Is Bonaire for us??

[Maurillo]

Hello all,
We are both CMAS* certified with 60+ and 30+ dives, and we have been investigating and reading about Bonaire...

We are not hardcore divers, meaning that we like spending some time out of water! Now, considering that

- we fly from Denmark
- we would only do some shore diving from the resort pier (not chosen yet), while all resorts offer unlimited shore diving (and some even a truck, which we are not really interested in - loading and unloading tanks...)
- briefly, we would do mostly boat diving!

We are wondering if it would be a waste of our money to go that far and use only minimally the potential of this place...

Thanks!
Maurizio

 

[dfx]

Any particular reason why you have your eye on Bonaire? Your concerns are valid, as for a lot of people the "drive and dive" shore diving is the main reason to go to Bonaire. Topside activities are minimal and most resorts on Bonaire are pure dive resorts, meaning there's hardly anything else to do. Boat diving is still an option though and is offered by certain resorts or dive ops, they partly go to the same sites accessible as shore dives and partly to sites not accessible from the shore (e.g. Klein Bonaire).

 

[RJP]

If I were not inclined to shore dive all over Bonaire... I would go somewhere else. Probably a liveaboard. To me, the only reason to go to Bonaire is to take advantage of the unlimited access to dive anywhere, anytime that comes from renting a truck with your buddy, throwing 12 tanks and your lunch in the back, and driving around the island.

What is your reluctance to shore dive anywhere other than the pier at your resort?

 

[Maurillo]

Many thanks, folks.
I can see you both agree on the main reason to go to Bonaire.... which confirms our concerns.

To answer your questions:

It's quite convenient for us to fly direct from Denmark into the dutch Caribbean (unlike South-East Asia, or the extreme Paciifc islands)
We know Bonaire is among the top destinations for diving in the area.

Two good reasons for us to avoid unguided shore diving:
-the hassle of bringing the diving gear (I am a hernia collector... :confused4
-our certificate doesn't allow us to dive without an Advanced buddy with us

If we go there, after a 2-tank boat dive in the morning we wouldn't mind spending an afternoon idle, and/or we would probably dive from the local pier; we are even considering getting an Advanced or a specialty certificate, but it's more about the value for money....: you get there, you pay for a package you hardly use, and see a tiny fraction of the available reef?? Probably not worth, is it?

 

[Altamira]

If you can easily get to Dutch Antilles, look closely at Curacao as you can easily boat or shore dive, and you will likely have more topside activities to keep you busy when not diving.

 

[sphyrnidus]

Whilst not in the Dutch Caribbean, but closer by and better diving: Did you consider a live aboard in Egypt? Although you'd only be doing the diving, there is no carrying stuff and you can take your gear of in the water and get help with it in any way necessary. It is just a 5 hour flight and the corals are so much better.. There is always a DM with you and you can even do your AOW during the trip.

 

[dfx]

I would echo Curacao. The diving is very much comparable to Bonaire, but it's more touristy (especially around the city) with slightly less emphasis on shore diving.

 

[Maurillo]

Yep, indeed, that's in the list. We're still a bit concerned about the social turmoil there, although we know that the Red Sea area (and therefore boats offshore!) should be safe.

To tell the truth, we'be been so much concentrating on Bonaire that Curacao was left unchecked. Aruba is surely out of the picture, though...

 

[tkaelin]

To give you a different view, while many go to Bon and love to take the truck and tanks to shore dive on their own, that is not the only way to dive and enjoy diving Bon. On our three trips we find that while we will take the truck out to shore dive, we do so less and less on each trip. The effort hauling tanks and gear in the heat gets old. Boat diving is easier and inexpensive. We dive through Capt Don and we like their boat dive set up. They do three single tank trips per day. They post where they are going the afternoon before. If you want to go, you write in your diver number on the board. If you change your mind, just remove your number. It could not be easier. The shore diving is excellent in front of Capt. Don's with Buddy's reefs accessible to the left and cliff and small wall accessible to the right. You can dive these reefs all week and not get tired of it. I love the ease of having our gear in lockers right by the water. Want to dive, walk down, suit up and grab a tank and your in. After the dive, there are rinse tanks and showers right there. Clean up and walk up to the bar and restaurant. Again, could not be easier. I do like taking trip out in the truck but we find that in a given week with 20 plus dives, we only do 2-3 out with the truck. My point is you don't have to be an ardent fan of truck/shore diving or only do Bon this way to enjoy diving Bon. It all depends on what you prefer.

 

[Lorenzoid]

Yep, Curacao is your island, not Bonaire. The main draw of Bonaire--what makes it unique--is the concept of using a rental truck to drive from one shore-diving site to another on your own schedule. To limit your diving to one resort's dive site and boat dives misses the main point of Bonaire. Bonaire is arid and sparsely populated--pretty much desert. There are few to no beaches. Few topside activities unless you are really into windsurfing. Curacao has much more to offer in those respects.