Bonaire for newbies

[cakitcha]

Get some hard soled boots. Do not try to shore dive there without them. Trust me.

Order a copy of "Bonaire Shore Diving Made Easy". Valuable advice within!

if you're really nervous, I'll make you an offer you can't refuse. Send me a plane ticket and I'll guide you to all the awesome spots all week long

If only I had the money for a guide.. Ahhahaha [emoji16]

 

[diversteve]

Get some hard soled boots. Do not try to shore dive there without them.

Can't stress this enough.

As others have mentioned start with shore diving from the resorts. Except for Habitat which charges $5 - most are free - and on named dive sites. It would be courteous to rent a tank from any of them also while there - you are using their facilities. At Den Laman to dive Bari Reef from the small dock there - rent a tank from Bonaire Dive & Adventure - it's their dock. It's also the dive with the most counted fish species in the Caribbean and many are found above 40'. You can also pay for a Naturalist dive there - it's like having a private DM except he'll find fish for you to record. Do that later in the week after you've got a little experience - the dive itself is easy but finding fish is a distraction.

Habitat has a good dock also - swim north from there and you'll encounter the Cliff dive site - about the only vertical wall on Bonaire.

Then if you want to go out on your own, a good site to start with is Windsock Beach. It's at the end of the airport and is about the easiest shore dive entry point there. And a good dive site also, often you'll see turtles and rays there. Bachelors Beach nearby has a few steps - if the tide is in (the bottom step is wet) that's about a 3-4' drop. If you see sand it's pretty obvious.

The Salt Pier is usually a pretty benign entry - sometimes there's a small beach there depending on the tide. The pier itself is one of the better shallow dives - lots of stuff lives in/under/around the pilings. The sort of brownish looking coral clinging to the structure can be fire coral though so don't touch that. You can only dive the pier if there's no ship moored and loading. If the crew is working on part of the pier, don't dive nearby - they'll usually mark off the area but as you'll see, they drop a lot of parts.

You probably won't have too much trouble at Alice in Wonderland either. And that's a great dive. Angel City nearby has holes in the ironshore off the beach so that one is a lot trickier entry.

The sites further north - as a general rule - require more difficult entries. 1000Steps (there's 64) is obvious but sites like Karpata can have pretty tricky entries also. The two "Leaps" are what they sound like - you jump from the ironshore. One can be done as a drift dive which is something you shouldn't consider yet.

The far north and far south sites are often considered advanced dives due to possibly higher currents . Anything with an "A" on this list save for another trip. Info Bonaire - Map of All Bonaire Dive Sites If there is any current, swim into it and let it gently bring you back.

When you arrive at a shore dive site there are a few things to look for. One is a little pile of coral rubble previous divers have piled up indicating the best entry point. Another is a break in the ironshore - at some sites there's a sand channel that leads to deeper water so you can wade out and put your fins on. Here's about the best example I know of but it's at Vista Blue - one of the advanced sites so just for reference. http://www.shorediving.com/Earth/ABC/BonaireS/Vista_Blue/c004508.jpg

Use your buddy a lot for support when crossing over any ironshore/coral rubble. At some sites the coral rubble is in the surf line which makes for tricky footing also. Look around a little at a site also, sometimes the best entry point is not where you park. South that's less of an issue - at some of those sites you park 20' from the water.

Here's a good reference for many of the sites. Pay attention to the pictures of the entry points. The dark brown stuff you see in the water is ironshore that you'll have to go over/around. Around is better if possible...Scuba Shore Diving Region: ABC Islands

Wannadive is the Dive Hut dive operator. You'll have to go to one of their other locations for your BMP Orientation since the Dive Hut is not waterfront. I recommend their main location at Eden Beach, that's also an easy entry dive. http://www.wannadive.com/wannapress/index.php/locations-2/dive-hut/

 

[jimbeeler]

If only I had the money for a guide.. Ahhahaha [emoji16]

Actually, at any time of year, there's usually someone from this forum on Bonaire... Last June when I was there I found online (I never did actually meet them) 3-4 people from this forum. What I'm saying is there might just might be someone from the SB forum that's going at the same time as you and might be willing to take you under their wing and show you around.

