B and C of the ABC's ~

[mm777]

Thinking about a trip to one of the ABCs. What are the differences between diving in Bonaire and Curacao? Are they pretty much the same kind of diving?

 

[Scuba65]

Never dove Curacao yet..but, i've dove in Bonaire and love it....tons of sea life.

 

[herman]

If I were doing a dive only trip then my choice would be Bonaire. It's a lot smaller and more laid back than Curacao. I would consider Curacao if I have non-divers going with me. Bonaire is pretty much dedicated to eat, sleep and dive, which is what I want in a dive vacation. Curacao has more topside things to do without getting to touristy. The dive sites are similar but IMO are easier to get to on Bonaire, mainly due to the size of the island. With the exception of the park, almost no dive site on Bonaire is more then 15-20 minutes away from any resort, on Curacao almost all the sites are over 20 minutes if you are staying near town (or town and most restaurants are 30 minutes away if you are staying at some of the resorts near the dive sites). Almost all the sites on Bonaire are undeveloped, somewhat isolated and you are on your own. Many of the sites on Curacao are pay to dive sites. The cost is only a couple of dollars per day and the facilites are pretty nice so the cost is well worth it. Curacao is also a little easier to get to, Bonaire can be a pain. You can't go wrong with either island.

 

[300bar]

Altough Bonaire has good coral IMO the fish life tends to be smaller
since 2001(Lennie)Bonaire has hardly any beaches left i`ve been to bonaire
last januari.
Curacao has more and bigger fish,and more to do on your(spare)topsite time

i like Bonaire but i love Curacao

just my 2 (euro)cents

 

[Zebra mussel]

Recently came back from a 2 Island trip to Bonaire and Curacao. First time to Curacao.....3rd time to Bonaire. We primarily dove the west end ,both shore and boat diving in Curacao. The dive sites are more spread out than in Bonaire and not as plentiful,but only a short ride in between. Curacao requires just a bit more advanced planning for a day of shore diving. I found the entries MUCH easier in Curacao as they are all done from beaches. The swim out to the reefs in some cases were a bit further than Bonaire,but not significantly so. There is an excellent web site that list shore dives and reviews for both Isands. I believe it is www.shorediving.com....but dont quote me on that. Bonaire is definatly geared for the dive tourist more so than Curacao. Things in Bonaire are much closer as it is a much smaller Island. Curoacao is a much prettier island with a lot more elevation. As far as the diving. I preferd Curacao over Bonaire. In my opinion,all the Bonaire dive sites tend to be very similar in the reef structure. The South side sites are differant than the North side and Klien Bonaire sites,but to me there is not much variation in coral structures,marine life and reef slope. The reefs are very healthy and Im sure you will enjoy them,but I found them to be too similar. Curacao on the other hand seemed much more varied to me. A must do dive is the Mushroon Forest. The health and quantity of marine life seemed quite similar. You really cant go wrong with either Island. If I were heading back to either one....I would cast my vote for Curacoa. Good luck and enjoy!

 

[mm777]

Got some good info goin' here....terrific, thanks!
Would you agree that there seems to be more and bigger fish in Curacao than Bonaire? We're pretty much dive oriented folks and not too interested in topside activities other than eating.