Bonaire 11/26-12/10. Prep for rainy season?

[cabinetman]

We are taking this time because it just works for us and is the slow time for our business. However I know it’s the rainy season and have had conflicking reports on what to expect.

Is there anything special we should bring to try and prepare for the rains?

Light rain showers or ones that blow through like most tropical islands won’t bother us. Heavy rains for days on end may be a bit of a downer.

 

[DustyC]

Last year I was there the first full week in December and it rained every day, including one day where it rained pretty much non stop. The locals said it was extremely rare for it to do that, 2 said it had been 14 years since they'd had a real solid day of rain. The year before, the same week, we saw maybe 5 total minutes of rainfall (sprinkles) the entire week. I know, no help at all.

 

[tarponchik]

Bonaire is not like some areas in Costa Rica where life is effectively paralyzed during the rainy season. The roads are paved and it does not rain underwater. As I recall, we once discovered after one December dive that the trunk of our pickup truck was full of water. We did not even know it rained, and we did not care.

 

[ijdod]

My experience so far is occasional showers. Mostly in the (early) morning. Last 2 months I've only had 1 bad day, where it rained from early morning till noon, but was dry afterwards. Unless you live in the Knoek, or have an offroad day (National Park) planned, you'll be fine.

 

[cabinetman]

We were going to try and do the park this year but understand during rainy season a lot of the roads may be closed. But no worries there are plenty of dive spots.

Hopefully we will have plenty of clear days.

 

[darook]

We were going to try and do the park this year but understand during rainy season a lot of the roads may be closed. But no worries there are plenty of dive spots.

Hopefully we will have plenty of clear days.

I’m confident you will have great time and dive as much as you want. The national park will likely be fine too. If it is too wet you can still get up to Candyland and Tailormade for some terrific dives that are virtually untouched.

 

[ijdod]

The park is usually open, check FB or call them. Even after pouring the whole morning they were only closed that day, and partially open the next. I'm not sure Candyland/Tailormade are doable under such conditions, as they're both offroad as well. You milage may vary depending on the amount of rain, your car, and your level off comfort offroad. Not so much the road near the sites, mostly the road around BOPEC.

 

[WetChucks]

We will be there as well starting on the 25th. Really looking forward to the trip!

 

[Lorenzoid]

That's the time of year our group has usually gone. The rain doesn't bother us too much. If it's really pouring down, we just wait it out, as the ability to do that is the great thing about Bonaire. I settled on a 5 mm suit, though, because without the sun to warm you up between dives it's easy to get chilled, even though the air temperature is still quite tropical.

 

[arew+4]

We were there over Christmas last year, they said it was one of the rainiest years in a while. There were occasional short showers on a nearly daily basis. I thought the Vis was somewhat compromised vs previous summer visits, and the bugs were worse than summer. On the upside the park was greener than I had ever seen it. The long loop was closed due to "road" conditions.