languages including English, conversation is easy. The American dollar is the cur...
My family and I had the most wonderful vacation @ Buddy Dive. From the pick up @ the airport in the late evening to a super dive facility - all was easy and truly was a diver's delight. This was a dream vacation to Bonaire’s Buddy Dive Resort. It could not have been any better.
- Jackson
The trip was excellent – flights even though sounding horrible actually worked well. We arrived early got all our paper work and dive check outs done. Although flight home was very early…but nice to be home at a reasonable We were upgraded to larger rooms and the staff was great We are already planning to return again next year One thing we overheard was that Buddy has dive boat issues and many need major mechanical overhauls – hope they can get this cared for. The staff believes all monies are being diverted to the live aboard that Buddy is starting versus taking care of the local operation.
- Clark
The room at Buddie’s ended up being a three bedroom instead of the two, this upgrade was a bonus for us. The room met our needs perfectly. The service at Buddies was wonderful and so was the diving. We had a fantastic week in Bonaire. Everything ran smoothly; from the time we were picked up at the airport until we departed. Buddies runs a first class operation. Underwater highlights include a 6 foot green turtle, large tarpon, night dive at the salt pier, and the Hilma Hooker wreck.
- Mark
We had a great time as always. The rooms were spacious. We shared a two bedroom/2 bath with adjoining doors (as oppose to the 2bedroom/2 bath apartment that we had stayed in previously ) and it was just fine. . They have updated their decor with new kitchenettes,refrigerators, and HD TVs. We enjoyed the 6 boat dive much more than the usual 11 boat dive package as we took it easier and didn't feel as rushed. As it turned out, we still did 17 dives. The water temperature was a little colder than usual, so in the future we would probably do Bonaire in the Fall instead of the Spring. Everything went smoothly.
- Alcover
The hotel room was excellent - it is our new favorite room at the resort. Beautifully remodeled and comfortable. We like being on the 2nd floor on the north side of the complex. The service at the hotel was great and the restaurant menus seem to have improved. We were happy to eat onsite for our whole stay. The dive operator were fabulous! John had a couple of equipment issues that Marco was able to fix quickly for essentially no cost. The familiar faces greeted us like old friends. The shore side storage area for gear had been remodeled and was a real improvement. We saw several "squadrons of squid" hanging out in the shallows near the surface. These were the first squid we have seen. There were numerous turtles. Three barracuda followed us as we made our way into the shallows toward shore, with the largest heading right toward us, which got our heart beat rates up. In general it seemed that the reef is quite healthy. A beautiful experience.
- Carol
As usual, our Buddy Resort dive vacation was wonderful. The breakfast buffet was very good. The rooms have been upgraded since our last trip down there ---- bathrooms were very nicely done! Altho the room was OK, it would have been better if the sofa had been a full size sofa or sleep sofa and it would be nice to have a blender in the kitchen. As usual, the hotel and dive staff were friendly and accommodating. We enjoyed the Friday BBQ at Buddy’s and John and Susie (photo shop) gave us recommendations for fabulous dining spots in town for the rest of the week. And, of course, the diving right in front of Buddy’s is great ---- saw several octopi, lots of flounder. Also loved the ‘conservation talk’ about the coral ‘trees’ on Buddy Reef. This was my 8th trip to Bonaire --- my 4th trip to Buddy’s. Before finding Buddy’s, I stayed at Divi Resort but I don’t like the Divi casino atmosphere. I love the hard core diving culture of Buddy’s ---- it attracts the best kind of people and I will be returning as often as I can!
- Elizabeth
Overall, I’d say that the trip was terrific. Diving was great, as always, but I did notice fewer critters on the reef. I think that’s probably due to the Lionfish invasion, which Buddy Dive is taking an active role in hunting, teaching divers how to hunt safely (with an instructor only) and cooking their catch. The dive staff was attentive, a little more controlling on the boat dives than say the Habitat but there is still a lot of freedom on the shore dives. The boat dives are limited to 60 minutes with encouragement to stay at the 50-80 foot level, max at 100 ft. (understandable with the use of Nitrox), and requiring everyone to dive in a general group with some flexibility. The dive operation had a terrific PADI Certified dive course in teaching how to help to regenerate some of the endangered coral (Staghorn and Elkhorn) through the Coral Restoration Foundation that I would highly recommend as it gives you an opportunity to help restore the reef and give something back to the sport. Also, the night fluorescent dive was a cool experience. There is also a very good Photo Center, independently run from the hotel, that can assist you with most photographic assistance including rentals, critiques of your own photos and repairs. Hotel staff was courteous, friendly and always pleasant. As for the apartment, I would say that the bathroom was a bit cramped and the air conditioning which was located in the bedroom, did nothing for the main room, but one can get used to that.
- Robert
Our recent trip to Bonaire was extremely enjoyable for both Martha and me. Each day offered fun both above and below the water. Martha made great friends while snorkeling, She even found a $50 bill tucked in the sand at about 10 feet. Once it was snatched from the sea, the three snorkeling friends went right to the bar to splurge on Coco Locos! Accommodations were just fine and the food at Buddy's proved really super. I thoroughly enjoyed the diving and was able to capture some fairly decent shots throughout the week. Will send a couple when I return home and have access to my files. Just a suggestion or two...it would have been nice for the dive masters to be more involved in finding the local critters instead of just floating along watching the group. Also, they might have been a little more proactive in helping change out tanks for the older divers. We all managed though and had great times.
- Judy
We had a great time . We did have a big problem with the airline however. The outgoing flight was on Saturday with United from Austin to Houston to Bonaire. There was a maintenance problem with the aircraft and the leg from Austin to Houston could not be completed in time for the connection to Bonaire. The next flight to Bonaire was the next Saturday, and this meant the entire scheduled trip was going to be missed. I called Buddy Dive and they said that since this was the day we were scheduled to arrive, our entire pre-paid reservation would be forfeited. OK - I understood. Because of this, we rescheduled to fly to Curacao two days later from Houston. We then connected on a local carrier from Curacao to Bonaire and got there three days late on Tuesday. We thus missed half the trip and ran up over $1000 in extra travel and lodging expenses. We bought the travel insurance recommended and are now documenting the claim. All the above being said, when we finally got there we had a great time and are planning to go back soon.
- Bob
Buddy Dive was great, as always. We really appreciated getting the room we had requested (#511). It seems that Buddy has made some upgrades, including paving the driveways and enhancing the dining menus. We had a wonderful time and look forward to returning to Buddy Dive.
- Carol
Buddy Dive Resort experience was excellent as usual.
- Sonja
We had a wonderful time. We got the room location we wanted. There were considerable upgrades to the furniture in the room as well as to the resort since the last time we stayed at Buddy's, about a year ago. Service was good. We only ate breakfast at Buddy's. We never ate at Ingridents, instead we went downtown to It Rains Fishes x 3, Sebastian's, Patagonia, and Casa Bon Pizza. Clear blue seas for diving and saw green moray, hawksbill turtle, large lobster, sea horse and squid. The last dive of the trip was my 500th dive! All in all we had a GREAT time!
- Jeanne
Wonderful Family dive vacation at Buddy Dive. Staff at hotel and on dive boats the best! Just on Buddy Reef saw Octopus and a great night dive with many Tarpons. The coral restoration project amazing. I hope to do the course next visit!
- M.
Buddy Dive was great. The freedom to come and go was fantastic. The staff was very friendly; however, there was very little sense of extra engagement or connecting with the visitors. We often like to spend more time with the dive guides. This is a great place for a larger group or people that want to go it alone. We had fun exploring the island.
- Eric
This was our 4th trip to Bonaire and our 3rd stay at Buddy's Dive Resort. We had a studio in the "new" Lions side of the resort. It was "okay". The only window was a small window in the bathroom at the back of the unit. AC would only go down to 24C. Water heater leaked into the bedroom area...house keeping placed dry towels as a fix. Shower enclosure leaked and ran into the bedroom...house keeping supplied extra towels to "dam" up the water and keep it in the bathroom. The "patio" was was just the walkway into the room...about 6ft by 3ft...two chairs and a small table. Service was great and the food was good...especially the the "Ingredients" fancy restaurant ($75/pp discount did not apply in this restaurant). The food was a little expensive but $75/pp discount made it more reasonable. It was windy so most of the boat dives went to Klin Bonaire which is not as good as the main island. We did get two dives out of nine up north. We thought the coral and fish/critters were not as good as prior dive trips...maybe the time of the year. Nothing unique. I did see a robins egg blue nudibranch that I had not seen before, but only once. We dove the Salt Pier and were disappointed...not much to see but a couple sharp tailed eels.
- Chris
Fifth trip to Bonaire, fourth stay at Buddy's. It was outstanding as it has been in the past. And it's the best dive resort of my trips to Little Cayman, Cayman Brac, Roatan, Utilla, and Cozumel. The included breakfast is the best anywhere. The tank operation is the easiest, the quickest and the most user friendly. Free Nitrox, of course. Vehicles come with the room, with 7 passenger vans (brand new)for larger parties. All vehicles were brand new this year. Bonaire has quite a few European cuisine restaurants with delicious food and reasonable prices, one of the reasons I keep going back.
- Lucien
Our room did not have a hair dryer or an electrical outlet in the bathroom. We had to put down a deposit to get a hair dryer. The only mirror was in the bathroom. Therefore, I had to dry my hair in the bedroom without a mirror. Everything else about the studio suite that we had was great, especially the kitchen. It was stocked with silver ware, cups, plates, and glasses. The new appliances were wonderful in the kitchen.
- M.
This was our 3rd Trip to Buddy Dive. Great resort, great people, fantastic diving. We were going to limit our Bonaire trips to 2 years, then move onto another destination but where else do you have unlimited shore diving of this caliber! Whether it's one or 8 dives a day, there's something for everyone. We have some folks heading back for more on their own in just a few months. We had a great trip.
- Kathy
My wife and I had a great time at Buddy Dive, Bonaire. The reefs are in amazing healthy condition with lots of interesting life. Although we did not do any beach dives the island is so well known for, we did enjoy a couple of night dives right off the Buddy dock. Such a short swim to so much beauty! Although the bed wasn't as comfortable as we had hoped, the room was very clean and the kitchenette was very complete and convenient. And with so many stores and restaurants so close to the property, we had plenty of choices and time for meals without cutting into our dive experience. The entire staff, from the front desk, to the dive operation, on property restaurants & bar and housekeeping were all exceptionally friendly and helpful. We definitely look forward to future visits to this resort.
- Nick
We had a wonderful family dive vacation at Buddy Resort. The resort was very nice but not American type luxury. Also the kitchens are not really set up to cook in. There were only five plates, 5 bowls etc. The diving and snorkeling was beautiful and worth the trip. The only critical remarks I would have is that there was no hot tub, which we really enjoyed after scuba diving, and there were mosquitoes everywhere.
- Lorie
Resort held no surprises. Rooms were spacious & clean. The kitchen could have been equipped alittle better but it wasn't bad. I liked the idea that breakfast was included it made the day start out easy. The resort food & drink prices weren't bad & we never felt taken advantage of. We had a diver certification fall through & they gave us our money back---which they didn't have todo. We appreciated that. I would recommend the resort to friends
- J.
We had a great time! Buddy Dive Resort (BDR) was as just as we anticipated, since this was our 6th vacation at BDR. Our room appeared to be recently remodeled, it had new appliances and was in good condition. The bedroom AC did not function the first evening, we reported it and it was repaired that day. We have no complaints. The pickup we were issued was old, rusted and beat up. The tailgate was hanging on by a thread (rusted chain), however…is served us well, and we were not concerned about the rough look as we loaded and unloaded tanks and equipment each day. They have some new trucks in the lot, so they appear to be rotating their fleet, we just got an old one. The restaurant food was good, and so was the service. I would call it pricey, some of that can be attributed to the location…but $13-16 for a burger is pricey. We were prepared for it. We ate at Blemies and Ingredients, as well as a few places off-site. Fantastic diving! We observed the coral spawning (never seen that before). We encountered loads of turtles, moray eels, and more fish life than we could remember.
- John
I had a great time diving at Buddy Dive Resort. The room was quite spacious and included working kitchen area, living room and deck with ocean views. The morning breakfast was tasty with lots of choices. The dive shop was super professional and accommodating. I would definitely recommend this dive resort.
- Henry
Our trip was great!! Really enjoyed Buddy Dive Resort. We had a delay in getting our rental vehicle the first day, and one of our group members broke her elbow getting in the water off the dive boat, but otherwise the staff and accommodations were wonderful. Really loved having our own dive boat for the group!! Would definitely stay there again.
- Kim
Always great diving and customer service.
- Anthony
We had a great time on our vacation. When we arrived at Buddy Dive at noon after spending a week at Divi, we were pleasantly surprised to find our apartment was ready. It was on the second floor with a great ocean view. However, it had recently been painted and had a strong paint smell. My allergies/asthma did not like it! We tried airing the apartment out, but that didn't really help. We knew that our downstairs neighbors were moving out the next day, so I called the front desk at 9:15 PM suggesting the possibility that we could move to that apartment if no one else was scheduled to move in. Even though the manager had already left for the night, the person I was speaking to immediately called her and got back to me right away, saying that we could move. I mentioned that both of us would be out most of the next day and wouldn't be able to move until late in the afternoon.They said that wasn't a problem. When I went to reception the next day to get the new key, the manager came over to me and gave me a voucher for the buffet at the hotel Friday night. It was for 4 people and 4 drinks! I was quite shocked. She said that she wanted her guests to have the best experience possible. I think that was very impressive. The apartment was clean, had quiet air conditioners, free wi-fi, a nice TV, and fully stocked kitchen. The view was great. The breakfasts were good, and we had good meals at the hotel a few of the nights. I had a few issues with snorkeling off the boat. In two of the cases, the sites chosen were not compatible with snorkeling, and I felt that I wasted my money. I made sure to let them know, though.*:) happy In my various snorkel trips, I saw turtles, sting rays, various eels, and such a large variety of colorful fish and coral. My companion liked the diving and had similar experiences diving. We definitely would stay there again.
