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Kralendijk, Bonaire, Dutch Caribbean
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Dive Courses

Scuba Diving Made Easy: Choose from Our Wide Range of PADI Courses.

Whether you want to try scuba diving or want to continue your dive education, we are there to level you up! We offer a wide range of PADI dive courses including beginner courses, advanced courses, specialties, and professional programs.

dive courses beginner

Beginner

Awesome, you’ve decided you want to try scuba diving! We offer different beginner experiences from the Discover Scuba Diving activity to the full PADI Open Water Diver course. Furthermore, we offer different programs for youth.

continued education

Continued Education

Are you ready to take your diving knowledge to the next level? Continue your dive education by doing the PADI Advanced Open Water Diver course, PADI Rescue Diver course, or choose out of a broad range of specialties at Dive Friends.

PADI PRO

Turn your passion into your profession! Join our programs and pave the path to becoming a certified PADI dive professional as a Divemaster or Instructor, all under the expert guidance of our in-house Course Director.

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    Reviews

    4.5
    Read our 2,732 Reviews
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    Aldo V Galloni
    Aldo V Galloni
    October 8, 2023

    Great place to plan your dive. Jack and staff are a special kind. gear is very nrw and shop is complete . really recommend. Lucury with reasonable prices.

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    Lexan Blanchard
    Lexan Blanchard
    October 2, 2023

    I thoroughly enjoyed the discover diving class. Davide was a great instructor and made me very comfortable with my first time diving. The whole shop staff were friendly and helpful.

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    Gene Lucas
    Gene Lucas
    recommends
    September 25, 2023

    We visited the main retail store in Bonaire twice. Stephanie was working both days and was absolutely amazing in helping us find the right gear and dive locations. Stephanie great job!!!!

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    Elena Didenko
    Elena Didenko
    September 23, 2023

    We did our open water cert at yellow sub with Emma. She was great. Thorough and patient! Saw a lot of awesome stuff even on our training dives. Really pleasant experience all around!

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    Vlad Pambucol
    Vlad Pambucol
    September 18, 2023

    The drive through dive hut is UN-BELIVABLE! Best place to get your tanks with Dive Friends! Great job!

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    Elske
    Elske
    September 11, 2023

    A great first experience with diving

    We went on a discovery dive with Davide and David. For a first time diving this was a very reassuring and relaxed experience. Would very much recommend this experience even if you feel a bit skittish about diving because they made us feel very save. We saw a lot of beautiful fish and coral, as to be expected here in Bonaire 🙂

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    Alex Richards
    Alex Richards
    September 5, 2023

    It was our first time diving without a DM and the employees at Dive Friends Hamlet could not have been more helpful. Special thanks to Monique for taking the time to explain not only the Cliff dive out front but all the dives we wanted to do. Would definitely recommend using the Hamlet shop as your main shop on Bonaire!

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    Sarah Roskilly
    Sarah Roskilly
    August 29, 2023

    My home from home! Best dive shop ever

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    Nick Webster
    Nick Webster
    August 27, 2023

    Dive friends is our go-to shoreside dive shop. Offering island wide tank pickups, wonderful friendly service, super professional PADI dive instructors. The perfect place to reserve an 0800 2 tank boat dive. We love ❤️ this location.

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    I308RTthomasm
    I308RTthomasm
    August 20, 2023

    Excellent dive refresher experience!

    I am an experienced diver, but I have not been diving for about 10 years, so I thought that it would be a good idea to take a refresher course. I signed up at the Delfins resort, and the next morning I headed out to Dive Friends at the Sand Dollar. I was met by Rochelle, who was friendly and seemed very knowledgeable. I took a written test, we picked up all of the gear, and she went through everything very thoroughly. She described in detail everything we were going to do, I suited up, and we took giant strides from the pier onto the top of the reef. We practiced activities such as neutralizing buoyancy, mask flooding, current evaluation, and regulator retrieval. Once she was happy with my performance, we headed out to the reef face into the current. Rochelle pointed out many beautiful creatures, including an octopus and a gorgeous yellow frogfish! We turned around at about 1300 pounds and headed back to the pier, made a safety stop, and surfaced. I cannot recommend Dive Friends, and especially Rochelle, more highly!

