Immerse Yourself in the world ofTec Diving
BonaireTeK
September 26 – October 2, 2026
Every year, Buddy Dive Resort teams up with Buddy Dive Tek for the most significant technical diving event in the Caribbean. BonaireTeK at Buddy Dive is an exciting week of technical dive demonstrations, presentations, and training! During THE event for tec divers, we offer demos and tryouts with the newest equipment, presentations from renowned names in the industry, and many tec dives. This year Buddy Dive proudly hosts event sponsors Dive Rite, DAN, Scubatron, TUSA, Suunto and PADI.
We thrive on bringing together tec divers from all over the world, creating a community, and initiating new partnerships. Bonaire Tek guests will experience fantastic deep dives like a dive on the deep wreck of “The Windjammer”.
Are you an experienced Tec diver, just starting your journey as a technical diver? Or have no Tec experience yet and want to learn everything about tec diving so you can get the best out of your dives and create a new addiction? Join Your Buddies™ on Bonaire for Bonaire TeK.
Get in touch!
Anouck
Tec dive coordinator
tekdiving@buddydive.com
Special Guests of Bonaire TeK 2026
Shelby Brown
Dive Rite
Shelby was certified to dive in Andros, Bahamas, in 2014 as part of her college curriculum, which had a semester titled “Bahamas and Adventure Leadership.” Upon the first underwater inhalation, she was hooked. Once she returned to Columbus, Ohio (her home), she dove headfirst into taking more SCUBA courses. She was offered a job at her local dive shop, where she quickly became an instructor and the store manager. After managing that shop for nine years, she decided she had hit a ceiling in her diving and needed to move to Florida to be near the caves and the ocean!
She has been in the dive industry since she was 21 and over the course of that time certified over 500 divers in various levels of training and logged approximately 3000 dives. She has now happily found a home at Dive Rite and she is excited to be a part of a team at the forefront of innovation in diving equipment.
Ricardo Castillo
Dive Rite
Ricardo is a professional diver, instructor trainer, expedition leader, and underwater photographer with more than 25 years of experience and over 7,000 dives. His expertise ranges from recreational scuba to technical, cave, and CCR diving, with specializations in decompression, gas mixtures, nitrox, trimix, rebreathers, and underwater photography and video.
His expeditions have taken him across the world’s oceans, caves, and mines, from Antarctica and the Arctic to the Maldives, Galapagos, Cocos Island, Truk Lagoon, Scapa Flow, Fiji, Indonesia, and Mexico’s extensive submerged cave systems. He has contributed to television documentaries and films covering cave exploration, shipwrecks, and sharks. With dives reaching approximately 450 feet and temperatures as low as -1.7°C, Ricardo combines technical expertise with a passion for exploration and storytelling through photography and film. He is an instructor with NSS-CDS, SDI-TDI, and DAN, and co-owner of Dive Rite Mexico and Zotz Local Diving Experts in Playa del Carmen, Mexico.
Mel Clark
Scubatron
Mel is an active technical/rebreather diving instructor trainer; and avid underwater photographer. In 2003 she taught for Divers Institute of Technology (DIT) helping to develop future commercial divers. Mel currently instructs students and future instructors on most of the major rebreathers on the market. She is also passionate about cave diving and teaches CCR Cave. Mel is a member of the Women Diver’s Hall of Fame, and an ambassador for IANTD and on the IANTD board of Directors. Aside from teaching Mel is passionate about underwater photography and writing. She has also written many manuals and agency training programs including the TDI KISS CCR manual, TDI Semi-Closed Circuit rebreather manual, and IANTD’s rEvo course. Mel has independently published CCR Trimix Simplified, CCR Cave Almost Simplified and a universal easy to read rebreather guide on buying and diving the closed circuit rebreather, called “Rebreathers Simplified.” Mel’s main passion is teaching CCR survival skills to her students in a high quality fashion so that they learn and apply the skills through repetition until they become second nature to the diver. She feels by getting the students to over-learn the skills and not just the basic skills but the advanced skills that someday they might use them to accomplish a positive outcome. Her students leave class feeling confident and safer on their CCR’s.
