Upon arrival to the resort, many of us we surprised to find out how large and spacious the villas were. They were 1,400 square feet with two completely separate bedrooms, each with their own private full bath, a full kitchen, living area, and outside patio. Each villa also was given a good size vehicle to accommodate tanks, gear and divers for the travel to the more than 60 named shore access dive sites.

Click here for the Oct. 2011 Bonaire Trip Photo Gallery.

Sunday started out with a shore check out dive in front of the resort to make sure of proper weighting and that all gear was in fine working order. The rest of the day divers split up into groups and did more shore dives either locally or travelling to other sites.

Monday started with the first of three days of two tank boat dives which were included in the package price. The group was split between the two dive boats, the Green Flash and the Blue Moon. We enjoyed some fabulous reef dives on Klein Bonaire and the north end of Bonaire, not to mention the and a wreck dive on the Helma Hooker in the clear 84 degree water.

Most afternoons divers split into small groups and headed out to distant locations to do shore dives such as Oil Slick Leap and the invisibles. Night dives in front of either the pool location or the Tipsey Seagull were a common theme and many did dives at 5:30 a.m., which started in the dark and ended at daylight when the reefs came alive with the morning light.

Thursday was a busy day of diving with shore dives in the morning, a 3 p.m. dive at the Salt Pier escorted by divemaster Jackson, and a boat night dive to Klein Bonaire or Small Wall, depending on which boat you were on. The night dives were also included in the trip package.

The diving was a great experience for both the newly certified and the more accomplished divers. Besides the usual beautiful coral reefs and marine life some more exotic discoveries were seen including a scalloped hammer head shark, a manta ray, seahorses, sharp tail eels, turtles, and two different colored frog fish were seen and documented by the many photographers on the trip. Friday night we celebrated the close of our diving with a nice dinner for 22 people at the “It Rains Fishes” restaurant. The Sailing Regatta was in town which is a big festive occasion for the local people with a street carnival and live music in the streets.

Special thanks go out to Ed Hayes, Joel Toohey, Forest Rothchild, and Gary Woods for organizing, planning, and making this trip safe and enjoyable. This was one of Scuba Shack’s best trips to date and another one is in the planning stages for the same time slot next year. Your suggestions and comments are always welcome.

Bonaire is all about shore diving. If you are an absolute beginner or a highly advanced diver, you’ll feel right at home on Bonaire in the Netherland Antillies. Scuba Shack’s next trip to the island just north of Venezuela is scheduled for Oct. 2011, and you’re invited.

Plaza Resort Bonaire is only minutes from the international airport and truly is a tropical paradise with tropical plants, coconut palms and a white-sand beach right on the property.

The two bedroom non-smoking villas – each with two full baths – feature air conditioning, kitchen, dining area, color TV and Italian tiled floors. Plenty of room (1,400 square feet-plus) is available for four adults to spread out in comfort.

Remember, since Bonaire is all about the great shore diving, each villa includes a rental truck that you can use to explore the island and go diving. Pick up your tanks (nitrox is included for the full week) at Toucan Diving, a PADI Five Star Dive Center, located right on the property and hit the road!

For additional details, or to make your reservations today, call Scuba Shack at (860) 563-0119.

Print Information Sheet

Here’s the fall recap…

Last chance to go to Bonaire with Scuba Shack’s group trip led by Ralph Correia. Fifteen divers are now booked for the trip departing Oct. 3. Give us a call, the package is only $1,699 for the week.

Scuba Shack has set its calendar for the fall and the Google calendar is now up-to-date. If you’re interested in the details, you can also check out the training director’s calendar.

Keep DUI’s Dry Suit Demo Days on your calendar the weekend of Oct. 2, 3 and 4. Friday is exclusively for public safety divers and their departments, and the public is welcome on Saturday and Sunday. DUI, their representatives and gear will be in town at Brownstone Park so those who want to try diving dry can do so under the direct supervision of an instructor.

The Black Card experience – your training development…

Scuba Shack’s emphasis has been placed on our new divers moving up the ladder of education and experience. The program is based on the Black Card; we do want some of you to move all the way to the divemaster certification. The way we are going to help you make this happen is with the following steps and incentives.

