I’ve never been to Bonaire before and am wondering what divers do there with regards to pulling a flag while shore diving. Are there typically a lot of boats in the dive spots? Are there any rules about what sort of flag and buoy are needed? I don’t want to have to pack a buoy on my flight, so where should I go to get one in Bonaire? Thanks,
Dive flag?
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Nobody tows a dive flag. Best to descend and ascend in the shallower parts. Snorkeling on lots of reefs too. Avoid fish hut when kite surfers are there. Some people carry a SMB and finger reel if they think they might ascend in traffic.
No dive flag. Boats stay in the Blue. Carry a SMB just in case you have to assend in the Blue. Stay submerged when heading in from the blue and assend in shallows. No boats will be closer than the dive site morning (it will be in about 20' of water). Only 1 boat per site except hooker (bow and stern). Boats 90 deg in from blue to the dive moring and 90 out to blue after dive. Most shore sites will not even have a boat. They mostly do Klien or non shore accessible sites.
Don't dive the kite sites.
Easy, no worries.
Don't dive the kite sites.
Easy, no worries.
Actually, there are three moorings at the Hilma Hooker site: bow, stern, and one mid-ships but on the nearby reef.
Probably around 30-35 ft. From it, you usually can't quite see the HH hull, but if you swim west it shows up nicely. Many like to use that mooring as a reference in-and-out, particularly if they do the HH as a shore dive, because it makes a nice reef dive at the end, with a more interesting safety-stop than out in blue water!
Chocoholic
Contributor
I was just about to ask this very same question. So Thank you to all who answered.
Somtimes local fishers come closer to the shore then allowed.
And be careful on divesites with a pier, like buddydive or cpt dons. Here the diveboats do come in shallow waters.
Descent and ascent shallow and you should be fine. Carry a dsmb anyway.
When i went out snorkeling/freediving in deeper waters i did carry a small smb.
A fisher boat nearly runs me and my group over, even with the flag and 4 people close together in a group.
When i say fisher boat a mean a small wooden boat with 1 or 2 men and a fishing line with a hook at the end. As fishing is forbidden in bonaire
And be careful on divesites with a pier, like buddydive or cpt dons. Here the diveboats do come in shallow waters.
Descent and ascent shallow and you should be fine. Carry a dsmb anyway.
When i went out snorkeling/freediving in deeper waters i did carry a small smb.
A fisher boat nearly runs me and my group over, even with the flag and 4 people close together in a group.
When i say fisher boat a mean a small wooden boat with 1 or 2 men and a fishing line with a hook at the end. As fishing is forbidden in bonaire
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