66 replies to this topic

[Mishelle]

Hey.... I want some monkey lovin!

[cmt489]

Hey.... I want some monkey lovin!

Okay, Mishelle, you may want to rephrase that one!!!

[Mishelle]

Hey.... I want some monkey lovin!   

Okay, Mishelle, you may want to rephrase that one!!!

hmmmm...... I WANT THE MONKEY!!!!!!!!!!! Too bad he isnt in a place to be easily monkeyknapped in the wee hours of the morn' with my crew.......( pirates back me up here!)

[intotheblue]

Yeah those Dutch boys can be veryyyyyyy interesting!  :anna:

Yeah, just ask Natalee Holloway... if they ever find her alive...

[jextract]

hmmmm...... I WANT THE MONKEY!!!!!!!!!!!

Is that what the kids are callin' it nowadays?

Line forms here, guys!

[drdiver]

QUOTE (cmt489 @ Jun 20 2005, 06:12 PM)
QUOTE (Mishelle @ Jun 20 2005, 05:11 PM)
Hey.... I want some monkey lovin!  lmao.gif  lmao.gif

Okay, Mishelle, you may want to rephrase that one!!! lmao.gif lmao.gif lmao.gif

hmmmm...... I WANT THE MONKEY!!!!!!!!!!! Too bad he isnt in a place to be easily monkeyknapped in the wee hours of the morn' with my crew.......( pirates back me up here!)

Many a lass has asked for the monkey...

But few have survived their insatiable demands.........

"They're wild animals, you know!"

[WreckWench]

Hey.... I want some monkey lovin!   

Okay, Mishelle, you may want to rephrase that one!!!

hmmmm...... I WANT THE MONKEY!!!!!!!!!!! Too bad he isnt in a place to be easily monkeyknapped in the wee hours of the morn' with my crew.......( pirates back me up here!)

But that is EXACTLY what we plan to do in Grenada...we are breaking Mandrake out of jail and all his other monkey cohorts! Plenty of monkeys for everyone!

[drdiver]

And he is waiting and very sad....

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[NCMasterDiver]

Trip report: Bonaire 2005

Traveling and experiencing Bonaire's world class shore diving has been a "got to do destination" of mine since before I began scuba diving five or so years ago. I like most of the folks who join SD.com, post on the threads, travel occasionally or frequently around or out of the United States to dive, am single, divorced that is, retired from a career in law enforcement, now own my own small business and blessed to have adequate funding to support my adventures. But, I am without a dive buddy and therefore enjoy traveling with folks of similar interest to locations around the diving world. This recreational venture is expensive and all vacations planned around diving have to be planned with some priority. I have noted in various threads that the costs associated with SD.com diving trips is not cheap thrills for many of the men and women who are divorced, single parents, and on limited budgets for this type of recreational activity. So the issue is how to pick those special dive trips to get maximum enjoyment and value for the price offered.

I have been asked by some of the folks whom I have come to know and appreciate through joining SD.com to respond to the various opinions expressed toward not only this Bonaire trip but also others, including management in the recent past. I do not spend a lot of time responding to the threads or trying to impress others with my online skills in verbal assaults or know it all, been there, dove that already additude. I mearly enjoy reading and taking the threads as they are. A venue to express or inform others of "one person's opinion"

Bonaire 2005 was a fantastic trip. I enjoyed most every minute that was within my control. I was fortunate to travel a day early and arrived on Friday, June 10th, after several airline delays and connecting flights. I do not like to travel with multiple flight connections but I understand that SD.com management tries to arrange all flights with costs in mind. I give American Airlines a plus on this trip. I arrived around 10:30 PM, a few hours late...but I was in Bonaire. Departing Bonaire cost $20.00 and the airlines didn't seem to care if they gotany business or not. All SD.com members finally departed on various flights and all are home safe now. Travel time was long and the real world came back all too fast.

I met Jeff, AKA Seahorse Wrangler, in San Juan. We arrived together in Bonaire and were met by Buddy Dive transportation at Flamingo Airport. After a short ride to the resort, we were afforded a room for the remainder of the night. All travel baggage and diving gear arrived with us. It was too late to venture out so a few hours sleep was in order.

Saturday morning we completed the resort briefing, paid the necessary fees, and picked up our new 2005 Toyota Tocoma "dive truck". The vehicle had only 1000K, less that a thousand miles. Buddy dive has an excellent resort transportation system. Vehicles are mostly new, clean and located within walking distance of all rooms. A great value in this package deal. It was apparent early on that several of the divers on this trip were being delayed and overall information was scarce as to amended arerival times.

