Collaborative discussion: Logistics of diving in Bonaire

[SelfDiver]

I've been to Bonaire 3 times. The first 2 times, the departure line was 30 mins, but our hotel provided transportation like 2 hours early, so we had a good many piña coladas at the airport bar, wondering why the hotel got us there so early

The 3rd time, there were 2 flights leaving at the same time, and the departure line was 90 minutes long. So I'll never mess around with showing up half an hour before the flight, and instead stick to the game plan of showing up 2 hours early and then enjoying however many piña coladas it takes to fill up the time

Top tip.
Two flights= mess

 

[tursiops]

I've been to Bonaire 3 times. The first 2 times, the departure line was 30 mins, but our hotel provided transportation like 2 hours early, so we had a good many piña coladas at the airport bar, wondering why the hotel got us there so early

The 3rd time, there were 2 flights leaving at the same time, and the departure line was 90 minutes long. So I'll never mess around with showing up half an hour before the flight, and instead stick to the game plan of showing up 2 hours early and then enjoying however many piña coladas it takes to fill up the time

The reason for 2h is because it is an airline rule. You show up later than that you have no recourse if you or your luggage miss the flight.
Your choice, i guess.

 

[OTF]

Bonaire has a reputation for being "boring except for diving" but this is completely untrue. That mostly comes from Aruba and Curacao having more nightlife and urban activities in comparison. Bonaire has a ton of fun things to do topside, more than you can do in a week trip. Lots of good restaurants which I'm sure the foodies will discuss in more depth. Shoutout to the lionfish burger food truck though. The park in the north is AWESOME and worth a full day of exploring and hiking if not more. Seriously incredible place. There is world class windsurfing/kiteboarding on the east coast. Landsailing race track place is fun. Donkey sanctuary is neat. Lac Bay is beautiful and has several options for exploration activities. Cadushy distillary makes fantastic rum and is nice for a tour and a sip in their pretty courtyard.

 

[wwguy]

1) Getting there:
Unless you are sailing to Bonaire, you are flying to Bonaire Flamingo Airport BON
Direct flights from Toronto, Canada YYZ and Amsterdam, Netherlands AMS do not transit through the US.
Direct flight from EWR Newark, New Jersey and IAH Houston, Texas- United Airlines
Direct flight from ATL Atlanta, Georgia - Delta Airlines
Direct flight from MIA Miami, Florida - American Airlines
Direct flight from BAQ Barranquilla, Colombia - Zair
Divi Divi air flies from Aruba and Curacao.

Jet Blue is still flying to BON via JFK until Jan 3rd 2026.
There is no direct flight between BAQ and BON. (Z Air currently requires a connection in Curacao.)
Z Air flies direct to BON from Curacao and Aruba.
Winair flies direct to Bonaire from Curacao.
All of this flight info changes frequently, and trying to keep it all updated here is pretty much a fool's errand. The most accurate and regularly updated info already can usually be found here on Bonaire Tourism Corp's website. Even that info is sometimes out of date though, because airlines change their schedules often due to demand, business objectives, and season etc.

4)Transportation:
Rental cars optionally come with shore diving packages your room at some resorts.
The large building across the parking lot is the Avis rental car office. You can roll the luggage cart right up to the counter and then to the car. There is no fast lane, even if you are Avis super duper preferred.
Budget and Hertz offices are in the building on the left.
Other car rentals either send a driver or have the car waiting in the parking lot.(I think, but check me if I'm wrong))

Several rental car companies, such as AB Rental, offer free shuttles from the airport to their nearby offsite rental facilities. There are several of those located on Kaya Industria, near the roundabout just north of the airport.

6) The diving
Most diving on Bonaire is shore diving
The water temperature at 90 meters is 75F 24C and 82F 27C at the surface. Even at night.
Air temperature is above 85F always and reaches 90f most days.

The surface sea temperature around Bonaire fluctuates throughout the year depending on season, currents, and climate conditions etc. Surface sea temps sometime drop to 79° F in Feb and March, and rise as high as 85° F in September and October. (source)

85° F might be the average year-round air temperature, but it's certainly not the minimum. I've personally experienced air temps in the upper 70s several times while visiting during the winter months. Also, max air temps rarely reach the 90s in the winter months, but August-October can be brutal, especially when the trade winds abate. (source)

The Bonaire recompression chamber is right next to the hospital.

