Captain Don's Habitat

Dive resort · Bonaire · Kralendijk, west coast, Bonaire · Official Website

Booking by Tour Leader Club

8 room types · 50 dive sites · house reef

Captain Don’s Habitat sits on the west coast of Bonaire, just north of Kralendijk. It was founded in 1976 by Don Stewart, the underwater naturalist behind the island’s permanent mooring system and, eventually, the Bonaire National Marine Park. It began as a cluster of bungalows around a dive shop; it is a large resort now, but the idea has not changed — “a dive shop with rooms attached”.

The formula here is called Total Diving Freedom. The house reef, La Machaca, starts right at the divers’ pier: step off the dock and you are over clusters of starlet coral, with the drop-off a few kicks away at about ten metres. You can pick up a tank and get in the water 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, with no sign-up and no schedule.

The boats leave three times a day — 8:30, 11:00 and 14:00, one tank per departure, to more than 50 moored sites within a fifteen-minute ride. Each mooring takes one boat at a time, so the reef is yours.

The dive operation is a PADI Gold Palm Resort and an SDI facility, teaching PADI, SDI and TDI including rebreathers and trimix, with more than twenty specialties. Technical Diving Services runs its own centre on the property.

It is not only a divers’ resort: by the resort’s own count about 45 % of guests do not dive — they come for the waterfront restaurant, the two pools, the spa and the view across to Klein Bonaire.

No markup

You pay exactly the rate the resort publishes. On top of that, only the actual bank costs of currency conversion and the international transfer — no commission of ours.

We run the deal

Correspondence with the resort, holding the room, the contract, booking confirmation and all paperwork are on our side. There is nothing for you to arrange yourself.

Card payment

We accept payment by card through Stripe and issue an invoice. The transfer to the resort is our job — you do not have to find a way to pay abroad.

Support all the way

We help you choose the room and dates, work out the dive package, answer questions about flights and gear, and stay in touch until you are home.

The exact amount is confirmed when we hold your booking: it includes the resort's rate at the day's exchange rate plus the actual transfer costs. No hidden fees.

About the resort

Country: Bonaire (Netherlands)
Location: Kralendijk, west coast, Bonaire
Nearest airport: Flamingo (Kralendijk) — about a 10-minute drive
Transfer: The resort recommends renting a car on the island
House reef: true
Dive sites: 50
Dive centre: On-site dive centre, PADI Gold Palm Resort and SDI facility, three departures a day
Nitrox: true
Rooms: 95
Internet: true

At the resort

The La Machaca house reef at the pier

Divers' pier

Two freshwater pools

Rum Runners waterfront restaurant

Cocktail bar

Pizza Temple pizzeria

Graceful Touch spa

Vista Blue store on site

Conference room for 120

Avis car rental on the property

Free WiFi

In-room safe

Diving

House reef around the clock, 365 days a year

More than 50 moored sites within 15 minutes

Three departures a day — 8:30, 11:00 and 14:00

One boat per mooring at a time

Nitrox and an analyser at the base

PADI Gold Palm Resort, SDI facility, TDI training

Rebreathers and trimix, more than 20 specialties

Scubapro rental, technical centre on site

Diving here is built around shore diving: pick up a tank and walk off the pier at any hour. Currents on Bonaire's sites are light and run along the shore — the resort gives 0.25 to 0.5 knots as the usual range. Marine Park rules apply to everyone: the STINAPA tag costs $40 per calendar year, and before your first dive you must attend the orientation, held daily at 9 a.m., and do a warm-up dive on the house reef. So there is no diving on arrival day, and none on departure day. Tanks are 63 and 80 cubic feet only, with INT valves — bring your own DIN adapter. The resort does not run guided shore dives and does not take non-resident guests on its boats. By its own notice, it cannot accommodate divers with disabilities.

Food

Rum Runners restaurant with a sea view

Buffet breakfast daily

Lunch — salads, sandwiches, burgers

À la carte dinner Tuesday to Sunday

Barbecue buffet on Mondays

Pizza Temple, stone-oven pizza

Cocktail bar facing the sunset

Live music on Mondays and Thursdays

The site gives the restaurant's hours twice, differently. The dining page: breakfast 07:00–10:00, lunch 11:30–16:00, à la carte dinner Tuesday to Sunday, with a barbecue buffet 19:00–22:00 on Mondays. The FAQ: breakfast 07:00–10:00 (10:30 on Sundays), lunch 11:30–16:00, dinner from 17:30 to 22:00, bar opening at 16:00. Dinner reservations are mandatory. The restaurant account is opened separately from the hotel one.