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    TedSz
    TedSz
    August 20, 2023

    Dive & Dance & Relax & Learn with dive enthusiasts

    Top of the top diving experience.
    These guys are professionals. Very good organization starting from planning the dives which you can do even from home before coming to Bonaire ( good email communication) and ending in the ocean, diving with great people, small groups and fantastic dive guides. I recommend doing some PADI courses here because the dive instructors are very professional. The DFB Sea Turtle Conservation Diver course is a must. I did also a couple of boat dives and I highly recommend it. You can dive at Klein Bonaire beautiful dive spots and it is fun. The group of girls who operates the boat and dives is fantastic.

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    Robert Crockett
    Robert Crockett
    July 29, 2023

    We always use the Dive Friends at Hamlet Oasis! Easy to get in and out of, nice house reef "Cliff", and the staff are super courteous and helpful.

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    Christina D
    Christina D
    July 22, 2023

    Amazing dive spot!

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    Daniel Neto
    Daniel Neto
    July 22, 2023

    Super atenciosos ! Atendimento nota 10 e ótima qualidadeve variedade dos produtos.

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    AHotaling
    AHotaling
    July 17, 2023

    Friendly, Welcoming, and Awesome Dive Staff!

    Diving with Dive Friends Bonaire was like diving with longtime friends. Everyone was very friendly and welcoming, and any apprehensions I had about returning to scuba disappeared quickly. I had registered for the Fish ID specialty course, and my knowledge of and ability to identify Bonaire’s reef fish increased exponentially. Emma Nolet was a fantastic instructor who went out of her way to ensure I saw all the marvels found at the Yellow Submarine site. I look forward to doing my Underwater Naturalist certification with Dive Friends Bonaire on my next trip to the island.

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    Mark B
    Mark B
    July 13, 2023

    Fantastic PADI training at Dive Friends Bonaire

    We are diving in Bonaire for the first time as a family with 2 teenage kids who were completing their PADI open water training and my wife and I did a refresher course. Koa was absolutely Brillant as an instructor. Very clear and patient and really great with the kids. We all came away with a great experience and feeling confident diving as a family. The wider network of dive operations linked make it really convenient to get tanks and wash kit off. Highly recommend if you are coming to dive at amazing Bonaire you can't go far wrong with DFB.

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    M Ab
    M Ab
    May 20, 2023

    These guys are absolute legends. Highly recommend for any of your dive and snorkelling needs. They know their trade and their skill. The lady I spoke to (sorry I forgot your name) was super nice and well as the gentlemen on the shop floor. I had misplaced my underwater camera charger and they were kind enough to save my holiday by charging my camera for me. THANK YOU SO SO MUCH!!!

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    Jennifer Alspaugh
    Jennifer Alspaugh
    May 14, 2023

    We were happy. Did the unlimited tank pass and rented some gear. Took our nitrox class and did a boat dive. We found mostly everyone (only one exception the whole week) to be really wonderful and helpful. The multiple locations were really convenient. Good selection of gear if you really need something, but very high mark up...

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    Camille Martin
    Camille Martin
    May 11, 2023

    I just got certified with the open water course. Our instructor, Zac, was amazing. He was patient, gave clear instructions and super helpful. I highly recommend! The sand dollar location is where we did the 2 last days of the certification and the reef is incredible!

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    Deb Burton
    Deb Burton
    recommends
    May 2, 2023

    Friendly service at ALL locations. Great guides. Thank you Andy and Brett for sharing the frogfish and seahorses. Would go with these folks again in a second.

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    ralph nouwen
    ralph nouwen
    April 22, 2023

    Thank you guys with getting my Padi open water course, although i didnt fealth 100% just tried, and it was amazing! Had lots of attention and nice beatiful under water vieuws. thanks allot to Zac and Rachelle 🍻

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    Ralph Nouwen
    Ralph Nouwen
    recommends
    April 22, 2023

    Thank you guys with getting my Padi open water course, although i didnt fealth 100% just tried and it was amazing! Had lots of attention and nice beatiful under water vieuws. thanks allot to Zac and Rachelle 🍻

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    Sylvia Kuiper
    Sylvia Kuiper
    recommends
    March 29, 2023

    Goede duikschool met veel aandacht en geduld. Wij willen Kim bedanken voor de opfriscursus en het bijleren van handige reminders. Wij hebben genoten van de duik! Met veel dank aan Kim ! Groetjes Sylvia en Marijke

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    Kenny P
    Kenny P
    March 22, 2023

    Open Water Certification in Bonaire

    I performed my open water dive certification, while in Bonaire. The exact location I used was Dive Friends -Yellow Submarine. From my fist contact via email, to my arrival and finally my certification, was nothing short of outstanding! My in water instructor (Andy), was unbelievably welcoming, patient and positive! We had a diverse group, but Andy made all feel confident and assured us we could get through it! Andy’s positivity made a huge impact with those of us certifying! Thanks to Andy and all of the staff at Dive Friends - Yellow Submarine - Bonaire!!! Can’t wait to come back and I haven’t even left from this current trip yet!

