Your Buddies on Bonaire Divers Paradise Your Buddies on Bonaire YOUR BUDDIES WORLD Buddy Dive Resort Bonaire Belmar Oceanfront Apartments Caribbean Club Bonaire Kaya Gob. N. Debrot 85, EEG Boulevard 88, Santa Barbara Blvd 50, ADDRESS Bonaire Dutch Caribbean Bonaire Dutch Caribbean Bonaire Dutch Caribbean INTERNATIONAL +(599) 717 5080 +(599) 717 5080 +(599) 717 5080 RESERVATIONS +(599) 789 5080 +(599) 789 5080 +(599) 789 5080 US/CANADA 1-866-GO-BUDDY 1-888-655-0605 1-800-906-7708 RESERVATIONS FAX +(599) 717 5780 +(599) 717 5780 +(599) 717 5780 EMAIL [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] WEBSITE www.buddydive.com www.belmar-bonaire.com www.caribbeanclubbonaire.com Photography by: Federico Cabello, Martin Cicilia, Annie Crawley, Bob Edwards, Alcides Falanghe, John Wall, Martien van der Valk, Marcel Westerhoff, Beth Watson, Kids Sea Camp, Kadu Pinheiro, Staysly Goilo, Kiril Egorov, Manuel Bustelo, ©New World Publications, fishid.com Design: Sapias Holding Ltd. Bonaire, Dutch Caribbean. All rights reserved. 2 Contents Welcome to Bonaire and welcome to the Buddy Dive Family. 4 Divers Paradise The year 2020 will be a special year for us as Buddy Dive family; it marks the 40th anniversary of 5 Bonaire’s Dive Sites Buddy Dive Resort. The resort opened its doors for the first time on August 19, 1980 and it’s a sure 6 Buddy Dive Resort thing that a lot has happened and changed since then. When talking to guests who stayed with us 8 Technical Diving before they will most likely have a lot of stories from back in the days, which they can share with you. 10 Buddy Dive Academy Martien van der Valk, head of the Buddy Dive Family looks back: “When my wife Ingrid and I 11 Kids Activities obtained Buddy Dive Resort & Watersports back in 2002, the resort only had 46 apartments, a small dive 12 Photography operation with 3 boats and 20 rental cars.” Today the resort offers 73 apartments, more than 100 rental 13 Dining cars and 2 restaurants. The dive operation has grown and is now a PADI 5-star Career Development 14 Belmar Oceanfront Apartments Center with 6 dive boats, a large range of diving options, courses, kids programs and the largest techni- 16 Caribbean Club Bonaire cal diving facility of the Caribbean. 18 Buddy Dive Watersports In 2012 we founded a foundation to protect and restore the coral reefs in Bonaire; Reef Renewal 20 About Bonaire Foundation Bonaire has become a well-established foundation with multiple participating dive shops on 22 Activities the island. To date; Reef Renewal Bonaire has planted over 22.000 corals back to our reefs. 24 Romance & Weddings Quite a few things to be proud of, Martien continues: “My wife and I are also proud that we could hand 25 Reef Renewal Foundation over the management to the next generation, who will follow in our footsteps and will pursue our mission 26 Buddy Dive Price List of Buddy Dive Resort being the go-to resort and dive operation for your dive vacation and dive education. 29 Quick Facts We are also very proud of the number of guests that joined our Buddy Dive Family over the years and 30 Fish ID Chart became a fantastic group of repeat guests, with some that have been returning yearly for 25 years already! The group is still growing each year.” Of course, we will celebrate this anniversary with various festivities and specials throughout the year. Make sure to follow us on social media to stay up to date! In this magazine you can find information about Bonaire in general, our Buddy Dive Buddies, our diving facilities, restaurants, cars and much more. Should you have any questions; don’t be afraid to ask and contact us! For those who haven’t been on Bonaire yet; we hope to welcome you to one of our properties soon and let you experience all the wonders of our beautiful island. To everyone else; we hope to see you again soon! Ingrid & Martien van der Valk, Your Buddies on Bonaire Ingrid & Martien 3 Paul & Michelle (eldest daughter) Barbara & Remmert (middle daughter) Steffie & Eurendy (youngest daughter) Divers Paradise From north to south to Klein Bonaire, it’s truly a divers dream come true. Just a taste of our dive sites: Buddy’s Reef Oil Slick Leap An easy entrance just jump off of the dock at Located near Caribbean Club Bo naire in the Buddy Dive or walk down the stairs. Follow the north, the entrance and exit are easy & exciting! rope line straight to the reef which drops off at 36 ft (11m). The topography is a steeply slo- Take a giant leaping-stride off the low cliff wall to enter the water - it is at least 16ft (5m) Buddy’s Reef ping reef ending with a sandy bottom at 105 ft (32m). The reef has a wide variety of hard coral deep at its shallowest du ring low tide making and large sponges. If you look closely you will it the most fun way to enter. You may also use With over 80 marked dive sites you find frogfish among the crevices and sponges the ladder & small platform that was built by will find that the type of dive you hi ding out. Expect a large variety of fish; French Caribbean