- Sheila
This was the first dive vacation after getting certified with my two younger sons (all adults now) so I wanted a really special trip. Overall the resort had a very nice atmosphere and people were helpful. Buddy dive lives up to its t-shirt that says "Eat, Sleep, Dive Buddy Resort". They are well structured to support people there to dive, dive, dive. The average person arriving at Bonaire has significant experience diving and has likely stayed at Buddy on a previous trip. The drive through tank fills with equipment wash tanks was very convenient. They don't hold your hand when you arrive unless you ask for the help so you need to ask for that help (which we did). They were more than helpful if you asked. After you know your way around they are really good about just getting out of your way so you can have fun. We dove about 18 times on lots of different reefs with most of our early dives at the Buddy Dive house reef, which was very nice. I would however say they were running short on lockers in the dive center and the dock was a bit of a traffic jam in the evenings with everyone getting ready for night dives on the reef. The activities center was great to work with on kayaking/snorkeling at the Mangrove Center. Room service at the resort was timely and they did a nice job. The kitchen served our needs and the AC kept up. Breakfast was very good and ready on time each morning (we are early risers). Lunch and dinner at Blennies tasted great with okay service but maybe a bit on the expensive side. We ate in the city a few times and the food was okay (not as good as the resort) but less expensive. The arrival and departure transfers were definitely a 'cattle car' with all of our luggage in big trucks and everyone tightly packed on buses. I suspect this was driven by the fact that several large dive groups arrived on the same plane with us. Next time I might rent an Avis truck near the airport and skip the transfers. Diving on Bonaire: Bonaire met or exceeded all of our hopes for what a great scuba diving destination should be. Clarity was in excess of 100', water temperatures were 81 to 83 F so we just dove with our rash guard shirts and swimming trunks, the abundance of marine life and diversity and health of the reefs was spectacular, night diving was a bit disorienting at first but by the second night dive we were having a great time. Swimming with a feeding school of large tarpons attracted to our dive lights was amazing! We were very careful with our buoyancy so as to not touch anything and we quickly increased our confidence levels after some practice. We did experience a brief rain shower but we were already getting in the water for a dive so who cares. To be clear Bonaire's big attraction is diving…snorkeling in the cave, kayaking and snorkeling in the mangroves, shopping in town, visiting the donkey park, etc…are all very nice but the island is very dry, rocky and most of the plants there are covered with thorns. Thank goodness for a steady breeze that makes the mid-80s temperatures okay.
- Warren
This was our 3rd trip to Bonaire and we love it there! Buddy Dive Resort is a very nice facility and we like it there as well. My only complaint was with the rental truck. They told us it was only 3 years old, but it's had a dang tough life! The shore diving opportunities are excellent on Bonaire, but we could see a definite decline in reef health on every reef from Karpata to White Slave mostly at 35' (10 m) and above from our last trip in 2012. Lots' of bleaching on mostly the hard coral, but we saw some tube sponges and gorgonians that were suffering as well. The dive community had better step it up and force the congress in the USA to get us on a green path or we're not going to have any reefs to dive in the near future. And this thought, these damaged reefs absolutely breaks my heart! It will take us all being very vocal to get this done. Will you help?
- Jim
As always, Buddy was great, dive site and the staff was great as well.
- Bill
Had a great trip, Buddy's was perfect for our needs.
- James
It was wonderful! We had a great time at Buddy Dive and really loved our stay. Buddy's 1 bedrooms are comparable to Don's, and while the 3 bedroom suites were nice, the bungalows at Don's are better. The staff at Buddy's was incredible and they have a great dive operation. The food at Blennie's was decent, but there are better options within walking distance. (We walked over to Don's many times to eat at their restaurant) Week 1 Buddy scheduled our group for 2 tank boats for just our group, which was wonderful. By week 2 we knew most of the dive staff and they were very helpful in scheduling our second week as well. My wife took their PADI Lionfish hunting course. Great instruction. It really enhanced her diving experience. Next year we are looking at going back for at least a week.
- Jesse
The reefs are healthy and beautiful - unfortunately I got sick and only got two dives in. Buddy Dive itself is a little tattered. The twin beds are more crib-sized than traditional American twin beds - really uncomfortable (especially when you get sick and have to spend time in them). I'd go back to Bonaire, but probably not back to Buddy Dive
- Lisa
Exceptional Vacation, Buddy Dive Resort is an all-in-one place to dive and relax. Quality living accommodations, great food. Best boat and shore diving options. You can literally dive 24/7. Nearly all bottles are Nitrox, no tracking tickets. Just Dive, Dive and Dive.
- Scott
Buddy dive is a great dive resort. Everyone involved in the dive operation is knowledgeable and friendly. I had a broken leg 6 months prior to the trip and it was still weak- they helped me in and out of the water every time. The only complaint would be about the restaurant Blennies. We had dinner there 3 times and the service is atrocious. The BBQ, which had always been excellent, was terrible.They ran out of fish and chicken and the line took forever as people waited. We were in line for 45 minutes, only have to wait again unless we wanted only sausage and pork. The breakfast buffet was fine. It seems that they hire students with no waiting experience. It's too bad that after a night dive you can't have dinner at your own hotel without service issues.
- Kathy
This was our 3rd trip back to Buddy Dive and had a great time. As always we were greeted at the airport on time and check in was a breeze. The resort hadn't changed much in the last few years so most everything was the same. Staff was very helpful, boats nice and crew OK. Some better then others. Dive shop was the same and photo center closed as the person who ran it is retiring. They have some new vehicles which was really nice and driving around the island is always fun along with the shore dives. Lots more cruise ships in town which did create problems for us as Buddy Dive is trying to capture more business from the cruise ship passengers. Because of this our last boat trip was almost 1 hour late and the crew was not happy about it although they were great with us. Seems Buddy Dive is understaffed and not enough boats to work this all out correctly. Also, we had a group of 19 divers and 4 snorkelers and usually we would have the same crew for all trips but not this time.
- Ken
Our Bonaire trip was indeed wonderful. As this is the 6th time there, expectations are high, and so was the experience – justifies going back. Buddy’s was great – food, diving, the room ,the training. We’ll certainly be back soon.
- Robert
Buddy Dive was all it's promised to be - great diving, good DMs and captains, dive operation well run. Nice room, pretty good food @ resort. Those are the most important areas, but a few comments about our personal experience, which was just fine overall. But if you want adequate lighting or a screen door that works so you are not savaged (literally) by lil 'squitos, or any kind of ambiance in your room, or a single place to hang wet things - upgrade to another place. I spent hours trying to clear out the bugs (I am NOT an anti-bug freak either!) that were intent on drinking us. Lovely grounds but looked like they needed more care and clean up. Another thing we found odd -a different DM and boat almost every dive - no continuity w/ personnel so you don't get to know them, or they you, and cannot count on diving w/ new friends either - all depends on how quick you get to the board to sign up. Will think hard about returning here but Bonaire is wonderful!
- Anthony
We just returned from a wonderful vacation at Buddy Dive Bonaire. Buddy Dive was great. The staff are very helpful. I get the feeling, having been there 3 years or so ago, that they are investing substantially in their infrastructure. There is also a new manager named Rene who was constantly around and making sure things went well. We would surely love to return in the future. Just for some insight, we learned that Insilair is having alot of financial trouble and therefore equipment problems. There is another airline on those routes called Divi Divi Airline. Yea, sounds funny, but they have smaller planes but they have alot of flights and the passengers say they are great. FYI.
- Dean
Buddy Dive provided their usual excellent accommodations and service. There were more guests present than we've seen in the past, but we still had adequate space for our diving needs.
- Carol
All went well at Buddys
- Donis
Just wanted to tell you that our vacation was perfect. Buddy dive Bonaire is a great operation and everything went without a hitch.
- Harry
Our trip was wonderful. The accommodations were upgraded to a 3 bedroom with plenty of space. The resort is run like a fine tuned engine with all cylinders firing to ensure a well functioning organization. As far as diving goes, Bonaire always rates high on my list of destinations. Taking care of their reef is of utmost importance to this tiny island and it shows. Coral restoration is ongoing and the habitat is thriving making the dives in this area unbelievably awesome. The dive packages are better than I have ever experienced anywhere and my son and I had no problem completing 15 dives each with 6 boat dives among the 15! Buddy Dive stands behind their promise to provide a safe and pleasurable dive destination.
- Naumann
Maduro recommended Buddy Dive and I was very pleased with the resort and accommodations. Their description was acurate and they had great pricing. Bonaire is a great place for underwater photos!
- Harrison
Love Buddy Dive. Spent two weeks for the first time. So much more relaxed than a week. Will be back again. This was my 7th trip to Bonaire, 4th to Buddy Dive.
- Kathy
We had a super trip to Bonaire. The diving was awesome, the PADI course for the kids worked great and who knew there were so many great restaurants there? Plus we windsurfed on Lac Bay and want to go back to try the mountain biking and more boat dives with Buddy. We ended up thinking Buddy Dive had a much more vibrant diving program than Captain Don's. Buddy had lots of families and kids taking courses and in the water. Their dive shop was bustling and we loved the mix of locals and Dutch folks who worked there. For groups with kids, we preferred Buddy.
- Scott S.
We just returned from buddy dive. All went smoothly, they were at the airport waiting for us. We went to the resort, and since we registered online, we were given keys and off we went to our rooms. Augusto the dive shop manager greeted us, we went to the dive shop and signed in. Was able to do our check out dive when we arrived so we could start our boat diving on Thursday. We had our own boat and we had a great schedule. I would definitely stay again!
- Cindy H.
The trip was exceptional. The accommodations were great and the diving was, as always, exceptional. The staff ay Buddy's is always friendly and accommodating. Other than the delayed flight the trip was fun and I am looking forward to doing it again.
- Terry F.
Lovely resort near town, the rooms are a bit tired but still adequate for needs. Many stairs, a consideration when traveling with folks with more limited mobility. Food was amazing, prices reasonable. The diving center was great, super helpful and getting tanks was an easy process. Everything was within a short drive and the island is easy to navigate. Many of the shore entries are challenging for people with more limited mobility and folks with this challenge may want to consider utilizing the affordable boat dive option from the resort. The only real negative of the trip was the Bonaire tax authority which charged us for an individual who could not travel, double charged one individual, and charged us for the whole group. The online payment portal does not work. Suggestion for other travelers would be to register each traveler individually and have them pay the visitor tax with their own QR code. Utilizing a group QR code caused us lots of issues and the tax authority refuses to give refunds for duplicate payments. Paying the marine park tag fee and printing at home was easy and simple. We laminated the printouts to be sure they would survive the trip, a great tip we picked up from other travelers.
- Sarina E.
Buddy Dive has gone cashless, you are forced to use credit cards if you want to eat, drink and be merry. Not the way we vacation - we use cash for our vacation fun. Buy your beer and snacks at the Chinese Store down the road - saves on the bar tabs. The Wi-Fi is not available in all units. They replaced the doors to the patio that block the signal. Since Wi-Fi is free - they do not guarantee that it will work in your unit. You have to either sit outside on the patio and be attacked by mosquitos or sit at the bar. The staff is very friendly, accommodations and attentive. The units are nice and clean. I can't say how the food was, since we couldn't use our cash at the resort. Diving was great although we didn't see many of our usual finds - squid, rays or octopus, all MIA. We did encounter many turtles.
- Janet
Overall it was a good trip. We stayed about 10 nights with a primary focus on diving. The resort is kind of dated but they are definitely working to improve things. I found the breakfast buffet at the Ingredients restaurant excellent and the staff at the Blennies bar/restaurant friendly and helpful. My only minor complaint is they seemed to be sticklers about making reservations at Blennies even though the place was pretty empty. I thought maybe it was because they use it to plan for staffing needs, which they are in short supply of (as is about everyone). Advice is, just make a reservation no matter how empty you think the restaurant will be. The accommodations we stayed in, a 3 bedroom apartment, could use some work. Water pressure was poor (even non existent once!) and only the bedrooms have A/C. The 1st floor bedroom is fairly small. The upstairs rooms are more roomy and are "master suite" like. The room cleaning staff was excellent and took care of the room(s) quite well. If it matters to you, the Wi-Fi on property is good when you can get it (which is most of the time). The locations of the access points and the concrete buildings make it difficult or impossible to get connected at times - even in the same apartment. They have, what I call "faux beaches" by the pools with lounge chairs, thatch umbrella shade, sand and oceanfront views that I liked. Bonaire has very limited traditional sandy beaches so it was a nice touch. The bar is nice and convenient to get a drink but you don't get chair-side service. They have a pool that adjoins the bar with seats in the pool water you can sit at. If you are intending to "drive and dive" at Buddy with their trucks be advised most/all of them are manual transmission. The extremely unavailable automatic transmission trucks surprised me a bit. So if you are not able to drive a stick shift, be certain to have this very specific item "locked in" before you arrive.... otherwise you might be scrambling (or learning to drive a stick!). The dive shop at Buddy's was awesome and the staff there were wonderful. Overall it was great experience. I would definitely return one day.
- Brian E.
The diving was great as always and the people at the dive shop were great. The restaurant is slow and people spend more time talking to each other than taking care of their customers. Will most likely go to Bonaire again sometime but will stay somewhere else.
- Darla C.
I just returned from a week down to Bonaire where I had 16 of my divers with me. We stayed at buddies and everything and everyone there was very professional and accommodating. We also did 6 boat dive and I got to do a dive I’d never done because it is inaccessible from shore. It was called Rapel, it was incredible. The corals and sponges looked the way they are supposed to, perfect. Wonderful trip in every way and none of my of my divers had any complaints about anything on the trip, it was just wonderful! Can’t wait until the next one.
- Spencer P.
Prices starting at:
USD $ 1213
Package Details
Resort Details
Destination Details
Traveler Reviews
7 Nights’ accommodations, Round Trip Airport Transfers, Daily Breakfast, 12 Boat Dives, 6 Days of Unlimited Shore Diving Including Tanks, Weights, Weight Belts, Free Nitrox. (Not Included Bonaire Government Entry Tax and Marine Park Fees)
Travel Period: Apr. 26 – Aug. 15, 2025
Price and Room Selections:
$1528 Studio (Double Occupancy)
$2218 Studio (Single Occupancy)
$1632 One Bedroom Apartment (Double Occupancy)
$2426 One Bedroom Apartment (Single Occupancy)
$2136 Two Bedroom Apartment (Double Occupancy)
$1704 Two Bedroom Apartment (Triple Occupancy)
$1487 Two Bedroom Apartment (Quad Occupancy)
$1857 Three Bedroom Apartment (Triple Occupancy)
$1602 Three Bedroom Apartment (Quad Occupancy)
$1450 Three Bedroom Apartment (5 Diver Occupancy)
$1348 Three Bedroom Apartment (6 Diver Occupancy)
Travel Period: Aug. 16 – Dec. 19, 2025
Price and Room Selections:
$1478 Studio (Double Occupancy)
$2117 Studio (Single Occupancy)
$1576 One Bedroom Apartment (Double Occupancy)
$2313 One Bedroom Apartment (Single Occupancy)
$2045 Two Bedroom Apartment (Double Occupancy)
$1643 Two Bedroom Apartment (Triple Occupancy)
$1442 Two Bedroom Apartment (Quad Occupancy)
$1786 Three Bedroom Apartment (Triple Occupancy)
$1549 Three Bedroom Apartment (Quad Occupancy)
$1407 Three Bedroom Apartment (5 Diver Occupancy)
$1312 Three Bedroom Apartment (6 Diver Occupancy)
Expires at 10:00am on Wednesday December 10th, 2025
Buddy Dive Resort Bonaire
Buddy Dive Resort is located on the popular scuba diving island of Bonaire in the Caribbean ocean. The islands' closest neighbors are Aruba and Curacao. With divers in mind, they designed 11 modern buildings with 1,2,or 3 bedroom apartments and 1 bedroom studios. As a result, the apartments have full kitchens, bathrooms with showers, furnished living areas, and large balconies or patios. The studi...
