Bonaire Final Trip Planning - double check and advice on dive sites?

[Diver-6873]

Had to be during a nesting surge. I seriously doubt you will go there on any random day and see that many turtles other than during a nesting peak.

Actually, it can be year round. Nesting season is just coming to an end here on island.

 

[Doctorfish]

Last time we dove the east side I stopped counting turtles at a dozen and that was only 15 minutes into the dive.

My personal favorites on the west side are Salt Pier and Something Special. I don't think the dive operators actively seek out beat up sites so as to not to tear up the good ones. That has certainly not been my experience. Further, the captain is usually open to requests from the guests.

 

[wwguy]

When we arrive, get truck and do check out dive from Dive Friends. Do they have lockers to rent to store equipment each night? Or will we have to haul everything into the house each day?

According to DFB's website 6 of the 7 DFB locations offer overnight gear storage. The exception is the new Delfin's location. Not sure about the other locations but at Hamlet I've never seen locks on individual lockers for guests. (I have seen locks on staff lockers.) The gear storage area is informally monitored by staff during the day and then the entire shop is locked at closing time each day. More info here.

I purchased a copy of Bonaire Shore Diving Made Easy for info about entering each site. Can someone tell me though WHICH sites they would recommend? There are so many, it kinda' boggles my mind.

We've spent 33 weeks diving Bonaire during the past 21 years and still don't have a definitive answer for that. After every trip I note my top 5 favorite sites of that trip in my logbook. My experiences often vary from trip to trip, but there are a few that make the list more frequently than others: Tori's Reef, Something Special, Bari Reef, The Cliff, Salt Pier, Karpata, and Tolo are all great.

Up north don't miss Bari Reef. Access is thru Dive Friends, either at Den Laman or Sand Dollar condos. I have read the Sand Dollar owners don't like you using their beach.

Bari Reef is great! Dive Friends' dock and the adjacent beaches of Sand Dollar and Den Laman are only open to guests of those properties. But you can easily access Bari Reef from the public parking area immediately south of Den Laman, as shown in the lower portion of the photo below:

To answer your question regarding storing your gear at Dive Friends overnight, the answer is no. This is not an option and you will need to take it back to your rental home.

I'm guessing you stayed at Delfin's?

I would NOT skip boat dives, if you can negotiate the dive destinations. Boat-only places like Rappel, Ebo's Special, and Pietries Pillar are among the best sites in Bonaire.

While not marked with a painted Yellow Rock, Petri's Pillar is accessible from shore too. I park just past the stone pillars on the north side of Hato, walk down a short steep trail to the flat ironshore, then enter the sea at the far southern end. One of my favorite unmarked shore dives involves starting there and diving to Small Wall (another popular boat dive) and back.

Also 50-100 turtles is IMO bogus.

Apparently you're not familiar with White Hole or Turtle City on the east side? A few years ago Bonaire East Coast Diving counted more than 250 turtles there in one week. Sure, some of them were probably counted several times, and probably the same for the 50-100 turtles mentioned above. But at some point pedantic argument over the specific count is moot.

Trouble is they don't only hit the boat only sites. Especially if there are a lot of cruise ship divers. Then they go to sites that are already beat so that the pristine sites don't get torn up.

Not true. Dive Friends Bonaire only does boat dives to Klein Bonaire and the northern boat-only sites with mooring pins. They typically don't go to shore dive sites on the main island. More info here. Also, unless something has changed recently, DFB doesn't mix their regular dive operations with their cruise excursions, which I believe are mostly shore-only nowadays.

I've sent tips by PM since I've posted them here many times and people are probably tired of seeing them.

Your "tips" would probably be better received if they contained more accurate objective advice and fewer subjective opinions. I'm just sayin'...

 

[Trailboss123]

I'm guessing you stayed at Delfin's?

Didn't stay there, but stayed at a VRBO down the street (north) and it was our closest Dive Friends shop and thus where we did our initial checkout dive, dropped off and picked up tanks regularly and where my wife did 4 of her 5 Advanced Open Water dives. We wanted to check out their place for lunch and decided to combine it with another dive there, since we'd be there anyway and that is when we got blown out and were told by the shop, that it is not uncommon. Particularly in the afternoon.

