Just for fun...Any sites you don't like on Bonaire?
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drrich2
Contributor
Since White Slave got mentioned, thought I'd add my single dive 'mixed experience' with it. One Bonaire trip a buddy & I tried it. We went in at the slave huts; I don't recall looking for where the yellow rock was. There were 2 'parts' of this dive, and they were difference experiences.
First, he turned left & headed south. The reef drop off was much deeper than usual for the west coast of Bonaire. So, it was there, and could be dove, but a big pudgy guy like me on an 80 cf tank, I don't like diving really deep across the major portion of the dive (in other words, running up a deep average depth; max. depth doesn't mean so much), unless there's a good reason to.
So, we turned back & headed north later in the dive.
The northward portion of our dive featured nice reef growth much shallower.
This is just based of my recollection, and it wasn't this year or last I dove it, so maybe someone else has a much different perspective.
But if I dove White Slave again, I'd probably head north from the slave huts. It was a different dive.
Richard.
First, he turned left & headed south. The reef drop off was much deeper than usual for the west coast of Bonaire. So, it was there, and could be dove, but a big pudgy guy like me on an 80 cf tank, I don't like diving really deep across the major portion of the dive (in other words, running up a deep average depth; max. depth doesn't mean so much), unless there's a good reason to.
So, we turned back & headed north later in the dive.
The northward portion of our dive featured nice reef growth much shallower.
This is just based of my recollection, and it wasn't this year or last I dove it, so maybe someone else has a much different perspective.
But if I dove White Slave again, I'd probably head north from the slave huts. It was a different dive.
Richard.
oldschoolto
Contributor
The airport when we leave..
Jim...
Jim...
scuba127
Contributor
I've never done a dive on Bon that I really didn't like but I will say it seems to me the hard coral formations in the Lake/Angel City area are not as good as they were when I started diving Bonaire 15 years or so ago....
Once I'm in the water, all the sites are just fine. But some of the sites have difficult entries/exits, especially with some waves.
I've got 275 dives in front of Buddy Dive...it is still just fine.
As to degradation of sites over the last 15-20 years, yes, they are degraded. But less so than many places in the Caribbean, and it seems to me the degradation has slowed or even stopped. One needs to remember that sand and algae are part of the life cycle...they come and go....and bleaching and various coral diseases are inevitable, I'm afraid.
I've got 275 dives in front of Buddy Dive...it is still just fine.
As to degradation of sites over the last 15-20 years, yes, they are degraded. But less so than many places in the Caribbean, and it seems to me the degradation has slowed or even stopped. One needs to remember that sand and algae are part of the life cycle...they come and go....and bleaching and various coral diseases are inevitable, I'm afraid.
Kharon
Contributor
Re. degradation - I've seen some reefs elsewhere, on highly touted destinations, that were essentially dead rock. Though these weren't necessarly typical of that destination nothing I saw there beat Bonaire.
lmorin
Contributor
Case in point -- Something Special, which we ordinarily like, was simply awful one day when a cruise ship arrived at the main dock in Kralendijk and left its engines running. The noise was intolerable out on the reef. I'm pretty easy about noise, but the level actually forced us to swim while holding our hands over our ears. Had to cut the dive short by 20 min.
As far as bad sites go, any at which we get knocked down by the waves is bad, at least for that particular dive. Never dived the Hooker because we do not dive steel unless it is covered with lots of organic stuff.
BHB ScubaTroll
Contributor
As for diving at dive sites, I would have to say that it depends on what type of lens I am diving. If I have a macro lens and there are tons or Eagle Rays, well... I won't get that shot. On the other hand, if I am diving a wide angle lens and there are nothing but anemone with cleaner shrimp... I won't get the best shot from that either.
I can only say that when we get there tomorrow (June 13), I am going to make the best of it
I can only say that when we get there tomorrow (June 13), I am going to make the best of it
K
KeithG
Guest
on our last trip to Bonaire I developed a bit of a hate for a few dives. They all were afternoon boat dives. With a certain dive group. Different sites each time. Same cluster divers. Okay, I really had the hate for the divers and not the sites. I love every bonaire dive site I have been to.
In reality I have only encountered 2 different types of dive sites i hated:
- those for which I was not capable (too much current, ...)
- totally crappy viz
I have had bad current dives in my life (I generally avoid current dives since I like macro stuff AND I am a wuss). First was in PNG and we spent the whole dive hiding behind bommies trying to rest as we struggled to get back to the boat. The other 2 were both in Saba. 1 we aborted in the first 5 minutes as we blew through a significant portion of our gas just getting forward to the anchor line. The second I thumbed after 30 minutes of constant finning just to maintain position. I am told old for that.
We had 1 bad viz night dive in roatan at AKR. About 5 - 10 feet. Sucked big time. New experience for us. We were not happy.
So 4 crappy dives in 900. I think I am winning so far...
In reality I have only encountered 2 different types of dive sites i hated:
- those for which I was not capable (too much current, ...)
- totally crappy viz
I have had bad current dives in my life (I generally avoid current dives since I like macro stuff AND I am a wuss). First was in PNG and we spent the whole dive hiding behind bommies trying to rest as we struggled to get back to the boat. The other 2 were both in Saba. 1 we aborted in the first 5 minutes as we blew through a significant portion of our gas just getting forward to the anchor line. The second I thumbed after 30 minutes of constant finning just to maintain position. I am told old for that.
We had 1 bad viz night dive in roatan at AKR. About 5 - 10 feet. Sucked big time. New experience for us. We were not happy.
So 4 crappy dives in 900. I think I am winning so far...
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