PARADISE HUNTER
Contributor
Heading to Bonaire in March with my wife for the first time. Do I need a surface marker? If not needed, are there some dives it is advised to have one anyway?
Thanks,
PH
Thanks,
PH
Bonaire Surface Marker
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drrich2
Contributor
I've been 5 times & haven't used one (I assume you mean an SMB, not a dive flag/float). I would suggest the following:
1.) Dive boats do operate out of the resorts, and of course when you hear that high-pitched moped-like racket (at least some sound like that), I can't tell how close. It's easy to forget about boats, but look up and listen when you're near the surface. They do go by from time-to-time.
2.) While much of the west coast people dive the most has little current, that's not so true toward the southern end. If you plan to do any advanced dives with current toward the southern tip of Bonaire, I suppose having an SMB on you could be prudent.
Richard.
1.) Dive boats do operate out of the resorts, and of course when you hear that high-pitched moped-like racket (at least some sound like that), I can't tell how close. It's easy to forget about boats, but look up and listen when you're near the surface. They do go by from time-to-time.
2.) While much of the west coast people dive the most has little current, that's not so true toward the southern end. If you plan to do any advanced dives with current toward the southern tip of Bonaire, I suppose having an SMB on you could be prudent.
Richard.
driftwood
Contributor
Never seen a surface marker being used. Personally, I carry a SMB with about 20' of line attached. On some of the southern dive sites you can get some kite boarders on the water. They are supposed to stay in the blue water but they have been known to stray closer to shore. Hence the SMB with line.
OP
PARADISE HUNTER
Contributor
Thanks for the responses. I didn't phrase the question well. I ment a "diver down" type float not an emergency smb. Sounds like boat traffic is not so heavy to warrent bringing one.
PH
PH
You don't need a DD float. Bonaire law requires any boat in past bluewater to be running slow and unless you have some emergency, there is no reason to surface in less than 5 ft or so of water anyway. If you do, you will miss a lot of life. In 20+ trips I don't recall ever seeing any boat except resort dive boats in past the blue water.
drrich2
Contributor
I've never seen anybody trailing a diver down float/flag at the mainstream dive sites in Bonaire.
Just be mindful boats do come by while you're coming up. Some of the dive boat excursions head to Klein Bonaire (the little island), but some go to sites accessible to shore divers. For example, let's say you're diving the Hilma Hooker, where it's easy enough to get to 80 or 90 feet swinging around it, and realize that your air supply is a lot lower than you expected, and you head straight up (not too fast, and with a safety stop), figuring to surface & back-swim to shore. Boats do drop groups at the Hilma Hooker sometimes.
The main place I was extra mindful of boats was staying at Buddy Dive Resort. They have a nice house reef right off the resort, and they've got a few dive boats taking groups in & out, so naturally if you dive the house reef a few times, it pays to watch out.
Richard.
Just be mindful boats do come by while you're coming up. Some of the dive boat excursions head to Klein Bonaire (the little island), but some go to sites accessible to shore divers. For example, let's say you're diving the Hilma Hooker, where it's easy enough to get to 80 or 90 feet swinging around it, and realize that your air supply is a lot lower than you expected, and you head straight up (not too fast, and with a safety stop), figuring to surface & back-swim to shore. Boats do drop groups at the Hilma Hooker sometimes.
The main place I was extra mindful of boats was staying at Buddy Dive Resort. They have a nice house reef right off the resort, and they've got a few dive boats taking groups in & out, so naturally if you dive the house reef a few times, it pays to watch out.
Richard.
chauncy19
Contributor
agree with Richard, never hurts to be mindful. but unlike curacao a dive flag is NOT required. I've seen boat drivers get reamed out for going in non blue areas. bonaire is setup for divers in my experience like no other place I've been to.
Sometimes we would take an SMB with a small weight on the bottom end and drop it in a sand clearing to mark where to turn back in to get to the truck. Started getting lazy after 4 or 5 dives a day. Works unless someone picks it up thinking they scored a nice little treasure.
Got a nice tank strobe like that...kinda figured that since it had stuff growing on it, they were not coming back.
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