Things to do

Snorkelling on the house reef

Graceful Touch spa, including a seaside couples cabana

Two pools

Sunrise yoga by the pool

Riding along on a dive boat without diving

Car rental and island drives

Washington-Slagbaai National Park

Kayaking in the mangroves, windsurfing

The resort makes the case that a non-diving partner has plenty to do: island tours, kayaking in the mangroves, windsurfing, bird watching, mountain biking, horseback riding, deep-sea fishing, Washington-Slagbaai park. You can join a dive boat without diving for $10 per person per trip. Morning yoga is run by a visiting instructor at $20 a class.

Rooms

Room

222

View: Garden and pool

Beds: King bed

New rooms looking onto the freshwater pool: a king bed, a desk and a private patio or balcony.

Air conditioning Cable TV Refrigerator Microwave Coffee maker Laptop safe Full bath with tub Patio or balcony Free WiFi

Room

222

View: Garden and pool

Beds: Two queen beds

The same new wing, but with two queen beds — for two people who would rather not share one.

Air conditioning Cable TV Refrigerator Microwave Coffee maker Laptop safe Full bath with tub Patio or balcony Free WiFi

Room

227

View: Ocean and pool

Beds: Two queen beds

Rooms looking over the pool and the Caribbean Sea, each with its own secluded balcony or patio with furniture.

Air conditioning Cable TV Refrigerator Microwave Coffee maker Laptop safe Full bath with tub Secluded balcony or patio Free WiFi

Suite

233

View: Pool

Beds: King bed

A one-bedroom suite by the new pool with a king bed and a small kitchen. The resort notes that it turns into a two-bedroom stay if you add the adjoining Deluxe Garden Room to the reservation.

Electric stove Air fryer Rice cooker Refrigerator and microwave Air conditioning Cable TV Laptop safe Full bath with tub Balcony

Bungalow

252

View: Garden

A one-bedroom bungalow with a garden view and spacious living and dining areas. The category has no page of its own on the site — only a card in the room list.

Suite

254

View: Ocean

Beds: King bed and a queen sleeper sofa

These suites stand right on the waterfront. A king bed and a queen sleeper sofa, both with pillow-top mattresses, a granite wet bar with a sink, a work desk, and a breakfast table with sun loungers on the patio or balcony.

Granite wet bar with a sink Refrigerator, microwave, coffee maker Air conditioning Flat panel TV Clock radio with iPod dock Laptop safe Full bath with tub Patio or balcony with loungers

Bungalow

394

View: Garden

A two-bedroom, two-bathroom bungalow with an air-conditioned living room, a fully equipped kitchen and a large covered patio. Sleeps four comfortably.

Two bedrooms and two bathrooms Fully equipped kitchen Air-conditioned living room Cable TV In-room telephone Large covered patio

Villa

565

View: Ocean

Beds: Three bedrooms

A villa on the front row: kitchen, living room, bathroom and a covered patio looking out to the sea and Klein Bonaire on the ground floor, bedrooms upstairs each with its own bathroom. Some bedrooms have balconies; all have an ocean view.

Three bedrooms, each with its own bathroom Full kitchen and living room Air conditioning Ceiling fans Cable TV Refrigerator in the upstairs bedrooms Covered patio looking at Klein Bonaire

Rates

Mandatory island fees

	Amount
Entry tax, 13 and older	US$ 75
Entry tax, 12 and younger	US$ 10
STINAPA tag, divers and snorkellers	US$ 40 a year

The entry tax is paid once per visit, the STINAPA tag per calendar year. Both are mandatory and are not paid to the resort.

Rates and availability can change. Message us — we will confirm current dates and prices.

When to go

The resort is open year-round and dives 365 days a year. It publishes no water or air temperatures, no visibility and no seasons. On currents it says they are light and run along the shore — usually 0.25 to 0.5 knots, rarely up to 1 to 1.5. Between the last dive and a flight the resort requires a minimum of 12 hours and recommends 24; diving on the day you fly is not allowed.

Getting there

The resort is on the west coast of Bonaire, just north of the capital Kralendijk and about ten minutes’ drive from Flamingo International Airport.

Bonaire has direct flights from Europe, North and Latin America and neighbouring Caribbean islands. The resort recommends renting a car — without one you cannot reach the shore dive sites, the beaches or the restaurants; there is an Avis rental point on the property.