Am I crazy? First time shore diver in Bonaire..

[Lorenzoid]

You have 7 more shore dives under your belt than I did when I first ventured to Bonaire. I was a boat-only kind of diver, and even though I had a hundred dives logged, the idea of just walking into the water and finding my way back to the same spot without a guide in an unfamiliar site was daunting to me. So I posted a question here on SB similar to yours. As you can see from the replies to your question, there are a few simple tricks to executing shore dives on Bonaire, and once you know them, it's a snap.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Bonaire is easy shore diving. From the resorts or any main access spots you go out to the top of the reef, turn left, swim until you reach the turn point you agreed to (air pressure, time, NDL, etc) turn around and go back the same way for the same or maybe a little more of the method used to go out. Or turn right at the top of the reef and do the same thing. Anyone who has taken an AOW class should be able to do this there with no trouble if the class was any good and the student paid attention. You dive it as a team and share the navigation duties. Makes it a piece of cake. And heck the island isn't that big. Overshoot the entry a bit or come up short you'll have a little walk.


Technically any Open Water diver should be able to plan, execute, and safely return from a dive with a buddy of equal skill and training. Without any assistance from a professional. They should also be able to evaluate the site and decide if they have the required skills and training to do the dive before getting in the water.
If they can't the RSTC says they should not have an Open Water Diver card.

 

[scoobajay]

Well stated, Jim

Thank you so much for the responses y'all! I really appreciate it! We did rent a truck and will be staying at the Bellafonte so maybe a little practice in their house reef before venturing out

 

[t4e]

Bonaire was our first experience with unguided shore diving, we previously spent 10 days in Curacao doing shore dives but chose to go with a guide for the same reasons as you, we were new
our experience in Bonaire was that the diving is great, some of the entries are really crappy/challenging and personally i would not choose those dive sites again. and no i am not talking about the 1000 steps
pick up a list of dive sites from any dive shop and you will have a description of the difficulty

 

[sethw]

Congratulations, I think you will love the diving (we are looking forward to heading there in three weeks )

Independent diving on my previous trips to Bonaire made me a better diver, no one to follow, taking responsibility, being more aware, dive planning, gas management, checking gear, keeping together, paying attention. Perfect place to work on those skills and have fun in a beautiful place. I make it a game to see how close we can come to the chosen exit point navigating underwater, but as said above, if you "blow it" it only means swimming a few minutes on the surface.

Most sites are not empty (though we have had some to ourselves at times), and people are very friendly, and so other parties entering or exiting can often offer advice on entries at the site, best place to walk in, etc. If in doubt, we go on to another site. Last time we were alone at one of the far north sites, long drive to anywhere, with surf coming into the cove, and we just weren't sure of the entry; no problem passing on that, and moving on to a nearby site with a better-marked entry (on that "backup" site, Candyland, we spent nearly an hour basically surrounded by groups of young barracuda stacked up, numbering in the thousands...).

For me, there is a special thrill to driving a truck up to some place without a soul in sight, gearing up, and just disappearing into the sea...

 

[boat sju]

Scuba Shore Diving Region: ABC Islands

 

[darook]

Bonaire shore diving is so easy you will wonder why you were concerned. Yes, some entries are challenging, others are a giant stride off a dock or a descent down it's stairs. Once you do a couple you will understand the island's allure. Leading your own dives leads to confidence that cannot be gained by following a DM around.

 

[KeithG]

I'm a PADI AOW diver with only about 50-75 dives logged (I realize it's the experience that makes you advanced, rather than the certification, so this essentially mean nothing ). I have done 7 shore dives before, but the rest boat dives and always with a guide and very competent dive buddy. A friend and I are toying with the idea of going to Bonaire for some shore diving in May.

Here is my question: Am I crazy to think we can handle shore diving in Bonaire without a dive guide? Subsequently, if we choose beginner dive sites, how difficult will it actually be to conduct our own dives? I'm talking about navigation, currents, entry and exits, actually finding the landmarks, etc. NOT about actual dive planning, which I'm perfectly comfortable doing.

Any insight would be appreciated

Nope, not crazy. But you are crazy if you believe the only way to dive Bonaire is to rent a truck and DRIVE your brains out getting to shore dive sites. Shore diving includes docks! Driving is high effort.

Many of us very-lazy divers do a combo of dock & boat dives in Bonaire. Renting a truck means lugging gear and tanks. Dock diving minimizes effort and complexity. We gave up on truck diving many years ago. Too much work for a vacation.

P.S. Navigation on Bonaire is as easy as it gets.

 

[boat sju]

Driving around Bonaire can be its own fun though. We'll get our tanks set up for the first dive at the hotel, in the shade, so when we get to a site we can gear up pretty quickly.