Bari reef condition for snorkeling?

[boleslav]

We are returning to Bonaire and in our last trip Bari reef was off limits for people (unless you stayed at the hotels like Den Laman).
I would be curious to know what do people think about Bari reef after it opened up again after the construction?
How does Bari reef snorkeling compare to let’s say 1000 steps or Karpata in terms of corrals, life etc. As I recall it used to be highly regarded, so I wonder if still is.

We are able to do some free diving, not only a surface snorkeling.
Before our first trip many people raved about Bachelor's beach, so we had to check it out... to find nothing but couple of fish there.
Thank you.

 

[arew+4]

We are returning to Bonaire and in our last trip Bari reef was off limits for people (unless you stayed at the hotels like Den Laman).
I would be curious to know what do people think about Bari reef after it opened up again after the construction?
How does Bari reef snorkeling compare to let’s say 1000 steps or Karpata in terms of corrals, life etc. As I recall it used to be highly regarded, so I wonder if still is.

We are able to do some free diving, not only a surface snorkeling.
Before our first trip many people raved about Bachelor's beach, so we had to check it out... to find nothing but couple of fish there.
Thank you.

With the park and it's amenities Bari becomes much more attractive for both diving and snorkeling. As far as the reef for snorkeling, the shallows leading out to the drop off are sparsely populated with patchy clumps of corals and sponges. There is a lot to see on them though especially if you free dive. The northern and southern does have much more densely populated shallows with lots of soft corals, hydroids, sponges etc. They are also wider shore to drop off.

 

[tursiops]

We are returning to Bonaire and in our last trip Bari reef was off limits for people (unless you stayed at the hotels like Den Laman).
I would be curious to know what do people think about Bari reef after it opened up again after the construction?
How does Bari reef snorkeling compare to let’s say 1000 steps or Karpata in terms of corrals, life etc. As I recall it used to be highly regarded, so I wonder if still is.

We are able to do some free diving, not only a surface snorkeling.
Before our first trip many people raved about Bachelor's beach, so we had to check it out... to find nothing but couple of fish there.
Thank you.

I'm not going to recommend any site, since you seem to have had a negative experience at one that was recommended.
At Bonaire, fish density is often more dependent on the time of day than it is on the site.

FYI, REEF.org has thousands of fish surveys from Bonaire. In fact, seven of the Top Ten Sites for Species Richness in the Tropical Western Atlantic are in Bonaire; they are (highest richness to lowest) Bari Reef, Something Special, Tori's Reef, Front Porch, Yellow Submarine, Boy Scout, and Buddy's Reef.

 

[boleslav]

Tursiops, I probably underestimated a fact that the Bachelor's beach is sought after for the ease, we are more on a "hard core" side, snorkelers with 20+ years under the belt.
If you were to recommend any sites, I would trust your insight as you have been posting here for a long time.
We were impressed at more difficult sites like Boka Bartol, Playa Benge, La Dania's.

 

[rmorgan]

Bari/Front Porch is a terrific shallow dive/snorkel. Another very good one is Cliff (north of Don’s). And immediately north of Don’s, which is the north end of Cliff, there are big rocks in the shallows with lots of animals. Under the pier at Den Laman there’s good stuff, also to the north of that dock.