must-dive sites for first trip to Bonaire

[cirwin]

Hi all,

I will be taking my first trip to Bonaire in about a month, and I am wondering what you think are the must-do shore dives. I am a new diver with 10 logged beach and boat dives in southern California, and will be doing by PADI AOW certification there (I also plan to dive at least a handful of times between now and then). Also, in light of the nitrox thread that seems so popular, Buddy Dive offers a $110 EAN upgrade, and a $175 EAN certification course. Is it worth trying to get nitrox certified before heading down? Should I do it down there? Not worry about it because it's too much to think about for a new diver?

Thanks in advance for your helpful advice...

 

[mjh]

Nitrox is great but maybe stick with getting your AOW and air for this trip. Bonaire is full of great sites. If your are renting a truck and diving on "your own" underwater navagation is a good skill to have in Bonaire or you could have some long surface swims back to the car. The best sites tend to be at the opposite ends of the Islands. These are of course more prone to current.

 

[johnny_bravo]

Must do shore dives:

1) 1000 steps
2) Salt pier (you need to hook up with a DM at one of the shops to do this)
3) Alice in Wonderland
4) The Hilma Hooker (easier to do as a boat dive though)

Nitrox would be a good choice for a Bonaire trip due to the diving conditions. You can do 5 or 6 dives a day if you want and the good stuff is between 20-60 feet. The benefits of nitrox suit those two factors.

Cheers.

-J.-

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Shore dives ...

Definitely the Salt Pier ... you will need a DM, and it's better as a day dive.

Witches Hut
Andrea II (just south of Witches Hut)
Angel City (next to the Hilma Hooker)

1000 Steps is very nice, and there are only something like 67 steps

Nitrox? Depends on how much diving you plan to do. If you're planning four or more dives per day, then it's worth getting Nitrox certified and getting the "unlimited Nitrox" option with whomever you're diving with.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[downdeep]

Also, Town Pier night dive and Ole Blue.

You're going to have a great time (wish I could go).

 

[trigfunctions]

The Town Pier night dive is world famous and a must do. It is very easy but you have to have a guide.

Nitrox certification is easy to get and well worth it.

 

[HMaren]

Johnny Bravo's absolutely right, though 1,000 Steps is a lot easier by boat.
Salt Pier was one of my favorites.
The reef off Captain Don's is great. I stayed there last summer and did 4 out of my 18 dives there.
I also did a dive at 18 Palms that was pretty cool and mellow.

Off-topic, but useful:
Boat dives-
Rappell - the variety of fish life in the shallows is awesome
Karpata
Hands Off off Klein Bonaire

 

[OH2OD]

We have visited Bonaire past two summers, and all dives were excellent.
2004 was my first dive trip and the diving could not have been easier.
Enjoyed Something Special site, I think I remember DM saying there is a resident frog fish there. We stayed at Plaza, and 18 Palms is house reef. We did several dives here and it has abundant fish life. Also enjoyed boat dives to Klein.
You will have a great time.

 

[boulderjohn]

You can get a lot of good information by going to the Caribbean on Scuab Board, and you can also go to http://www.bonairetalk.com/ for more.

With the new PADI rules, you can get your Nitrox certifcation without doing a dive--it's all understanding the theory and procedures before you go in the water--not what you do in the water. It makes sense to get certified before you go down, since you want to spend your precious vacation time in the water, not the classroom. It also makes sense to get the cert--with all the diving you will be doing there, Nitrox is a good choice.

There are many good dives, and you will find out pretty quickly what they are. Some require careful planning. I had intended dives to Town Pier and Salt Pier canceled by the decision of the harbormaster because of boat activity there. Some are easily accessed by shore (Alice in Wonderland, for example), and others call for a boat (Rappel or anything on Klein Bonaire).

 

[herman]

I would go for the nitrox unless you have a real problem with reading tables or math, the rest is simple. You will most likely do the Hilma Hooker as part of your AOW dives. It can count as a boat dive and/or your deep dive (100ft if you know where the hole under the bow is ). $175 is a little steep for the class-unless that includes a week of UL nitrox, most places around here add it to AOW for $75.
I would add Oil Slick to my don't miss dive. It's a 4 to 6 ft giant stride off a rock cliff into 15ft of water. There is a nice platform and ladder to exit on (or entry if your chicken ). Where are you staying and what's the dates, I am going to be at Buddy in about a month myself.