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

[uncfnp]

Byte Me, I just looked up this link you provided and I am trying to figure out if its worth it or not... I am truly put off by their 50 min from splash to back on board... The maximum dive time is 50 minutes including safety stop... I have been wanting to dive the east side but is it really worth the 120.00 for two tanks when I am already diving for free??? I can understand why they try and keep divers from staying under for an hour and a half but I guess the 50 minutes is maybe more in my head...

Thanks, lee

Lee,

From other threads, diving with East Coast Dive seems to be like all dives, different with each dive. Our dive with them last March was definitely not worth the money and we will not repeat the dive this March. It was not the time restriction (though I checked and the first dive was 44 min second 53 min) but the cost and lack of anything notably different from our shore dives. Plus we prefer shore to boat dives in general while on Bonaire. In three trips that was our first and only boat dive on Bonaire. We saw few turtles, one nurse shark and eel and no rays. However, we are considering a guided shore dive on the east side with BAS diving (see morecowbells's post above).

 

[oregondiver]

2 seahorses and frogfish were spotted outside Divi 2 days ago. I guess I am heading there in 3 days to find them!

 

[lsorenson]

Thanks uncfnp... Me and the manager at East Coast have had a email going back and forth were he did somewhat explain, just as Byte me did that its not a hard 50 minutes but as I see it, much like Coz until the second diver runs low on air...

Here is the problem as I see it... East Coast states;

Which experience level and/or minimum age is required to go to the East Coast?
We take anyone that's certified and confident in the water, regardless of experience level or age. Our divemasters are well trained and watch out for all of you anyway! All the usual rules for diving (age/depth, supervision for minors, medical conditions etc.) are applicable.

For the sake of argument, I wont have enough experienced divers to charter the boat so its open to everyone... What you hope for is other experienced divers so the dive can last... We were all new once upon a time but if I am spending 120.00 I am wanting to suck as much time as possible out of the dive...!

I have experienced large pelagic in my past but for me, I hear the Fans are huge on the east side and I would like to experience "Huge"...! Or at least what some perceive as huge...

To get back on topic...

Oil Slick is a hoot when its pitch black... Better strobe the ladder or it could be a long swim one way or the other!!!

lee

Lee,

From other threads, diving with East Coast Dive seems to be like all dives, different with each dive. Our dive with them last March was definitely not worth the money and we will not repeat the dive this March. It was not the time restriction (though I checked and the first dive was 44 min second 53 min) but the cost and lack of anything notably different from our shore dives. Plus we prefer shore to boat dives in general while on Bonaire. In three trips that was our first and only boat dive on Bonaire. We saw few turtles, one nurse shark and eel and no rays. However, we are considering a guided shore dive on the east side with BAS diving (see morecowbells's post above).

 

[uncfnp]

There were nice fans. And our one and only turtle.

Lisa

 

[kokanee]

Hijack: We had a different experience with East Coast.

We dove with last them last May and liked it so much we did it again in August. In May we had great viz and saw countless eagle rays and turtles. The turtles feed on the grass in lagoon and then nap on the reef; they were sleeping everywhere, seriously we stopped counting after 20 or so. Then in August/September (during the coral spawn) the viz wasn't as good but we still saw lots of eagle rays (just not as clearly) and a reef shark at Cai and the turtles at Blue Hole but had to abandon the shallow part of the dive due to viz and surge. Our bottom times were 60, 61, 47 and 52, so yes it is a gamble with both other divers and conditions.

I have heard only good things about BAS and would love to hear some dive reports.

 

[mbchiro]

Oil Slick, Jeff Davis, Salt Pier, Something Special, Andrea I

 

[Atom]

1) Sweet Dreams
2) Sweet Dreams
3) Sweet Dreams
4) Sweet Dreams
5) White Slave

Ooops...not bringing a scooter...?

Btw... I was wondering what's your method to bring the scooter? Ship it before? In the plane and pay the, I imagine, ridiculous fee?

 

[SailNaked]

#1-3 anything in the park
#4 Karpata
#5 red slave or as close to the point as you can get.
#6 HH
#7 anything in the 27 miles of reef in the middle.

 

[glazeddonut]

I started a similar thread a couple years ago before my first trip to Bonaire. I got a wide variety of responses, but the common thread was that ALL of the dive sites there are good, and I found that to be the case. There's the potential to have an epic dive anywhere you pull off.

Having said that, I did have a few favorites of my own, and on my trip back this fall, I'm going to be sure to see the following:

1. Something Special
2. Red Slave
3. Hilma Hooker (The wreck is cool, but also check out the reef...it was full of life when we were there)
4. Black Forest (Boat dive off of Klein Bonaire)
5. Jeff Davis

I had a great dive at Black Forest (Klein), and many people comment that diving is great up near Slagbaii. Those are really only accessible via boat. Karpata is good to do from a boat too, because shore entry can be a bit rough there. There's really no "need" to boat dive, because the shore diving is so good, but many package deals offer some boat dives for free, or as a reasonable upgrade. If they go to some of the remote sites, then I think it's worthwhile...if they're going to take you to shore-divable sites, I'd wait until they're gone and dive them on your own.