Bonaire
Bonaire is a diver's paradise for scuba diving from boats and shore diving. The Island is a coveted destination for both scuba divers and snorkelers. Being a Dutch Caribbean island means it has a good infrastructure as well as high standards for education, healthcare and sanitation. Because the locals speak several languages including English, conversation is easy. The American dollar is the cur...
My family and I had the most wonderful vacation @ Buddy Dive. From the pick up @ the airport in the late evening to a super dive facility - all was easy and truly was a diver's delight. This was a dream vacation to Bonaire’s Buddy Dive Resort. It could not have been any better.
- Jackson
The trip was excellent – flights even though sounding horrible actually worked well. We arrived early got all our paper work and dive check outs done. Although flight home was very early…but nice to be home at a reasonable We were upgraded to larger rooms and the staff was great We are already planning to return again next year One thing we overheard was that Buddy has dive boat issues and many need major mechanical overhauls – hope they can get this cared for. The staff believes all monies are being diverted to the live aboard that Buddy is starting versus taking care of the local operation.
- Clark
The room at Buddie’s ended up being a three bedroom instead of the two, this upgrade was a bonus for us. The room met our needs perfectly. The service at Buddies was wonderful and so was the diving. We had a fantastic week in Bonaire. Everything ran smoothly; from the time we were picked up at the airport until we departed. Buddies runs a first class operation. Underwater highlights include a 6 foot green turtle, large tarpon, night dive at the salt pier, and the Hilma Hooker wreck.
- Mark
We had a great time as always. The rooms were spacious. We shared a two bedroom/2 bath with adjoining doors (as oppose to the 2bedroom/2 bath apartment that we had stayed in previously ) and it was just fine. . They have updated their decor with new kitchenettes,refrigerators, and HD TVs. We enjoyed the 6 boat dive much more than the usual 11 boat dive package as we took it easier and didn't feel as rushed. As it turned out, we still did 17 dives. The water temperature was a little colder than usual, so in the future we would probably do Bonaire in the Fall instead of the Spring. Everything went smoothly.
- Alcover
The hotel room was excellent - it is our new favorite room at the resort. Beautifully remodeled and comfortable. We like being on the 2nd floor on the north side of the complex. The service at the hotel was great and the restaurant menus seem to have improved. We were happy to eat onsite for our whole stay. The dive operator were fabulous! John had a couple of equipment issues that Marco was able to fix quickly for essentially no cost. The familiar faces greeted us like old friends. The shore side storage area for gear had been remodeled and was a real improvement. We saw several "squadrons of squid" hanging out in the shallows near the surface. These were the first squid we have seen. There were numerous turtles. Three barracuda followed us as we made our way into the shallows toward shore, with the largest heading right toward us, which got our heart beat rates up. In general it seemed that the reef is quite healthy. A beautiful experience.
- Carol
As usual, our Buddy Resort dive vacation was wonderful. The breakfast buffet was very good. The rooms have been upgraded since our last trip down there ---- bathrooms were very nicely done! Altho the room was OK, it would have been better if the sofa had been a full size sofa or sleep sofa and it would be nice to have a blender in the kitchen. As usual, the hotel and dive staff were friendly and accommodating. We enjoyed the Friday BBQ at Buddy’s and John and Susie (photo shop) gave us recommendations for fabulous dining spots in town for the rest of the week. And, of course, the diving right in front of Buddy’s is great ---- saw several octopi, lots of flounder. Also loved the ‘conservation talk’ about the coral ‘trees’ on Buddy Reef. This was my 8th trip to Bonaire --- my 4th trip to Buddy’s. Before finding Buddy’s, I stayed at Divi Resort but I don’t like the Divi casino atmosphere. I love the hard core diving culture of Buddy’s ---- it attracts the best kind of people and I will be returning as often as I can!
- Elizabeth
Overall, I’d say that the trip was terrific. Diving was great, as always, but I did notice fewer critters on the reef. I think that’s probably due to the Lionfish invasion, which Buddy Dive is taking an active role in hunting, teaching divers how to hunt safely (with an instructor only) and cooking their catch. The dive staff was attentive, a little more controlling on the boat dives than say the Habitat but there is still a lot of freedom on the shore dives. The boat dives are limited to 60 minutes with encouragement to stay at the 50-80 foot level, max at 100 ft. (understandable with the use of Nitrox), and requiring everyone to dive in a general group with some flexibility. The dive operation had a terrific PADI Certified dive course in teaching how to help to regenerate some of the endangered coral (Staghorn and Elkhorn) through the Coral Restoration Foundation that I would highly recommend as it gives you an opportunity to help restore the reef and give something back to the sport. Also, the night fluorescent dive was a cool experience. There is also a very good Photo Center, independently run from the hotel, that can assist you with most photographic assistance including rentals, critiques of your own photos and repairs. Hotel staff was courteous, friendly and always pleasant. As for the apartment, I would say that the bathroom was a bit cramped and the air conditioning which was located in the bedroom, did nothing for the main room, but one can get used to that.
- Robert
Our recent trip to Bonaire was extremely enjoyable for both Martha and me. Each day offered fun both above and below the water. Martha made great friends while snorkeling, She even found a $50 bill tucked in the sand at about 10 feet. Once it was snatched from the sea, the three snorkeling friends went right to the bar to splurge on Coco Locos! Accommodations were just fine and the food at Buddy's proved really super. I thoroughly enjoyed the diving and was able to capture some fairly decent shots throughout the week. Will send a couple when I return home and have access to my files. Just a suggestion or two...it would have been nice for the dive masters to be more involved in finding the local critters instead of just floating along watching the group. Also, they might have been a little more proactive in helping change out tanks for the older divers. We all managed though and had great times.
- Judy
We had a great time . We did have a big problem with the airline however. The outgoing flight was on Saturday with United from Austin to Houston to Bonaire. There was a maintenance problem with the aircraft and the leg from Austin to Houston could not be completed in time for the connection to Bonaire. The next flight to Bonaire was the next Saturday, and this meant the entire scheduled trip was going to be missed. I called Buddy Dive and they said that since this was the day we were scheduled to arrive, our entire pre-paid reservation would be forfeited. OK - I understood. Because of this, we rescheduled to fly to Curacao two days later from Houston. We then connected on a local carrier from Curacao to Bonaire and got there three days late on Tuesday. We thus missed half the trip and ran up over $1000 in extra travel and lodging expenses. We bought the travel insurance recommended and are now documenting the claim. All the above being said, when we finally got there we had a great time and are planning to go back soon.
- Bob
Buddy Dive was great, as always. We really appreciated getting the room we had requested (#511). It seems that Buddy has made some upgrades, including paving the driveways and enhancing the dining menus. We had a wonderful time and look forward to returning to Buddy Dive.
- Carol
Buddy Dive Resort experience was excellent as usual.
- Sonja
We had a wonderful time. We got the room location we wanted. There were considerable upgrades to the furniture in the room as well as to the resort since the last time we stayed at Buddy's, about a year ago. Service was good. We only ate breakfast at Buddy's. We never ate at Ingridents, instead we went downtown to It Rains Fishes x 3, Sebastian's, Patagonia, and Casa Bon Pizza. Clear blue seas for diving and saw green moray, hawksbill turtle, large lobster, sea horse and squid. The last dive of the trip was my 500th dive! All in all we had a GREAT time!
- Jeanne
Wonderful Family dive vacation at Buddy Dive. Staff at hotel and on dive boats the best! Just on Buddy Reef saw Octopus and a great night dive with many Tarpons. The coral restoration project amazing. I hope to do the course next visit!
- M.
Buddy Dive was great. The freedom to come and go was fantastic. The staff was very friendly; however, there was very little sense of extra engagement or connecting with the visitors. We often like to spend more time with the dive guides. This is a great place for a larger group or people that want to go it alone. We had fun exploring the island.
- Eric
This was our 4th trip to Bonaire and our 3rd stay at Buddy's Dive Resort. We had a studio in the "new" Lions side of the resort. It was "okay". The only window was a small window in the bathroom at the back of the unit. AC would only go down to 24C. Water heater leaked into the bedroom area...house keeping placed dry towels as a fix. Shower enclosure leaked and ran into the bedroom...house keeping supplied extra towels to "dam" up the water and keep it in the bathroom. The "patio" was was just the walkway into the room...about 6ft by 3ft...two chairs and a small table. Service was great and the food was good...especially the the "Ingredients" fancy restaurant ($75/pp discount did not apply in this restaurant). The food was a little expensive but $75/pp discount made it more reasonable. It was windy so most of the boat dives went to Klin Bonaire which is not as good as the main island. We did get two dives out of nine up north. We thought the coral and fish/critters were not as good as prior dive trips...maybe the time of the year. Nothing unique. I did see a robins egg blue nudibranch that I had not seen before, but only once. We dove the Salt Pier and were disappointed...not much to see but a couple sharp tailed eels.
- Chris
Fifth trip to Bonaire, fourth stay at Buddy's. It was outstanding as it has been in the past. And it's the best dive resort of my trips to Little Cayman, Cayman Brac, Roatan, Utilla, and Cozumel. The included breakfast is the best anywhere. The tank operation is the easiest, the quickest and the most user friendly. Free Nitrox, of course. Vehicles come with the room, with 7 passenger vans (brand new)for larger parties. All vehicles were brand new this year. Bonaire has quite a few European cuisine restaurants with delicious food and reasonable prices, one of the reasons I keep going back.
- Lucien
Our room did not have a hair dryer or an electrical outlet in the bathroom. We had to put down a deposit to get a hair dryer. The only mirror was in the bathroom. Therefore, I had to dry my hair in the bedroom without a mirror. Everything else about the studio suite that we had was great, especially the kitchen. It was stocked with silver ware, cups, plates, and glasses. The new appliances were wonderful in the kitchen.
- M.
This was our 3rd Trip to Buddy Dive. Great resort, great people, fantastic diving. We were going to limit our Bonaire trips to 2 years, then move onto another destination but where else do you have unlimited shore diving of this caliber! Whether it's one or 8 dives a day, there's something for everyone. We have some folks heading back for more on their own in just a few months. We had a great trip.
- Kathy
My wife and I had a great time at Buddy Dive, Bonaire. The reefs are in amazing healthy condition with lots of interesting life. Although we did not do any beach dives the island is so well known for, we did enjoy a couple of night dives right off the Buddy dock. Such a short swim to so much beauty! Although the bed wasn't as comfortable as we had hoped, the room was very clean and the kitchenette was very complete and convenient. And with so many stores and restaurants so close to the property, we had plenty of choices and time for meals without cutting into our dive experience. The entire staff, from the front desk, to the dive operation, on property restaurants & bar and housekeeping were all exceptionally friendly and helpful. We definitely look forward to future visits to this resort.
- Nick
We had a wonderful family dive vacation at Buddy Resort. The resort was very nice but not American type luxury. Also the kitchens are not really set up to cook in. There were only five plates, 5 bowls etc. The diving and snorkeling was beautiful and worth the trip. The only critical remarks I would have is that there was no hot tub, which we really enjoyed after scuba diving, and there were mosquitoes everywhere.
- Lorie
Resort held no surprises. Rooms were spacious & clean. The kitchen could have been equipped alittle better but it wasn't bad. I liked the idea that breakfast was included it made the day start out easy. The resort food & drink prices weren't bad & we never felt taken advantage of. We had a diver certification fall through & they gave us our money back---which they didn't have todo. We appreciated that. I would recommend the resort to friends
- J.
We had a great time! Buddy Dive Resort (BDR) was as just as we anticipated, since this was our 6th vacation at BDR. Our room appeared to be recently remodeled, it had new appliances and was in good condition. The bedroom AC did not function the first evening, we reported it and it was repaired that day. We have no complaints. The pickup we were issued was old, rusted and beat up. The tailgate was hanging on by a thread (rusted chain), however…is served us well, and we were not concerned about the rough look as we loaded and unloaded tanks and equipment each day. They have some new trucks in the lot, so they appear to be rotating their fleet, we just got an old one. The restaurant food was good, and so was the service. I would call it pricey, some of that can be attributed to the location…but $13-16 for a burger is pricey. We were prepared for it. We ate at Blemies and Ingredients, as well as a few places off-site. Fantastic diving! We observed the coral spawning (never seen that before). We encountered loads of turtles, moray eels, and more fish life than we could remember.
- John
I had a great time diving at Buddy Dive Resort. The room was quite spacious and included working kitchen area, living room and deck with ocean views. The morning breakfast was tasty with lots of choices. The dive shop was super professional and accommodating. I would definitely recommend this dive resort.
- Henry
Our trip was great!! Really enjoyed Buddy Dive Resort. We had a delay in getting our rental vehicle the first day, and one of our group members broke her elbow getting in the water off the dive boat, but otherwise the staff and accommodations were wonderful. Really loved having our own dive boat for the group!! Would definitely stay there again.
- Kim
Always great diving and customer service.
- Anthony
We had a great time on our vacation. When we arrived at Buddy Dive at noon after spending a week at Divi, we were pleasantly surprised to find our apartment was ready. It was on the second floor with a great ocean view. However, it had recently been painted and had a strong paint smell. My allergies/asthma did not like it! We tried airing the apartment out, but that didn't really help. We knew that our downstairs neighbors were moving out the next day, so I called the front desk at 9:15 PM suggesting the possibility that we could move to that apartment if no one else was scheduled to move in. Even though the manager had already left for the night, the person I was speaking to immediately called her and got back to me right away, saying that we could move. I mentioned that both of us would be out most of the next day and wouldn't be able to move until late in the afternoon.They said that wasn't a problem. When I went to reception the next day to get the new key, the manager came over to me and gave me a voucher for the buffet at the hotel Friday night. It was for 4 people and 4 drinks! I was quite shocked. She said that she wanted her guests to have the best experience possible. I think that was very impressive. The apartment was clean, had quiet air conditioners, free wi-fi, a nice TV, and fully stocked kitchen. The view was great. The breakfasts were good, and we had good meals at the hotel a few of the nights. I had a few issues with snorkeling off the boat. In two of the cases, the sites chosen were not compatible with snorkeling, and I felt that I wasted my money. I made sure to let them know, though.*:) happy In my various snorkel trips, I saw turtles, sting rays, various eels, and such a large variety of colorful fish and coral. My companion liked the diving and had similar experiences diving. We definitely would stay there again.
