Hi Everyone,

Counting the days 'til we get there in March. There's a group of five of us staying at the Belmar, and they don't have two trucks to rent to us. So they've reserved a van for us (which they say has a tank rack in it, etc.). So.... I'm a little worried about having a van. I've always had a truck, and some places it seemed very convenient if not necessary (driving up north).

So we were thinking of just going with one truck, 3 people in the back seat, but I don't know... any advice on this? Are the vans terrible?

Thanks for any insights!

Kind regards,

Mary

It depends on the size of the three in the back seat.
I've done the same thing with no problems.
I also see the fifth person in the truck bed, but have no idea of the legal aspects of that.
Never rented a van, but a truck would seem better to get into and out of dive sites.

I agree with Grunt. If the people fit comfortably in the back seat, go with the truck. We had six people in a pick-up while diving Curacao a couple years ago and had no real issues. With bonaire being a small island, driving distances are not a real big problem as well as getting gear into and out of the truck.

Thanks very much! I do appreciate your advice. Truck it is.

Two weeks from today we'll be there!! Yay!

Cheers,

Mary

Vans are a pain for diving regardless of how many divers you have. We had a van for one day due to a maintenance problem on our truck. There were only two of us and it was a hassle between the tanks, gear and then the wet gear on the way back after the dive.

There also isnt really a good spot to stage or prep your tank and gear on the back of a van. Trucks sit nice and high and you can prep on the tailgate.

There isnt enough room behind the third seat for all the gear. With 5 people, you'll put gear up front, under the seats, in the glove box and on the roof to make it fit. You might as well get a hitch and trailer if possible (which isnt).

Dont even think about a two tank dive.

Get the truck. Two people up front and three in the back. Trust me.

Antoine,

Wow, thank you for the note. Boy-oh-boy, I'm so glad we went with the truck. Awesome advice. Thank you!!!!

Yours,

Mary

How was it?

Ahhhh... just got back this afternoon... PBD. Time to look into the next trip.

But, let me THANK YOU for the advice re: the truck. We just rented one for the five of us, and it was A-OK. Just fine. Truly, renting two might have been overkill.

Oh, gosh, what a wonderful, wonderful trip. Perfect. Loved every single moment. Fantastic.

Thank you again for the great advice!

Warmly,

Mary