Bonaire vs Cozumel

[Hemlon]

We have been to Cozumel many times and we are considering a trip to Bonaire for our annual big summer trip. I would love to know how Bonaire will compare.

For us, the pros of Cozumel are:
1. Great diving with lots of available dive ops
2. Extremely friendly residents...the locals are always helpful and polite.
3. Cheap eats...two words: Comida corrida!
4. A safe atmosphere...we have strolled around the side streets at night with the same precautions that we use anywhere. (Staying together, staying sober, avoiding dark streets, alleys, etc)

What are the pros and cons of Bonaire in relation to Cozumel?

 

[BDSC]

We have been to Cozumel many times and we are considering a trip to Bonaire for our annual big summer trip. I would love to know how Bonaire will compare.

For us, the pros of Cozumel are:
1. Great diving with lots of available dive ops
2. Extremely friendly residents...the locals are always helpful and polite.
3. Cheap eats...two words: Comida corrida!
4. A safe atmosphere...we have strolled around the side streets at night with the same precautions that we use anywhere. (Staying together, staying sober, avoiding dark streets, alleys, etc)

What are the pros and cons of Bonaire in relation to Cozumel?

I'm headed to Bonaire next month and it will be my 7th or 8th trip. Can't remember. I've also been to Cozumel several times. All in all I give the edge to Bonaire. Why?

1. Great diving with several dive ops. But here's the thing. For the most part, the dive ops are pretty much alike. They offer shore diving, boat diving, and drive-up tank pick-ups. I have used several dive ops and they all have been good.
2. Extremely friendly residents...the locals are always helpful and polite.
3. Reasonably priced eats. Not as many places to pick from as Coz but lots of good food with decent prices.
4. Very safe atmosphere and you don't even have to stay sober.

OK. My point is many of the things you like about Cozumel you'll find in Bonaire. But here is why I think it's better.

The Shore Diving! Shore diving allows for you to have total freedom in your diving. You don't have to be at a boat at any particular time. You decide what sites to dive and when, not a captain on a boat. You decide how deep, how long, etc. It's all about what you want to do. Two dives a day....three....four....five.....your call. Nothing extra to pay for. Dive all you want or as little as you want. And shore diving there is really easy for the most part. You may have to walk down a few steps now and then or watch yourself walking across some of the rubble from old coral that has washed up but it shouldn't be a problem.

Of course most operators do offer boat dives at a very reasonable price and I will do one now and then over to Klein Bonaire but that's it for me. I think in 7 trips I have done like 5 or 6 boat dives.

I would advise staying at a resort that is on the water because some of them have excellent shore dives right from their docks. It makes night diving a breeze. Buddys, Sand Dollar, and Captain Dons are a few really good ones.

Anyway, I hope this helps and be very very careful. Once you go you'll catch the fever and will have a burning desire to go back again and again and again..........There is no cure.

These are the folks I use to book my trips through. Excellent outfit run by Andy.

Bonaire Pros -- Dive travel & windsurfing vacations to Bonaire

And by the way......the diving is awesome!

 

[georoc01]

1) I found the diving superior to Cozumel. Certainly the shore diving is superior to anything I have seen in Cozy. One of the big plusses of Bonaire is you are not tied to any boat. Dive when you want, as often as you want. Tank fills available 24/7 with drive through options available. If you want more of a Cozy like experience, we were doing 3 boat dives a day from Divi Flamingo. Dive sites are much closer, with no more than a 15 minute boat ride to any location, including over to Klien.

2) We found the residents to be as friendly.

3) Cost of food can be as cheap or as expensive as you want to make it. Some people get a condo and prepare at least two meals a day. There are BBQ and pizza joints that are certainly on the less expensive side. There are also high end resturants too.

4) We found the same rules that apply in Cozumel apply in Bonaire. Don't put yourself out as a target (like leaving your wallet out in your truck while you are diving), and you don't have any problems.

The downside for us is that its much harder to get from Denver to Bonaire than it is to Cozumel. I can do a direct flight to Cozy and be in the water that day. Bonaire involves generally a red eye down there with a morning return flight which cuts into the dive time some.

www.bonairetalk.com will give you plenty more info on Bonaire. Including meals, etc.

 

[seaducer]

Only done 4 dives in Coz, but am making my third trip to Bonaire next month, lets see if I can answer some of your questions...edit- my one trip to Coz I roomed with georoc01, so he can say if the Coz diving was typical or if we did some of the not so spectacular reefs there. They were nice for sure, but nothing compared to the reefs in Bonaire...

1. Great diving with lots of available dive ops

The diving, IMO is far better in Bonaire, there is just so much more to see and you are not drifting over sand going from coral mound to mound. Also, if you see something that you want to hang out and watch a while, there is no, or very little current, to blow you off the site. Also, there is no limit to how many dives you want to do in a day. Just dive all you want, it is shore diving unless you want to charter a boat to go to Klein...

2. Extremely friendly residents...the locals are always helpful and polite.

They don't get much friendlier than in Bonaire. I have been in the back country, as far away from the tourist areas as you can be, all hours of the night, drinking with locals, some of which were dirt poor, and never felt threatened at all. There is crime to be sure, and never leave anything of value in the car, but my experiences on Bonaire have been nothing short of spectacular when dealing with the locals.

