Bonaire VS this or Bonaire VS that ...

[hroark2112]

We've been to Bonaire and GC. We definitely didn't dive as much in GC. I'm doing Dominica in October. We shall see how I like it.

I guess I see 2 kinds of scuba trips. Vacations that include diving as part of the trip, but do other stuff as well, and scuba trips where I want to hit 20+ dives in a week. I'd like to find more of the latter, my wife probably wants more of the former

 

[Lorenzoid]

Not to ruffle feathers.... but anyone who thinks that Bonaire is the yardstick of the Caribbean, hasn't been to very many places, or probably did them all from a cruise ship.
Bonaire is very good, as I said, but Cozumel is far better IMHO due to variety of dive sites, topography, and fishlife big and small. Liveaboards I have done have been better than Bonaire, IMHO, because they got us out to more remote sites with big stuff, like reef sharks and loggerheads sited daily. CocoView Resort Roatan is better, IMHO, because of the fantastic mix of boat diving on spectacular walls as well as freedom of 24/7 shore diving right at house reef to walls or wrecks.

No feathers ruffled. I find that the most commonly visited sites on Cozumel are more interesting to me than the commonly visited sites on Bonaire. I love Bonaire, and in recent years my wife and I have glommed on to a group of five or six others who have been going there almost every year for many years and believe it's the best place in the Caribbean (not that they've actually been to many places). We rent a condo and mostly cook for ourselves rather than eat at restaurants. (My favorite "restaurants" are the hole-in-the-wall snack shacks where you get the goat stew, etc.) But if I had to name one thing about Bonaire that bothers me, I would say it's that the dives feel monotonous. The underwater topography in Cozumel feels so varied, while in Bonaire we swim parallel to a seemingly straight reef, generally at the same agreed-upon depth, and all the reefs look pretty much the same to me (with the possible exception of the few double-reef sites). We don't see a lot of big animals (okay, some turtles) or even many small ones because we're not that skilled at spotting small things and also because we have a hard time slowing down, since the endless reef just seems to call out to us to keep swimming on. In contrast, in Cozumel, the divemaster knows where to go and finds things to show us. That said, I have been to Bonaire enough times that I believe if I were to solicit opinions on SB from Bonaire veterans I could get some advice for mixing things up a bit to add variety and spice to our dives. But that's for another thread.

Rude Dutch... yeah, I stand by that remark. The natives (locals) and Venezuelans were all very nice, but I didn't like the Dutch snob attitude. I am military, stationed in Germany for 3 years, so I understand the European attitude... the Dutch living on Bonaire can be quite rude and offputting.

My wife is a native Dutch speaker from Belgium, and we have a number of friends from the Netherlands. She has chatted up Dutch people on Bonaire. She says she agrees with you to some extent. The Dutch stereotype is much like the American stereotype in that we seem very forward rather than reserved. We tend to speak our minds. If you think the Dutch have an "attitude," consider that people from many places in the world think Americans have an "attitude." Maybe it comes with the territory--we are successful countries! The Dutch stereotype is also somewhat like the German stereotype in that they follow the rules and want things to be just so. I also suspect that the Dutch who live on Bonaire are very proud of their island and feel like they are special. After all, the Netherlands is cold and dark for much of year, but Bonaire is their shining jewel in the sun. Wouldn't you have a bit of an attitude, too?

 

[CAPTAIN SINBAD]

Very informative thread I must say. Those of you who prefer big animals, where do you go instead?

 

[ronscuba]

What someone looks for in choosing a dive vacation is different from person to person. Topside activities, quality of diving, crowds, dining options, ease of diving, ease of getting around, etc..

As an overall dive vacation destination, Bonaire has a lot to offer. Relaxed dive focused island. No crowds above or below the water. Diving freedom. Quantity of diving.

I enjoyed my vacation in Bonaire. Den Laman Condo was perfect for what we were looking for. Getting around the island was so simple. Finding dive sites was idiot proof. The whole vacation was extremely relaxing.

However, when it came to the experience once we got underwater, quality and quantity are not the same thing. Bonaire has the opportunity to do a high quantity of diving. But for me, the quality and variety of what I see once underwater, Bonaire fell short compared to other places in the Caribbean I have dove like Cozumel, Belize, Turks & Caicos, Roatan, Curacao, Little Cayman.