To move along this path, prerequisites – Buoyancy 101 and Enriched Air Nitrox – must be completed to qualify for the programs special pricing. Private consultations will be scheduled with divers who are interested to work out details, pricing, payment plans or adjusted training to get to the Black Card.

Step one – Advanced Open Water

After Buoyancy 101 is completed, your next step is the PADI Advanced Diver Class, which consists of academic training and at least five dives in various specialty areas. This class is usually priced at $75 per dive or $375 plus materials and expenses. The Black Card Package price will be $300 plus materials and expenses.

We have set two classes into motion for this program accommodate different schedules. The first class starts Sept. 2 at 6:30 p.m. at the Rocky Hill Dive Center and open water dives are scheduled for Sept. 12 and 13 at Brownstone Park. Two boat dives up at Cape Ann will complete the program on Sept. 20.

The second Advanced Class will start Sept. 23 at 6:30 at the Rocky Hill Dive Center with training dives set for Oct. 3 and 4 at Brownstone Park and two boat dives up at Cape Ann on Oct. 11.

Step two – Emergency First Response

Emergency First Responder (First Aid, CPR and AED) is needed to complete the next phase; Rescue Diver. This one full day course will certify you in the areas of primary and secondary care. The class will be based on the ABCD’S of emergency care. First Aid, CPR, AED, and O2 sections are all a part of this training. No diver should be without this experience.

This class is normally priced at $125 plus materials, but the package price will be $100 including materials.

Step three – Rescue Diver

The PADI Rescue Class is one of the best classes in the PADI system. The course was revamped about four years ago and has continued to impress us with its ability to bring comfort through rescue training to our divers. This course is quite extensive and takes at least four academic sessions, three pool sessions and one day of hell in the open water.

The cost of this class on it’s own is normally $350 plus materials and expenses. The cost of this class with in the Black Card Program will be $275 plus materials and expenses.

Step four – Divemaster

The PADI Divemaster program is your Black Card – the first professional rating in diving. It will take you at least six months to complete, but more like up to a year. We will work through the winter and finish up in the spring. The class consist of eight academic sessions, five confined water sessions, seven exams, multiple projects and at least five months of interning in actual classes.

We do not do it any other way. The usual fee for this class is $800 plus materials and expenses. The package comes to life here, if you qualify for the complete package price your class fee for the Divemaster program will be $200 plus materials and expenses.

The final touch

The Global Underwater Explorer’s (GUE’s) Fundamentals program is the entry-level program offered by GUE – the feared Fundys class. This one class will put you a cut above and complete your “basic training.” The so misunderstood class, and the so needed class. If you package out with this training and wish to do this class the fee for this program will be cut in half. The common cost of this class this year is set at $550 and is going up next year.

So in a nut shell: Advanced Open Water, EFR, Rescue Diver, Divemaster and GUE Gundamentas as a set path. … Why?

1. Because we love you. Well, not really…
2. Because we want you to move forward with your diving… yes.
3. Because we want to help with the economics of your dive education … yes.
4. Because we need divemasters to help train other divers – yes! This becomes a win for you, Scuba Shack and the dive industry!

If you are interested in this program, please contact me (Ed Hayes) at Scuba Shack. You can stop by the store, but it’s a good idea to make an appointment in advance by calling the store at (860) 563-0119.

Thanks for your time and continued support of our dive industry.

Plaza Resort Bonaire is only minutes from the international airport and truly is a tropical paradise with tropical plants, coconut palms and a white-sand beach right on the property.

The two bedroom non-smoking villas – each with two full baths – feature air conditioning, kitchen, dining area, color TV and Italian tiled floors. Plenty of room (1400 square feet-plus) is available for four adults to spread out in comfort.

Remember, since Bonaire is all about the great shore diving, each villa includes a rental truck that you can use to explore the island and go diving. Pick up your tanks (nitrox is included for the full week) at Toucan Diving, a PADI Five Star Dive Center, located right on the property and hit the road!

Scuba Shack has arranged for airfare with Delta Airlines, but limited space is available. For additional details, or to make your reservations today, call Scuba Shack at (860) 563-0119.