Night dive in Bonaire

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cornemuse

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We are about to have our first trip to Bonaire and are planning which spots to dive. Looking for some shore spots for twilight / night dives. Could we borrow some wisdom from here? Thanks for recommendations!
 
We are about to have our first trip to Bonaire and are planning which spots to dive. Looking for some shore spots for twilight / night dives. Could we borrow some wisdom from here? Thanks for recommendations!
Any location for day dives can be dived at night.
The farthest north you can go is "weber's joy" without having to do the Rincon loop.

If this is your first ever night dive, it is probably smart to enter while there is still light. The city dives (like Sebastian's) are a bit easier for first timers.
The lake is good because you can find the exit with ease.
I leave a small light on the truck sometimes, to make it easier to find the exit.
 
For a first timer, the house reef at Buddy Dive is an excellent night dive. Go north or south, plenty to see in both directions and lots of well documented landmarks.
 
Easy entry, house reef, or place with some ambient light if it's your first time night diving. Bonaire is a great first night dive location because the viz is so good it's basically like day. There are some different reef creatures out - sharptail eels are fun to watch as they hunt. If you get lucky you'll see a lobster, very lucky and you might see an octopus. Hang out in the shallows near a lighted dock or restaurant to meet some tarpon.

Please try not to blast the animals with your lights, at least keep the centers off their eyes.
 
Thanks all for the suggestion!

We did other night dives from the shore before but mostly from the site we are very familiar with. The main worry would be navigations at night and reference points for exit. Leaving a light in the truck is a great idea!
 
From just one night dive off Buddy Dive in Bonaire last February.

You wanted octopus? You got 'em!
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Like Tarpon? We had 4-5 of them swim with us the entire time. It's like hunting with hounds: Point your light at a smaller fish and the tarpon tear after them, thankful for the easier nighttime feeding. Here's just one fellow, they're not shy at all:

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Nice eel on the prowl:

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Lion safaris are easier when they don't hide as much!

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UV makes some corals pop with color:

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Just a few photos from a remarkable 60 minutes underwater at night. No matter how familiar you are with a dive site, nighttime makes it entirely different.
 
Any location for day dives can be dived at night.
That does not apply to penetrable shipwrecks. They can be dived at night but if so it's going to be a different strategy than the same wreck during the daylight hours.
 

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