Buddy Dive Resort

09/04/2023 - 0 Comments

For more than 40 years, Buddy Dive Resort has been beloved for its comfortable accommodations and its onsite dive operation, which has something for every diver — unlimited air/nitrox in packages, custom dive boats, a 24/7 drive-thru tank fill station, complete rental and retail center, and exceptional staff. When booking the resort’s famous Drive & Dive package, guests will have everything they need for the dive vacation of their dreams.

A dive boat approaching a dock at resort with yellow buildings

Buddy Dive offers a variety of accommodations plus vehicle rental to explore Bonaire diving.

Courtesy of Buddy Dive Resort

Each year, Scuba Diving readers pick Buddy Dive and Bonaire for multiple Readers Choice awards, and this year was no exception: Bonaire was rated Best Destination for Underwater Photography, and Buddy Dive took home a total of 14 awards in 2023.

You may wonder about the “secret sauce” that makes this award-winning resort so successful. Over the last four decades, Buddy Dive has implemented a number of changes and experienced tremendous growth, but one thing has not changed — the dedication to offering each guest unparalleled customer service by the resort’s owners and staff. When Martien and Ingrid van der Valk purchased Buddy Dive Resort & Watersports in 2002, they committed to providing the utmost in hospitality on Bonaire. The resort was much smaller then, but the mission to making each guest feel a part of the Buddy Dive “family” is as important today as when the resort’s doors first opened.

Buddy Dive, where you can dive, take part in actives, or just sit back, relax and enjoy the atmosphere.

Courtesy of Buddy Dive Resort

Today, Buddy Dive Resort Bonaire offers 73 apartments, more than 100 rental cars and two restaurants. The dive operation is a PADI 5-Star Career Development Center with six dive boats, the unique “Drive Thru” air/nitrox fill station that offers divers the chance to dive 24/7 and makes shore diving on the island easy-peasy, a large range of diving courses, kids programs, and the largest technical diving facility in the Caribbean. Bonaire boasts over 60 dive sites marked for shore divers, but these same sites can be accessed by boat if you. The Buddy Dive crew will load your gear onto the boat and set it up for you. Once you arrive at the dive site, you’ll get a thorough briefing of the dive site, and then enjoy a guided dive. Your dive guide will point out the macro life Bonaire is famed for, such as tiny seahorses, frogfish and sweet blennies. After the dive, enjoy the Buddy Dive onboard amenities — dry towels, fresh fruit, snacks and refreshments. Back at the resort, the crew will unload, rinse and store your dive gear. With the accommodations and dive package, Buddy Dive provides spacious accommodations, pickup truck rental and an unlimited air package. The resort has 11 modern buildings, including the reception area and a full-service dive center. Seven buildings offer a variety of spacious accommodations — one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments and studios, all with either ocean, pool or garden views. The apartments are comfortably furnished to accommodate family or friends. Each apartment has a fully equipped kitchen, roomy living area with cable TV, patio or balcony, air-conditioned bedrooms that each have their own bathroom with shower. The studios are all on the ground floor and have a small kitchen, separate bedroom with air-conditioning and a bathroom/shower, cable TV and a small patio.

The resort offers two onsite restaurants, Ingridiënts, which features Mediterranean cuisine in an elegant yet comfortable setting, and Blennies, which has more casual menu options and an oceanfront setting that’s the perfect place to relax once the day’s diving is over, from enjoying a fun-filled happy hour to viewing a spectacular Caribbean sunset.

Guests at Buddy Dive Resort stay steps away from the property’s house reef and swimming pools.

Courtesy of Buddy Dive Resort

There are also two swimming pools, including one with a walk-up pool bar. For sunbathing with the ultimate view, there’s no place better than on the resort’s raised sand beach that overlooks the clear, turquoise waters of the Caribbean. A stairway provides easy access to the water if you’d like to snorkel and swim.

Underwater photographers can sign up for a Buddy Dive underwater photography week with photo pro Lorenzo Mittiga or book the Buddy Dive Thru the Lens week. If you’ve been thinking about becoming a dive professional, Buddy Dive hosts Instructor Development Courses through Buddy Dive Academy. The program will help you succeed as a PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer, Instructor or Divemaster. Also, if you are just learning to dive, or looking to develop your skills, the resort offers a wide variety of courses, from Discover Scuba Dive to Open Water and Advanced Open Water.

However you choose to experience Bonaire — as a solo traveler or as part of a large group; as a shore diver or as a boat diver; as a new diver or one seeking advanced skills — Buddy Dive’s staff is dedicated to making your stay a vacation you won’t forget. Discover why Buddy Dive Resort has long been treasured as “a resort by divers, for divers” by booking a package today!

2023 READERS CHOICE AWARDS

Buddy Dive Resort earned a total of 14 awards this year, including Quality of the Resort, Quality of the Rooms, Value of Resort, Quality of the Restaurant, Quality of Dive Boats and Quality of Staff.