- Sheila
This was the first dive vacation after getting certified with my two younger sons (all adults now) so I wanted a really special trip. Overall the resort had a very nice atmosphere and people were helpful. Buddy dive lives up to its t-shirt that says "Eat, Sleep, Dive Buddy Resort". They are well structured to support people there to dive, dive, dive. The average person arriving at Bonaire has significant experience diving and has likely stayed at Buddy on a previous trip. The drive through tank fills with equipment wash tanks was very convenient. They don't hold your hand when you arrive unless you ask for the help so you need to ask for that help (which we did). They were more than helpful if you asked. After you know your way around they are really good about just getting out of your way so you can have fun. We dove about 18 times on lots of different reefs with most of our early dives at the Buddy Dive house reef, which was very nice. I would however say they were running short on lockers in the dive center and the dock was a bit of a traffic jam in the evenings with everyone getting ready for night dives on the reef. The activities center was great to work with on kayaking/snorkeling at the Mangrove Center. Room service at the resort was timely and they did a nice job. The kitchen served our needs and the AC kept up. Breakfast was very good and ready on time each morning (we are early risers). Lunch and dinner at Blennies tasted great with okay service but maybe a bit on the expensive side. We ate in the city a few times and the food was okay (not as good as the resort) but less expensive. The arrival and departure transfers were definitely a 'cattle car' with all of our luggage in big trucks and everyone tightly packed on buses. I suspect this was driven by the fact that several large dive groups arrived on the same plane with us. Next time I might rent an Avis truck near the airport and skip the transfers. Diving on Bonaire: Bonaire met or exceeded all of our hopes for what a great scuba diving destination should be. Clarity was in excess of 100', water temperatures were 81 to 83 F so we just dove with our rash guard shirts and swimming trunks, the abundance of marine life and diversity and health of the reefs was spectacular, night diving was a bit disorienting at first but by the second night dive we were having a great time. Swimming with a feeding school of large tarpons attracted to our dive lights was amazing! We were very careful with our buoyancy so as to not touch anything and we quickly increased our confidence levels after some practice. We did experience a brief rain shower but we were already getting in the water for a dive so who cares. To be clear Bonaire's big attraction is diving…snorkeling in the cave, kayaking and snorkeling in the mangroves, shopping in town, visiting the donkey park, etc…are all very nice but the island is very dry, rocky and most of the plants there are covered with thorns. Thank goodness for a steady breeze that makes the mid-80s temperatures okay.
- Warren
This was our 3rd trip to Bonaire and we love it there! Buddy Dive Resort is a very nice facility and we like it there as well. My only complaint was with the rental truck. They told us it was only 3 years old, but it's had a dang tough life! The shore diving opportunities are excellent on Bonaire, but we could see a definite decline in reef health on every reef from Karpata to White Slave mostly at 35' (10 m) and above from our last trip in 2012. Lots' of bleaching on mostly the hard coral, but we saw some tube sponges and gorgonians that were suffering as well. The dive community had better step it up and force the congress in the USA to get us on a green path or we're not going to have any reefs to dive in the near future. And this thought, these damaged reefs absolutely breaks my heart! It will take us all being very vocal to get this done. Will you help?
- Jim
As always, Buddy was great, dive site and the staff was great as well.
- Bill
Had a great trip, Buddy's was perfect for our needs.
- James
It was wonderful! We had a great time at Buddy Dive and really loved our stay. Buddy's 1 bedrooms are comparable to Don's, and while the 3 bedroom suites were nice, the bungalows at Don's are better. The staff at Buddy's was incredible and they have a great dive operation. The food at Blennie's was decent, but there are better options within walking distance. (We walked over to Don's many times to eat at their restaurant) Week 1 Buddy scheduled our group for 2 tank boats for just our group, which was wonderful. By week 2 we knew most of the dive staff and they were very helpful in scheduling our second week as well. My wife took their PADI Lionfish hunting course. Great instruction. It really enhanced her diving experience. Next year we are looking at going back for at least a week.
- Jesse
The reefs are healthy and beautiful - unfortunately I got sick and only got two dives in. Buddy Dive itself is a little tattered. The twin beds are more crib-sized than traditional American twin beds - really uncomfortable (especially when you get sick and have to spend time in them). I'd go back to Bonaire, but probably not back to Buddy Dive
- Lisa
Exceptional Vacation, Buddy Dive Resort is an all-in-one place to dive and relax. Quality living accommodations, great food. Best boat and shore diving options. You can literally dive 24/7. Nearly all bottles are Nitrox, no tracking tickets. Just Dive, Dive and Dive.
- Scott
Buddy dive is a great dive resort. Everyone involved in the dive operation is knowledgeable and friendly. I had a broken leg 6 months prior to the trip and it was still weak- they helped me in and out of the water every time. The only complaint would be about the restaurant Blennies. We had dinner there 3 times and the service is atrocious. The BBQ, which had always been excellent, was terrible.They ran out of fish and chicken and the line took forever as people waited. We were in line for 45 minutes, only have to wait again unless we wanted only sausage and pork. The breakfast buffet was fine. It seems that they hire students with no waiting experience. It's too bad that after a night dive you can't have dinner at your own hotel without service issues.
- Kathy
This was our 3rd trip back to Buddy Dive and had a great time. As always we were greeted at the airport on time and check in was a breeze. The resort hadn't changed much in the last few years so most everything was the same. Staff was very helpful, boats nice and crew OK. Some better then others. Dive shop was the same and photo center closed as the person who ran it is retiring. They have some new vehicles which was really nice and driving around the island is always fun along with the shore dives. Lots more cruise ships in town which did create problems for us as Buddy Dive is trying to capture more business from the cruise ship passengers. Because of this our last boat trip was almost 1 hour late and the crew was not happy about it although they were great with us. Seems Buddy Dive is understaffed and not enough boats to work this all out correctly. Also, we had a group of 19 divers and 4 snorkelers and usually we would have the same crew for all trips but not this time.
- Ken
Our Bonaire trip was indeed wonderful. As this is the 6th time there, expectations are high, and so was the experience – justifies going back. Buddy’s was great – food, diving, the room ,the training. We’ll certainly be back soon.
- Robert
Buddy Dive was all it's promised to be - great diving, good DMs and captains, dive operation well run. Nice room, pretty good food @ resort. Those are the most important areas, but a few comments about our personal experience, which was just fine overall. But if you want adequate lighting or a screen door that works so you are not savaged (literally) by lil 'squitos, or any kind of ambiance in your room, or a single place to hang wet things - upgrade to another place. I spent hours trying to clear out the bugs (I am NOT an anti-bug freak either!) that were intent on drinking us. Lovely grounds but looked like they needed more care and clean up. Another thing we found odd -a different DM and boat almost every dive - no continuity w/ personnel so you don't get to know them, or they you, and cannot count on diving w/ new friends either - all depends on how quick you get to the board to sign up. Will think hard about returning here but Bonaire is wonderful!
- Anthony
We just returned from a wonderful vacation at Buddy Dive Bonaire. Buddy Dive was great. The staff are very helpful. I get the feeling, having been there 3 years or so ago, that they are investing substantially in their infrastructure. There is also a new manager named Rene who was constantly around and making sure things went well. We would surely love to return in the future. Just for some insight, we learned that Insilair is having alot of financial trouble and therefore equipment problems. There is another airline on those routes called Divi Divi Airline. Yea, sounds funny, but they have smaller planes but they have alot of flights and the passengers say they are great. FYI.
- Dean
Buddy Dive provided their usual excellent accommodations and service. There were more guests present than we've seen in the past, but we still had adequate space for our diving needs.
- Carol
All went well at Buddys
- Donis
Just wanted to tell you that our vacation was perfect. Buddy dive Bonaire is a great operation and everything went without a hitch.
- Harry
Our trip was wonderful. The accommodations were upgraded to a 3 bedroom with plenty of space. The resort is run like a fine tuned engine with all cylinders firing to ensure a well functioning organization. As far as diving goes, Bonaire always rates high on my list of destinations. Taking care of their reef is of utmost importance to this tiny island and it shows. Coral restoration is ongoing and the habitat is thriving making the dives in this area unbelievably awesome. The dive packages are better than I have ever experienced anywhere and my son and I had no problem completing 15 dives each with 6 boat dives among the 15! Buddy Dive stands behind their promise to provide a safe and pleasurable dive destination.
- Naumann
Maduro recommended Buddy Dive and I was very pleased with the resort and accommodations. Their description was acurate and they had great pricing. Bonaire is a great place for underwater photos!
- Harrison
Love Buddy Dive. Spent two weeks for the first time. So much more relaxed than a week. Will be back again. This was my 7th trip to Bonaire, 4th to Buddy Dive.
- Kathy
We had a super trip to Bonaire. The diving was awesome, the PADI course for the kids worked great and who knew there were so many great restaurants there? Plus we windsurfed on Lac Bay and want to go back to try the mountain biking and more boat dives with Buddy. We ended up thinking Buddy Dive had a much more vibrant diving program than Captain Don's. Buddy had lots of families and kids taking courses and in the water. Their dive shop was bustling and we loved the mix of locals and Dutch folks who worked there. For groups with kids, we preferred Buddy.
- Scott S.
We just returned from buddy dive. All went smoothly, they were at the airport waiting for us. We went to the resort, and since we registered online, we were given keys and off we went to our rooms. Augusto the dive shop manager greeted us, we went to the dive shop and signed in. Was able to do our check out dive when we arrived so we could start our boat diving on Thursday. We had our own boat and we had a great schedule. I would definitely stay again!
- Cindy H.
The trip was exceptional. The accommodations were great and the diving was, as always, exceptional. The staff ay Buddy's is always friendly and accommodating. Other than the delayed flight the trip was fun and I am looking forward to doing it again.
- Terry F.
Lovely resort near town, the rooms are a bit tired but still adequate for needs. Many stairs, a consideration when traveling with folks with more limited mobility. Food was amazing, prices reasonable. The diving center was great, super helpful and getting tanks was an easy process. Everything was within a short drive and the island is easy to navigate. Many of the shore entries are challenging for people with more limited mobility and folks with this challenge may want to consider utilizing the affordable boat dive option from the resort. The only real negative of the trip was the Bonaire tax authority which charged us for an individual who could not travel, double charged one individual, and charged us for the whole group. The online payment portal does not work. Suggestion for other travelers would be to register each traveler individually and have them pay the visitor tax with their own QR code. Utilizing a group QR code caused us lots of issues and the tax authority refuses to give refunds for duplicate payments. Paying the marine park tag fee and printing at home was easy and simple. We laminated the printouts to be sure they would survive the trip, a great tip we picked up from other travelers.
- Sarina E.
Buddy Dive has gone cashless, you are forced to use credit cards if you want to eat, drink and be merry. Not the way we vacation - we use cash for our vacation fun. Buy your beer and snacks at the Chinese Store down the road - saves on the bar tabs. The Wi-Fi is not available in all units. They replaced the doors to the patio that block the signal. Since Wi-Fi is free - they do not guarantee that it will work in your unit. You have to either sit outside on the patio and be attacked by mosquitos or sit at the bar. The staff is very friendly, accommodations and attentive. The units are nice and clean. I can't say how the food was, since we couldn't use our cash at the resort. Diving was great although we didn't see many of our usual finds - squid, rays or octopus, all MIA. We did encounter many turtles.
- Janet
Overall it was a good trip. We stayed about 10 nights with a primary focus on diving. The resort is kind of dated but they are definitely working to improve things. I found the breakfast buffet at the Ingredients restaurant excellent and the staff at the Blennies bar/restaurant friendly and helpful. My only minor complaint is they seemed to be sticklers about making reservations at Blennies even though the place was pretty empty. I thought maybe it was because they use it to plan for staffing needs, which they are in short supply of (as is about everyone). Advice is, just make a reservation no matter how empty you think the restaurant will be. The accommodations we stayed in, a 3 bedroom apartment, could use some work. Water pressure was poor (even non existent once!) and only the bedrooms have A/C. The 1st floor bedroom is fairly small. The upstairs rooms are more roomy and are "master suite" like. The room cleaning staff was excellent and took care of the room(s) quite well. If it matters to you, the Wi-Fi on property is good when you can get it (which is most of the time). The locations of the access points and the concrete buildings make it difficult or impossible to get connected at times - even in the same apartment. They have, what I call "faux beaches" by the pools with lounge chairs, thatch umbrella shade, sand and oceanfront views that I liked. Bonaire has very limited traditional sandy beaches so it was a nice touch. The bar is nice and convenient to get a drink but you don't get chair-side service. They have a pool that adjoins the bar with seats in the pool water you can sit at. If you are intending to "drive and dive" at Buddy with their trucks be advised most/all of them are manual transmission. The extremely unavailable automatic transmission trucks surprised me a bit. So if you are not able to drive a stick shift, be certain to have this very specific item "locked in" before you arrive.... otherwise you might be scrambling (or learning to drive a stick!). The dive shop at Buddy's was awesome and the staff there were wonderful. Overall it was great experience. I would definitely return one day.
- Brian E.
The diving was great as always and the people at the dive shop were great. The restaurant is slow and people spend more time talking to each other than taking care of their customers. Will most likely go to Bonaire again sometime but will stay somewhere else.
- Darla C.
I just returned from a week down to Bonaire where I had 16 of my divers with me. We stayed at buddies and everything and everyone there was very professional and accommodating. We also did 6 boat dive and I got to do a dive I’d never done because it is inaccessible from shore. It was called Rapel, it was incredible. The corals and sponges looked the way they are supposed to, perfect. Wonderful trip in every way and none of my of my divers had any complaints about anything on the trip, it was just wonderful! Can’t wait until the next one.
- Spencer P.
Prices starting at:
USD $ 1312
Package Details
Resort Details
Destination Details
Traveler Reviews
2nd Diver Dives for Free – Free Discover Scuba Session for Non-Divers!