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    Allan Cardinal
    Allan Cardinal
    March 20, 2023

    Awesome service

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    dtschaller
    dtschaller
    March 20, 2023

    They are the best

    Dive friends yellow sub made my trip incredible. In two weeks I got certified for open water, nitrox, and advanced open water and every experience was perfect. They’re so incredibly friendly, enthusiastic about diving, and knowledgeable that I would recommend it to anyone. Ilsa and Andy were both excellent instructors and when I went diving with someone who has over 3000 dives, he asked who my instructors were because I looked like I’d been diving for years. I can’t thank this shop enough and I’m looking forward to visiting them when I’m in Bonaire next year!

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    Douglas M
    Douglas M
    March 18, 2023

    Well stocked and excellent service department

    I am part of a group of instructors that bring High School Groups to Bonaire every year. We use Scubapro gear almost exclusively so when we went to this store for the first time in 2020 we were very pleased to see a well stocked store with our familiar products. The staff is technically very knowledgeable. On this trip, my mask had the siliicone tear away from the frame, resulting in constant flooding. Since I had $350 worth of bifocal lenses bonded into the mask, just buying a new mask was not a solution. The sales and tech guys, Alex and Andy took on the challenge of disassembling my old mask and inserting the faceplate with my lenses in the same model mask. They weren't sure it would work but I had nothing to lose, I came back 3 hours later and had a new mask with my old faceplate, I would rate this business as one of the best retail operations I have experienced in over 50 years of diving,

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    Scuba elf Owsi-OWSDI
    Scuba elf Owsi-OWSDI
    March 17, 2023

    Perfect location. Simple.

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    Babs Noelle
    Babs Noelle
    February 16, 2023

    Isa was helpful, cheerful, and efficient! Danki, Isa! High quality products, knowledgeable staff.

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    Don Crunk
    Don Crunk
    February 12, 2023

    Great staff. Very helpful.

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    Jimmy Zandbergen
    Jimmy Zandbergen
    January 22, 2023

    thumbs up all the way! Thanks again fam, see you soon!

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    Frederik Haneman
    Frederik Haneman
    January 19, 2023

    Mooie shop, behulpzaam en goede adviezen. Leuk spul te koop.

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    Noelle Fairchild
    Noelle Fairchild
    January 16, 2023

    First time renting from Dive Friends sand dollar! We went on a guided dive with Jaap as our guide and he was incredible! Everyone was wonderful and kind with the exception of one female manager, who at check out was extremely rude and condescending. I wish I could remember her name but it truly left a bad taste in my mouth about our whole experience with dive friends. I’d probably avoid this location just to avoid her to be honest but luckily they have plenty of locations around the island to choose from!

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    Dean Attali
    Dean Attali
    December 29, 2022

    Great place to rent gear and tanks from. They helped teach me how to assemble my gear and do a weights check without making me feel dumb for not remembering how to put everything together. Every time I came back to pick up/drop off tanks they were friendly and helpful.

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    D
    D
    December 13, 2022

    Hele goede ervaring gehad bij dive friends Yellow Sub. Ik heb mijn advanced open water gedaan bij nils. Hij gaf duidelijk uitleg en de cursus was erg leuk. Hij nam de tijd met uitleg geven en zorgde dat iedereen het goed snapte en iedereen zijn of haar vragen kwijt kon.

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    Annabella Kwei
    Annabella Kwei
    December 6, 2022

    These are my dive friends @ Dive Friends Bonaire: Brendan has a nice seashell necklace, chill and good vibes; Arte and Jason (underwater bubble-making enthusiast) are great guides and skilled at spotting sea life; James is a riot and made sure I didn’t die from my Oil Slick leap; Brett is a great instructor for my Rescue Diver course. He’s patient, knowledgeable and clear with instructions/feedback. And lastly, Conor is a super responsible dive master who checked on me often and made sure I had enough air. He also played a perfect “victim” whom I’ve happily saved at the end of the course. 🍻Dive Friends Bonaire!

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    Rosalie
    Rosalie
    December 2, 2022

    Great guidance for first-time divers!

    We took the PADI Open Water course at Dive Friends Bonaire and are very grateful for the excellent guidance we received from our instructor Duncan and trainee-dive master Djaasim. Instructions were very clear and thorough at all times, and we felt secure and confidant in our instructor. Duncan did a great job at calming any nerves and accommodating circumstances like sea sickness. All staff was friendly and helpful and quality of the equipment was good. Definitely recommend for your first diving experience!

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    Joke Meijer
    Joke Meijer
    recommends
    November 17, 2022

    7 dagen gedoken prachtige onderwaterwereld. Hele aardige mensen vriendelijk geholpen. Als er iets niet goed is aan je materiaal geef het Aan en het wordt opgelost. Heel fijn en zeker een aanrader.

    tripadvisor
    Venture200807
    Venture200807
    November 15, 2022

    Excellent service from DF personnel

    My wife and I returned in October for our 14th visit to Bonaire. Once again, there is an almost total turnover of front-line personnel with Dive Friends. The Director of Operations (?) at Yellow Sub was the only face I recognized from prior visits, and he was cheerful and friendly as he always has been. (sorry, but cannot recall his name). Even with “new” employees every year, somehow DF appears to attract young, friendly, and competent persons to work the shops. We only shore dive, so I did not get to meet boat captains or dive guides.

    While almost all DF employees we interacted with were pleasant, I wish to recognize the following persons by name and location for providing excellent service or conversation:
    Operations Director (?) @ Yellow Sub
    Mayra and Miek @ Yellow Sub
    Jaap and Isa @ Dive Inn
    Lars and Arte @ Port Bonaire
    Dark skinned deaf fellow @ Sand Dollar (best description I can come up with)

    Overall, my experiences with Dive Friends through the years have been very positive, and the persons above continued our dedication to DF as our dive supplies provider on Bonaire. I look forward to diving with you next time I visit!

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    Massimiliano Fiorese
    Massimiliano Fiorese
    November 13, 2022

    Buon tuffo

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    Chris van leeuwen
    Chris van leeuwen
    November 10, 2022

    Bij Dive Friends mijn Paddi open water dive gehaald in 3 dagen, waarvan eerste dag veel theorie en praktische zaken en op dag 2 en 3 elke dag 2 duiken gemaakt. Instructeurs Alex en Duncan waren super vriendelijk en behulpzaam waarvoor mijn dank. Volgende keer op Bonaire ga ik zeker weer duiken met Dive Friends 🙂

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    Eric Selk
    Eric Selk
    November 9, 2022

    Great place to swap tanks and not as busy as Hamlet Oasis location usually. The guy that can’t talk (sorry for describing that way but I don’t know his name) is amazing and helpful and a customer service superstar, give him a raise! Only reason I avoid this place sometimes is that the other woman that works in the office usually, and one guy that I see on his phone all the time, are not very friendly. I don’t have to deal with them much though. If you need something from the office, like booking boat dives or buying tank cards, I’d recommend going to Hamlet Oasis for better customer service. This is a great place for a quick tank swap though, and the one helpful employee will be very helpful in this process if you need a special request like another DIN tank filled.

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    Eric Selk
    Eric Selk
    November 9, 2022

    The best DF location for service, although this is probably why they are so busy/crowded a lot, but worth dealing with crowds. Sorry if you take this the wrong way, but the woman who usually work here are amazing (the men are above average as well). Not only very pretty smiles, but also super smart and hardworking and great customer service. After two years of Covid caused garbage, it is so nice to see pretty smiles (not masks) and people that appear to love their job and very friendly. This is very different from most places in Bonaire (stores, gas stations, restaurants) where nobody smiles and it looks like they are having the worst day of their life. If I come back to Bonaire, it will mostly be because of the awesome staff at this DF location and also the amazing all female boat crew (not something I’ve ever seen, nice change).

    tripadvisor
    Adrian C
    Adrian C
    November 8, 2022

    Dive Friends Bonaire - a great service

    We used Dive Friends for the first time for two weeks of Unlimited Air/Nitrox package for two couples. The staff were so friendly and helpful (particularly Mic, Morgan and Sarah at Yellow Submarine and Sand Dollar). The ability to use seven of the dive centres across the island is a game changer and we would highly recommend Dive Friends. We also did the Fluorescent (UV) night dive brilliantly led by Sarah where we saw squid, lobsters and Fluorescent coral. We look forward to diving again with Dive Friends in 2023

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    Coen Berkhout
    Coen Berkhout
    November 7, 2022

    Aardige mensen die een extra stap zetten voor de klant en dan ook nog eens niets rekenen. Geld in fooienpot voor ze achtergelaten.

