Category Five Hurricane Maria, which absolutely devastated the ‘Nature Island’ of Dominica in September last year, has claimed another victim – Buddy Dive, which had been running an operation on the island since late-2014, has decided to close its doors.
Buddy Dive, which is already phenomenally successful on Bonaire, was seeking to expand and signed a partnership agreement with the Fort Young Hotel on Dominica in 2014, opening up the dive operation in August 2015. Since then, it had been steadily growing, with three dive boats and 11 staff in residence.
Sadly, when Hurricane Maria made landfall, it savaged the Fort Young Hotel, and Buddy Dive on Dominica lost all three of its boats and has been closed down ever since. In the face of all that has happened over the last couple of months, Buddy Dive has been looking into the opportunities to rebuild what was lost. “The way the numbers added up and the way the future looked to us, we have come to the unavoidable decision to close down our business at the Fort Young Hotel. This is an emotional time for us and our employees, who have been such a big part of what has made Buddy Dive on Dominica successful,” Buddy Dive CEO Martien van der Valk said.
Buddy Dive would like to thank Fort Young Hotel for a great partnership over the past three-and-a-half years. “We are happy to see they are rebuilding and we wish them all the best for the future,” added van der Valk.
Buddy Dive will continue with all its diving services on Bonaire as usual.