7 Nights’ accommodations, Round Trip Airport Transfers, Vehicle Rental Including Insurance, Daily Breakfast, 6 Days of Unlimited Shore Diving with Tanks, Weights, Weight Belts, Free Nitrox and Government ABB Tax (Not Included Hotel Taxes, Bonaire Government Entry Tax and Marine Park Fees)
Travel Period: Nov. 15 – Dec. 26, 2025
Price and Room Selections:
$1282 1st Diver Pays / $1077 2nd Diver Pays Studio (Double Occupancy)
$1379 1st Diver Pays / $1174 2nd Diver Pays One Bedroom Apartment (Double Occupancy)
$1849 1st Diver Pays / $1644 2nd Diver Pays Two Bedroom Apartment (Double Occupancy)
$1119 1st & 3rd Divers Pays / $914 2nd & 4th Divers Pays Two Bedroom Apartment (Quad Occupancy)
$1226 1st & 3rd Divers Pays / $1021 2nd & 4th Divers Pays Three Bedroom Apartment (Quad Occupancy)
$1031 1st, 3rd & 5th Divers Pays / $826 2nd, 4th & 6th Divers Pays Three Bedroom Apartment (6 Diver Occupancy)
**Add On**
6 Boat Dives for $225 1st Diver and 2nd Diver Free
Expires at 10:00am on Tuesday December 16th, 2025
Buddy Dive Resort Bonaire
Buddy Dive Resort is located on the popular scuba diving island of Bonaire in the Caribbean ocean. The islands' closest neighbors are Aruba and Curacao. With divers in mind, they designed 11 modern buildings with 1,2,or 3 bedroom apartments and 1 bedroom studios. As a result, the apartments have full kitchens, bathrooms with showers, furnished living areas, and large balconies or patios. The studi...
Bonaire
Bonaire is a diver's paradise for scuba diving from boats and shore diving. The Island is a coveted destination for both scuba divers and snorkelers. Being a Dutch Caribbean island means it has a good infrastructure as well as high standards for education, healthcare and sanitation. Because the locals speak several languages including English, conversation is easy. The American dollar is the cur...
My family and I had the most wonderful vacation @ Buddy Dive. From the pick up @ the airport in the late evening to a super dive facility - all was easy and truly was a diver's delight. This was a dream vacation to Bonaire’s Buddy Dive Resort. It could not have been any better.
- Jackson
The trip was excellent – flights even though sounding horrible actually worked well. We arrived early got all our paper work and dive check outs done. Although flight home was very early…but nice to be home at a reasonable We were upgraded to larger rooms and the staff was great We are already planning to return again next year One thing we overheard was that Buddy has dive boat issues and many need major mechanical overhauls – hope they can get this cared for. The staff believes all monies are being diverted to the live aboard that Buddy is starting versus taking care of the local operation.
- Clark
The room at Buddie’s ended up being a three bedroom instead of the two, this upgrade was a bonus for us. The room met our needs perfectly. The service at Buddies was wonderful and so was the diving. We had a fantastic week in Bonaire. Everything ran smoothly; from the time we were picked up at the airport until we departed. Buddies runs a first class operation. Underwater highlights include a 6 foot green turtle, large tarpon, night dive at the salt pier, and the Hilma Hooker wreck.
- Mark
We had a great time as always. The rooms were spacious. We shared a two bedroom/2 bath with adjoining doors (as oppose to the 2bedroom/2 bath apartment that we had stayed in previously ) and it was just fine. . They have updated their decor with new kitchenettes,refrigerators, and HD TVs. We enjoyed the 6 boat dive much more than the usual 11 boat dive package as we took it easier and didn't feel as rushed. As it turned out, we still did 17 dives. The water temperature was a little colder than usual, so in the future we would probably do Bonaire in the Fall instead of the Spring. Everything went smoothly.
- Alcover
The hotel room was excellent - it is our new favorite room at the resort. Beautifully remodeled and comfortable. We like being on the 2nd floor on the north side of the complex. The service at the hotel was great and the restaurant menus seem to have improved. We were happy to eat onsite for our whole stay. The dive operator were fabulous! John had a couple of equipment issues that Marco was able to fix quickly for essentially no cost. The familiar faces greeted us like old friends. The shore side storage area for gear had been remodeled and was a real improvement. We saw several "squadrons of squid" hanging out in the shallows near the surface. These were the first squid we have seen. There were numerous turtles. Three barracuda followed us as we made our way into the shallows toward shore, with the largest heading right toward us, which got our heart beat rates up. In general it seemed that the reef is quite healthy. A beautiful experience.
- Carol
As usual, our Buddy Resort dive vacation was wonderful. The breakfast buffet was very good. The rooms have been upgraded since our last trip down there ---- bathrooms were very nicely done! Altho the room was OK, it would have been better if the sofa had been a full size sofa or sleep sofa and it would be nice to have a blender in the kitchen. As usual, the hotel and dive staff were friendly and accommodating. We enjoyed the Friday BBQ at Buddy’s and John and Susie (photo shop) gave us recommendations for fabulous dining spots in town for the rest of the week. And, of course, the diving right in front of Buddy’s is great ---- saw several octopi, lots of flounder. Also loved the ‘conservation talk’ about the coral ‘trees’ on Buddy Reef. This was my 8th trip to Bonaire --- my 4th trip to Buddy’s. Before finding Buddy’s, I stayed at Divi Resort but I don’t like the Divi casino atmosphere. I love the hard core diving culture of Buddy’s ---- it attracts the best kind of people and I will be returning as often as I can!
- Elizabeth
Overall, I’d say that the trip was terrific. Diving was great, as always, but I did notice fewer critters on the reef. I think that’s probably due to the Lionfish invasion, which Buddy Dive is taking an active role in hunting, teaching divers how to hunt safely (with an instructor only) and cooking their catch. The dive staff was attentive, a little more controlling on the boat dives than say the Habitat but there is still a lot of freedom on the shore dives. The boat dives are limited to 60 minutes with encouragement to stay at the 50-80 foot level, max at 100 ft. (understandable with the use of Nitrox), and requiring everyone to dive in a general group with some flexibility. The dive operation had a terrific PADI Certified dive course in teaching how to help to regenerate some of the endangered coral (Staghorn and Elkhorn) through the Coral Restoration Foundation that I would highly recommend as it gives you an opportunity to help restore the reef and give something back to the sport. Also, the night fluorescent dive was a cool experience. There is also a very good Photo Center, independently run from the hotel, that can assist you with most photographic assistance including rentals, critiques of your own photos and repairs. Hotel staff was courteous, friendly and always pleasant. As for the apartment, I would say that the bathroom was a bit cramped and the air conditioning which was located in the bedroom, did nothing for the main room, but one can get used to that.
- Robert
Our recent trip to Bonaire was extremely enjoyable for both Martha and me. Each day offered fun both above and below the water. Martha made great friends while snorkeling, She even found a $50 bill tucked in the sand at about 10 feet. Once it was snatched from the sea, the three snorkeling friends went right to the bar to splurge on Coco Locos! Accommodations were just fine and the food at Buddy's proved really super. I thoroughly enjoyed the diving and was able to capture some fairly decent shots throughout the week. Will send a couple when I return home and have access to my files. Just a suggestion or two...it would have been nice for the dive masters to be more involved in finding the local critters instead of just floating along watching the group. Also, they might have been a little more proactive in helping change out tanks for the older divers. We all managed though and had great times.
- Judy
We had a great time . We did have a big problem with the airline however. The outgoing flight was on Saturday with United from Austin to Houston to Bonaire. There was a maintenance problem with the aircraft and the leg from Austin to Houston could not be completed in time for the connection to Bonaire. The next flight to Bonaire was the next Saturday, and this meant the entire scheduled trip was going to be missed. I called Buddy Dive and they said that since this was the day we were scheduled to arrive, our entire pre-paid reservation would be forfeited. OK - I understood. Because of this, we rescheduled to fly to Curacao two days later from Houston. We then connected on a local carrier from Curacao to Bonaire and got there three days late on Tuesday. We thus missed half the trip and ran up over $1000 in extra travel and lodging expenses. We bought the travel insurance recommended and are now documenting the claim. All the above being said, when we finally got there we had a great time and are planning to go back soon.
- Bob
Buddy Dive was great, as always. We really appreciated getting the room we had requested (#511). It seems that Buddy has made some upgrades, including paving the driveways and enhancing the dining menus. We had a wonderful time and look forward to returning to Buddy Dive.
- Carol
Buddy Dive Resort experience was excellent as usual.
- Sonja
We had a wonderful time. We got the room location we wanted. There were considerable upgrades to the furniture in the room as well as to the resort since the last time we stayed at Buddy's, about a year ago. Service was good. We only ate breakfast at Buddy's. We never ate at Ingridents, instead we went downtown to It Rains Fishes x 3, Sebastian's, Patagonia, and Casa Bon Pizza. Clear blue seas for diving and saw green moray, hawksbill turtle, large lobster, sea horse and squid. The last dive of the trip was my 500th dive! All in all we had a GREAT time!
- Jeanne
Wonderful Family dive vacation at Buddy Dive. Staff at hotel and on dive boats the best! Just on Buddy Reef saw Octopus and a great night dive with many Tarpons. The coral restoration project amazing. I hope to do the course next visit!
- M.
Buddy Dive was great. The freedom to come and go was fantastic. The staff was very friendly; however, there was very little sense of extra engagement or connecting with the visitors. We often like to spend more time with the dive guides. This is a great place for a larger group or people that want to go it alone. We had fun exploring the island.
- Eric
This was our 4th trip to Bonaire and our 3rd stay at Buddy's Dive Resort. We had a studio in the "new" Lions side of the resort. It was "okay". The only window was a small window in the bathroom at the back of the unit. AC would only go down to 24C. Water heater leaked into the bedroom area...house keeping placed dry towels as a fix. Shower enclosure leaked and ran into the bedroom...house keeping supplied extra towels to "dam" up the water and keep it in the bathroom. The "patio" was was just the walkway into the room...about 6ft by 3ft...two chairs and a small table. Service was great and the food was good...especially the the "Ingredients" fancy restaurant ($75/pp discount did not apply in this restaurant). The food was a little expensive but $75/pp discount made it more reasonable. It was windy so most of the boat dives went to Klin Bonaire which is not as good as the main island. We did get two dives out of nine up north. We thought the coral and fish/critters were not as good as prior dive trips...maybe the time of the year. Nothing unique. I did see a robins egg blue nudibranch that I had not seen before, but only once. We dove the Salt Pier and were disappointed...not much to see but a couple sharp tailed eels.
- Chris
Fifth trip to Bonaire, fourth stay at Buddy's. It was outstanding as it has been in the past. And it's the best dive resort of my trips to Little Cayman, Cayman Brac, Roatan, Utilla, and Cozumel. The included breakfast is the best anywhere. The tank operation is the easiest, the quickest and the most user friendly. Free Nitrox, of course. Vehicles come with the room, with 7 passenger vans (brand new)for larger parties. All vehicles were brand new this year. Bonaire has quite a few European cuisine restaurants with delicious food and reasonable prices, one of the reasons I keep going back.
- Lucien
Our room did not have a hair dryer or an electrical outlet in the bathroom. We had to put down a deposit to get a hair dryer. The only mirror was in the bathroom. Therefore, I had to dry my hair in the bedroom without a mirror. Everything else about the studio suite that we had was great, especially the kitchen. It was stocked with silver ware, cups, plates, and glasses. The new appliances were wonderful in the kitchen.
- M.
This was our 3rd Trip to Buddy Dive. Great resort, great people, fantastic diving. We were going to limit our Bonaire trips to 2 years, then move onto another destination but where else do you have unlimited shore diving of this caliber! Whether it's one or 8 dives a day, there's something for everyone. We have some folks heading back for more on their own in just a few months. We had a great trip.
- Kathy
My wife and I had a great time at Buddy Dive, Bonaire. The reefs are in amazing healthy condition with lots of interesting life. Although we did not do any beach dives the island is so well known for, we did enjoy a couple of night dives right off the Buddy dock. Such a short swim to so much beauty! Although the bed wasn't as comfortable as we had hoped, the room was very clean and the kitchenette was very complete and convenient. And with so many stores and restaurants so close to the property, we had plenty of choices and time for meals without cutting into our dive experience. The entire staff, from the front desk, to the dive operation, on property restaurants & bar and housekeeping were all exceptionally friendly and helpful. We definitely look forward to future visits to this resort.
- Nick
We had a wonderful family dive vacation at Buddy Resort. The resort was very nice but not American type luxury. Also the kitchens are not really set up to cook in. There were only five plates, 5 bowls etc. The diving and snorkeling was beautiful and worth the trip. The only critical remarks I would have is that there was no hot tub, which we really enjoyed after scuba diving, and there were mosquitoes everywhere.
- Lorie
Resort held no surprises. Rooms were spacious & clean. The kitchen could have been equipped alittle better but it wasn't bad. I liked the idea that breakfast was included it made the day start out easy. The resort food & drink prices weren't bad & we never felt taken advantage of. We had a diver certification fall through & they gave us our money back---which they didn't have todo. We appreciated that. I would recommend the resort to friends
- J.
We had a great time! Buddy Dive Resort (BDR) was as just as we anticipated, since this was our 6th vacation at BDR. Our room appeared to be recently remodeled, it had new appliances and was in good condition. The bedroom AC did not function the first evening, we reported it and it was repaired that day. We have no complaints. The pickup we were issued was old, rusted and beat up. The tailgate was hanging on by a thread (rusted chain), however…is served us well, and we were not concerned about the rough look as we loaded and unloaded tanks and equipment each day. They have some new trucks in the lot, so they appear to be rotating their fleet, we just got an old one. The restaurant food was good, and so was the service. I would call it pricey, some of that can be attributed to the location…but $13-16 for a burger is pricey. We were prepared for it. We ate at Blemies and Ingredients, as well as a few places off-site. Fantastic diving! We observed the coral spawning (never seen that before). We encountered loads of turtles, moray eels, and more fish life than we could remember.
- John
I had a great time diving at Buddy Dive Resort. The room was quite spacious and included working kitchen area, living room and deck with ocean views. The morning breakfast was tasty with lots of choices. The dive shop was super professional and accommodating. I would definitely recommend this dive resort.
- Henry
Our trip was great!! Really enjoyed Buddy Dive Resort. We had a delay in getting our rental vehicle the first day, and one of our group members broke her elbow getting in the water off the dive boat, but otherwise the staff and accommodations were wonderful. Really loved having our own dive boat for the group!! Would definitely stay there again.
- Kim
Always great diving and customer service.