Gregory Borodiansky
Scubatron
Founded Scubatron August 2013 as a TEC diving training oriented business. Gregory is skilled as IANTD IT, Tec/Rec OC and CCR Mixed Gas Instructor, Cave diver and underwater photographer. He can train new instructors including rebreather instructors. Qualified to dive an array of rebreathers. He is certified to teach: KISS (SideWinder, Classic, Spirit), DiveSoft (Livberty SM), Poseidon (MK-VI and VII), Hollis, LungFish and GBM rebreathers to all recereational and technical levels including advanced trimix. He has proudly partaken in multiple diving expeditions: Last Cayman Island-I and II, Lost treasuries of ancient Mayan people, countless “bone hunts”and discoveries in Mexican caves, Wreck of Carolina short mission, Truk – WW2’s ship wreck exploration.
Ken Head
Ken is NAUI Technical Instructor Evaluator (TIE) #57145 but foremost, Ken is a technical diver on a constant learning path. He understands that complacency is very dangerous. His role as a Technical Instructor is Dive Safety through education gained by experience. He is the owner of Extreme Scuba with a home base out of Canyon lake, Texas but his Training ground and student base is worldwide.
Ken will be presenting a topic named “My Favorite Color is Clear.” A subject written by Ken Head for the October release of InDEPTH Magazine.
Virginie Papadopoulou
DAN (Divers Alert Network)
DAN supports the diving community through research, education and medical expertise, with a strong focus on improving diver safety. We’re proud to highlight Dr. Virginie Papadopoulou, a DAN Scholar and Associate Professor of Radiology and Biomedical Engineering at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. With more than 14 years of experience in undersea decompression physiology, Dr. Papadopoulou’s research focuses on understanding and reducing decompression sickness risks. Her work combines biomedical ultrasound technology with undersea medicine and is supported by organizations including the NIH, NASA, the Office of Naval Research and the DAN Research Foundation. Her contribution to diving research and safety makes her a valuable voice within the technical diving community.
Sander Schmalgemeijer
TUSA
Founded in Tokyo in 1952, TUSA is one of the world’s first manufacturers of scuba diving equipment. The Japanese brand combines innovation, quality and attention to detail in the development of premium diving equipment. For technical divers, masks and fins are not simply accessories, but essential pieces of equipment. A secure and comfortable mask fit, clear vision, efficient propulsion and precise control can make a real difference underwater.
During Bonaire TeK, divers can discover a selection of TUSA masks and fins and experience the comfort, performance and Japanese design behind the brand.
Alain Tiggelaar
Palm Trading Curaçao
Beginning a diving journey in 1995, a fascination with the underwater world quickly developed into a professional career. After becoming a diving instructor in 1997, a lifelong commitment to education, exploration and professional development began. Technical diving followed in 2008, opening new possibilities for deeper and more challenging environments, while sidemount added versatility and control. In 2015, rebreather diving expanded those possibilities further, enabling longer, quieter and deeper exploration. Over the years, diving and teaching in South Africa, Mauritius, Trinidad and Tobago, the Seychelles, Aruba, Scotland and Egypt has provided experience across diverse marine environments and diving cultures. Since 2008, Curaçao has been home and a base for exploration and instruction.
The presentation Alain gives goes beyond Curaçao’s recreational limits, exploring historic wrecks, deep walls and reefs. Discover sites such as the Superior Producer and Stella Maris, supported by historic imagery and underwater footage, and uncover the stories, challenges and opportunities they offer technical divers.
About Buddy Dive Tek:
Buddy Dive TeK opened its doors in 2007, with the mission to provide quality technical support and training to its customers and guests at Buddy Dive and on Bonaire. Over the past years, Buddy Dive TeK has grown into the largest technical diving facility in the Caribbean.
The Buddy Dive TeK team represents a wealth of technical knowledge and certifications from all fields of diving. With a fully operational tec support service; extensive equipment rental and technical training up to instructor level, including trimix and CCR. Buddy Dive TeK offers everything needed.
The non-stop spirit of adventure and curiosity of the enthusiastic diving community worldwide keeps pushing the dive industry forward. It is our pleasure to ensure that we at Buddy Dive provide the latest in Technical Diving in a safe and friendly environment.
