Looking for some Advice!

[fantroym]

So I do a dive trip with a friend of mine every year in March to Cozumel but next year flight increases has made it no longer the cheap spot to go I figure for the amount of money I am spending might as well go somewhere different. I am a new DM who assist classes at my LDS in the pool and then a local quarry with around 250 dives so I am still a newer diver. my buddy is finishing his AOW next month and has around 75 dives with most of those being boat dives in Cozumel. We are looking at Bonaire next year and I am intrigued by the idea of the unlimited shore dives. One dive shop I talked said they give you a map and point out the best spots and away we go. are there currents or tides to worry about or is it really as easy as they make it out to be. looking at a dive package that has unlimited shore diving with 3 boat trips thrown in the mix, just trying to figure out if it really is that easy.

Thanks!
Mark

 

[arew+4]

Yes!

 

[arew+4]

Tide maybe a foot difference on the full moon. Currents zero to mild, within the crook of the elbow, can be a factor at the ends of the boomerang.

 

[BoltSnap]

Bonaire is nothing like Cozumel in terms of current, it awesome lazy, almost no effort, diving. You do have to walk from your truck to the the water but it is awesome easy diving (Caribbean scale).

 

[arew+4]

And if you are researching on the board you will get lots of good advice, one of the keys to a good time is thick soled booties with good grip.

 

[Lorenzoid]

One dive shop I talked said they give you a map and point out the best spots and away we go. are there currents or tides to worry about or is it really as easy as they make it out to be. looking at a dive package that has unlimited shore diving with 3 boat trips thrown in the mix, just trying to figure out if it really is that easy.

Yes, it is THAT easy. If you read through some past threads here, you'll see the inevitable Bonaire newbie question of "what are the best sites to dive." It's understandable. But the best answer, in my opinion, is that there are essentially NO bad sites to dive, essentially ALL the sites are good, and the only question is how to plan your days so that you're not driving up and down the island in the same day. A common plan is to decide over your morning coffee whether today will be an "up north" day or a "down south" day, and then hit some sites in the chosen region. That said, some folks will do two dives at northern sites, have lunch, then two dives at southern sites, or vice versa. (You do have to consider that the road north becomes one-way at some point, and if you pass that point you have committed to taking the long route back down south.) And then there's the night dive if you wish.

As far as boat dives, the shore diving is so good that I only finally got around to working in a few boat dives on something like my eighth trip. If you pay for boat dives in advance, and you find that you are so enthralled with the shore diving that you actually don't feel like doing boat dives, you're stuck. My advice would be that if your first trip to Bonaire is just one week long, don't pre-pay for any boat dives.

 

[DreadnoughtNH]

There are only a handful of sites on Bonaire that can have current (ex. Red Slave), but nothing like you experience in Cozumel.
I think I'm in that small minority that is neither a fan of Cozumel nor of Bonaire (although I concede that Bonaire's east coast is in my top 10); I think the low relative cost of travel to these locations contributes to reefs being beat up, but that's just my opinion.

 

[tkaelin]

It is that easy and while known for the shore diving the boat diving is relatively inexpensive and worth considering if for nothing else to dive Klein Bonaire and see the island from the water. There are those that will tell you not to bother but others who think it is worthwhile throwing some into the mix

 

[fantroym]

Thanks for all the info! I avoided the best places to dive question! But we booked it so I will get to answer all my questions March 14th! but I am sure I will have more questions between now and then. after three years in Cozumel I am looking forward to something new!

 

[mbs]

There are a couple of shore diving guide books. This most recent one is excellent! Amazon.com