1st time Bonaire, 1st time no dive guide, any advice?

[boat sju]

Deltafarmboy,

I got thinking - the Andrea sites will be very close to you too. Pretty easy entries.

 

[tursiops]

...

 

[Diver-6873]

OK, some interesting ideas presented and opinions for “first” dives on island. As residents and frequent divers, 8-10/week, there are easy, moderate, and challenging entries. While the winds are almost consistently out of the east, they sometime shift a little south or north of east and wind speed is frequently 18-20knts plus. Again, with most of the diving on the West, the wind effects the sites to the farthest north and south ends more.

Hard sole boots, as mentioned are a must, leave any gloves at home as they are forbidden without medical waiver (nor are they needed). Navigation is really not difficult using your compass, watch (time), and with practice underwater landmarks. A few sites such as Bari’s and The Cliff even have pipes that lead directly from the entry out to the reef. Something Special has sailboat mooring blocks also aiding in easy navigation.

Pink Beach (park and enter South of the gated entry - it’s easier), The Rock (unmarked but between Tori’s and Invisible), In-Between (unmarked between Alice in Wonderland and Angel City), and Aquarius all have small sandy beach entries. There are others just take your time, help one another, and don’t rush the entry or exits.

Northern sites are wonderful dives but I would personally never recommend a first timer to start there day#1. Our favorites for the North are Oil Slick (you can leap or go down the ladder although the rocky shore is uneven), Witches Hut/Webber’s Joy, and Tolo.

Nearer to town, The Cliff (at Hamlet Oasis), Bari’s Reef, and Something Special are always fantastic and seldom effected by the winds.

Enjoy the beautiful reefs and the best shore diving in the Caribbean.

 

[a878bob]

1000 steps is a pretty easy entry after you get down the steps. And the shallows are probably one of the best dives in my opinion.

 

[herman]

Some of you need to get back more often, Witches Hut was changed to Webers Joy a number of years ago.
I still call it Witches hut too.
I will add to the easier entries Windsock. It's usually the first place I take new Bonaire divers.
Many times the current is very mild and difficult to determine the direction that it is going so it's best to check with the "locals", they are much better at detecting current than we are. Look for a small school of fish that are all looking in the same direction and not moving around, they will be pointed into the current, indicating which way you should start the dive.

 

[Kharon]

One place you won't find in any of the "dive Bonaire books" is the fuel pier by the airport. It's at the very north end of Windsock. There is a pier where the fuel ships dock to transfer fuel to the airport storage (if there is a ship there do not dive).. You will be coming from the north so park as close to the pier as you can on the north side of the pier. It's a very short walk to the water geared up. The sandy entry is easy and you can use the pier pillars for support to put on your fins.

Swim to the end of the pier and you will most likely see a big school of fish. The drop off is very close to the pier end and you can go either left (south) or right (north). Don't need to go deep. You will see most fish 30-40 feet. The sandy bottom is around rec limits but there's nothing much to see that deep but garden eels and there are much shallower places to see those. You are much more likely to see spotted angel rays at the sothern sites of Tori's Reef (also a sandy easy entry - but you need to find the opening to exit) or Invisibles, Angel CIty, Alice in Wonderland. This site is the only one where I regularly see a Bluespotted Coronetfish.

You can't get lost as the pier is very obvious swimming back and this is probably the most benigne dive on Bonaire.

 

[Paul - Bonscuba]

Hi Deltafarmboy......My wife and I have been to Curacao many times before going to Bonaire and enjoyed the island very much. Now onto Bonaire. Have been twice over the past 12 months. It's more compact then Curacao and less busy on the roads. Bonaire is a diver's island with over 60 shore dive sites and a dive shop every mile (or so it seems). For me the easiest shore entry on Bonaire is Pink Beach. The other shore dives that I've done are a little trickier. One thing that I would STRONGLY recommend is that you all have sturdy dive boots the one's with the thick soles.

The freedom to dive motto in Bonaire is something that I've not seen on any other Caribbean island. Basically you rent a truck and decide on which dive shop you are going to get your tanks and then you go diving. There are a few dive shops with tank pick up stations that are 24x7.

I did my PADI AOW with a local guide, Paul @ BonScuba. Had a blast. I'd recommend at a minimum that you consider a guide for at least a 1/2 day or day.

Also note that you will have to do your check out dive and get your conservatory/nature badge. You can do this at your nearest dive shop or with Paul.

A few other recommendations.
- Dive Friends is an excellent dive shop and have numerous locations on Bonaire
- The Carib Inn has an excellent dive shop and the best prices on the island (my experience anyways)
- GIOs has great gelatos (at least according to my non-diver wife)

I really enjoyed my stays in both Curacao and Bonaire. Twin islands but different in many ways.

Have fun! and dive safe.

Thanks Darrell!

 

[boat sju]

And get one of these

Tire Inflator

 

[Diver-6873]

One place you won't find in any of the "dive Bonaire books" is the fuel pier by the airport. It's at the very north end of Windsock. There is a pier where the fuel ships dock to transfer fuel to the airport storage (if there is a ship there do not dive).. You will be coming from the north so park as close to the pier as you can on the north side of the pier. It's a very short walk to the water geared up. The sandy entry is easy and you can use the pier pillars for support to put on your fins.

Swim to the end of the pier and you will most likely see a big school of fish. The drop off is very close to the pier end and you can go either left (south) or right (north). Don't need to go deep. You will see most fish 30-40 feet. The sandy bottom is around rec limits but there's nothing much to see that deep but garden eels and there are much shallower places to see those. You are much more likely to see spotted angel rays at the sothern sites of Tori's Reef (also a sandy easy entry - but you need to find the opening to exit) or Invisibles, Angel CIty, Alice in Wonderland. This site is the only one where I regularly see a Bluespotted Coronetfish.

You can't get lost as the pier is very obvious swimming back and this is probably the most benigne dive on Bonaire.

The fuel pier is a fun site however, By all means avoid this site and any along Donkey or Te Amo beach (in front of the airport) in the late afternoons if there is a cruise ship in port. You do not want to be under the water when they leave....

 

[chiggins]

I stayed in the El Pueblo Villas last November. Quiet area, great sunsets and we enjoyed the dark skies with plenty of stars at night. Oil slick is the closest by road and right in front of EPV is Kalli's reef, you will see the mooring but Kalli's is challenging to enter from shore and there is no exit (drift to the next site). Until you get a few dives in and feel comfortable on Bonaire, I'd recommend starting out at Pinks, Oil Slick, or Invisibles and work your way up. The Andrea sites, Jeff Davis, and Webbers Joy are not difficult and close, but probably not what I'd recommend for the first dives. If you are there during the right time of the month, dont miss an ostracod night dive. The guide books, shop staff, and (wet) divers in the parking lot are great resources to ask for advise.
EPV is the northern end of development on the west coast so plan your tank exchange and shopping strategically. Buddy Dive has a tank exchange at the Caribbean Club just past the entrance to EPV. We got tanks from VIP and although they had generous fills and good service, they only had the 1 location which closes at 5pm. If I were to say at EPV again, I might consider getting tanks from another shop. VIP had larger (15L) tanks available if desired, I'm not sure about the others. As previously mentioned, it's a good idea to get a tire filler, and always follow the "rules" when you park - windows down, doors unlocked, nothing of value inside. Enjoy your trip. I'm looking forward to my next trip to the island in November.