Are medium sole boots OK for Bonaire?

[Altamira]

My wife and I have Deep See 5mm medium sole boots that have been perfect for boat dives. However, we are going to Bonaire in September, and are wondering if the medium sole boots are OK for the numerous shore dives we will be doing or do we need hard sole boots? We have not had to carry the dive gear on other than relatively smooth surfaces so I don't know what to expect on the shore dives at Bonaire. I would appreciate any comments or suggestions.
Thank you.

 

[tonka97]

Be careful of the thorns at Karpata.

For most other sites, medium will be just fine!

I envy you; missed my Bonaire visit this summer,,,,but planning for the winter.

 

[parzdiver]

I just got back from Bonaire, I was using Sea Soft 3mm boots that have a sole very similar to a tennis shoe. My other friends got Deep See boots at Toucan Diving. Some sites it is more about stepping in a hole that will get you, but having a nice sole on the boot was helpful for walking on the broken coral on the beach. Some of our group had less rugged soles and did just fine.

As to dive site recommendations..... all of them! Yes, it's that good. Easiest entry I had was Windsock, it is fairly sandy and you can pick a sand channel all the way in.

If you are looking for good food, I recommend Mona Lisa, Capriccio, and Richards. All were excellent.

I am jealous, wish I was going back. Have a great time!

 

[sansky]

There are some dives you will be semi-okay on ... meaning the very easiest dives, which are very few. I have been to Bonaire 7 times and going back in November - my boots have basically a tennis shoe sole and on some dives, even that is not enough (Oil Slick Leap, Karpata, La Dania's Leap, Rappel, Vista Blue, and more).

Some of the dives you have to walk across iron shore to get to the entry. Iron shore rock is killer on the feet even with thick soles. If you are "GI Joe" you might be okay; if not, I would invest in some good boots (not short!) with tennis shoe sole. You will be happier.

Alot of the dives appear to be easy entry - until you hit the big rocks/boulders that move around when the waves go in and out!

... and never, never, ever put your fins on first before you enter the water and never, never, ever try to exit the water with your fins on!

We put our fin straps on our wrists and wait until waist deep water to put them on and take them off in waist deep water before exiting. If your fin straps don't stay attached (like Mares Volos), you have to hold them in your hands, or find a way to clip them on. Trust me, diving will be easier.

... all of that said, I hope you have a great time!

... and if you like pizza, don't miss going to "Pasa Bon", but make reservations!

 

[DiveMaven]

You definitely want good soles for shore diving Bonaire. Medium soled boots just might not stand up to some of the jagged rock at the shore line while making entries and exits. This year I bought a pair of Converse "Chucks" sneakers and combined with 5mm socks, they were the BOMB!! Talk about a stable platform to walk in and out and the soles were far more "sticky" than my old Henderson booties on the rocks.

 

[Altamira]

Thank you for all of your replies. You provided some very important information that will likely save us at a minimum some stone bruises on the feet and maybe worse. We also appreciate the recomendations on restaurants as that always is a challenge finding a good place to eat. We are really looking forward to the trip, and you all have made our trip better before we even left Texas.
Thanks again.
Guy

 

[gert7to3]

This is what use, with a lycra skin sock or a 2mm neoprene sock:

NRS Felt Sole Kicker Wetshoe

These shoes have a felt sole, like fly fishermen use. That sole is urchin spine proof. It picks up sand and really grips on slippery rocks. You may have to sand down the edge of the sole for a good fit with your fins.

On many sites there is a sand channel down through the ledges which form the shoreline on Bonaire. I will usually stack some rocks above the high water line by the channel, so I can find it on my way back in.

 

[Altamira]

Thank you, I had not seen those Kicker Wetshoes before and they are a very interesting alternative. Thanks also for the tip on stacking the rocks--that is a really good idea.

Guy

 

[jcroy66]

We have pretty soft-soled short booties (maybe 1-2 mm booties?). They do have a grippy pattern on the bottom though, so better IMO for shore entries than the hard-soled but slick-bottomed boots I own. I never regretted not having thicker soles on any dive site in Bonaire. And the only one we walked away from was one with boulders that were bigger than my head tumbling in the surf. YMMV.

 

[lmorin]

My wife uses full foot fins even for shore diving. She has a very lightweight pair of slippers, really, that have a thin corrugated sole. Once in the water, she folds them and carries them in a pocket. Reverse on return. Wife also has very tough feet. I have light-medium booties and no problems.