Recompression Chamber Bonaire

Bonaire hyperbaric Center

o2bonaire.com

By far, the majority of undeserved hits are due to dehydration.

DCS incident frequency, cause/summary, and recompression chamber stats for Bonaire's chamber aren't publicly reported or available. Dehydration is certainly one of many possible contributing factors to DCS, but it's a secondary contributing factor only, and not a direct trigger.

DAN notes that "Dehydration gets a substantial amount of attention in the lay diving community as a risk factor for DCS, but probably more than is warranted. Sound hydration is important for good health, both for general and for diving health, but for your dive profile, thermal stress and exertion level are far more important risk factors for DCS." (source)

The last dive site before you need to do the northern loop is Weber's Joy. Beyond that, you are committed to the one way loop through Rincon.
Karpata is the northern most STINAPA dive site that is recommended. There is a dirt path that goes to Candyland, Taylormade and Playa frans, check with the dive shop if they are open before you dive there. The BOPEC (the big oil storage facility) area is closed off.

The last dive site before you need to commit to the one-way northern loop route is 1000 Steps, not Weber's Joy.

Nukove is STINAPA's northern-most dive site that's accessible from shore that's outside of Washington Slaagbai National Park. Additionally there are 6 more STINAPA dive sites further north—all temporarily closed to protect against SCTLD infection—that are inside of Washington Slaagbai National Park boundaries.

Not sure what you mean about checking to see if the road around the BOPEC terminal is open? The only reason it would be closed is if it was temporarily washed out due to heavy rains etc. The BOPEC terminal itself has always been closed off to public traffic. The road to Playa Frans goes around it, not through it.

7) Supermarkets
Van Den Tweel is open 8am-8pm 7 days/week - This is the my favorite
"Warehouse" and "Lucky" are across the street.
Zhung Kong Supermarket is located across from Hamlet Oasis, in Hato, they’re a bit more limited, have more American options, but, mainly, more convenient if you’re staying north of town
Expect to pay 30% higher prices for everything.

You're missing Bondigro Supermarket on Kaya Industria, Top Supermarket on Kaya L.D. Gerharts downtown, a couple of Chinese-owned markets on Kaya Karona that are similar to Zhung Kong, and a host of smaller neighborhood mini-markets scattered about the island.

BonDiGro is unique in that it's a true warehouse-style market with discount prices. (Not to be confused with the nearby Warehouse Bonaire supermarket, which is owned by the Van den Tweel family and not a warehouse market at all.)

The Chinese-operated markets are great for American-style pre-packaged dry, canned, and bottled foods, frozen foods, some limited refrigerated items, beer, wine, and distilled spirits. But if you want a good selection of baked goods, meat, dairy products, and produce etc. your best bets are Van den Tweels, Warehouse Bonaire, and BonDiGro., which are all located near each other on Kaya Industria.

9) Departure
The airport check-in is outside and the line usually goes fast.
You can show up 30 minutes before boarding and you will probably make it.
All the US airlines monitor every carry-on and checked bag for weight and size restrictions.
Do not argue at the counter, the agents have zero empathy or flexibility.
Bring your medical device paperwork with you.

We've been regular visitors to the island for 28 years and our airport departure experience hasn't been at all like you've described above.

When multiple flights are scheduled to depart near the same time the lines for check-in, security, and customs sometimes snake back to point where the lines are bumping into each other.

If you show show up 30 minutes before boarding you might make it. But if you don't, or if it's close, you shouldn't expect to get sympathy or special treatment from airport staff or the rest of your fellow travelers who showed up an hour or more before you as requested.

In 28 years of visiting the island we've never once had a US airline check our carry-ons for size and/or weight. (I do sometimes worry about it though, lol. We usually stuff them pretty full. They probably wouldn't pass either criteria if checked.)

Not sure what you're arguing about with the counter or gate agents? We've always found them all to be generally friendly, professional, caring and empathetic people—just like most other Bonaireans we've interacted with. We've always received reasonable responses from airline and airport staff to any reasonable requests we've made.

