drrich2
Contributor
Did the PADI Deep Diver specialty at Oil Slick Leap up north; had no trouble zipping down-slope to 130 feet, and the slope continued. Bottom line: you don't have to go way out to get way deep.
The 'big stuff' I've seen in 8 trips includes a lot of tarpon, several big green morays, a few tiger grouper & cubera snapper, just a few good-sized barracuda, and a couple of fairly big southern stingrays.
The one possible pelagic encounter I know of 2nd hard from a friend, who's been there 7 of the 8 weeks I was, and lived on the island 1 1/3 years (while attending medical school there), is this. He's a lean, muscular, athletic type (not like me) and participated in some kind of community athletic event with a lot of running and swimming. Specially, they swam to Klein Bonaire and back. He told me that during the swim he looked down and saw small juvenile sailfish. I've never heard of sailfish in Bonaire; I ate marlin there once but assumed it was imported from somewhere. He thinks there are pelagics; they're just on out there.
Now, I didn't see these things. I can tell you my buddy is quite intelligent, observant, a fine recreational diver and wouldn't have made it up, nor would he be likely to jump to big conclusions.
If you try blue water diving well off shore, better use a dive flag. Normally don't need one in Bonaire, but they're probably not used to people diving way out off the reef.
Richard.
P.S.: I love Bonaire. But if you're looking for big stuff, the main destinations that come to mind in this region are North Carolina (sand tiger sharks), Jupiter, Fl (during lemon shark migration or goliath grouper aggregation), Jupiter, Fl shark feeding divers (with Emerald Dive Charters), Bahamas (sharks), Bahamas - Tiger beach (big sharks), Turks & Caicos (sharks), Nassau, Bahamas (the shark feed dive with Stuart's Cove), and some of the diving out in your neck of the woods off California looking for giant sea bass and sea lions, maybe mola mola? Based in San Francisco I assume you're already dove that region. If you're willing to book a live-aboard well in advance and pay some money, perhaps Cocos Island, or the Socorros? Great white cage diving off Guadalupe, Mexico.
The 'big stuff' I've seen in 8 trips includes a lot of tarpon, several big green morays, a few tiger grouper & cubera snapper, just a few good-sized barracuda, and a couple of fairly big southern stingrays.
The one possible pelagic encounter I know of 2nd hard from a friend, who's been there 7 of the 8 weeks I was, and lived on the island 1 1/3 years (while attending medical school there), is this. He's a lean, muscular, athletic type (not like me) and participated in some kind of community athletic event with a lot of running and swimming. Specially, they swam to Klein Bonaire and back. He told me that during the swim he looked down and saw small juvenile sailfish. I've never heard of sailfish in Bonaire; I ate marlin there once but assumed it was imported from somewhere. He thinks there are pelagics; they're just on out there.
Now, I didn't see these things. I can tell you my buddy is quite intelligent, observant, a fine recreational diver and wouldn't have made it up, nor would he be likely to jump to big conclusions.
If you try blue water diving well off shore, better use a dive flag. Normally don't need one in Bonaire, but they're probably not used to people diving way out off the reef.
Richard.
P.S.: I love Bonaire. But if you're looking for big stuff, the main destinations that come to mind in this region are North Carolina (sand tiger sharks), Jupiter, Fl (during lemon shark migration or goliath grouper aggregation), Jupiter, Fl shark feeding divers (with Emerald Dive Charters), Bahamas (sharks), Bahamas - Tiger beach (big sharks), Turks & Caicos (sharks), Nassau, Bahamas (the shark feed dive with Stuart's Cove), and some of the diving out in your neck of the woods off California looking for giant sea bass and sea lions, maybe mola mola? Based in San Francisco I assume you're already dove that region. If you're willing to book a live-aboard well in advance and pay some money, perhaps Cocos Island, or the Socorros? Great white cage diving off Guadalupe, Mexico.
