Heading to Bonaire this weekend

[txpi239]

Im heading to Bonaire staying at Buddy Dive with a group of thirty divers. Any tips or must do? The wife will be with me and she will be doing her first ocean open water dives. Im bringing lots of deep woods off and a fly swatter, plus might grab some alcohol in the duty free when I leave out of Houston.:cool2:

Thanks

 

[drrich2]

Assuming a 1 week first trip, and not knowing your experience but I take it your wife is a newbie, here's what I'd tentatively plan:

1.) Heading north, there's a point beyond which the road goes one way and you're committed to a long out-of-the-way trip around to get home. The 2 dives sites on that stretch I'd do one morning would be Tolo first, then Karpata.

2.) Before you get to that point, I'd hit Oil Slick Leap (plan to giant stride in) and 1,000 Steps (try to get a shot on the staircase with your wife; scenic & neat).

3.) As we move a bit southward, try Andrea I or II, or both. Pretty easy entry and generally good sites.

4.) A bit further south, but still a somewhat 'northern' or central site, The Cliff offers a small, shallow wall dive that's neat and different.

5.) Buddy Dive's house reef, headed north or south, is good. If you're good with gas, heading south you might reach Bari reef. Headed north, you hit the shallow boat wreck that's the south end of the Cliff dive site, and you pass Captain Don's Habitat.

6.) Harder for me to keep up with the order of the southern sites, so this won't be in order, but the Hilma Hooker is the big wreck dive that's one of the signature dives. And a nice reef (double reef system). Fairly deep dive for the wreck; figure to get around 80 - 90 feet as you loop around the far side, and you may see tarpon or barracuda. Alice in Wonderland is similar, minus the wreck.

7.) Angel City is a nice dive.

8.) Windsock - easy entry near that big wooden pier, which is a great marker for getting out if you night dive there.

9.) Salt Pier is popular. Seems people are always debating whether you're allowed to do it. Lot's of people do. If no ship is in, you could enter an adjacent dive site, such as Jennie's Glory or Salt City, and head down to it. Basically shallow diving around pilings, with schools of fish.

10.) Sweet Dreams is a far southern site with a very lush reef, kind of like Karapata.

11.) I enjoyed Red Beryl.

There are other good sites, too, but if you hit the ones I laid out, I think you can walk away from a Bonaire trip knowing you've hit a good showing of the main 'signature' sites. You could throw in Invisibles (long swim out, nice reef).

Richard.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

[grantwiscour]

I just got back from the Bay Islands and didn't see any real "deals" at the Duty Free in IAH. Cigarettes were a deal, the liquor was about the same price as at Big Daddy's or Centennial in Dallas.

 

[drrich2]

Any tips or must do?

At my keyboard now. Okay, few more things.

1.) Washington-Slagbaai Park is worth a drive through, up in the day when the lighting's good for photos. Large hills, scads of cacti, etc... If you want to photo a flamingo, bring high-power telephoto capability because they don't let you get close.

2.) The Donkey Sanctuary is fairly neat; take some apples if you go.

3.) If feeding wildlife doesn't ethically trouble you, those attractive lizards (Bonaire whiptail lizards, I believe) like bits of apple. At least in some places in Washington-Slagbaai Park, you can squat down with some on your hand and they'll come climb onto your hand and eat some.

4.) If you've got time, head up to the Christian monument atop a hill, Seru Largu, for a panoramic view of Bonaire and some photo opportunities. Here's a panoramic view someone prepared; you can click on it to move around.

Richard.

 

[terrells]

Keep an eye out for whale sharks - there has been one spotted around the island recently. Buddy Dive even posted up a short video of it on their facebook page!

 

[SailNaked]

+1 DRRich good advice. I would not plan to dive the park with a new diver, while not really difficult, it can be a little intimidating, I love the last dive in the chain by the south point. also plan a down day at the windsurfing beach. I am going in Sept, cant wait.

Edit: lunch at Roses, in rincon, local flavor, good food, only lunch but after your 2 north dives in the morning it is priceless.

 

[Jersey]

Drrich covered most -
-I'll second Salt Pier - easy shallow dive, incredible diversity even in the middle of the day.
-Find the northern set of stairs down to the water at Buddy Dive (old Lions Dive side near units 707-708), enter here. Surface swim out to the little wreck La Machaca, drop down and keep heading north past Capt Don's and you can dive the memorial at about 40 feet (flagpole to the divers who have gone before) and keep heading north, there is a small wall site that drops down to about 90 feet, I think this is Cliff. We typically turn the dive after this, come up to shelf (about 35 - 40 feet) and return to the main docks at Buddy. Drop tanks, rinse gear, repeat.
-Yes - they've spotted a whale shark this week, facebook has a video, too cool!
-Don't neglect the shallows, cool stuff between the reef and the dock.
-SLOW DOWN, look inside corals and sponges for colorful shrimp.
-Use the local resources - I've found the Buddy staff to be helpful in answering all my stupid questions. John and Suzy in the photo shop; Francesca,Marco, Augusto and Martin and really all the instructors and divemasters have always been helpful whether it's a gear issue, trying to find an unmarked dive site or wondering where to go to dinner.
-Hit the grocery store for snacks, diving makes me hungry. At the end of the day, take your preferred beverage, some cheese and crackers and you and Mrs go sit on the edge of the dock (they have benches), reflect on your dives and share some crackers with the fish! This has become our end of day ritual and one we look forward to every trip.
-Just north of Buddy and Capt Don's is the Chinese Resturant - really quite good, large portions, inexpensive. A fav of the locals, get some to go. The little grocery store next to it is well stocked - food, alcohol, health and beauty stuff and reasonably priced.
-Drive down past the salt pans at night, smell the salt air and decay (another first night ritual for us), stop at the southern light house, check out the stars and the Milky Way or drive up to Seru Largu at night to see the island lit up like a jewel (drive it once during the day first).
And let us know how you trip was!

 

[Bon Diver]

Go and do an East Coast dive with www.basdiving.com. you wont regret it. Weather for the coming week is looking great!!

 

[Tunaman68]

^
|
|

Bas will show you a good time for sure!!!

 

[greenliger]

Loved Buddies,

1) make sure you make a reservation for the Friday night rum and BBQ party.
2) Be careful uf the Donkeys they're everywhere and some are food bullies. (Almost had one in the truck)
3) Night dive the Salt Pier
4) Polar, Amstel, Heinekens are CHEAP. Can't even get domestic beer here that cheap (if you get it at the supermarket). Yeah thats another one goto the supermarket it is cool seeing all the different stuff they have.
5) Take a few boat dives it a little nice change of things.
6) Last day was a great day to Kayak the mangroves.
7) Diving the park is hard only maybe only 3 easy entrees unless your good at rock climbing with dive gear on. Most northern dive site and most southern dive site in the park seemed the easiest, there was a third but can't remember which one. But you have to go.
8) Make sure you always keep your truck filled with tanks (they can start getting low) and make sure you check the pressure and nitrox O2% (if using) before you leave!!!
9) Skip the florescent night dive It's only neat for about the first 2 minutes so not worth the extra $$$ IMOO.
10) DIVE DIVE DIVE...

Dive safe my friends.