- Anthony
We had a great time on our vacation. When we arrived at Buddy Dive at noon after spending a week at Divi, we were pleasantly surprised to find our apartment was ready. It was on the second floor with a great ocean view. However, it had recently been painted and had a strong paint smell. My allergies/asthma did not like it! We tried airing the apartment out, but that didn't really help. We knew that our downstairs neighbors were moving out the next day, so I called the front desk at 9:15 PM suggesting the possibility that we could move to that apartment if no one else was scheduled to move in. Even though the manager had already left for the night, the person I was speaking to immediately called her and got back to me right away, saying that we could move. I mentioned that both of us would be out most of the next day and wouldn't be able to move until late in the afternoon.They said that wasn't a problem. When I went to reception the next day to get the new key, the manager came over to me and gave me a voucher for the buffet at the hotel Friday night. It was for 4 people and 4 drinks! I was quite shocked. She said that she wanted her guests to have the best experience possible. I think that was very impressive. The apartment was clean, had quiet air conditioners, free wi-fi, a nice TV, and fully stocked kitchen. The view was great. The breakfasts were good, and we had good meals at the hotel a few of the nights. I had a few issues with snorkeling off the boat. In two of the cases, the sites chosen were not compatible with snorkeling, and I felt that I wasted my money. I made sure to let them know, though.*:) happy In my various snorkel trips, I saw turtles, sting rays, various eels, and such a large variety of colorful fish and coral. My companion liked the diving and had similar experiences diving. We definitely would stay there again.
- Sheila
This was the first dive vacation after getting certified with my two younger sons (all adults now) so I wanted a really special trip. Overall the resort had a very nice atmosphere and people were helpful. Buddy dive lives up to its t-shirt that says "Eat, Sleep, Dive Buddy Resort". They are well structured to support people there to dive, dive, dive. The average person arriving at Bonaire has significant experience diving and has likely stayed at Buddy on a previous trip. The drive through tank fills with equipment wash tanks was very convenient. They don't hold your hand when you arrive unless you ask for the help so you need to ask for that help (which we did). They were more than helpful if you asked. After you know your way around they are really good about just getting out of your way so you can have fun. We dove about 18 times on lots of different reefs with most of our early dives at the Buddy Dive house reef, which was very nice. I would however say they were running short on lockers in the dive center and the dock was a bit of a traffic jam in the evenings with everyone getting ready for night dives on the reef. The activities center was great to work with on kayaking/snorkeling at the Mangrove Center. Room service at the resort was timely and they did a nice job. The kitchen served our needs and the AC kept up. Breakfast was very good and ready on time each morning (we are early risers). Lunch and dinner at Blennies tasted great with okay service but maybe a bit on the expensive side. We ate in the city a few times and the food was okay (not as good as the resort) but less expensive. The arrival and departure transfers were definitely a 'cattle car' with all of our luggage in big trucks and everyone tightly packed on buses. I suspect this was driven by the fact that several large dive groups arrived on the same plane with us. Next time I might rent an Avis truck near the airport and skip the transfers. Diving on Bonaire: Bonaire met or exceeded all of our hopes for what a great scuba diving destination should be. Clarity was in excess of 100', water temperatures were 81 to 83 F so we just dove with our rash guard shirts and swimming trunks, the abundance of marine life and diversity and health of the reefs was spectacular, night diving was a bit disorienting at first but by the second night dive we were having a great time. Swimming with a feeding school of large tarpons attracted to our dive lights was amazing! We were very careful with our buoyancy so as to not touch anything and we quickly increased our confidence levels after some practice. We did experience a brief rain shower but we were already getting in the water for a dive so who cares. To be clear Bonaire's big attraction is diving…snorkeling in the cave, kayaking and snorkeling in the mangroves, shopping in town, visiting the donkey park, etc…are all very nice but the island is very dry, rocky and most of the plants there are covered with thorns. Thank goodness for a steady breeze that makes the mid-80s temperatures okay.
- Warren
This was our 3rd trip to Bonaire and we love it there! Buddy Dive Resort is a very nice facility and we like it there as well. My only complaint was with the rental truck. They told us it was only 3 years old, but it's had a dang tough life! The shore diving opportunities are excellent on Bonaire, but we could see a definite decline in reef health on every reef from Karpata to White Slave mostly at 35' (10 m) and above from our last trip in 2012. Lots' of bleaching on mostly the hard coral, but we saw some tube sponges and gorgonians that were suffering as well. The dive community had better step it up and force the congress in the USA to get us on a green path or we're not going to have any reefs to dive in the near future. And this thought, these damaged reefs absolutely breaks my heart! It will take us all being very vocal to get this done. Will you help?
- Jim
As always, Buddy was great, dive site and the staff was great as well.
- Bill
Had a great trip, Buddy's was perfect for our needs.
- James
It was wonderful! We had a great time at Buddy Dive and really loved our stay. Buddy's 1 bedrooms are comparable to Don's, and while the 3 bedroom suites were nice, the bungalows at Don's are better. The staff at Buddy's was incredible and they have a great dive operation. The food at Blennie's was decent, but there are better options within walking distance. (We walked over to Don's many times to eat at their restaurant) Week 1 Buddy scheduled our group for 2 tank boats for just our group, which was wonderful. By week 2 we knew most of the dive staff and they were very helpful in scheduling our second week as well. My wife took their PADI Lionfish hunting course. Great instruction. It really enhanced her diving experience. Next year we are looking at going back for at least a week.
- Jesse
The reefs are healthy and beautiful - unfortunately I got sick and only got two dives in. Buddy Dive itself is a little tattered. The twin beds are more crib-sized than traditional American twin beds - really uncomfortable (especially when you get sick and have to spend time in them). I'd go back to Bonaire, but probably not back to Buddy Dive
- Lisa
Exceptional Vacation, Buddy Dive Resort is an all-in-one place to dive and relax. Quality living accommodations, great food. Best boat and shore diving options. You can literally dive 24/7. Nearly all bottles are Nitrox, no tracking tickets. Just Dive, Dive and Dive.
- Scott
Buddy dive is a great dive resort. Everyone involved in the dive operation is knowledgeable and friendly. I had a broken leg 6 months prior to the trip and it was still weak- they helped me in and out of the water every time. The only complaint would be about the restaurant Blennies. We had dinner there 3 times and the service is atrocious. The BBQ, which had always been excellent, was terrible.They ran out of fish and chicken and the line took forever as people waited. We were in line for 45 minutes, only have to wait again unless we wanted only sausage and pork. The breakfast buffet was fine. It seems that they hire students with no waiting experience. It's too bad that after a night dive you can't have dinner at your own hotel without service issues.
- Kathy
This was our 3rd trip back to Buddy Dive and had a great time. As always we were greeted at the airport on time and check in was a breeze. The resort hadn't changed much in the last few years so most everything was the same. Staff was very helpful, boats nice and crew OK. Some better then others. Dive shop was the same and photo center closed as the person who ran it is retiring. They have some new vehicles which was really nice and driving around the island is always fun along with the shore dives. Lots more cruise ships in town which did create problems for us as Buddy Dive is trying to capture more business from the cruise ship passengers. Because of this our last boat trip was almost 1 hour late and the crew was not happy about it although they were great with us. Seems Buddy Dive is understaffed and not enough boats to work this all out correctly. Also, we had a group of 19 divers and 4 snorkelers and usually we would have the same crew for all trips but not this time.
- Ken
Our Bonaire trip was indeed wonderful. As this is the 6th time there, expectations are high, and so was the experience – justifies going back. Buddy’s was great – food, diving, the room ,the training. We’ll certainly be back soon.
- Robert
Buddy Dive was all it's promised to be - great diving, good DMs and captains, dive operation well run. Nice room, pretty good food @ resort. Those are the most important areas, but a few comments about our personal experience, which was just fine overall. But if you want adequate lighting or a screen door that works so you are not savaged (literally) by lil 'squitos, or any kind of ambiance in your room, or a single place to hang wet things - upgrade to another place. I spent hours trying to clear out the bugs (I am NOT an anti-bug freak either!) that were intent on drinking us. Lovely grounds but looked like they needed more care and clean up. Another thing we found odd -a different DM and boat almost every dive - no continuity w/ personnel so you don't get to know them, or they you, and cannot count on diving w/ new friends either - all depends on how quick you get to the board to sign up. Will think hard about returning here but Bonaire is wonderful!
- Anthony
We just returned from a wonderful vacation at Buddy Dive Bonaire. Buddy Dive was great. The staff are very helpful. I get the feeling, having been there 3 years or so ago, that they are investing substantially in their infrastructure. There is also a new manager named Rene who was constantly around and making sure things went well. We would surely love to return in the future. Just for some insight, we learned that Insilair is having alot of financial trouble and therefore equipment problems. There is another airline on those routes called Divi Divi Airline. Yea, sounds funny, but they have smaller planes but they have alot of flights and the passengers say they are great. FYI.
- Dean
Buddy Dive provided their usual excellent accommodations and service. There were more guests present than we've seen in the past, but we still had adequate space for our diving needs.
- Carol
All went well at Buddys
- Donis
Just wanted to tell you that our vacation was perfect. Buddy dive Bonaire is a great operation and everything went without a hitch.
- Harry
Our trip was wonderful. The accommodations were upgraded to a 3 bedroom with plenty of space. The resort is run like a fine tuned engine with all cylinders firing to ensure a well functioning organization. As far as diving goes, Bonaire always rates high on my list of destinations. Taking care of their reef is of utmost importance to this tiny island and it shows. Coral restoration is ongoing and the habitat is thriving making the dives in this area unbelievably awesome. The dive packages are better than I have ever experienced anywhere and my son and I had no problem completing 15 dives each with 6 boat dives among the 15! Buddy Dive stands behind their promise to provide a safe and pleasurable dive destination.
- Naumann
Maduro recommended Buddy Dive and I was very pleased with the resort and accommodations. Their description was acurate and they had great pricing. Bonaire is a great place for underwater photos!
- Harrison
Love Buddy Dive. Spent two weeks for the first time. So much more relaxed than a week. Will be back again. This was my 7th trip to Bonaire, 4th to Buddy Dive.
- Kathy
We had a super trip to Bonaire. The diving was awesome, the PADI course for the kids worked great and who knew there were so many great restaurants there? Plus we windsurfed on Lac Bay and want to go back to try the mountain biking and more boat dives with Buddy. We ended up thinking Buddy Dive had a much more vibrant diving program than Captain Don's. Buddy had lots of families and kids taking courses and in the water. Their dive shop was bustling and we loved the mix of locals and Dutch folks who worked there. For groups with kids, we preferred Buddy.
- Scott S.
We just returned from buddy dive. All went smoothly, they were at the airport waiting for us. We went to the resort, and since we registered online, we were given keys and off we went to our rooms. Augusto the dive shop manager greeted us, we went to the dive shop and signed in. Was able to do our check out dive when we arrived so we could start our boat diving on Thursday. We had our own boat and we had a great schedule. I would definitely stay again!
- Cindy H.
The trip was exceptional. The accommodations were great and the diving was, as always, exceptional. The staff ay Buddy's is always friendly and accommodating. Other than the delayed flight the trip was fun and I am looking forward to doing it again.
- Terry F.
Lovely resort near town, the rooms are a bit tired but still adequate for needs. Many stairs, a consideration when traveling with folks with more limited mobility. Food was amazing, prices reasonable. The diving center was great, super helpful and getting tanks was an easy process. Everything was within a short drive and the island is easy to navigate. Many of the shore entries are challenging for people with more limited mobility and folks with this challenge may want to consider utilizing the affordable boat dive option from the resort. The only real negative of the trip was the Bonaire tax authority which charged us for an individual who could not travel, double charged one individual, and charged us for the whole group. The online payment portal does not work. Suggestion for other travelers would be to register each traveler individually and have them pay the visitor tax with their own QR code. Utilizing a group QR code caused us lots of issues and the tax authority refuses to give refunds for duplicate payments. Paying the marine park tag fee and printing at home was easy and simple. We laminated the printouts to be sure they would survive the trip, a great tip we picked up from other travelers.
- Sarina E.
Buddy Dive has gone cashless, you are forced to use credit cards if you want to eat, drink and be merry. Not the way we vacation - we use cash for our vacation fun. Buy your beer and snacks at the Chinese Store down the road - saves on the bar tabs. The Wi-Fi is not available in all units. They replaced the doors to the patio that block the signal. Since Wi-Fi is free - they do not guarantee that it will work in your unit. You have to either sit outside on the patio and be attacked by mosquitos or sit at the bar. The staff is very friendly, accommodations and attentive. The units are nice and clean. I can't say how the food was, since we couldn't use our cash at the resort. Diving was great although we didn't see many of our usual finds - squid, rays or octopus, all MIA. We did encounter many turtles.
- Janet
Overall it was a good trip. We stayed about 10 nights with a primary focus on diving. The resort is kind of dated but they are definitely working to improve things. I found the breakfast buffet at the Ingredients restaurant excellent and the staff at the Blennies bar/restaurant friendly and helpful. My only minor complaint is they seemed to be sticklers about making reservations at Blennies even though the place was pretty empty. I thought maybe it was because they use it to plan for staffing needs, which they are in short supply of (as is about everyone). Advice is, just make a reservation no matter how empty you think the restaurant will be. The accommodations we stayed in, a 3 bedroom apartment, could use some work. Water pressure was poor (even non existent once!) and only the bedrooms have A/C. The 1st floor bedroom is fairly small. The upstairs rooms are more roomy and are "master suite" like. The room cleaning staff was excellent and took care of the room(s) quite well. If it matters to you, the Wi-Fi on property is good when you can get it (which is most of the time). The locations of the access points and the concrete buildings make it difficult or impossible to get connected at times - even in the same apartment. They have, what I call "faux beaches" by the pools with lounge chairs, thatch umbrella shade, sand and oceanfront views that I liked. Bonaire has very limited traditional sandy beaches so it was a nice touch. The bar is nice and convenient to get a drink but you don't get chair-side service. They have a pool that adjoins the bar with seats in the pool water you can sit at. If you are intending to "drive and dive" at Buddy with their trucks be advised most/all of them are manual transmission. The extremely unavailable automatic transmission trucks surprised me a bit. So if you are not able to drive a stick shift, be certain to have this very specific item "locked in" before you arrive.... otherwise you might be scrambling (or learning to drive a stick!). The dive shop at Buddy's was awesome and the staff there were wonderful. Overall it was great experience. I would definitely return one day.
- Brian E.
The diving was great as always and the people at the dive shop were great. The restaurant is slow and people spend more time talking to each other than taking care of their customers. Will most likely go to Bonaire again sometime but will stay somewhere else.
- Darla C.
I just returned from a week down to Bonaire where I had 16 of my divers with me. We stayed at buddies and everything and everyone there was very professional and accommodating. We also did 6 boat dive and I got to do a dive I’d never done because it is inaccessible from shore. It was called Rapel, it was incredible. The corals and sponges looked the way they are supposed to, perfect. Wonderful trip in every way and none of my of my divers had any complaints about anything on the trip, it was just wonderful! Can’t wait until the next one.
- Spencer P.
Prices starting at:
USD $ 826
Package Details
Resort Details
Destination Details
Traveler Reviews
Free Shore Diving!
