Boat dives in Bonaire?

[scuba e]

We are going to Bonaire in June for the first time. The big draw for us is the indepence of the beach dives.
My question; Is a boat dive or two worth it? Our goals are mainly photo based.
Any thoughts?
Thanks,
E

 

[robint]

absolutely!! You can only get over to Klein Bonaire by boat and also some sites like Rappel on the north end. Other sites like the Hilma Hooker and Karpata are regularly done by boat as entry/exit can be rough.
We did both boat dives and shore dives daily and enjoyed them all.

 

[herman]

A dive or 2 is OK but IMO, esp for your first trip, they are not necessary. With the exception of Klein Bonaire and a few others you can do all the other dives from shore. With over 80 marked and more unmarked sites there are a lot of spots to explore. If your carrying a camera and are like me, I tend to hang around one spot for a long time or like to stay down until my gas is gone so boat dives don't make sence.
You can pick them up alacart at most places so I would suggest you not include them in your dive package. You can always change your mind if you decide you do want to add a few.

 

[oly5050user]

boat dives in Bonaire are cheap enough that you can get 6 boat rides in for about $117. additional total for the week along with yor unlimited dive package.Especially easier for photo as you do not have the difficulty that some shore spots have on entry.Just have the boat go where it is not feasible /or easy to shore dive.

 

[Skyjunky]

Aside from Klein Bonaire, not worth it. The boats take you to the same places that you can shore dive. There aren't any entries that are really that hard. If you're planning on doing a lot of camera work; the time factor with the boats don't make much sense.

 

[Ann Marie]

I've been there twice. Each time boat dives were included with the cost of the trip. We talked to the captain before we boarded to see where he had planned to go. If it was to Klein or to a site that we couldn't reach from shore we'd hop on the boat. If we could get to it, we'd skip the boat.

The Hooker is an easy site to get to from the shore, just has a surface swim. Karpata (one of my favorite sites) is harder to get to but with buddies helping buddies with balance, it can be done.

 

[CLEAR BLUE]

We only did one boat dive over to Klein. We really found shore diving to be our thing. Dive where we want, when we want, and as long as we want.

 

[herman]

The Hooker is an easy site to get to from the shore, just has a surface swim. Karpata (one of my favorite sites) is harder to get to but with buddies helping buddies with balance, it can be done.

We do the Hilma Hooker (just does not sound right "doing the hooker ) without a surface swim. I just set a compass heading for the center buoy and head out underwater. We always have plenty of gas remaining but on air we come really close to deco while on the weck. The return underwater gives up a long deco/safety stop.

 

[Dive Junky]

First time there? Dont bother. Karpata, Thousand steps, The piers, Margate Bay, The Hooker, The National Park, so many to choose from. It really is total dive freedom. Have fun. Get a truck. Can you rent anything else other than a pickup? You will love it.

 

[El Orans]

Yep. Boat dives are only necessary for Klein (little) Bonaire.

We did Rappel as a one way dive (exiting at Karpata). You just need to have one guy drive the car there.