Trip Report Bonaire trip report and "How to"

[ReadyDiverOne]

Mbwilliamn, amazingly helpful post!!! I’ve never been and your post will be enormously helpful when I go. Well done!!

 

[Lorenzoid]

Get "Bonaire Shore Diving Made Easy" It tells you the best way to get into the water and what to expect at each site.
. . .

Although that has been the Bonaire bible for a long time, and our dog-eared copy has served us well, I have to admit the newer Dive Guide Bonaire is much more informative about how to navigate the entries, with maps and color diagrams.

 

[scubadada]

Although that has been the Bonaire bible for a long time, and our dog-eared copy has served us well, I have to admit the newer Dive Guide Bonaire is much more informative about how to navigate the entries, with maps and color diagrams.

Picked up a copy on our last visit in December, great resource. Leaving tomorrow morning for 2 weeks

 

[Lorenzoid]

Picked up a copy on our last visit in December, great resource. Leaving tomorrow morning for 2 weeks

Have a great trip! Are you staying at Den Laman again?

 

[scubadada]

Have a great trip! Are you staying at Den Laman again?

Yes, same 1 bdrm, Dive Friends...

 

[Diver-6873]

Glad you enjoyed our “Rock” ... yes, we sold everything in the US and moved on island recently -permanently. We picked a visitor up recently at the airport and had him diving within 30minutes of clearing customs.

Great site review — in all honesty, my wife will ask many days as we leave the house today,... where do I want to go, my answer is always the same, it does not matter, there is no “bad” site on the island.

Hilma Hooker is a great night dive also, we did that last night. If you can visit the island and dive ~5 days after a full moon and 45minutes after sunset — you’ll be in for a unique treat of diving in Avitar as the Ostracods come out.

Also, I’d recommend everyone do at least one boat dive with East Coast Divers. A great operation with a completely different dive experience than you see on the West coast. This week we had 75-100 Green Seaturtles on a single dive.

For dive operators (air and anything else you need), we enjoy VIP Divers. Not being part of a resort, the service is very personal and relaxed 1:1.

 

[Kharon]

Although that has been the Bonaire bible for a long time, and our dog-eared copy has served us well, I have to admit the newer Dive Guide Bonaire is much more informative about how to navigate the entries, with maps and color diagrams.

I've got both. While the new book has more sites (boat access as well as shore) I find the maps/color diagrams more or less a joke. I also find the entry information superficial compared to BSDME.

That's not just my impression. I just got both books and compared a number of sites.

First, the "maps" are pretty useless. They are not really maps. They're just generalized colored drawings with cartoonish icons in random places. IMO they're a joke. Sometimes they show something of import, mostly not so much.

Second, BSDME gives pretty detailed entry information where DGB's entry information is, for the most part, very general and vague. In some cases it isn't there at all. Also, BSDME gives information on parking, which can be useful. Didn't see any of that in DGB.

Third, the dive descriptions in many (?most?) cases are more detailed in DGB than in BSDME. That's where DGB shines. BSDME's dive descriptions are less detailed.

In short, I use them both for sites I haven't visited before. For sites I have visited a lot I don't use either one very much. Sites that I haven't visited a lot - depends on what information I'm looking for.

I recommend both. The biggest problem with DGB is that you can only purchase it on the island. BSDME is available on-line. That's why I recommend it as a first go to.

 

[gypsyjim]

Glad you enjoyed our “Rock” ... yes, we sold everything in the US and moved on island recently -permanently. We picked a visitor up recently at the airport and had him diving within 30minutes of clearing customs.

Great site review — in all honesty, my wife will ask many days as we leave the house today,... where do I want to go, my answer is always the same, it does not matter, there is no “bad” site on the island.

Hilma Hooker is a great night dive also, we did that last night. If you can visit the island and dive ~5 days after a full moon and 45minutes after sunset — you’ll be in for a unique treat of diving in Avitar as the Ostracods come out.

Also, I’d recommend everyone do at least one boat dive with East Coast Divers. A great operation with a completely different dive experience than you see on the West coast. This week we had 75-100 Green Seaturtles on a single dive.

For dive operators (air and anything else you need), we enjoy VIP Divers. Not being part of a resort, the service is very personal and relaxed 1:1.

It seems long ago now, but we dived the east, or "Wild Side" with Larry's Wild Side when my son turned 11 or 12, and once since as a shore dive with Cardzard on a mini SB invasion.
The east side was totally different, with more rays, turtles and tarpon, but I much preferred it as a boat dive, the exit was not much fun as we really did not know that site at all, and misread, or misjudged the exit. (Fire coral, sea urchins, and scars for all involved that day.. )

 

[Diver-6873]

It seems long ago now, but we dived the east, or "Wild Side" with Larry's Wild Side when my son turned 11 or 12, and once since as a shore dive with Cardzard on a mini SB invasion.
The east side was totally different, with more rays, turtles and tarpon, but I much preferred it as a boat dive, the exit was not much fun as we really did not know that site at all, and misread, or misjudged the exit. (Fire coral, sea urchins, and scars for all involved that day.. )

Absolutely best for a boat dive. East Coast Divers has a great military grade aluminum hulled inflatable custom configured for one thing ... diving.

 

[gypsyjim]

Absolutely best for a boat dive. East Coast Divers has a great military grade aluminum hulled inflatable custom configured for one thing ... diving.

Larry himself was a character, but yes that dive boat was designed for one purpose.
Good memories of doing that dive with my son and good sb friends herman and deputydan.