Headed to Bonaire

[cdnfireman]

The GF and I are headed to Bonaire on the 5th of April !! first time....I am AOW she has just completed her OW....suggestions on dive sites ?? I just got "Bonaire shore diving made easy"...any recommended " favorite" sites ????

 

[tursiops]

Don't miss Invisibles and Angel City. Klein is excellent, so do some boat dives. To the north, Tolo/Ol' Blue is good. I prefer Karpata and the Hilma Hooker (wreck) as boat dives because the entry is tough and/or the swim is long. I think Rappel is terrific, but it is a boat dive. I've got over 250 dives right in front of Buddy Dive, and never get tired of it....see something new every time.

 

[diver 85]

Where are you staying???...any boat dives already planned??.......We went in later August last year for the 1st time(& last I'm thinking)...Did 11 boat dives & the rest shore dives, dang it's much easier to fall off a boat than walk thru rocks---& waves...Thinking back, the Hilma Hooker was a pretty good shore dive---everything thing else was ho-hum??.....Here's some of my shore dive pics...click link..
Bonaire--shore dives--August 2013 - a set on Flickr

 

[mala]

Don't miss Invisibles and Angel City. Klein is excellent, so do some boat dives. To the north, Tolo/Ol' Blue is good. I prefer Karpata and the Hilma Hooker (wreck) as boat dives because the entry is tough and/or the swim is long. I think Rappel is terrific, but it is a boat dive. I've got over 250 dives right in front of Buddy Dive, and never get tired of it....see something new every time.

the last time i dived the hilma hooker a one legged diver was doing it from shore.
Unless it has moved its a 5 minute swim from an easy shore entry.

cdnfireman.
My muppets guide to most bonaire shore dives-

Head straight out from the beach noting the compass heading and remembering the opposite heading to get back to the entry point.
Get under water as soon as possible and head for the reef-usually about 5 mins out at around 5 to 10 meters.
Find a recognisable sponge(they all have different numbers of fingers)note the depth.
Head into current if any and dive the reef at your proposed depth.check your watch .

Turn at the agreed point and ascend gradually untill you are at the depth of your navigation marker(the sponge for example but it could be anything).Look for your marker and use time to estimate when you will see it.take the current into account.
Find marker.
Head on the opposite compass heading back to the entry point.If you get lost you can always surface and swim in.

Have fun.

 

[cdnfireman]

staying at the sand dollar condos.....thanks a lot for the dive sites ~!! noting them in the book.....We are cold water divers...first trip warm !!!

 

[diverjen]

You will have a great time! We love the house reef, Bari, and loved Angel City, Tori's Reef, 1000 steps and many of the sites off of Klein, too. We are hoping to try Cliff this next time.

 

[herman]

For your first dives away from Sand Dollar, I suggest Windsock. It is a very easy entry to start with. The hooker is an easy swim from shore done underwater, Oil Slick Leap is a must do for the entry and 1000 Steps is also a must do as it is the signature site for Bonaire. For the best sites I prefer the far south sites, Margate Bay in particular. Easy entry, not a bad swinm out and some of the best dives on the land. On occasion the currents can be strong at the southern sites. We dove there last week, one day was going hard and the next day it was almost nonexistant.

 

[cdnfireman]

Hooker for sure....looking for easy/mid level sites....want her to see a lot and have fun.....

 

[herbdb]

+1 for Margate Bay. My favorite!

 

[herman]

If you have not heard this already, be sure to have HARD soled booties. The shore is mostly ironstone and coral rubble which is very hard on the feet, soft soled booties or worse yet full foot fins are a bad idea.