7 Nights’ accommodations, Round Trip Airport Transfers, Vehicle Rental Including Insurance, Daily Breakfast, Free 6 Days of Unlimited Shore Diving with Tanks, Weights, Weight Belts, Free Nitrox and Government ABB Tax (Not Included Bonaire Government Entry Tax and Marine Park Fees)
Travel Period: Aug. 30 – Oct. 03, 2025
Price and Room Selections:
$1077 Studio (Double Occupancy)
$1970 Studio (Single Occupancy)
$1174 One Bedroom Apartment (Double Occupancy)
$2165 One Bedroom Apartment (Single Occupancy)
$1644 Two Bedroom Apartment (Double Occupancy)
$1157 Two Bedroom Apartment (Triple Occupancy)
$914 Two Bedroom Apartment (Quad Occupancy)
$1300 Three Bedroom Apartment (Triple Occupancy)
$1021 Three Bedroom Apartment (Quad Occupancy)
$853 Three Bedroom Apartment (5 Person Occupancy)
$826 Three Bedroom Apartment (6 Person Occupancy)
**Add On**
6 Boat Dives for $225
Expires at 10:00am on Tuesday September 23rd, 2025
Buddy Dive Resort Bonaire
Buddy Dive Resort is located on the popular scuba diving island of Bonaire in the Caribbean ocean. The islands' closest neighbors are Aruba and Curacao. With divers in mind, they designed 11 modern buildings with 1,2,or 3 bedroom apartments and 1 bedroom studios. As a result, the apartments have full kitchens, bathrooms with showers, furnished living areas, and large balconies or patios. The studi...
Bonaire
Bonaire is a diver's paradise for scuba diving from boats and shore diving. The Island is a coveted destination for both scuba divers and snorkelers. Being a Dutch Caribbean island means it has a good infrastructure as well as high standards for education, healthcare and sanitation. Because the locals speak several languages including English, conversation is easy. The American dollar is the cur...
My family and I had the most wonderful vacation @ Buddy Dive. From the pick up @ the airport in the late evening to a super dive facility - all was easy and truly was a diver's delight. This was a dream vacation to Bonaire’s Buddy Dive Resort. It could not have been any better.
- Jackson
The trip was excellent – flights even though sounding horrible actually worked well. We arrived early got all our paper work and dive check outs done. Although flight home was very early…but nice to be home at a reasonable We were upgraded to larger rooms and the staff was great We are already planning to return again next year One thing we overheard was that Buddy has dive boat issues and many need major mechanical overhauls – hope they can get this cared for. The staff believes all monies are being diverted to the live aboard that Buddy is starting versus taking care of the local operation.
- Clark
The room at Buddie’s ended up being a three bedroom instead of the two, this upgrade was a bonus for us. The room met our needs perfectly. The service at Buddies was wonderful and so was the diving. We had a fantastic week in Bonaire. Everything ran smoothly; from the time we were picked up at the airport until we departed. Buddies runs a first class operation. Underwater highlights include a 6 foot green turtle, large tarpon, night dive at the salt pier, and the Hilma Hooker wreck.
- Mark
We had a great time as always. The rooms were spacious. We shared a two bedroom/2 bath with adjoining doors (as oppose to the 2bedroom/2 bath apartment that we had stayed in previously ) and it was just fine. . They have updated their decor with new kitchenettes,refrigerators, and HD TVs. We enjoyed the 6 boat dive much more than the usual 11 boat dive package as we took it easier and didn't feel as rushed. As it turned out, we still did 17 dives. The water temperature was a little colder than usual, so in the future we would probably do Bonaire in the Fall instead of the Spring. Everything went smoothly.
- Alcover
The hotel room was excellent - it is our new favorite room at the resort. Beautifully remodeled and comfortable. We like being on the 2nd floor on the north side of the complex. The service at the hotel was great and the restaurant menus seem to have improved. We were happy to eat onsite for our whole stay. The dive operator were fabulous! John had a couple of equipment issues that Marco was able to fix quickly for essentially no cost. The familiar faces greeted us like old friends. The shore side storage area for gear had been remodeled and was a real improvement. We saw several "squadrons of squid" hanging out in the shallows near the surface. These were the first squid we have seen. There were numerous turtles. Three barracuda followed us as we made our way into the shallows toward shore, with the largest heading right toward us, which got our heart beat rates up. In general it seemed that the reef is quite healthy. A beautiful experience.
- Carol
As usual, our Buddy Resort dive vacation was wonderful. The breakfast buffet was very good. The rooms have been upgraded since our last trip down there ---- bathrooms were very nicely done! Altho the room was OK, it would have been better if the sofa had been a full size sofa or sleep sofa and it would be nice to have a blender in the kitchen. As usual, the hotel and dive staff were friendly and accommodating. We enjoyed the Friday BBQ at Buddy’s and John and Susie (photo shop) gave us recommendations for fabulous dining spots in town for the rest of the week. And, of course, the diving right in front of Buddy’s is great ---- saw several octopi, lots of flounder. Also loved the ‘conservation talk’ about the coral ‘trees’ on Buddy Reef. This was my 8th trip to Bonaire --- my 4th trip to Buddy’s. Before finding Buddy’s, I stayed at Divi Resort but I don’t like the Divi casino atmosphere. I love the hard core diving culture of Buddy’s ---- it attracts the best kind of people and I will be returning as often as I can!
- Elizabeth
Overall, I’d say that the trip was terrific. Diving was great, as always, but I did notice fewer critters on the reef. I think that’s probably due to the Lionfish invasion, which Buddy Dive is taking an active role in hunting, teaching divers how to hunt safely (with an instructor only) and cooking their catch. The dive staff was attentive, a little more controlling on the boat dives than say the Habitat but there is still a lot of freedom on the shore dives. The boat dives are limited to 60 minutes with encouragement to stay at the 50-80 foot level, max at 100 ft. (understandable with the use of Nitrox), and requiring everyone to dive in a general group with some flexibility. The dive operation had a terrific PADI Certified dive course in teaching how to help to regenerate some of the endangered coral (Staghorn and Elkhorn) through the Coral Restoration Foundation that I would highly recommend as it gives you an opportunity to help restore the reef and give something back to the sport. Also, the night fluorescent dive was a cool experience. There is also a very good Photo Center, independently run from the hotel, that can assist you with most photographic assistance including rentals, critiques of your own photos and repairs. Hotel staff was courteous, friendly and always pleasant. As for the apartment, I would say that the bathroom was a bit cramped and the air conditioning which was located in the bedroom, did nothing for the main room, but one can get used to that.
- Robert
Our recent trip to Bonaire was extremely enjoyable for both Martha and me. Each day offered fun both above and below the water. Martha made great friends while snorkeling, She even found a $50 bill tucked in the sand at about 10 feet. Once it was snatched from the sea, the three snorkeling friends went right to the bar to splurge on Coco Locos! Accommodations were just fine and the food at Buddy's proved really super. I thoroughly enjoyed the diving and was able to capture some fairly decent shots throughout the week. Will send a couple when I return home and have access to my files. Just a suggestion or two...it would have been nice for the dive masters to be more involved in finding the local critters instead of just floating along watching the group. Also, they might have been a little more proactive in helping change out tanks for the older divers. We all managed though and had great times.
- Judy
We had a great time . We did have a big problem with the airline however. The outgoing flight was on Saturday with United from Austin to Houston to Bonaire. There was a maintenance problem with the aircraft and the leg from Austin to Houston could not be completed in time for the connection to Bonaire. The next flight to Bonaire was the next Saturday, and this meant the entire scheduled trip was going to be missed. I called Buddy Dive and they said that since this was the day we were scheduled to arrive, our entire pre-paid reservation would be forfeited. OK - I understood. Because of this, we rescheduled to fly to Curacao two days later from Houston. We then connected on a local carrier from Curacao to Bonaire and got there three days late on Tuesday. We thus missed half the trip and ran up over $1000 in extra travel and lodging expenses. We bought the travel insurance recommended and are now documenting the claim. All the above being said, when we finally got there we had a great time and are planning to go back soon.
- Bob
Buddy Dive was great, as always. We really appreciated getting the room we had requested (#511). It seems that Buddy has made some upgrades, including paving the driveways and enhancing the dining menus. We had a wonderful time and look forward to returning to Buddy Dive.
- Carol
Buddy Dive Resort experience was excellent as usual.
- Sonja
We had a wonderful time. We got the room location we wanted. There were considerable upgrades to the furniture in the room as well as to the resort since the last time we stayed at Buddy's, about a year ago. Service was good. We only ate breakfast at Buddy's. We never ate at Ingridents, instead we went downtown to It Rains Fishes x 3, Sebastian's, Patagonia, and Casa Bon Pizza. Clear blue seas for diving and saw green moray, hawksbill turtle, large lobster, sea horse and squid. The last dive of the trip was my 500th dive! All in all we had a GREAT time!
- Jeanne
Wonderful Family dive vacation at Buddy Dive. Staff at hotel and on dive boats the best! Just on Buddy Reef saw Octopus and a great night dive with many Tarpons. The coral restoration project amazing. I hope to do the course next visit!
- M.
Buddy Dive was great. The freedom to come and go was fantastic. The staff was very friendly; however, there was very little sense of extra engagement or connecting with the visitors. We often like to spend more time with the dive guides. This is a great place for a larger group or people that want to go it alone. We had fun exploring the island.
- Eric
This was our 4th trip to Bonaire and our 3rd stay at Buddy's Dive Resort. We had a studio in the "new" Lions side of the resort. It was "okay". The only window was a small window in the bathroom at the back of the unit. AC would only go down to 24C. Water heater leaked into the bedroom area...house keeping placed dry towels as a fix. Shower enclosure leaked and ran into the bedroom...house keeping supplied extra towels to "dam" up the water and keep it in the bathroom. The "patio" was was just the walkway into the room...about 6ft by 3ft...two chairs and a small table. Service was great and the food was good...especially the the "Ingredients" fancy restaurant ($75/pp discount did not apply in this restaurant). The food was a little expensive but $75/pp discount made it more reasonable. It was windy so most of the boat dives went to Klin Bonaire which is not as good as the main island. We did get two dives out of nine up north. We thought the coral and fish/critters were not as good as prior dive trips...maybe the time of the year. Nothing unique. I did see a robins egg blue nudibranch that I had not seen before, but only once. We dove the Salt Pier and were disappointed...not much to see but a couple sharp tailed eels.
- Chris
Fifth trip to Bonaire, fourth stay at Buddy's. It was outstanding as it has been in the past. And it's the best dive resort of my trips to Little Cayman, Cayman Brac, Roatan, Utilla, and Cozumel. The included breakfast is the best anywhere. The tank operation is the easiest, the quickest and the most user friendly. Free Nitrox, of course. Vehicles come with the room, with 7 passenger vans (brand new)for larger parties. All vehicles were brand new this year. Bonaire has quite a few European cuisine restaurants with delicious food and reasonable prices, one of the reasons I keep going back.
- Lucien
Our room did not have a hair dryer or an electrical outlet in the bathroom. We had to put down a deposit to get a hair dryer. The only mirror was in the bathroom. Therefore, I had to dry my hair in the bedroom without a mirror. Everything else about the studio suite that we had was great, especially the kitchen. It was stocked with silver ware, cups, plates, and glasses. The new appliances were wonderful in the kitchen.
- M.
This was our 3rd Trip to Buddy Dive. Great resort, great people, fantastic diving. We were going to limit our Bonaire trips to 2 years, then move onto another destination but where else do you have unlimited shore diving of this caliber! Whether it's one or 8 dives a day, there's something for everyone. We have some folks heading back for more on their own in just a few months. We had a great trip.
- Kathy
My wife and I had a great time at Buddy Dive, Bonaire. The reefs are in amazing healthy condition with lots of interesting life. Although we did not do any beach dives the island is so well known for, we did enjoy a couple of night dives right off the Buddy dock. Such a short swim to so much beauty! Although the bed wasn't as comfortable as we had hoped, the room was very clean and the kitchenette was very complete and convenient. And with so many stores and restaurants so close to the property, we had plenty of choices and time for meals without cutting into our dive experience. The entire staff, from the front desk, to the dive operation, on property restaurants & bar and housekeeping were all exceptionally friendly and helpful. We definitely look forward to future visits to this resort.
- Nick
We had a wonderful family dive vacation at Buddy Resort. The resort was very nice but not American type luxury. Also the kitchens are not really set up to cook in. There were only five plates, 5 bowls etc. The diving and snorkeling was beautiful and worth the trip. The only critical remarks I would have is that there was no hot tub, which we really enjoyed after scuba diving, and there were mosquitoes everywhere.
- Lorie
Resort held no surprises. Rooms were spacious & clean. The kitchen could have been equipped alittle better but it wasn't bad. I liked the idea that breakfast was included it made the day start out easy. The resort food & drink prices weren't bad & we never felt taken advantage of. We had a diver certification fall through & they gave us our money back---which they didn't have todo. We appreciated that. I would recommend the resort to friends
- J.
We had a great time! Buddy Dive Resort (BDR) was as just as we anticipated, since this was our 6th vacation at BDR. Our room appeared to be recently remodeled, it had new appliances and was in good condition. The bedroom AC did not function the first evening, we reported it and it was repaired that day. We have no complaints. The pickup we were issued was old, rusted and beat up. The tailgate was hanging on by a thread (rusted chain), however…is served us well, and we were not concerned about the rough look as we loaded and unloaded tanks and equipment each day. They have some new trucks in the lot, so they appear to be rotating their fleet, we just got an old one. The restaurant food was good, and so was the service. I would call it pricey, some of that can be attributed to the location…but $13-16 for a burger is pricey. We were prepared for it. We ate at Blemies and Ingredients, as well as a few places off-site. Fantastic diving! We observed the coral spawning (never seen that before). We encountered loads of turtles, moray eels, and more fish life than we could remember.
- John
I had a great time diving at Buddy Dive Resort. The room was quite spacious and included working kitchen area, living room and deck with ocean views. The morning breakfast was tasty with lots of choices. The dive shop was super professional and accommodating. I would definitely recommend this dive resort.
- Henry
Our trip was great!! Really enjoyed Buddy Dive Resort. We had a delay in getting our rental vehicle the first day, and one of our group members broke her elbow getting in the water off the dive boat, but otherwise the staff and accommodations were wonderful. Really loved having our own dive boat for the group!! Would definitely stay there again.
- Kim
Always great diving and customer service.
