Guests at Buddy Dive Resort have a lot of options for exploring the waters of Bonaire. The dive center's boats make daily trips to dozens of sites along the island's western shore and coral reefs all around nearby Klein Bonaire island. In addition, a fleet of rental trucks stands ready for shore diving excursions to 60-plus sites that are just a short swim from the parking area.

And there's Buddy's Reef, an underwater experience that delivers an unrivaled combination of convenience and rewarding variety. This guest favorite sits directly in front of the resort and is available for exploration 24 hours a day. Gearing up is easy, as there are personal gear lockers and changing areas right at the docks. Air and nitrox tanks are there for the taking, with dive support facilities such as nitrox analyzers, rinse tanks, freshwater showers, and cool drinking water. From eight in the morning to five in the afternoon, attentive dive staff is available to offer assistance, give advice, or just chat about the things you just saw on the dive. After closing up for the day, they leave the lights on and the gear rooms open for night dives or early immersions the next morning.

Water entry can be by way of a secure stairway with handrails, or with a giant stride off the dock. The area under and around the docks is worth a few minutes of exploration, as the pilings provide shelter for schools of small baitfish such as silversides, anchovies, and scad. There's also a good chance of encountering the resident tarpon that patrol the shallows. These sleek, silver-sided hunters can grow to lengths of six feet.

Moving away from the dock towards deeper water, divers pass through an area of sand and coral rubble that at first might seem devoid of life. A closer look reveals a fascinating cast of characters. Small rays and peacock flounder lie against the sand, hiding in plain sight, while a dozen species of small blennies and gobies peek from nooks and crevices in the sea bed.

A common and very watchable resident of the shallows is the jawfish. The name is part, because these small fish use their mouths for everything from digging burrows in the sand to settling territorial disputes and parenting. When turf disputes arise, jawfish will hover at entrances of their respective tunnels and repeatedly launch mouthfuls of sand and pebbles directly at each other's faces. Even more fascinating are the males that scoop up their partner's fertilized eggs and hold the mouthful for a week or more until they hatch.

At depths of around 30 feet, the shoreside shelf at Buddy's Reef transitions to a slope covered in a colorful assortment of corals and sponges. At the edge of the drop, the coral-encrusted hull of a small wreck known as La Machaca shelters moray eels and is used as a nesting ground for distinctly striped sergeant major fish.

The shoulder of the drop-off is also the site of the coral nurseries of Reef Renewal Foundation Bonaire, a coral restoration project headquartered at the resort. The tree-like structures of the nursery hold small fragments of coral that grow in a safe environment until they are large enough to be out-planted on the reef.

The reef slope continues downward from the upper lip to a depth of 130 feet, then transitions to a sandy seafloor. Its face is covered in large formations of boulder star corals, giant elephant ear sponges, rope sponges, and gorgonians. Fish watchers have identified more than 300 species of fish and several hundred varieties of invertebrates on Bonaire's sloping reefs. Among the more colorful are fairy basslets, queen angelfish, and parrotfish. Closer looks may reveal spotted cleaner shrimps, lettuce sea slugs, and bearded fireworms, as well as stealthy masters of camouflage like pipefish, scorpionfish, and frogfish.

When exploring Buddy's Reef, divers can choose any depth between 30 and 120 feet, making it suitable for everyone from new and young, depth-restricted divers to advanced divers performing extended multi-level profiles. And in addition to underwater environments that vary by depth, the site offers different experiences throughout the day and night. Sunset and night dives will reveal a different cast of characters, as eels, lobster, and crabs come out into the open.

Buddy's Reef is also a great place to expand diving horizons and experiences. Guests can dive with Buddy's Fish ID specialist to learn everything about the fish on the house reef, or book a dive with an underwater photography specialist to improve imaging skills. Buddy’s Reef is also a great place to try technical diving or to try a DPV, all of which are offered by the resort's dive shop.

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