Jeff and I took out to travel the island and get in some sightseeing from the mountains to the sea. We saw most all of the tourist attractions and the wild donkeys, goats, lava flow coast line, cactus landscapes, rocks, coral shores and the breathing ocean views and waters around the island. The island in much larger than I expected. We traveling for about four hours and covered a almost 175 miles.
The vehicle was good on gas mileage.... considering gas was 1.93 gilders per liter.
Gas for the trip was $85.00. That covered a full tank upon returning the truck and $20.00 for one of the sightseeing tours with the ladies.

After sightseeing on Saturday morning, Jeff and I had our equipment checkout dive off the pier at Buddy Dive. The dive was good with lots of sealife and reef stuff just a few meters off the pier. Buddy Dive has adequate equipment storage and the staff was most helpful in directing us to properly store our gear and providing information or upcoming dive sites around the island.

The resort is well laid out and all facilities are conveniently located in short walking distances. Dive boat access is coordinated and well staffed to handle diver needs.
Overall dive operations were excellent. The dive shop is staffed with helpful and very friendly ladies.

Eventually, maybe late Monday or was it Tuesday morning, everyone arrived on site and introductions were made, hugs exchanged and several stories were passed around as to the airline delays and "what do we do now".

Breakfast was served daily from 7:00 AM - 10:00 AM. Breakfast was buffet style with adequate food and variety for all tastes. Normally, breakfast time was around 7:00 - 8:00 for most of the SD.com divers. The days were not hurried and for the most part time was something I left back in North Carolina.

Shore diving in Bonaire was and is like no other I have ever done. There is no DM to direct you to the rear of the boat. No dive briefing on what to look for and which direction to look and proceed. Not a ladder in sight to climb back onto. The entry for most all dives was an adventure in itself. Shoreline Bonaire is rough, rocky, littered with bleached coral and slippery rocks. You were on your on and nobody was there to laugh when you fell for the forth time trying to get in the water. Entry was from sea level to desending down donkey paths from the raised rocky outcrops. Balance and coordination was a must. All dive sites provided excellent experiences with memorable experiences. Most divers paired up in twos ot threes depending on location to be dived and available transportation. Every one seemed to be enjoying the trip and very few complaints were voiced regarding the diving.

I personally completed 19 dives which included three days of two tank boat dives with the SD.com group. I was physically tired and the diving began to take its toll about Thursday. Seems that others were beginning to feel the stress of multiple repeated diving. The number of daily dives dropped off as the week ended. We dived all over the island. An evening dive was completed at the Salt Pier with all of the group paying $25.00 each for the previlege of seeing concrete pier supports underwater.

I must take a moment to express my thanks to Teresa, AKA Tutt, for her performance as the official mermaid on this trip. Girl I like your tail! A command performance was given for the resort happy hour with the SD.com banner waving proudly. A job well done and a SD.com first. (pictures to follow shortly)

Dining on the island was varied and for the most part very good. Pricies were moderate and variety was acceptable. The on site Lions Den restaurant was good and frequented often. We dined at Casablanca's on two occasions and at a new restaurant named Den Laman on two occasions and Donna and Giorgio's, an Italian outdoor spot on the main road to Kralendijk. There were three "super markets" on the island which supplied us with snacks and drinks. Alcohol was readily available and on site bars provided late night entertainment for those who desired mixing with the locals.

A sightseeing tour was taken on the day before flying. Some of the ladies, Jeff and I (with all our island traveling experiences), took out to tour again. We made it to the nude beach resort and beach at Sorobon... but the fence was too high and besides, we were running low on fuel. We got to feed the donkeys, chase the wild goats, photograph the flamingos, walk on the lava flow, and almost tour the Washington Slagbaai National Park...it closed at 3:00PM. We got there at 3:15PM.

Personalities in this trip generally well accepted with each providing a different prospective as to thier diving, social, and life experiences. Que had a smile that was warmer than the Bonaire sun. She was often the life of the party and always given to words of encouragement to others. Jeff was the student on this diving adventure. He was a good roommate. He was somewhat overwhelmed at times. but being a good sport, he followed the advise of the old bull and in the end began to walk instead of run. (Another story to be told at a later date). Being a young bull from Iowa and all! Jeff completed his PADI Advanced Open Water and Nitrox certification classes on this trip and dove like a pro. A fine job accomplished!

Sandy, AKA Scubapunk is just plain precious. I really enjoyed her company and the times we spent together. She got the first Bonaire belly button smooch off the shore line of Klein bonaire. Did I say that I was having a great vacation?

Sometimes you meet folks that come into your life and then they leave. Gone almost too soon to remember them. Kinda like dive trips. But then, sometimes you meet folks and they stay to make a special place in your heart. I met a beautiful lady from New York last week and she reserved a special place in my heart forever. Sharon, AKA Diving Dolly and I dived together on several occasions, dined together, hung out together, shopped together, (broke the hammock in the pool courtyard together), and just had a great time sharing life experiences. When I think about SD.com trips, friendships, adventures, memories, and many other diving vacation adventures, I got my monies worth many time over. You see, I see SD.com as an opportunity to sell the concept not only of diving and trips but making lasting friendships that extend beyond a few days on an island or a special diving location. To Sharon and the all the girls who made this a very special and memorial trip, thank you for just being you..thats what made the SD.com adventure worth doing again.

Elizabeth, AKA E-Fish was probably the most knowledgeable diver I have ever met. She had diving experiences from all over and didn't mind expressing those experiences in the form of advise and "how to do it better". If ever I get the chance to dive with her again.. I'll be ready. I reckon that the only thing that she aint never done was maybe coon hunting and frog gigging. Being from the south and never having much technical learning..it was a pleasure getting to know her.

I loved them all this week, some more than others, but none the less, all of them.
I enjoyed the trip, and the times shared diving on a beautiful island in the southern Carribean. Being outnumbered 6/4 by the ladies was SD.com adventure come true.

John and Rick roomed together and pretty much stayed off to themselves. We got to dive a couple shore dives. We mingled a bit and mixed with the locals. I think they learned a little dutch but I think the rest of the story is still being fabricated. Something about Donkey Beach in the buff at 2:30 AM....sharing the nightlife.
Both were good diving buddies and I hope to dive with them both at some other destination in the future. Both were great guys and sometimes funny.

This trip report has been somewhat long and to some maybe boring. I am as has been said in many other threads expressing my opinion of the trip and the people who made this another diving trip successful adventure. To some, this trip might not have been worthwhile. The diving was excellent, the surface interval refreshing, the friendships made............priceless!

I have waited to express my views and comments on Kamala until now so as to not upset or offend anyone. I personally think that she has done a tremendous job of running SD.com. I too have issues that are not resolved, but I can, will and have addressed them with her. She needs better organization and management skills to continue to see sustained growth in this organization. We all or should be adults and should not expect to be spoon fed in every detail of our interactions with SD.com. Bonaire for example allowed for individual experiences not tied to follow the leader. We were on our own and hopefully experienced enough to do for ourselves what group or boat diving affords. I personally liked the diving style and concept offered in Bonaire. There is room for improvement in many areas of this organization. Several issues are being addressed and opinions are being sought to improve the concept and day to day operations. Moderators are being added tweaking is constantly being worked in the background. I believe in selling SD.com to whomever we come into contact with in the diving community. I have tried to get the word out and provide information about the web site to many many folks all along the way.

A group leader and a management person on trips might help defuse the dive trip and the marketing aspect. Advertising and pro comments by individual members is the cheapest and best venue to see the SD.com adventures grow. In the coming months, I have planned three aditional trips with SD.com. I planned these trips not as a what are you going to do for me but what kind of adventures and memories will I make. Each trip is an adventure both in diving location and individual members who make the trip. We all will not be happy and some of the issues might not be resolved to ones satisfaction. I respect Kamala and her commitment to this organization. My commitment is to sell the concept, add new divers and just enjoy the heck out of travel, diving and being the "Old Bull".

To all those who will review this report....Bonaire time will be here all too soon next year. Plan to go now...It is a trip well worth your time and money. Like life, diving adventures are what you make of it. ( pictures to follow when ever the moderator sets up a Bonaire 2005 photo site).

[cmt489]

. . . (pictures to follow when ever the moderator sets up a Bonaire 2005 photo site).

NCMasterDiver - I have sent your request for a new gallery to be set up to the Administrators so hopefully it will be up and running soon! Ask nicely, and you shall receive!

[texasdiverdude]

I'm planning a trip soon and Bonaire is one of the options, but after reading the posts I'm concerned about the flight problems. What were the problems encountered? Is it worth the risk right now? What is the recommendation from those who went?

[flatwood]

So, it seems everyone had a good time and enjoyed the diving. I'm heading down there the end of july and would appreciate any helpful tips. Thanks, Bob

[Travelnsj]

Jerry,

That was a great Dive/Trip report. Just a little long but worth it!

Many people do not understand the growing pains a small business goes through (as I have stated in previous threads). I am most assured SD will add the infrastructure to fix the recent problems.

I also have been on one trip with SD, it was a little bigger of a group than I liked but that was my choice to go on the trip. Met and dove with some great people and throughly enjoyed the trip I was on. The few glitches that was encountered were easily overlooked through all the positives.

I have another trip planned with SD and hope to have more in the future if the SD Gods plan more trips to the South Pacific!

[AliKat]

But why is the poor little monkey's face so red around his eyes??? Never mind, maybe I don't want to know...

And NCMasterDiver, you have my vote as the official trip reporter. Great writing. And thanks to you and the Navy, I think I've come up with a new SD slogan...next to "Its not about dating, its about diving", "SD.COM, its not just a dive trip, its an adventure" Half the fun should be in the unexpected.

Thanks again for a great report! Can't wait for Fiji.