Bonaire advice needed

[Blackrock]

I will be going to Bonaire for 2 weeks in January and have a few questions that I haven't been able to find the answers to.

1) I have never done shore dives before. Is it necessary to trail a dive flag there or carry a safety sausage?

2) Having never done a shore entry, do I need to hire a DM for a day to give me some pointers and show me how it's done out there? My buddy and I have about 25 freshwater dives under our belts and feel comfortable with our skills.

3) I was thinking about booking with Wanna Dive Huts for accommodations, but I heard a rumor that they don't have hot running water. Is this true? Are there any other places on the island that don't? Everything else I hear about them is great though.

4) If we don't book at the "Huts" we were going to book Den Laman. Can anyone tell me how far a walk to the Bari Reef entrance? Does anyone know if Den Laman has gear lockers downstairs?

5) People say you need good soled booties to shore dive. How solid does the sole have to be, like a sneaker? My booties have a sole but they're a bit pliable. Are these going to be insufficient?

Thanks for your answers in advance. This place is a great source of information.

 

[under water]

I will be going to Bonaire for 2 weeks in January and have a few questions that I haven't been able to find the answers to.

1) I have never done shore dives before. Is it necessary to trail a dive flag there or carry a safety sausage?.

No

2) Having never done a shore entry, do I need to hire a DM for a day to give me some pointers and show me how it's done out there? My buddy and I have about 25 freshwater dives under our belts and feel comfortable with our skills.

No. You will do fine without a DM in Bonaire. Reef is close to shore.. parallels shore. You can't get lost. You can always hire a DM if you want to for the 1st couple of dives.

3) I was thinking about booking with Wanna Dive Huts for accommodations, but I heard a rumor that they don't have hot running water. Is this true? Are there any other places on the island that don't? Everything else I hear about them is great though.

I have heard that about WannaDive but have not stayed there. I have stayed at Den Lamen twice and would whoeheartedly recommend it. Very convenient and reasonable.

4) If we don't book at the "Huts" we were going to book Den Laman. Can anyone tell me how far a walk to the Bari Reef entrance? Does anyone know if Den Laman has gear lockers downstairs?

Yes.. Gear lockers downstairs at Den Laman. You will need to ask for a lock at the dive shop. They also have a large room where you hang up your gear and it is locked up at night. The walk to to Bari Reef entrance from Den Laman door is about 40 feet. From where you don your gear and tanks.. about 5 feet.
[/quote]

5) People say you need good soled booties to shore dive. How solid does the sole have to be, like a sneaker? My booties have a sole but they're a bit pliable. Are these going to be insufficient?

Sneaker soles will work OK for most dive sites. You don't need army boots.

 

[SDAnderson]

1) I have never done shore dives before. Is it necessary to trail a dive flag there or carry a safety sausage?

Most divers don't use a flag when diving in Bonaire but it's not a bad idea, particularly if you think you might wander any distance from shore. A safety sausage should be standard gear for every diver on every dive, along with a whistle, a cutting device and a slate or WetNotes.​

2) Having never done a shore entry, do I need to hire a DM for a day to give me some pointers and show me how it's done out there? My buddy and I have about 25 freshwater dives under our belts and feel comfortable with our skills.

Start with some of the easier entries and save the Hilma Hooker (lotsa wobbly ironstone) or 1000 Steps (ugh) or Oil Can Leap (really) for later. Remember to walk carefully and not to put your fins on until you are in water deep enough to float in. You could start with a dive at one of the piers and hire a guide for the occasion - they'll be happy to give pointers about anything dive related.​

We have always stayed at the Plaza, so I can't be of much help with your prospective hotels/dive operations.​

5) People say you need good soled booties to shore dive. How solid does the sole have to be, like a sneaker? My booties have a sole but they're a bit pliable. Are these going to be insufficient?

Any 5mm or greater bootie with a solid sole should be fine, there is no need for combat boots.​

 

[Carribeandiver]

I will be going to Bonaire for 2 weeks in January and have a few questions that I haven't been able to find the answers to.

1) I have never done shore dives before. Is it necessary to trail a dive flag there or carry a safety sausage?
nah, not necessary. but not a bad idea in some areas where the boarders frequent. they still might run over you but at least you warned them you are there.

2) Having never done a shore entry, do I need to hire a DM for a day to give me some pointers and show me how it's done out there? My buddy and I have about 25 freshwater dives under our belts and feel comfortable with our skills.
I suggest buying a copy of Susan Porter's book, Bonaire Shore Diving Made Easy. Tells you in explicit detail about all the dive spots. What to look for, where to park, depth, what fish you can expect to see, swim distance, etc.

3) I was thinking about booking with Wanna Dive Huts for accommodations, but I heard a rumor that they don't have hot running water. Is this true? Are there any other places on the island that don't? Everything else I hear about them is great though.
I heard similar things about Wanna Dive. If you have not booked, contact Bonaire Partners, offering over 45 fine vacation accommodations on Bonaire. and see what they have. I reserved a 1800 sq ft house 30 feet off the ocean for around $1300 for 8 days. You can get accommodations really cheap if you dont mind staying off the water or very reasonable if you want to be right on the water.

