Bonaire water temperature

[Diver Steven]

For my wife and I, a 5mm or a 5/4 is now the minimum wetsuit thickness in Bonaire. Our last night dive on the pier was one of the best, and one of the coldest ever! (with a brand new 3/2mm!) Could be age, sunburn, long dives, or wimpiness, but I'd recommend 5mm.

 

[backprop]

Wow..so is this a cold time for Bonaire or is the 5mm/hood advice year-round? I've heard opposite ends of the spectrum here. Realizing that everyone differs, is Bonaire water really that cold that a 5mm with a hood is pretty standard? Lots of sites say that the average water temp is 78 to 84F. I'm going in May and am curious if a shorty of 3/2 will be enough now. For reference, I dove in Belize in November and it was OK with a 2mm shorty.

 

[RJP]

Consistently 81F on my computer all last week.

You should be fine with 3 mil...

...or just a swim suit.

Sounds like the perfect temperature for my DUI 30/30 "Tropical" dry suit. Hope I won't look like too much of a donning and doffing a dry suit when I'm there in April.

 

[Lowrider Steve]

We are going to Bonaire next week. Now you've all got my wife shopping for a thicker suit. She has a 3 mil and a beanie.

We'll see.

There is supposedly an underwater web cam off the city pier at Bonaire.

Bonaire WebCams - The Bonaire Underwater Pier ReefCam!

 

[dvrliz1]

Oh well, I guess my body has adjusted to the Bonaire water temp. A 3 mil is fine for me, but I didn't think of the the people of the north! So sorry......I guess living here does change one!!!

Hugs to all!

Liz

 

[piikki]

Wow..so is this a cold time for Bonaire or is the 5mm/hood advice year-round? I've heard opposite ends of the spectrum here. Realizing that everyone differs, is Bonaire water really that cold that a 5mm with a hood is pretty standard? Lots of sites say that the average water temp is 78 to 84F. I'm going in May and am curious if a shorty of 3/2 will be enough now. For reference, I dove in Belize in November and it was OK with a 2mm shorty.

I don't think the "cold" or "rainy" season has much to do with it. Last year I traveled when it was very hot topside, this year we had rain nearly every day (which I actually found a relief because I welcomed the occasional cloud cover). I was just as chilled underwater in both conditions, maybe even more in the hotter weather because of more overheating topside.

For what I saw 3mm was still the standard but feeling self-conscious about my multiple layers I did notice more people in thicker suits too. A lot of people in shorties too - but I was not snob enough as to go ask if they dived 5hrs a day I have heard skinnier people and women particularly saying they'd like more protection but mostly the sentence starts "I just need it, I get colder easier", so it's an individual factor... I sure would not have minded the 30/30 on some dives!

 

[pediatron]

My husband and I dove Bonaire for a week last July. I was very glad to have my 5mm wetsuit especially by the 3rd or 4th dive each day. My husband was very comfortable in his 3 mm shorty. It seems to be very individual, but personally I would rather be warm than cold. I also think that some of this is unique to Bonaire even with its 78-80 degree water temperatures. You just don't get as much opportunity for multiple dives each day anywhere else unless you are doing a live-aboard. This leads to more time in the water and more opportunity to get cold.

 

[Lowrider Steve]

Was in Bonaire last week. The water temp was a consistant 79. I used a 3 mil suit, then added a vest under it, and then started wearing the hood on the vest. That was OK. Did chill a little, but was not cold. If I were going back, I would get a 5 mil suit. If I paddled a bunch, I was fine in a 3 mil, but when I coast and conserve air, got chilly.

 

[rongoodman]

Looking at my Sensus data from the Curacao trip a couple of weeks back I see temps from 78 to 80. I dove all week in a 5/4 Pinnacle suit with a light hood on most dives and was comfortable--certainly never too warm.

 

[sasscuba]

I dive in a t-shirt and bathing suit year round. Bonaire is warm to me:ne_nau: