Why shore diving?

[Kharon]

Just checked my logbook- the one site in particular I found to be a huge disappointment was Alice in Wonderland, the second of the two double reef system was devoid of healthy corals and marine life.

Nonsense. I dove Alice as my first post checkout dive - both reefs. Saw a spotted angel ray, tons of fish, lots of soft coral, hard coral & bryozoans. I'm beginning to think you are blowing smoke. Admittedly, I like angel city, invisibles, and Tori's reef a bit better but Alice is anything but devoid of healthy corals & reef life. It's not at all a matter of perception - more like a bias on your part.

 

[rek_diver]

Nonsense. I dove Alice as my first post checkout dive - both reefs. Saw a spotted angel ray, tons of fish, lots of soft coral, hard coral & bryozoans. I'm beginning to think you are blowing smoke. Admittedly, I like angel city, invisibles, and Tori's reef a bit better but Alice is anything but devoid of healthy corals & reef life. It's not at all a matter of perception - more like a bias on your part.

Maybe I need glasses.

 

[diver0008]

...the second of the two double reef system was devoid of healthy corals and marine life.

It is true that the second reef, the outer reef, is a little lacklustre comparatively speaking. It's deep and does not get much current. Devoid is pushing it.

 

[rek_diver]

Here's a video I found on youtube after doing a search.

It looks pretty much how I recall it to be- mostly dead corals. When you see a healthy piece of coral- and there are a few, they really stand out compared to the rest of the reef.

 

[darook]

Here's a video I found on youtube after doing a search.

It looks pretty much how I recall it to be- mostly dead corals. When you see a healthy piece of coral- and there are a few, they really stand out compared to the rest of the reef.

I agree Alice is not the most beautiful site compared to many others I mentioned earlier but this video is lousy evidence. It was apparently shot with no filter or in camera white balancing making everything look drab and dead. There is plenty of coral there that is doing fine but with no accurate color it is really hard to see in this video.

 

[Doctorfish]

The beauty of Bonaire is that you can shape the trip to whatever you want. Dive freedom is not just an expression, it's a reality. Shore diving, boat diving, house reefs or wild side or any combo is at the guest's discretion
Boat dives are inexpensive and shore even more so. The reefs are not as fishy or colorful as say Little Cayman and there are few large fish but tons of macro. As an underwater photographer, I consider Bonaire a paradise.

The island has a rustic charm, good infrastructure, surprisingly good food, little crime, no traffic and not one stop light. There is a good hospital and hyperbaric chamber on island and several excellent markets if you want to make your own food.

No wonder so many people return year after year.

 

[Ninelinegoby]

Regarding Bonaire in general, there are 2 types of divers / people. Those of us that love it and will return over and over. And those who don’t. Every time there’s a post about Bon it always comes down to the simple fact that it’s not for everyone.

 

[DustyC]

When I was there last year, there was more dead coral than the year prior. Water temps were also 4 to 6 degrees warmer. DFB warned us of the bleaching before we got in the water. It was by no means wide spread, but noticeable. Fish life was just as abundant though. Our main issue was that it rained every single day and it caused lower than normal vis. Even the east coast wasn't great vis. Rain does that. It probably settled shortly after we left knowing my luck.

 

[wildbill9]

Is there anywhere in the Caribbean that the coral is healthy? I'm not talking compared with the Pacific, but noticeably healthier than, say, Bonaire? Healthier enough that it's worth spending more money on a trip, if necessary.

yes, imho little cayman has better coral and fish life. Sometimes it is as simple as "foot print"; lc is much less visited and less dove. It has the best overall diving of any place in the Caribbean. It is also the most expensive. It cost us, with air and diving, about $800 per day at southern cross in little cayman. Yep, there are cheaper places to go, no they do not have the pristine diving lc has. Ymmv

 

[noj3333]

Just to throw my 2 cents into this thread. My wife and I are both new divers, and we've done 3 specific dive trips. Those being Key Largo, Roatan, and Bonaire. With our diving I've always been the engine pushing to book trips, researching destinations, ect.

I thought my wife wouldn't like the 'style of diving on Bonaire'. In reality it was the complete opposite.

She loved the freedom of no DM, the ability to go where you want, dive the sites you want, when you want, etc. We would drive up and down the coast, find a site with maybe 1 or 2 trucks there and we'd check it out, often diving it.

I couldn't believe on our flight home we were talking about what trips we liked the best, ranking them. My wife picked Bonaire as her favorite dive destination we'd been to (my ranking was Roatan, KL, and Bonaire last)!