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    Johan van Leeuwen
    Johan van Leeuwen
    recommends
    November 3, 2022

    8 dagen gedoken met dive friends Bonaire, en 8 dagen genoten. Prima kwaliteit van de huur spullen! Echt super vriendelijk, gemotiveerd en kundig personeel, zowel in de shops, op de boot als tijdens de kantduiken. Meerdere boten en heel enthousiaste bemanning. Onder water oog voor detail, visjes, beestje tot minder dan een 1 cm groot weten ze te vinden . Alles heel relaxt!!!, Mochten we terug gaan naar Bonaire, dan zeker weer duiken met Dive friends Bonaire…

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    Jwca Montier
    Jwca Montier
    recommends
    November 2, 2022

    Absolutely amazing people make this the best place to use to dive in Bonaire. My daughters (11&13) did their open water certificate with one of their instructors, Isa. She was so lovely and thought them so well. I couldn’t have asked for a better first experience. I did a refresher with Brendan. After 14 years of non-diving, he was so helpful and encouraging that everything became effortless and I loved being back into diving. Finally, when the girls were ready, Jack at their Delphine resort base, sorted us out with everything we needed. No queries or requests were too much; he had so many helpful tips and hints. The whole experience was wonderful and the girls are already negotiation no just a yearly return (as agreed) but they are trying for a semiannual dive holiday with Dive Friends…being addicted to diving myself, this is the best outcome I had not dared to wish for. Thank you, all of you!

    tripadvisor
    Wends Mon
    Wends Mon
    November 2, 2022

    Best Dive Instruction & Experience ever!

    My daughters ( 11 & 13) did their Open Water certificate with Dive Friends Bonaire. Their instructor, Isa, was amazing. Her patience, warmth and fun attitude made this an amazing experience for them. When I took them diving afterwards, I was amazed at the high level of instruction they were given and how easy it was to take them on full length adult dives. I cannot recommend Isa and her colleagues enough.
    I did a refresher course with Brendan, and he was just as amazing. I hadn’t dived since my first pregnancy but he was so encouraging and helpful that it felt like I had never left. Absolutely wonderful!
    Finally a very special mention to Jack at the Delphins Resort who sorted out all our mess all of the time. He went way beyond the call of duty: no queries or issues were too much. He also helped us find the right dive sites and safe routes, he even told the girls how to find an octopus and they did find one on their last dive. I cannot recommend them enough! The girls are already negotiating a repeat and any further instructions will definitely be organised with Dive Friends Bonaire.

    tripadvisor
    Carsten E
    Carsten E
    October 31, 2022

    Dive Friends excel

    We have dived with Dive Friends almost every year for 18 years now. They are really good: you can get and drop tanks at multiple locations from North to South along the coast. The staff is knowledgeable, helpful, easy to get on with, and quickly adapts to the needs and quirks of new customers. Special mention should go to the people at Port Bonaire: Eddie, Jason, Lars. They are simply outstanding! We were highly impressed by their genuine and personal helpfulness and knowledge.

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    JR R
    JR R
    October 23, 2022

    Een duikwinkel met zeer kundig en uiterst vriendelijk personeel Mijn duik/snorkel vakantie 2x gered door vakkundig advies en ondanks de huidige lever problemen toch genoeg onderdelen op voorraad

    Get in Touch

    +599 780 2572
    info@divefriendsbonaire.com
    Kralendijk, Bonaire, Dutch Caribbean

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    info@divefriendsbonaire.com +599 780 2572 Kralendijk, Bonaire, Dutch Caribbean

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    Dive Friends Bonaire

    Dive Friends Bonaire

    We typically replay within 1 hour between 8:00 AM and 5:00 PM AST (Bonaire local time)

    We aim to get back to you within 24 hours. Our business hours are from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM AST (Bonaire local time)

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