As it gets closer to departure make a post and ask if anyone is going to be there at the same time. Lots of folks would love to help a newbie learn about Bonaire. Keep reading the Bonaire messages and amass lots of knowledge (I can't believe I forgot to mention good dive boots)...

Jim

 

[drrich2]

Windsock is a pretty easy entry/exit; I go in near the large pier.

Bachelor's Beach is a nice, sandy entry once you make it down the ladder & rocks, which isn't hard to do.

I, too, use SeaSoft Sunrays and like them.

Richard.

 

[deedeediver]

Heys guys!

I will be in Bonaire in December with my buddy. We have got our open water certification recently,so we are both very inexperienced divers. As diving around here is very expensive, we have decided to simply go to Bonaire and dive as much as possible.

I have talked to dive shops there and they all said shore diving is easy,even for beginners like us. I'm still a bit nervous though, do you guys have some tips for us? Would it be a better idea to do some boat dives first?

Thank you in advance 

I think you are just the right Divers for Bonaire. The diving is easy once you get your orientation, bring a compass to get your bearing going out and going in, but make sure you remember a landmark upon entry and exit, bring bug spray or wipes. Whatever dive shop you have your dive package with will be more than happy to get you orientated to shore diving. Relax, dont worry, the reef is a gentle slope but some entries are a little bit challenging if you dont have good equilibrium, and if you dont like shore diving, just boat dive easy enough. Have fun!!!!!

 

[drrich2]

When you pay for your marine park permit, keep the paper receipt so you can use it to get into Washington-Slagbaai Park free.

Richard.

 

[diversteve]

but make sure you remember a landmark upon entry and exit

At the south sites we used the truck. Once you're at water level a lot of the ironshore starts to look the same.

 

[Kharon]

People are probably sick of seeing this , but ...

A trick I learned on Bonaire (after flubbing around on severtal shore entries). Watch the waves and count. Usually there will be a pattern of increasing wave height with several much smaller waves following the largest. Once you figure out the pattern you wait for the largest and then enter as it's receeding. Quickly go out far enough to float (chest high) and put your fins on.

 

[MN Lakeman]

Just a "minor warning"... As mentioned before, there will be a lot of ironshore as you enter & exit. There's a big temptation to use your hands to pull your self along this ironshore as you exit in the shallows, using the holes. Be VERY aware that there are often black spiny urchins in the holes - many times not quite visible...those spines will be felt in your fingers all week!

 

[uncfnp]

For twenty different posters you will have twenty different approaches to shore diving Bonaire but the great thing about Bonaire is that they all work.

For or the most part, the dive sites are well marked. Look for the bright yellow rock...

View attachment 196181

Back your truck up to an open area, try and get the back of the truck on a level area. Get out and look around at the shore. Talk to other divers there, if you have a common language. Loot for markers or piles of rock placed by other divers to mark good entries but keep in mind wind and surf can change the entries so use your best judgement. Experience will help. Look out at the reef line and look for a buoy, not all dive sites have them.

Don your gear at the truck (unless you have a physical limitation that requires you to don in water). Then enter the water, consider need to have mask and reg in at this point, and carefully progress to deeper water where you can put on fins. There are fin keepers to hold your fin till this point if interested.

From here you have a few options. You can surface swim to buoy the drop down and start your dive. You can take a reading (or rely on your sense of direction u/w) drop from shore and swim to buoy. Or you can just drop at the shore and head straight out, guaranteed to hit the reef but will not have a marker for exit point. If you decide on this approach, or if there is not a buoy, memorize something notable at the start of the reef that you will recognize on your return dive. Either way, once at the reef you can dive north or south. Most of the time there is not enough current for that to be a factor in your choice. Swim out at your deepest.

On return, either swim up to return depth or gradually make your way up, just make sure that you are at a depth to find your exit point by that time in your dive. Then you can decide to surface after a SS at marker and swim to shore or spend you SS slowly making your way from the reef to the shore. Most newer shore divers surface swim from the buoy but as you become more comfortable you will probable dive from shore to shore. Either way there is often lots to see from shore to reef so keep watch as you head out.

Surface swim or dive it, don't sweat it too much. The beautiful part of shore diving Bonaire is that you really can't make a serious mistake. If you miss your exit point, and you probably will, just safely surface, look around and find the exit. No worries.

Relax. You are going to love it!