Bonaire - water entrance problem.

[reefdiva]

I think that often when people hear or read the phrase "the ease of shore diving in Bonaire" they think that of entrances and exits with no challenges but my guess is that most folks use the term to mean that one can dive on his/her own schedule and not that of a dive boat. I have been diving Bonaire for many years (and some might consider me "elderly") and freely admit that some sites offer more of a challenge on entry than others. There are many spots where one can twist an ankle which is my personal fear! On days when I am not so enthusiastic about navigating those spots I choose another site because Bonaire has the diversity. I, too, would hate to see any attempt to "mess with nature" for the ease of people.

 

[miketsp]

Busting your ass once in a while is go good learning experience!

Pretty ingnorant remark or a stupid attempt at humour. Many older couples dive and osteopinea/osteoporosis is something from which practically all older women suffer and can lead to some serious fractures from apparently trivial falls.

Is it not possible that they deliberately have left some difficulty in to lessen the risk to their reefs from the noobs?

What is the relation between being able or willing to risk a rocky shore entrance and exit and noobiness. My wife and I are relatively experienced, older, careful divers but we don't dive Bonaire exactly because of the comments from various friends (some younger) that injured themselves in various degrees at Bonaire.

I agree, leave the shore as it is. I love diving Bonaire, there's no need to change the sites to cater to those who can't climb over the rocks.

While we don't dive Bonaire because of the rocks I wouldn't expect anybody to change the sites just for us. There are plenty of other diving locations where we can go and spend our money and the diving is just as good.

well, I'm sure there are plenty of careful divers who do have trouble getting over the rocks. My friend also wound up on her back, I fell every time I made a shore dive, but I didn't touch reef--only shore rocks. I would appreciate a little strip of concrete, say just as wide as a path, at the sites.

A good more pragmatic approach. Which goes to show that there are always intermediate options. Provided, of course that the right environmental studies are carried out first to estimate the environmental impact and weigh the pros and cons.

 

[RTW]

Please don’t deny yourself or others the perfect pace, breathtaking diversity, and magical beauty of Bonaire reefs for fear of injury. With simple equipment and minimal planning, you CAN reduce the risk.

Equip yourself: Attach two carabineers on a short cord to your BC. Clip fins to one and mask and/or camera to the other during entry/exit. Your hands are now free to help maintain balance. As previously suggested, floating your gear in and out can also be helpful to some.

Get closer: Back your vehicle up as close to the water as possible in order to shorten the walk across the coral rubble.

Reconnoiter: Take a few moments to find the best entry/exit. A sandy-path between submerged rocks can be found near you.

Dive off a dock: Buddy Dive’s dock, for example, is there for all to use.

Safe diving,

 

[kmcneer]

My wife had back surgery last Sept 06 and was laied up for 6 mo. We went to Curacao and Bonaire Sept 07 because of the shorediving. She was afraid the boat might hurt her back. I had her suit up (mask, fins,...) and get in the water while I carry out her BC rigged up and float it to her and help her in to it in about 4' of water. Then I go get my gear and walk in to meet her. She did 12 dives in 5days with no pain and we dove 8 sites this way no problem, and I got a great work out carrying around 2 sets of gear! She never complained once....but I could have used more of a work out so where are these large rocks you have to crawl over to enter the water in Bonaire?

 

[Phacops]

Carefully navigating the entry and exit of Bonaire's shore dives, and having to crawl ashore at times, I just never considered it an issue needing any sort of correction.

My spouse, age 60, and I, age 57, plan things out, help each other, take our time. The only injuries and discomfort we've experienced have been during boat dives and so prefer shore diving. It took us about a week's worth of shore dives on our first trip to get the drill down, a significant, but not steep, learning curve. And now, our shore diving preparation and entry is automatic, but not without taking care each time.

From the well prepared facilities at Bonaire's resorts to the rocky shore (and occassional surf) at Red Slave, we think that part of the enjoyment comes from practice that prepares us to successfully and safely negotiate a "natural" setting in order to enjoy Bonaire's spectacular reefs. I'd hate to see everything improved even if I now look towards the time when we will be unable to negotiate some sites. There has to be some adventure in this world even if it is the slight reward of coping with natural conditions on the way to explore a reef.

Anyway, while I always encourage friends and acquaintences to shore dive on Bonaire, it's nice to think that at some sites it is a self-selecting group of divers that is able to fully appreciate the setting.