- Anthony
We had a great time on our vacation. When we arrived at Buddy Dive at noon after spending a week at Divi, we were pleasantly surprised to find our apartment was ready. It was on the second floor with a great ocean view. However, it had recently been painted and had a strong paint smell. My allergies/asthma did not like it! We tried airing the apartment out, but that didn't really help. We knew that our downstairs neighbors were moving out the next day, so I called the front desk at 9:15 PM suggesting the possibility that we could move to that apartment if no one else was scheduled to move in. Even though the manager had already left for the night, the person I was speaking to immediately called her and got back to me right away, saying that we could move. I mentioned that both of us would be out most of the next day and wouldn't be able to move until late in the afternoon.They said that wasn't a problem. When I went to reception the next day to get the new key, the manager came over to me and gave me a voucher for the buffet at the hotel Friday night. It was for 4 people and 4 drinks! I was quite shocked. She said that she wanted her guests to have the best experience possible. I think that was very impressive. The apartment was clean, had quiet air conditioners, free wi-fi, a nice TV, and fully stocked kitchen. The view was great. The breakfasts were good, and we had good meals at the hotel a few of the nights. I had a few issues with snorkeling off the boat. In two of the cases, the sites chosen were not compatible with snorkeling, and I felt that I wasted my money. I made sure to let them know, though.*:) happy In my various snorkel trips, I saw turtles, sting rays, various eels, and such a large variety of colorful fish and coral. My companion liked the diving and had similar experiences diving. We definitely would stay there again.
- Sheila
This was the first dive vacation after getting certified with my two younger sons (all adults now) so I wanted a really special trip. Overall the resort had a very nice atmosphere and people were helpful. Buddy dive lives up to its t-shirt that says "Eat, Sleep, Dive Buddy Resort". They are well structured to support people there to dive, dive, dive. The average person arriving at Bonaire has significant experience diving and has likely stayed at Buddy on a previous trip. The drive through tank fills with equipment wash tanks was very convenient. They don't hold your hand when you arrive unless you ask for the help so you need to ask for that help (which we did). They were more than helpful if you asked. After you know your way around they are really good about just getting out of your way so you can have fun. We dove about 18 times on lots of different reefs with most of our early dives at the Buddy Dive house reef, which was very nice. I would however say they were running short on lockers in the dive center and the dock was a bit of a traffic jam in the evenings with everyone getting ready for night dives on the reef. The activities center was great to work with on kayaking/snorkeling at the Mangrove Center. Room service at the resort was timely and they did a nice job. The kitchen served our needs and the AC kept up. Breakfast was very good and ready on time each morning (we are early risers). Lunch and dinner at Blennies tasted great with okay service but maybe a bit on the expensive side. We ate in the city a few times and the food was okay (not as good as the resort) but less expensive. The arrival and departure transfers were definitely a 'cattle car' with all of our luggage in big trucks and everyone tightly packed on buses. I suspect this was driven by the fact that several large dive groups arrived on the same plane with us. Next time I might rent an Avis truck near the airport and skip the transfers. Diving on Bonaire: Bonaire met or exceeded all of our hopes for what a great scuba diving destination should be. Clarity was in excess of 100', water temperatures were 81 to 83 F so we just dove with our rash guard shirts and swimming trunks, the abundance of marine life and diversity and health of the reefs was spectacular, night diving was a bit disorienting at first but by the second night dive we were having a great time. Swimming with a feeding school of large tarpons attracted to our dive lights was amazing! We were very careful with our buoyancy so as to not touch anything and we quickly increased our confidence levels after some practice. We did experience a brief rain shower but we were already getting in the water for a dive so who cares. To be clear Bonaire's big attraction is diving…snorkeling in the cave, kayaking and snorkeling in the mangroves, shopping in town, visiting the donkey park, etc…are all very nice but the island is very dry, rocky and most of the plants there are covered with thorns. Thank goodness for a steady breeze that makes the mid-80s temperatures okay.
- Warren
This was our 3rd trip to Bonaire and we love it there! Buddy Dive Resort is a very nice facility and we like it there as well. My only complaint was with the rental truck. They told us it was only 3 years old, but it's had a dang tough life! The shore diving opportunities are excellent on Bonaire, but we could see a definite decline in reef health on every reef from Karpata to White Slave mostly at 35' (10 m) and above from our last trip in 2012. Lots' of bleaching on mostly the hard coral, but we saw some tube sponges and gorgonians that were suffering as well. The dive community had better step it up and force the congress in the USA to get us on a green path or we're not going to have any reefs to dive in the near future. And this thought, these damaged reefs absolutely breaks my heart! It will take us all being very vocal to get this done. Will you help?
- Jim
As always, Buddy was great, dive site and the staff was great as well.
- Bill
Had a great trip, Buddy's was perfect for our needs.
- James
It was wonderful! We had a great time at Buddy Dive and really loved our stay. Buddy's 1 bedrooms are comparable to Don's, and while the 3 bedroom suites were nice, the bungalows at Don's are better. The staff at Buddy's was incredible and they have a great dive operation. The food at Blennie's was decent, but there are better options within walking distance. (We walked over to Don's many times to eat at their restaurant) Week 1 Buddy scheduled our group for 2 tank boats for just our group, which was wonderful. By week 2 we knew most of the dive staff and they were very helpful in scheduling our second week as well. My wife took their PADI Lionfish hunting course. Great instruction. It really enhanced her diving experience. Next year we are looking at going back for at least a week.
- Jesse
The reefs are healthy and beautiful - unfortunately I got sick and only got two dives in. Buddy Dive itself is a little tattered. The twin beds are more crib-sized than traditional American twin beds - really uncomfortable (especially when you get sick and have to spend time in them). I'd go back to Bonaire, but probably not back to Buddy Dive
- Lisa
Exceptional Vacation, Buddy Dive Resort is an all-in-one place to dive and relax. Quality living accommodations, great food. Best boat and shore diving options. You can literally dive 24/7. Nearly all bottles are Nitrox, no tracking tickets. Just Dive, Dive and Dive.
- Scott
Buddy dive is a great dive resort. Everyone involved in the dive operation is knowledgeable and friendly. I had a broken leg 6 months prior to the trip and it was still weak- they helped me in and out of the water every time. The only complaint would be about the restaurant Blennies. We had dinner there 3 times and the service is atrocious. The BBQ, which had always been excellent, was terrible.They ran out of fish and chicken and the line took forever as people waited. We were in line for 45 minutes, only have to wait again unless we wanted only sausage and pork. The breakfast buffet was fine. It seems that they hire students with no waiting experience. It's too bad that after a night dive you can't have dinner at your own hotel without service issues.
- Kathy
This was our 3rd trip back to Buddy Dive and had a great time. As always we were greeted at the airport on time and check in was a breeze. The resort hadn't changed much in the last few years so most everything was the same. Staff was very helpful, boats nice and crew OK. Some better then others. Dive shop was the same and photo center closed as the person who ran it is retiring. They have some new vehicles which was really nice and driving around the island is always fun along with the shore dives. Lots more cruise ships in town which did create problems for us as Buddy Dive is trying to capture more business from the cruise ship passengers. Because of this our last boat trip was almost 1 hour late and the crew was not happy about it although they were great with us. Seems Buddy Dive is understaffed and not enough boats to work this all out correctly. Also, we had a group of 19 divers and 4 snorkelers and usually we would have the same crew for all trips but not this time.
- Ken
Our Bonaire trip was indeed wonderful. As this is the 6th time there, expectations are high, and so was the experience – justifies going back. Buddy’s was great – food, diving, the room ,the training. We’ll certainly be back soon.
- Robert
Buddy Dive was all it's promised to be - great diving, good DMs and captains, dive operation well run. Nice room, pretty good food @ resort. Those are the most important areas, but a few comments about our personal experience, which was just fine overall. But if you want adequate lighting or a screen door that works so you are not savaged (literally) by lil 'squitos, or any kind of ambiance in your room, or a single place to hang wet things - upgrade to another place. I spent hours trying to clear out the bugs (I am NOT an anti-bug freak either!) that were intent on drinking us. Lovely grounds but looked like they needed more care and clean up. Another thing we found odd -a different DM and boat almost every dive - no continuity w/ personnel so you don't get to know them, or they you, and cannot count on diving w/ new friends either - all depends on how quick you get to the board to sign up. Will think hard about returning here but Bonaire is wonderful!
- Anthony
We just returned from a wonderful vacation at Buddy Dive Bonaire. Buddy Dive was great. The staff are very helpful. I get the feeling, having been there 3 years or so ago, that they are investing substantially in their infrastructure. There is also a new manager named Rene who was constantly around and making sure things went well. We would surely love to return in the future. Just for some insight, we learned that Insilair is having alot of financial trouble and therefore equipment problems. There is another airline on those routes called Divi Divi Airline. Yea, sounds funny, but they have smaller planes but they have alot of flights and the passengers say they are great. FYI.
- Dean
Buddy Dive provided their usual excellent accommodations and service. There were more guests present than we've seen in the past, but we still had adequate space for our diving needs.
- Carol
All went well at Buddys
- Donis
Just wanted to tell you that our vacation was perfect. Buddy dive Bonaire is a great operation and everything went without a hitch.
- Harry
Our trip was wonderful. The accommodations were upgraded to a 3 bedroom with plenty of space. The resort is run like a fine tuned engine with all cylinders firing to ensure a well functioning organization. As far as diving goes, Bonaire always rates high on my list of destinations. Taking care of their reef is of utmost importance to this tiny island and it shows. Coral restoration is ongoing and the habitat is thriving making the dives in this area unbelievably awesome. The dive packages are better than I have ever experienced anywhere and my son and I had no problem completing 15 dives each with 6 boat dives among the 15! Buddy Dive stands behind their promise to provide a safe and pleasurable dive destination.
- Naumann
Maduro recommended Buddy Dive and I was very pleased with the resort and accommodations. Their description was acurate and they had great pricing. Bonaire is a great place for underwater photos!
- Harrison
Love Buddy Dive. Spent two weeks for the first time. So much more relaxed than a week. Will be back again. This was my 7th trip to Bonaire, 4th to Buddy Dive.
- Kathy
We had a super trip to Bonaire. The diving was awesome, the PADI course for the kids worked great and who knew there were so many great restaurants there? Plus we windsurfed on Lac Bay and want to go back to try the mountain biking and more boat dives with Buddy. We ended up thinking Buddy Dive had a much more vibrant diving program than Captain Don's. Buddy had lots of families and kids taking courses and in the water. Their dive shop was bustling and we loved the mix of locals and Dutch folks who worked there. For groups with kids, we preferred Buddy.
- Scott S.
We just returned from buddy dive. All went smoothly, they were at the airport waiting for us. We went to the resort, and since we registered online, we were given keys and off we went to our rooms. Augusto the dive shop manager greeted us, we went to the dive shop and signed in. Was able to do our check out dive when we arrived so we could start our boat diving on Thursday. We had our own boat and we had a great schedule. I would definitely stay again!
- Cindy H.
The trip was exceptional. The accommodations were great and the diving was, as always, exceptional. The staff ay Buddy's is always friendly and accommodating. Other than the delayed flight the trip was fun and I am looking forward to doing it again.
- Terry F.
Lovely resort near town, the rooms are a bit tired but still adequate for needs. Many stairs, a consideration when traveling with folks with more limited mobility. Food was amazing, prices reasonable. The diving center was great, super helpful and getting tanks was an easy process. Everything was within a short drive and the island is easy to navigate. Many of the shore entries are challenging for people with more limited mobility and folks with this challenge may want to consider utilizing the affordable boat dive option from the resort. The only real negative of the trip was the Bonaire tax authority which charged us for an individual who could not travel, double charged one individual, and charged us for the whole group. The online payment portal does not work. Suggestion for other travelers would be to register each traveler individually and have them pay the visitor tax with their own QR code. Utilizing a group QR code caused us lots of issues and the tax authority refuses to give refunds for duplicate payments. Paying the marine park tag fee and printing at home was easy and simple. We laminated the printouts to be sure they would survive the trip, a great tip we picked up from other travelers.
- Sarina E.
Buddy Dive has gone cashless, you are forced to use credit cards if you want to eat, drink and be merry. Not the way we vacation - we use cash for our vacation fun. Buy your beer and snacks at the Chinese Store down the road - saves on the bar tabs. The Wi-Fi is not available in all units. They replaced the doors to the patio that block the signal. Since Wi-Fi is free - they do not guarantee that it will work in your unit. You have to either sit outside on the patio and be attacked by mosquitos or sit at the bar. The staff is very friendly, accommodations and attentive. The units are nice and clean. I can't say how the food was, since we couldn't use our cash at the resort. Diving was great although we didn't see many of our usual finds - squid, rays or octopus, all MIA. We did encounter many turtles.
- Janet
Overall it was a good trip. We stayed about 10 nights with a primary focus on diving. The resort is kind of dated but they are definitely working to improve things. I found the breakfast buffet at the Ingredients restaurant excellent and the staff at the Blennies bar/restaurant friendly and helpful. My only minor complaint is they seemed to be sticklers about making reservations at Blennies even though the place was pretty empty. I thought maybe it was because they use it to plan for staffing needs, which they are in short supply of (as is about everyone). Advice is, just make a reservation no matter how empty you think the restaurant will be. The accommodations we stayed in, a 3 bedroom apartment, could use some work. Water pressure was poor (even non existent once!) and only the bedrooms have A/C. The 1st floor bedroom is fairly small. The upstairs rooms are more roomy and are "master suite" like. The room cleaning staff was excellent and took care of the room(s) quite well. If it matters to you, the Wi-Fi on property is good when you can get it (which is most of the time). The locations of the access points and the concrete buildings make it difficult or impossible to get connected at times - even in the same apartment. They have, what I call "faux beaches" by the pools with lounge chairs, thatch umbrella shade, sand and oceanfront views that I liked. Bonaire has very limited traditional sandy beaches so it was a nice touch. The bar is nice and convenient to get a drink but you don't get chair-side service. They have a pool that adjoins the bar with seats in the pool water you can sit at. If you are intending to "drive and dive" at Buddy with their trucks be advised most/all of them are manual transmission. The extremely unavailable automatic transmission trucks surprised me a bit. So if you are not able to drive a stick shift, be certain to have this very specific item "locked in" before you arrive.... otherwise you might be scrambling (or learning to drive a stick!). The dive shop at Buddy's was awesome and the staff there were wonderful. Overall it was great experience. I would definitely return one day.
- Brian E.
The diving was great as always and the people at the dive shop were great. The restaurant is slow and people spend more time talking to each other than taking care of their customers. Will most likely go to Bonaire again sometime but will stay somewhere else.
- Darla C.
I just returned from a week down to Bonaire where I had 16 of my divers with me. We stayed at buddies and everything and everyone there was very professional and accommodating. We also did 6 boat dive and I got to do a dive I’d never done because it is inaccessible from shore. It was called Rapel, it was incredible. The corals and sponges looked the way they are supposed to, perfect. Wonderful trip in every way and none of my of my divers had any complaints about anything on the trip, it was just wonderful! Can’t wait until the next one.
- Spencer P.
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