4) If we don't book at the "Huts" we were going to book Den Laman. Can anyone tell me how far a walk to the Bari Reef entrance? Does anyone know if Den Laman has gear lockers downstairs?

5) People say you need good soled booties to shore dive. How solid does the sole have to be, like a sneaker? My booties have a sole but they're a bit pliable. Are these going to be insufficient?
Depends on the site but normal booties will be ok for most dives. Some really rocky bottoms might make you wish you had those thick sole booties. I just go horizontal as soon as possible.

Thanks for your answers in advance. This place is a great source of information.

Enjoy your trip, diving there is great. Also, visit Bonaire Talk - The place to discuss everything and anything about Bonaire! for info on accommodations, dining, travel, dive sites, etc.

 

[diversteve]

reefraff has a good suggestion. Hire a guide for Salt Pier. You have to now anyway to dive it due to the port regulations. A guide can show you how to get over the ironshore just offshore in one area 50' north of the pier. Right by the pier there's a sandy section of beach that will be a simpler first entry - you'll be floating before you hit anything in the water.

These boots: Tusa Imprex 3MM Dive Slipper from LeisurePro.com would work well on Bonaire since the ironshore/coral rubble is something you'll encounter at most shore dive sites.

I'd also suggest that you do your first dives off any of the resort docks. Bari is a really good choice - there's more species of fish found there than any other dive site in the Caribbean. And they have an easy entry with wide stairs right into the water. You can also go another ten feet and walk in off this tiny area of shared beach on the Sand Dollar of the dock.

Buddy's or Cap't Don's Habitat nearby also have easy dock entries. Habitat actually is on two dive sites, La Machaca and Cliff to the North. Cliff is one of the few vertical walls you'll find in that area. We really liked Cliff in the afternoon.

The tougher entry north sites like Oil Slick Leap, Witches Hut or Karpata save for later in the week. Some of the sites south of town can be tricky also as there's ironshore to be negotiated to get in/out of the water. Angel City is one that's worth the effort.

Watch for currents at the really far north or south dive sites. We dove in a pretty fierce rip one afternoon at Vista Blue. If you look at the divesite map on infobonaire.com you'll see that they show anything below Red Slave and the sites in Boca Slagbaai park as Intermediate/Advanced.

 

[Warmwater Wank]

Blackrock--Pay attention but you'll have fun. You should be getting a good briefing from who ever you are diving with. After a day you'll feel like Bonaire is home, the diving will be very relaxed. I second Steve's suggestion on the TUSA boots. $22.95 and they easily handle all Bonaire has to offer for ironshore etc. You need a stable sole ("good sneaker quality"), something you could jump onto sharp rocks (with a tank on) if need be. // ww

 

[dvrliz1]

Blackrock,

Agree with all of the above to. I have to second Steve's suggestion on the TUSA booties. My pair has lasted me over 15 years with the correct care. They are like that old pair of shoes you just can't throw away! Stop by and say hi when you are on Bonaire and bring something to put on the scubaboard!

Liz

 

[piikki]

I never saw one flag towed on the island when I was there. I was delighted to have a break from the towing that is compulsory back home, and just made sure I had a SMB on me on every dive . You do not need to shoot the bag on every dive though unless there is a special reason for marking your position though – just carry it as a back up. We had no reason all week.

There is no need to go for the higher current sites on your first visit as there are plenty of mellow shore sites to choose from. I would get the Shore Diving Made Easy as suggested. It will give you good guideline what spots to choose. Shore dives are marked with yellow stones all over the road like you have probably read, really easy to find. Also, at your hotel briefing they will tell you how to approach shore diving. At least at Den Laman they gave advice, and the staff were happy to tell more during the stay if you have questions what sites it might be good to go on certain days (depending on direction of winds or the time of the day, for example).

At Den Laman staff was around during daytime doing their check outs and boat dives, so they are easily accessible for everyone. Bari Reef is just around the building like mentioned. I would take my own lock from home for the lockers on the grounds. The lockers aren’t the most secure, and the staff did not recommend leaving your most precious things there overnight. Great for tanks, boots, weights and stuff. The gear room was right at the entrance too.

If you want to hire a DM for your first day to show you around, you might want to inquire about it beforehand, so you get going right away. Then again if you get the booklet beforehand you might notice that by choosing the easy sites at first, there is no need to get one. There are several sites that you can self-teach yourselves on. Then move onto the ones where you can stumble around more and have a few good laughs Definitely get booties that have more than thin layer of rubber on the bottom. Your feet will thank you.

I would like to hear more about Wanna Dive Hut too – is it true about the water situation there?

 

[tvictory]

You won't have any problem learning to shore dive. You might want to start with some dives where they have pier entries, e.g. Captain Don's, Buddy, Divi, etc. As I recall, at first we were more daunted by finding our way out of the water to the exit point than making our way in. Review your compass skills as there are often marker buoys or underwater landmarks that make convenient reference points.

 

[Blackrock]

Thanks for your advice everyone, it's really helpful. I have also ordered Susan Porter's book to help us out.

Piiki-I wish I knew about the water situation at Wanna Dive Huts but so far nobody has been able to confirm or deny that rumor.