1st Trip to Bonaire in July!

[Daebado]

Great info, all. Thank you for your replies! It feels like a long time till the end of July and you have me even more excited about going!
Thanks @Trailboss123 for your very detailed reply. That should give me plenty to ponder and research!

 

[DeputyDan]

I am partial to all the soft corals at Vista Blue - south end of the island past the kite surfing.
I like Ole Blue up north but the entry (getting down the bank) can be an issue.

 

[scubadada]

I would not go out with a boat. You can access all Divesites from the shore(except Klein Bonaire)...

As per others, Raphus is wrong. Northern sites Carel's Vision, La Dania's Leap, Rappel, Bloodlet, Country Garden, Bon Bini Na Cas, Barcadera and Small Wall, cannot be dived from shore (note the caveats listed by @Trailboss123, above). Many of these dives are excellent. In my 7 visits, I have dived them all but Carel's Vision, which appears to be out of normal range. At least with Dive Friends, we have never dived a site available from shore, nor was it ever suggested. Of course, the sites off Klein Bonaire are only available by boat, many are fantastic dives.

Boat diving from Bonaire is relatively inexpensive, with an unlimited shore package, just over $50 per 2 tank trip. First in, last out, I have no problem getting in 70+ minutes per dive. Variety is the spice...

 

[Daebado]

With all these great suggestions, I am starting to think that maybe a better question would have been, which sites are not worth diving or should be avoided for any reason!

 

[Lorenzoid]

1.) If you only had one week, what are the "Don't miss this dive" sites we should try to make sure we hit (besides Salt Pier - it's already on the list based on some limited research)?

Don't limit your research. Here are just a sampling of answers:

What are the "Can't Miss" dive sites in Bonaire?

Best Bonaire Dive Sites?

And your top five Bonaire shore dive site would be(insert drum roll)......

Bonaire 'must-do' dives

Best Dives in Bonaire

And many more.

2.) 3 days for boat dives seems like a lot for Bonaire given that from everything I've read, Bonaire isn't where one goes to do boat dives (although I hear there are some pretty good sites accessible only by boat).
Would I be better off skipping one of those days to hit more shore sites?

Opinions on this question have varied in the past, but mine is that one's first trip to Bonaire should omit boat dives entirely--that is, unless you are just the type who loves boat diving. Shore diving is the whole allure of this island--the freedom to dive when and where you want is what makes Bonaire unique. So why waste time being a slave to a boat's schedule if you enjoy the shore diving? Shore dive until you've done enough to feel like you might want to change things up. Sure, there are sites such as those on Klein Bonaire that you can't get to without a boat, but although I'm sure they are nice, they are not radically different from the dozens of sites up and down the coast of Bonaire. I think I have done five or six Bonaire trips and still have not had the urge to mix things up or felt that the quality of those dives would outweigh the bother of having to be at a specific dock at a specific time for a boat departure. I still get giddy thinking about how on Bonaire I can go to any of dozens of sites whenever I feel like it, or if at the moment I had thought I was going to go diving I decide don't feel like it, I can just chill and do something later. The freedom is like nowhere else.

 

[tursiops]

Sure, there are sites such as those on Klein Bonaire that you can't get to without a boat, but although I'm sure they are nice, they are not radically different from the dozens of sites up and down the coast of Bonaire. I think I have done five or six Bonaire trips and still have not had the urge to mix things up or felt that the quality of those dives would outweigh the bother of having to be at a specific dock at a specific time for a boat departure.

So, OP, here is a recommendation to skip boat dives from someone who has not done any!

On the other hand, some of the boat-only dives really are among the best sites on Bonaire. That is a recommendation from someone who has done over 800 dives on Bonaire over two decades, at almost all the sites, including in the Park. As much fun as shore-diving is on Bonaire, don't miss some of those boat-only sites.

 

[tkaelin]

great taste! less filling! No need to argue.

 

[Lorenzoid]

So, OP, here is a recommendation to skip boat dives from someone who has not done any!

On the other hand, some of the boat-only dives really are among the best sites on Bonaire. That is a recommendation from someone who has done over 800 dives on Bonaire over two decades, at almost all the sites, including in the Park. As much fun as shore-diving is on Bonaire, don't miss some of those boat-only sites.

I hope my comment won’t be misconstrued. I meant that after five or six Bonaire trips, I still can’t break myself away from shore dives. A boat is a hassle to me. I boat dive all over the world, but only on Bonaire can I drive a rental truck up and down the coast and pick dive sites on my own schedule. The OP may or may not feel the same way, but the OP cannot know until the OP has experienced that. My recommendation would be to not book ANY boat dives in advance—play it by ear—but it appears the OP has already signed up for a package deal.

 

[tkaelin]

Lorenzoid, in general I agree with your feelings about boat vs. shore diving. I think of my last 200 dives maybe a dozen were boat. I love the freedom of shore diving and there is much about boat diving that I don't care for, much like you described. But on Bon and staying this trip at Capt Don's I am pretty excited about doing a lot of boat diving and I would like to share why.

No slave to schedule which I agree is the case for most boat diving. CD has 3 single tank boat dives during the day. They post the afternoon before where the next day boats are going and you write your number on the schedule chalk board on the boats you want to go out on. You can sign up the afternoon before or minutes before the boat leaves. Completely flexible with no commitment. You can cancel the same way. Take your number off the board even minutes before the boat leaves. You are only charged for the boats you go on.

No wasted time. Our room on this trip will be waterfront about 50 yards from the boats, dock and locker with a clear view of the boats and dock. I can grab my gear on head on to the boat 5 minutes before it leaves. Not a lot of time wasted there. Same getting off. After getting off, I can grab a tank and walk over to the shore diving dock just 10-20' over and do a shore dive with access to the house reef, buddy's house reef and small wall.

The rinse tanks, showers and lockers are between the boat dock and our room. There is also a bar and restaurant right there steps away.

We should hit some sites that you can't get to by shore or are a heck of a lot easier than by shore. Also Klein is a minute or two trip from Capt Dons and I have enjoyed every site that I have hit on Klein. CD afternoon boat usually goes to Klein and is usually just a handful of divers on board.

I usually do an early morning night dive on the house reefs so it will be very easy to get 4 or more dives a day in with no carrying gear back and forth from storage/locker to truck and back, no lugging tanks, no gearing up in the hot sun and no driving around the island to get to one site or the other. While all that is fun and part of the beauty of diving Bon, it also can get tiring.

We will have a truck and will likely do some shore diving beyond the house reefs but it will be limited this trip. Salt pier is on the list for a late afternoon with the sun getting lower to light up the piers and maybe invisibles if we don't hit it by boat. And while I know the trip through the park takes a chunk of time, I would like to do it one more time. It has been 4 years since our last trip to Bon and if the airfare situation doesn't improve it will be a while before our next return.

Not trying to change your mind or argue but wanted to share my perspective on this particular trip in which half of my dives may be boat dives.

Happy Diving, TK

 

[Raphus]

As per others, Raphus is wrong. QUOTE]
True!I am sorry.
Did forget about the northern sites..