 

[vincent54]

Is there anyplace else where you can shore dive 24/7 like in Bonaire? Somewhere just as easy? I'd love to hear about others for next year's trip!

You can dive Cayman Brac from the shore at any point on the island. It is about as easy as you can have, no currents, no surf, and there are some bigger animals if you are patient. In fact, you can swim out into the blue and wait for all sorts of things. Sometimes you see them, sometimes you don't. It's no better or worse than Bonaire, they are both beautiful. I have never had a bad trip to Little Cayman or the Brac. Have fun where ever you decide.

 

[robint]

Very informative thread I must say. Those of you who prefer big animals, where do you go instead?

It isn't that we all prefer Big Animals, it is that we try to vary our trips so that each trip has something special. We go to Bonaire for macro critters and 24/7 diving ease. We go to Cozumel for big animals and exciting drift dives, great walls and swimthrus. We go on liveaboards for both of above. We go to Roatan for relaxing mix of boat and shore diving, fishlife much like Bonaire but more varied reefs and walls like Cozumel.

Don't limit yourself to one place.... find out what you like, then go there. BUT don't get stuck in a rut and go to same place over and over. We had that problem when we first started diving.... we only went to Cozumel because it was so cheap from Denver. For several years, it was our only vacation destination. Then we decided to go ahead and try other places.... Keys, 2 Liveaboards in southern Bahamas, Roatan, Hawaii, Palau liveaboard, 4 trips to Calif, and Bonaire.... all before we returned to Cozumel.

We are heading back to Roatan, CocoView Resort in 2 1/2 weeks and can't wait!!! For today, that is the best place we can go. After that trip, we will probably go to Calif for a weekend, then either Cozumel of Little Cayman next year. VARIETY.

robin

 

[Lorenzoid]

Very informative thread I must say. Those of you who prefer big animals, where do you go instead?

By "big animals" I don't necessarily mean pelagics; I just mean not macro stuff like nudis and shrimp. On my last trip to Cozumel, for example, on one night dive we saw HUGE lobsters and crabs and more octopuses than I can count. On night dives in Bonaire, if we find a single octopus it's a big deal. Admittedly, this is largely dependent on one's critter-finding skills. But in Cozumel we're helped by the divemaster who knows what sites are good for what critters and where to look, whereas in Bonaire we're on our own.

There are pros and cons to every destination. Bonaire is great, but hardly some sort of gold standard by which to compare all destinations.

 

[hroark2112]

Ok. Cozumel added to the list!!

 

[BDSC]

Ok. Cozumel added to the list!!

Join me next year! Going to Blue Angel May 31st - June 7th, 2014. Got a great deal for $667 for the week.

 

[Jersey]

It is about personal preferences. For me:
- Bonaire - lack of crowds, ability to dive 24/7, being able to set up/break down my own gear. I like that most buildings are 2-3 stories max. The first 4-5 years I thought the Dutch rather aloof as well, until we got to know a bunch better and I think established our street cred. Now we exchange cards, emails and travel updates throughout the year. Bonaire is a DIVE vacation, a bunch of other places I've been have been vacations, with diving.
- Saba - also a dive destination, but talk about remote, the diving is mostly deep, all boat, really limited lodging food choices and far easier to be blown out. Crime almost non-existant, people lave thir doors unlocked.
- St. Martin is a beach lovers dream, gastronomic delight, shopping mecca (jewelry!!!!) The diving is better than advertised, again boat. Parts of the island are a bit sketchy, I wouldn't drive through after dark.
- St. Thomas - easy to get to, crowded, nice diving. Good food, good shopping.
- Grand Cayman - my second favorite island. Easy to get to, increasing amount of shore diving (swim out distance varies), deep dives on North Wall, great fun shallow dives off 7 Mile Beach, beautiful island, fantastic food, big stuff, small stuff, activites to entertain non-divers, wonderful people. I feel almost guilty having people setup my gear, switch tanks, break gear down, not sure why. At the end of the day, much of GC seems like another over built commercialized version of the US and very expensive. Now if someone gave me a condo or townhouse and I had to move there, I'd be thrilled!
- Bahamas - haven't seen enough as a diver to form a real opinion or done the smaller/outer islands.

I would certainly go back to any of them, just let me grab my passport. Right now looking to do some reading on Bermuda for a long weekend and add another island to the list.