What "medical device paperwork" are you referring to specifically? In additional to my carry-on and "small personal item" computer backpack, I've flown with a CPAP machine for work and leisure travel for the past 8 years. It's basically just an additional 3rd carry-on item, as permitted by TSA regulations. It's such a commonly used medical device nowadays that I've never encountered any airport, airline, or related security staff who were even mildly curious about what it is, or whether I should be allowed to carry it onboard the aircraft.

 

[SelfDiver]

Jet Blue is still flying to BON via JFK until Jan 3rd 2026.
There is no direct flight between BAQ and BON. (Z Air currently requires a connection in Curacao.)
Z Air flies direct to BON from Curacao and Aruba.
Winair flies direct to Bonaire from Curacao.
All of this flight info changes frequently, and trying to keep it all updated here is pretty much a fool's errand. The most accurate and regularly updated info already can usually be found here on Bonaire Tourism Corp's website. Even that info is sometimes out of date though, because airlines change their schedules often due to demand, business objectives, and season etc.

Several rental car companies, such as AB Rental, offer free shuttles from the airport to their nearby offsite rental facilities. There are several of those located on Kaya Industria, near the roundabout just north of the airport.


The surface sea temperature around Bonaire fluctuates throughout the year depending on season, currents, and climate conditions etc. Surface sea temps sometime drop to 79° F in Feb and March, and rise as high as 85° F in September and October. (source)

85° F might be the average year-round air temperature, but it's certainly not the minimum. I've personally experienced air temps in the upper 70s several times while visiting during the winter months. Also, max air temps rarely reach the 90s in the winter months, but August-October can be brutal, especially when the trade winds abate. (source)

DCS incident frequency, cause/summary, and recompression chamber stats for Bonaire's chamber aren't publicly reported or available. Dehydration is certainly one of many possible contributing factors to DCS, but it's a secondary influence only, and not a fundamental direct trigger.

DAN notes that "Dehydration gets a substantial amount of attention in the lay diving community as a risk factor for DCS, but probably more than is warranted. Sound hydration is important for good health, both for general and for diving health, but for your dive profile, thermal stress and exertion level are far more important risk factors for DCS." (source)

The last dive site before you need to commit to the one-way northern loop route is 1000 Steps, not Weber's Joy.

Nukove is STINAPA's most northern dive site accessible from shore and outside of Washington Slaagbai National Park. Additionally there are 6 more STINAPA dive sites further north—all temporarily closed due to protect against SCTLD—that are inside of Washington Slaagbai National Park.

Not sure what you mean about checking to see if the road around the BOPEC terminal is open? The only reason it would be closed is if it was temporarily washed out due to heavy rains etc. The BOPEC terminal itself has always been closed off to pubic traffic. The road to Playa Frans goes around it, not through it.

You're missing Bondigro Supermarket on Kaya Industria, Top Supermarket on Kaya L.D. Gerharts downtown, a couple of Chinese-owned markets On Kaya Karona that are similar to Zhung Kong, and a host of smaller neighborhood mini-markets scattered about the island.

BonDiGro is unique in that it's a true warehouse-style market with discount prices (unlike the confusingly named Warehouse Bonaire nearby, which is owned by the Van den Tweel family.)

The Chinese-operated markets are great for American-style pre-packaged dry, canned, and bottled foods, frozen foods, some limited refrigerated items, beer, wine, and distilled spirits. But if you want a good selection of meat, dairy products, and produce etc. your best bets are Van den Tweels, Warehouse Bonaire, and BonDiGro., which are all located near each other on Kaya Industria.

We've been regular visitors to the island for 28 years and our airport departure experience hasn't been at all like you've described above.

When multiple flights are scheduled to depart near the same time the lines for check-in, security, and customs sometimes snake back to point where the lines are bumping into each other.

If you show show up 30 minutes before boarding you might make it. But if you don't, or if it's close, you shouldn't expect to get sympathy or special treatment from airport staff or the rest of your fellow travelers who showed up an hour or more before you as requested.

In 28 years of visiting the island we've never once had a US airline check our carry-ons for size and/or weight. (I do sometimes worry about tit though, lol. We usually stuff them pretty full. They probably wouldn't pass either criteria if checked.)

