Bonaire versus Hawaii?

[ronscuba]

Like others have said, the diving is different and you cannot lump all the diving together. Kauai, Oahu, Maui, Big Island are separate and different topside and underwater. Kind of like Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao.

I dove Maui and Big Island. Really enjoyed both, but for me, Hawaii is more about a varied vacation. Amazing topside scenery and activities, mixed in with some diving. On Maui, I would definitely dive Molokini Crater front and back. On Big Island, dive Kona to see manta rays.

 

[drrich2]

One thing that's come up on comparison threads is to appreciate a destination for what it is; don't try too hard to press it into the mold of another. I, too, love Bonaire, but if you take a Cozumel die-hard and drag him to Bonaire, he may fuss about less varied topography of the reef, fewer big animals, the absence of op.s with steel 120 cf tanks, etc... Take a Bonaire bigot to Coz., and he may be annoyed that most of the diving is by boat, thus going on in groups, being led by a dive guide, and diving 4 times per day and any night you feel like it spontaneously probably not going to happen routinely.

My buddy dove in Hawaii; don't recall which island. Hawaii does have shore diving. If I recall correctly, there's some manta dive that's downright magical out there somewhere, and you might want to hunt that up.

Oh, and much as I love Bonaire and find it beautiful, the top side photos my buddy brought back from Hawaii kinda blow it out of the water on land scenery.

Richard.

 

[oldschoolto]

I was not impressed with Hawaii.... Fun and nice.... But not worth the flight $ and time....

Jim....

 

[Dirty-Dog]

We dove Oahu last May (and met Dr Lecter on the boat). Compared to Mexico or Bonaire, it's pretty pricey. The wrecks are nice. The reef structure (compared to Cozumel) isn't anything to get excited about. The endemic fish are interesting, but there are less critters overall than Cancun, Cozumel, Curaçao or Bonaire. You will see tons and tons of turtles, and a fair number of sharks. The jungle is simply stunning.
We're glad we went, and we may go back to see the big island. But at 2-2.5 times the cost of a trip to Cozumel, it won't be often.


Sent from an old fashioned 300 baud acoustic modem by whistling into the handset. Really.

 

[Gdog]

I enjoy both for different reasons. I prefer the Big Island, but Maui has some good stuff. Lots of white tips if you are into sharks. The Manta night dive is incredible, as is the blackwater dive, off the Big Island. However, the reef is so much more colorful in Bonaire. Id say go for it and decide for yourself! Its worth the trip.

 

[drbill]

I'm rarely disappointed in a dive destination even if the local reefs are trashed. I find it an intriguing challenge to determine why things are different. For example, I just got back from Bonaire, Curacao and Aruba. The dive sites in Aruba were noticeably different from the ones in Bonaire in terms of water conditions and to a lesser extent the marine life. I saw things in Aruba that I did not see in neighboring Bonaire, including reefs that were over-grown with algae and species I did not see in Bonaire.

I've never dived Hawaii (plan to remedy that perhaps later this year) so I can't compare the two.

 

[KeithG]

Another thing to consider is how dives operate.

In Bonaire you have complete diving freedom to dive when and where and how you want. No need for a boat, guide or group. If that is what you like about Bonaire, then you will likely be disappointed like I was.

Too many cluster dives, too many other divers, too many other dive boats (think 20 boats at Molokini) and way too much of the dive guides roughing up the wild life. only place I have ever seen an octopus ink or a puffer puff.

You may also want to consider the topside culture as well when making your decision. Hawaii is very American, Bonaire is not.

 

[Dr. Lecter]

Hawaii is very much guided-only boat diving, unless you just charter the boat (which, if you have more than 3-4 people, is quite reasonable relative to going with a dive op). There are some great shore dives that can be accessed with rented equipment, though, on all the islands. Beware sharp lava rocks + waves pretty much everywhere, but avoiding turning yourself into hamburger is relatively elementary on most days at most sites.

 

[jimw]

We went to the big island--Kona coast, twice and Bonaire 20+ times--just back from BON. Above water Hawaii is soooo much more interesting. Diving is much more expensive in the Kona area than Bonaire or at home in SE Fl. Some shore diving is there and pretty good--House of Refuge comes to mind. There is a book available re: shore diving Kona and it was worthwhile. We snorkeled several of the described spots and dove a couple, mostly decided the shore entrys were too much for old, fat folks! The night Manta dive is why we went back--not to be missed! For inexpensive diving, with lots of coral and sponges, Bonaire! So, if you want to sightsee UW; go to Bonaire and if you want to sightsee Above water, Hawaii.

 

[Damselfish]

Hawaii diving is about as different from Bonaire as you can get, as is Hawaii topside. Will you be disappointed in the diving? That depends what you like, but probably not as long as you go to see what's there, and don't have expectations for what's not.

From the east coast I'm not sure I would plan a trip to Hawaii specifically for the diving. But if I wanted to go to see Hawaii above water (which is great) or was going to be there anyway for some reason, there is some interesting diving to be had. All our diving there has been added onto business trips, stopovers, or meeting family.