BON BINI DIVERS!

Congratulations on booking your dive holiday with Toucan Diving Bonaire, we are looking forward to your arrival. To help you plan and navigate your holiday, we have composed a list of things to consider before you come to dive with us.

WAIVER

Every certified diver needs to sign a waiver with us, this waiver should not be older than one year. If you have made any changes to your diver profile, please make sure to update your waiver as well so we have all updated information. Just fill out our digital waiver by using this link.

If you are not a certified diver, have a look at our beginner diver courses on our website. We even offer some special programs for children. Non-certified divers, snorkelers and students taking part in a dive course also need to fill out our waiver before entering the water.

LOCAL REGULATIONS

All water surrounding Bonaire and Klein Bonaire is protected by STINAPA and falls under the Bonaire National Marine Park (BNMP), this includes our house reef (18th Palm). To gain access to the Marine Park, you need to pay the STINAPA nature fee. Please note that the nature fee is valid per Calander year JAN-DEC. Persons exempt from paying this fee include children under 13, cruise ship guests and residents from Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao, Saba, Sint Eustatius and Sint Maarten. Failure to pay or present proof of payment can result in fines or penalties.

For easy payment, you can go to this page and pay directly online. Once you show us the QR code that will be sent to your email address, we can give you a special tag which you can attach to your scuba gear or keep as a souvenir. With the QR code, you will also have access to the Washington Slagbaai Park. For more information on this, check out the website of STINAPA.

STINAPA has also a few rules to follow when diving in the BNMP:

  • Don’t touch marine life - WATCH YOUR FINS!

  • Don’t take anything

  • Use reef friendly sunscreen

  • No gloves

  • No pointing sticks

  • No chemical glow sticks

For all rules and regulations of STINAPA, have a look at this page.

STONEY CORAL TISSUE LOSS DISEASE

Bonaire has been struggling with the Stoney Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD), for this reason some dive sites are closed. To combat this, we have specially marked rinse tanks at our facilities that help to disinfect your diving equipment. Also, it’s very important not to touch anything underwater as mentioned before. For a complete overview of the areas most affected and how to help stop the spread of this disease, visit the dedicated page on the STINAPA website.

EQUIPMENT AND RENTALS

It is possible to rent standard diving equipment for recreational diving with us. This includes BCD’s, regulators, shorty wetsuits, mask, fins, boots and dive computers. For a full and updated list of all prices, please use this link. Tanks and weights are always included in the dive prices. Special rentals include dive torches, underwater cameras, compass and underwater scooters (special training required).

For snorkeling, the resort offers complimentary snorkeling fins, mask, snorkel and snorkeling vests for each guest to use throughout their stay. Please be advised that also snorkelers need to be in possession of the STINAPA nature fee.

We also sell dive equipment and merchandise in our retail shop “Sea & Sense” which is located at the reception area.

WATER TEMPERATURE

The water temperature in Bonaire is quite stable. The amount of exposure protection that you need will depend on your comfort level and how quickly you cool down underwater. Between June through December the water temperature has an average of 28oC/82oF and between January through May it can be an average of 26oC/79oF.

FACILITIES

Toucan diving offers many facilities to make your experience more comfortable. At the dive shop we offer rinse tanks, showers, toilets, locker room for equipment, wheelbarrows (don’t use for tanks or off resort). There are no additional charges for Nitrox tanks.

Near the beach area next to the pool, we also have a fully equipped dive station with rinse tanks, showers and storage places for wheelbarrows. Here you can always find some air tanks available for registered guests, same as the marina entry on the other side of the beach (for Nitrox tanks, see shore diving).

SHORE DIVING

Bonaire is the shore diving capital of the world and as previously mentioned, at Plaza Resort Bonaire we have two dedicated spots for shore divers to enter and exit the water. All shore divers need to be registered at the retail shop Sea & Sense before they can start using our services and facilities.

For Nitrox tanks you can come to the tank room of the dive center to analyze and mark the tanks. Outside the tank room you will find two signs stating the location of the drop-off for these tanks. We will bring the tanks for you to the requested drop-off point at our earliest possibility. The tank room is open daily from 7:30 am till 4:30 pm, for night dives make sure to reserve your tank beforehand.

PICK-UP DIVES

It’s also possible to go out and dive by pick-up truck, you can even rent them on site through Macho! Scooters & Cars. When driving around the island, you will find the dive sites marked with big yellow rocks. On this map you see a complete overview of all dive sites on Bonaire. The dive sites on the south side of Bonaire are the easier dives, especially for beginner divers. Not all dive sites are easily accessible, please contact us if you need further advice.

For diving on the east side, we work together with East Coast Diving Bonaire. If you are interested in booking an east coast dive, please let us know in advance to ensure availability.

REFRESHER DIVE

We recommend to do a refresher dive if you have not been diving for 6 months.

BOAT DIVING

Toucan Diving offers daily boat dives with a 2-tank boat (with a double dive) going out in the morning and a 1-tank boat (with a single dive) in the afternoon. Morning boats depart at 8 am, if you need to rent equipment, make sure to be there at 7:30 am already. There will be at least a 45-minute surface interval in between dives, each dive lasts a maximum of 60 minutes. Afternoon boats depart at 1:45 pm. Signing up for boat dives needs to be done at least one day in advance at the retail shop or online to ensure availability. On the boat we offer drinking water (please bring your own drinking bottle), towels, mask defog and fruit. There are also separate rinsing buckets for cameras and masks. Once bookings are made in advance, the following cancellation policy applies.

!! Important notice: Scuba Divers and divers under 12 years old, might need an additional guide due to their certification restrictions!!

NIGHT DIVING

Night dives can be conducted from the boat as well, for this we need a minimum of 6 people to sign up. The boat needs to be verified 48 hours in advanced, to ensure enough staff. If a night dive can’t take place from the boat, we can always offer a guided house reef dive instead. For the Night Diver specialties, we have a different policy. Please contact the dive center if you are interested.

ACTIVITIES FOR NON-DIVERS

Bonaire is a great island to explore with family or friends. Places like the Donkey Sanctuary, Lac Cai Beach, Lake Goto, Mangroves, Rincon and Kralendijk are some of the most popular places to visit.

Even at Plaza Resort Bonaire there are several activities you can do such as kayaking, SUP-boarding, driftwood painting, casino and boat rental through Bonaire Yacht Charters. For tours you can even book them on site through Tropical Travel at our Sea & Sense retail shop.

If you are not a guest of the resort, it’s possible to buy a day pass and enjoy all the facilities Plaza Resort Bonaire has to offer. For more information, use this link. It’s also possible to visit the restaurants, without a day pass or overnight stay.

GRATITUDES

We highly appreciate each form of gratitude, whether it’s a tip or just a lovely review on TripAdvisor or Google reviews. The tip-jar can be found at the dive center, along with small envelopes to write a personal message.


FOLLOW US - TOUCAN ROCKS!

If you would like to stay updated on everything at Toucan Diving, you can always follow us on Instagram or Facebook. We will post special offers and upcoming events, or just some amusing content with our staff and guests.

You can also share with us your favorite memories and use #ToucanRocks or #ToucanDivingBonaire so we can reshare them on our platform.