3. Cheap eats...two words: Comida corrida!

If there is a cheap and good place to eat on the island, I have not found it. Sure the road side stands, or "snacks" are not going to drain your wallet, but the cleanliness of these places may cause you to get sick if you aren't used to it. Also I found most of the choices to be very greasy, not always good for diving. The restaurants are all top shelf, but the prices are top shelf also. To compensate we eat most meals in the kitchenette from stuff we bring with us, and only eat out once or twice.

4. A safe atmosphere...we have strolled around the side streets at night with the same precautions that we use anywhere. (Staying together, staying sober, avoiding dark streets, alleys, etc)

I strolled the back dark alleys as drunk as I have ever been with no worries. Granted I am 6'5" and built, but some of the locals are bigger. Also when you are falling down drunk you are not a threat to anyone. The locals were great fun, and nobody even tried to rip me off. In fact there were times they were buying me drinks and I felt like I was taking advantage of them! Probably not the typical experience but it does illustrate the friendly nature of pretty much everybody on the island.

What are the pros and cons of Bonaire in relation to Cozumel?

For me it is cheaper and easier to get to Bonaire as opposed to Cozumel. My primary vacation buddy is a long time lover of Coz, but a recent convert to Bonaire. I have only made one trip to Coz and that was blown out by a hurricane. I have heard wonderful things about the place, but honestly I think the diving is better in Bonaire, it is certainly unlimited, and the fills are all 3K plus.

The West coast is all easy diving, if you don't like the ripples in the South, just drive North for bath tub conditions, or vice-versa. If you want some excitement, then hire a DM to take you out on a shore dive in Lac Cai, or take a ride with Larry and dive the East coast. Just be prepared to be thoroughly waterlogged by the time you crawl onto the plane for the flight out...

 

[Hemlon]

Awesome...thanks everyone!

 

[driftin' by]

I'm in the same shoes as Hemlon but my trip to Boanire is already booked. I posted a thread in the Cozumel forum were I spend 99% of my SB time after feeling like a traitor/cheater for going someplace besides Cozumel. I got a lot of the similar feedback regarding differences between the two and I can honestly say, I doubt I'll be disappointed... the 5-hour flight is the only thing I dread.

Thanks for the feedback here as well.

 

[Hemlon]

I'm in the same shoes as Hemlon but my trip to Boanire is already booked. I posted a thread in the Cozumel forum were I spend 99% of my SB time after feeling like a traitor/cheater for going someplace besides Cozumel. I got a lot of the similar feedback regarding differences between the two and I can honestly say, I doubt I'll be disappointed... the 5-hour flight is the only thing I dread.

Thanks for the feedback here as well.

Awesome! Please send me a link to your trip report when you return!

 

[herman]

I pretty much agree with all that has been written.
In fairness I have been to Coz once and so far have not really had a desire to return. My trip report raised the blood pressure of several Coz lovers but here are some of the highlights. Maybe I went with too high expectations but I was not that impressed with the topside. I never found the cheap food others talk about. I was not impressed with any place I ate and I'm not picky. Take that back, there was one small pizza joint on a back street that was great. On a couple of occasions I had rude waiters, something I have never had on Bonaire. In contrast the restaurants on Bonaire range in price widely but the food is excellent in most of them and I have never had rude service, slow yes but never rude. Another big plus for me is the water, which is safe to drink any where directly out of the tap. Fresh fruit and salads are fine to eat anywhere. I got tired of having to do with one or 2 bottles- which I had to pay for- as opposed to have a full pitcher(s) of water on the table which is the norm on Bonaire. I drink a lot when diving to keep hydrated.

Then there were the street vendors trying to get me into their store...one of which watched me eat at an outside table then tried to get me into his restaurant. I am on vacation and don't want to be hassled, you will not find street hawker on Bonaire.

The diving on Coz was great however it does not lend itself well to my preferred diving style, this is not good or bad. I dive slow, looking closely at the reef and taking photos as I go. Hanging with a group in a stiff current is difficult to do when diving this way. My typical dive on Bonaire is 35 ft for 75 to 80 minutes, the typical dive I got on Coz was 50 minutes. I do anywhere from 3 to 6 dives a day, including dawn and night dives on Bonaire for one cost, I got 2 dives per day on Coz and had to pay for more if I wanted them. I was pleased with the dive op, boats, staff and the dives but boat drift diving is just not my preferred style. I go for bottom time and there is no comparison between 2 DM lead group dive of 50 minutes and 4 or 6- 80 minute unfettered dives.

I may go back to Coz someday but I much prefer Bonaire or Roatan, they provide diving more to my liking.

 

[b1gcountry]

Both!!!

 

[gypsyjim]

I did like Mexico, Cancun and Cozumel and dived there a couple of times, but the slipshod attitude of a lot of the local operators really got to me. I guess the last straw for me was watching the mate "mechanic" on a boat out of Cozumel beating on the motor with a wrench trying to get the motor to restart for the third time that day, so we could try again to get back into port, and overhearing the crew talking about this happening several times before. Careless DM's, poor maintenance and half-assed attitudes got to me. Not to mention an instructor nearly losing my gf on her first ow dive when he "adjusted " her buoyancy!
I guess I'm spoiled by Bonaire where I control my diving and can dive till I drop and am not dependent on boat crews and DM's.