Not sure what you're arguing about with the counter or gate agents? Maybe your carry-on luggage? We've always found them all to be generally friendly, professional, caring and empathetic people—just like most other Bonaireans we've interacted with. We've always received reasonable responses from airline and airport staff to any reasonable requests we've made.

What "medical device paperwork" are you referring to specifically? In additional to my carry-on and "small personal item" computer backpack, I've travelled with a CPAP machine as an additional 3rd carry-on item (as permitted by TSA regulations.) It's such a common thing that I've never encountered any airport, airline, or related security staff who were even mildly curious about it.

I defer to you on everything.
Except the airport check-in. Every time I flew to Miami with the American Airlines flight - every passenger had to fit their carry-on in the metal cube and weigh it. All checked in bags were weighed to 23kg, one person in my group, rearranged his stuff because 23.3kg was overweight.

 

[wwguy]

I defer to you on everything.
Except the airport check-in. Every time I flew to Miami with the American Airlines flight - every passenger had to fit their carry-on in the metal cube and weigh it. All checked in bags were weighed to 23kg, one person in my group, rearranged his stuff because 23.3kg was overweight.

Thanks for the clarification. I've successfully avoided flying AA for the past 20 years, after suffering through a couple of poor experiences with them while travelling for work. We're flying AA to BON this coming winter though, so I guess we'll have a chance to experience their carry-on scrutiny for ourselves.

FWIW we were a little hesitant to to book with AA instead of Delta, which has been our primary go-to airline since 2007 or so. But AA made us an offer we thought we couldn't refuse... first class RT fare for about the same ticket price as Delta's economy fare. So we're taking a chance with AA again.

 

[RIHappyDiver]

Thanks for the clarification. I've successfully avoided flying AA for the past 20 years, after suffering through a couple of poor experiences with them while travelling for work. We're flying AA to BON this coming winter though, so I guess we'll have a chance to experience their carry-on scrutiny for ourselves.

FWIW we were a little hesitant to to book with AA instead of Delta, which has been our primary go-to airline since 2007 or so. But AA made us an offer we thought we couldn't refuse... first class RT fare for about the same ticket price as Delta's economy fare. So we're taking a chance with AA again.

We have flown AA to BON every January for the last 3 years, this coming making the fourth, mainly due to it being the only airline that doesn’t make us stay over somewhere on the way back when flying from Boston. While we have had little hiccups, we have never had a big issue due to AA, just weather. My carry on is slightly taller than it should be, but have only been asked to check it once (4 flights each trip, 11 flights with no questions). We have never had to measure our carry ons in either BOS, MIA or BON. As for weight, AA, nor any other domestic airline that I’m aware of, has restrictions for carry ons, just checked.

Erik

 

[SelfDiver]

We have flown AA to BON every January for the last 3 years, this coming making the fourth, mainly due to it being the only airline that doesn’t make us stay over somewhere on the way back when flying from Boston. While we have had little hiccups, we have never had a big issue due to AA, just weather. My carry on is slightly taller than it should be, but have only been asked to check it once (4 flights each trip, 11 flights with no questions). We have never had to measure our carry ons in either BOS, MIA or BON. As for weight, AA, nor any other domestic airline that I’m aware of, has restrictions for carry ons, just checked.

Erik

I am not sure if the weight limit of 23kg was only for checked bags but the metal size checker was definitely used for carry-on.

 

[RIHappyDiver]

I am not sure if the weight limit of 23kg was only for checked bags but the metal size checker was definitely used for carry-on.

Yeah, I’ve been lucky with the size checker, and I know it. I know it well enough that, if you look in the travel forum, you’ll find a thread that I started about whether the checked bag crack down was real. I thought I would be looking for a slightly smaller carry on bag. But, even the one time I had to check it at the gate, the gate agent called it by eying it. I wasn’t about to challenge him, so it got checked. And, yes, 23 kg (50#) is your checked bag. International carriers will often have a 10 kg (22#) limit for carry on.

Erik

 

[tursiops]

International carriers will often have a 10 kg (22#) limit for carry on.

or 7kg limit. Ugh.