Calling them deep dives?

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mfinley919:
...so anything deeper then that gets considered 'deeper' diving over time for those who spend a lot of time diving just Bonaire.

I have no idea what you are trying to say. Any chance of getting it translated into English?
 
As training has gotten shallower, shallow dives have come to be seen as deeper, its quite natural.:D
 
I use 100' as the determinant for 'deep dives' label in my log. My reasoning is basically twofold: 100' is about where narcosis management starts needing to be considered as part of dive planning, and tec training agencies will normally require a certain number of dives below 100' before you can undertake a particular course.

Neither of them are great reasons, but combined they are just about sufficient for me to justify it to myself.
 
The comparison to ski areas seems quite reasonable. Most of the descriptions in the Bonaire brochures and shore diving book talk about 'deep' or 'advanced' relative to other dives in Bonaire only. We had to chuckle about some of the dives with 'hard' shore entries, which where pretty much as benign as the easiest shore entry I've come across in BC, or 'long' surface swims, which occasionally approached 50 meter! Or there may have been one that was 100 m. That barely counts as surface swim in my book, plus they were optional given you could just drop down and swim over the cool sand. Most dives in Bonaire are excellent at 30 ft, and certainly 30-60 ft, which makes everything beyond that deep in the books/brochures.

Looking at the deep reef of the double reef structure would be interesting. We're trying to go back with bigger tanks and longer surface swims across the first reef. If that doesn't work we'll have to come back with doubles in a few years!
 
Just to add some to walrus2's excellent response.

There are many places where a 30, 15 or 10' deco stop can be done swimming back to shore and stopping for a bit to see more reef, outcroppings, fish or even practice some skills without a worry should you incur a deco dive during your underwater stay.
 
Dove the Hooker this morning.I buried my computer in the sand and did manage to get 100 feet. I agree with Walter,years ago I would have considered this a deep dive.Now it's just a little deeper than average.

My computer did go into deco mode for awhile so I was pushing the limits.
 
Thanks for the answers. So what I'm gathering from this is it's relative to the divers and what they are used to.

Lots to see in Bonaire in 60ft and shallower, so anything deeper then that gets considered 'deeper' diving over time for those who spend a lot of time diving just Bonaire.

Sound about right?

It's relative, period.

To put boundaries in confounds it. Different people at different times will label it differently and in the end it's all shades of gray.

Pete
 
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If you want to see the outer reef and still have a reasonable bottom time try Angel City. The outer reef comes up to about 40' and is quite beautiful. We were there for the first time in November and that was our favorite site.
 
Nope. You can crawl in the sand by the Hooker and never get below 96 fsw.

There actually is one spot you can get to 100ft IF you are there at high tide and put your computer in the sand. Its under the bow in a slight depression washed out by the current....caught my wife digging it out from 99ft to get her first 100ft dive. :)

Thanks for the answers. So what I'm gathering from this is it's relative to the divers and what they are used to.

Lots to see in Bonaire in 60ft and shallower, so anything deeper then that gets considered 'deeper' diving over time for those who spend a lot of time diving just Bonaire.

Sound about right?

Its not that they are considered deep because of lack of experience, I am quite capable of deeper dives but rarely go beyond 40ft or so while on Bonaire....or in the Keys for that matter. Other than a newbie diver, I don't think anyone considers them deep dives but rather a deeper dive as compared to the average dive on Bonaire. There is just no need to go deep on Bonaire, most of the reef is above 50 ft and I like bottom time. The 2 exceptions I usually make are the Hilma Hooker 90 ft or 100 if you know exactly where to look and Alice In Wonderland around 95 ft to the sand. It is a double reef at around 60 ft which I usually dive by transversing the sand area on a descending slope, no real need to go to the sand and come back up. There are very deep dives available if you really want them, the Windjammer is over 200 ft and much greater than that is possible.
 

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