Club Bonaire to enter as well as exit. encounter in the south will be distinct angelfish, parrotfish, chubs, silver sides, grouper, The reef is marked by a buoy that is a quick and more. Large tarpon hang out here and are kick away (about an 26ft (8m) swim). Descend from the type of dive you encounter in especially active at night. At 46 ft (14m) a small to the mooring at 33ft (10m) and you will find the north, or at Klein Bonaire, for that wreck, called “La Machaca” lies encrusted with the drop-off (bottom here at 79ft/24m ) soon matter. life, so there is a lot to see in and around the after, which is covered in hard coral formations wreck. with patches of soft coral in between. Look out At Bonaire’s southern dive sites, you’ll enter the for rays in the sandy patches and a diverse water and find a long, shallow, gently sloping Additionally, there is a nursery of Reef Renewal fish population living in the reef here with the shelf. In some areas such as at “The Lake” Foundation Bonaire located in the sandy area occasional turtle passing through for a snack and “Invisibles” you will encounter a double before the drop-off, sponsored by Buddy Dive on the reef. reef system, where the 2nd reef is much older Resort. geologically. In the sha llows, large soft coral Sampler gorgonians are common, and in the extreme Sara’s Smile Located at the north of Klein Bonaire and only southern sites, encounters with pelagic are An easy entrance just off of the dock doing a giant accessible by boat, this dive site truly offers a possible. stride or walking down the stairs. Follow the rope line “sample” of just about everything! The drop-off straight to the reef which drops off at 49 ft (15m). bottoms out at around 100ft (30 m) and the When one looks at Bonaire’s nor thern reef is covered in hard and soft coral as well geography, it is much hillier and that reflects in Next to the stairs you will be in 8ft deep (2.5m). First as healthy sponges. Logger head, green and the underwater terrain. On the northern sites, we have a sandy area, followed by a lot of soft coral hawksbill turtles, octopus, squid and during the you’ll find everything from a short terrace gently and in about 23 ft (7m) the reef starts going down in night, lobsters will accompany you dropping off at a 45° angle to an exciting sheer a 45 degree angle. You will find a sandy bottom at during your dive. wall drop co vered in coral outcroppings and 100 ft (30m). sponges waiting to be explored. Here you’ll see large colonies of star and brain corals. The reef has a wide variety of hard coral and large sponges. Look carefully on the soft coral, if you are On the small uninhabited island of Klein lucky you might find a sea horse. Expect a large Bonaire, you will discover a bit of everything and variety of fish; French angelfishes, parrotfishes, dam- due to its popula rity among nesting turtles, you selfishes, hamlets, blennies and more. At night big can expect to see quite a few turtles during your friendly tarpons will follow you during the entire dive. dives & snorkels here. Oil Slick Leap N Bonaire’s 1 Dive Sites 2 3 4 5 II 6 7 IV III 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 A 28 W X 29 U V T B 30 S C R 31 Q I Kralendijk VII 32 P O II Washington Slagbaai National Park D N III Rincon M L K E 33 J F 34 I H G I IV Goto Lake 35 V Lac Bay 36 VI Salt Pans 37 Points Interest of 38 VII Klein Bonaire 39 A No Name M Hands Off 40 41 V B Ebo´s Reef N Forest 42 43 63 C Jerry´s Sponges O Southwest Corner 44 45 62 D Just A Nice Dive P Munk’s Haven 46 VI 47 E Nearest Point (Piedra Kolet) Q Sharon’s Serenity 48 F Keepsake R Mi Dushi (Johanna’s Revenge) G Bonaventure S Yellow Man 49 50 H Monte´s Divi Tree T Carl’s Hill (Punt P’abou) 51 52 I Rock Pile U Ebo’s Special J Joanne´s Sunchi V Leonora’s Reef 53 Dive Sites Klein Bonaire K Captain Don´s Reef W Knife 54 L South Bay X Sample 55 56 57 1 Boka Bartól 17 Weber´s Joy (Witch´s Hut) 33 Town Pier 49 Salt Pier 58 59 2 Playa Benge 18 Jeff Davis Memorial 34 Calabas Reef 50 Salt City (Saliña Abou) 60 61 3 Playa Funchi 19 Kalli´s Reef 35 Eighteenth Palm 51 Invisibles 4 Bisé Morto 20 Oil Slick Leap 36 Windsock 52 Tori´s Reef 5 Wayaká 21 Barkadera 37 Corporal Meiss (North Belnem) 53 Pink Beach (Kabayé) 6 Boka Slagbaai 22 Andrea II 38 Bachelor´s Beach 54 White Slave 7 Nukove (Doblet) 23 Andrea I 39 Chez Hines 55 Margate Bay 8 Carel´s Vision 24 Petrie´s Pillar 40 Lighthouse Point 56 Red Beryl WORLD CLASS 9 Karpata 25 Small Wall 41 Punt Vierkant 57 Atlantis 10 La Dania´s Leap 26 Cliff 42 The Lake 58 Vista Blue DIVING 11 Rappel 27 La Machaca 43 Hilma Hooker 59 Sweet Dreams Dive Sites Bonaire 12 Bloodlet 28 Reef Scientifico 44 Angel City 60 Red Slave (Peleké) 13 Ol´Blue (Boka di Tolo) 29 Buddy´s Reef 45 Alice in Wonderland 61 Willemstoren Lighthouse 14 Country Garden 30 Bari Reef 46 Aquarius 62 White Hole 15 Bon Bini Na Kas 31 Front Porch 47 Larry´s Lair 63 Cai 16 1000 Steps 32 Something Special 48 Jeannie´s Glory Copyright © 2006-2009 Bonaire affair, All Rights Reserved.