 

[uncfnp]

According to DFB's website 6 of the 7 DFB locations offer overnight gear storage. The exception is the new Delfin's location. Not sure about the other locations but at Hamlet I've never seen locks on individual lockers for guests. (I have seen locks on staff lockers.) The gear storage area is informally monitored by staff during the day and then the entire shop is locked at closing time each day. More info here.

The DF Port Bonaire location does have an area of lockers dedicated to divers. It is a walk in caged area just left of the rinse tanks with two rows of lockers (OP ask for an upper locker ). This area is open during business hours but each locker has a combination lock provided by DFs. At night the gate to this area is also locked but a key is provided to divers for after hour access. DF also has wetsuit and BCD hangers available.

And as diversteve said, this is likely the closest location for the OP. The lockers really are very convenient when staying nearby, no lugging the big or heavy stuff to upper floor rentals. But even though locked and we have never had an issue, I would not leave anything truly valuable in them.

 

[PStrangerX]

Wow, so much good information everyone! I do think White Hole and Turtle City are dives I want to do. Sea Turtles are my favorite marine life to see and I have never seen more than 2 on a single dive.

East Coast Divers and request those sites?

 

[tursiops]

Wow, so much good information everyone! I do think White Hole and Turtle City are dives I want to do. Sea Turtles are my favorite marine life to see and I have never seen more than 2 on a single dive.

East Coast Divers and request those sites?

Yes, Bonaire East Coast Diving - Unforgettable Scuba Dive Vacation Adventure.
White Hole Is a maybe for them -- depends on conditions -- but Turtle City is pretty standard.

 

[Diver-6873]

Wow, so much good information everyone! I do think White Hole and Turtle City are dives I want to do. Sea Turtles are my favorite marine life to see and I have never seen more than 2 on a single dive.

East Coast Divers and request those sites?

For ECD, they try do Turtle City as often as possible (and frequent). White Hole is very dependent on the winds/currents and is another amazing dive frequently with Tarpon by the dozens. Either way, book a dive online with them and let them know in the comments of the booking your interests.. The 2tank dive meets at Sorobon on the East Coast @ 730/745 for an 8am departure. Specific sites, of course, are never guaranteed due to weather.

 

[Diver-6873]

BTW .. if you haven’t already scheduled your tanks and any gear with Dive Friends (certainly a good operation), I’d also check out VIP Diving which is not far from your stay.

Not being part of any resort/all-inclusive, they provide exceptional personalized service and guidance. You can still book any boat dives with DF, ECD, or any other boat operator on the days that you’d like that experience.

B

 

[hroark2112]

Another thing to remember is that you will all need $25 cash to pay for your marine park tag upon arrival at Dive Friends. Also, have some sort of waterproof container to store your truck key, cash, drivers license, debit or credit card while diving.

8 trips to the island and I still do not own a waterproof container for diving. Truck key and cash goes in a pocket on my shorts, drivers license and credit cards are all locked in the room. I've never been asked for my drivers license except when picking up the truck and I guarantee most of the truck keys on the island have seen more bottom time than anyone on this board!

My dive site planing is simple. Pick north or south. If I'm going south, I'll drive well past Salt Pier and find a site with few or preferably no vehicles. Walk to the water without my gear and find the easiest way in for me & my buddy, see if the current is ripping or if it's all good, usually pee If we're doing the dive, go to the truck, gear up and go dive. After we're done, rinse off and then go find another site. Repeat as necessary.

If you're going north, remember that if you go north past 1000 Steps you'll have to drive around the island to get back. Oil Slick is a must-do dive up north.

When you arrive on the island, hit the Van Den Tweel market. Buy some large bottles of water. Drink a little out of a few bottles and freeze them. When you go dive, wrap the bottles in a towel in the truck and when you get out of the water, you'll have nice cold drinks. I also bring something for warm tap water and rinse off the face after each dive. Just a preference, but I feel better after I rinse off.

Many of the sites have the potential to be your best dive of the trip. Conditions change from day to day, so you never know what you'll see. Remember to leave your gloves at home, you can't wear them unless you have a doctors note.

Have fun!!