Question about wind

[aconerly2788]

Hi,

I will be going to Bonaire next week and it appears the forecast wind speeds are about 15mph+ on average for the week from East/SouthEast. Just curious, is that higher than usual? I know Bonaire is usually pretty windy. Also, if you have been to Bonaire in similar conditions, how did it affect the diving on the west side (surface conditions, viz ect.) Thanks in advance for your input!

 

[H2Andy]

easterly winds (the trade winds) at that speed are the norm for Bonaire. the western side won't notice.

 

[darook]

As Andy says it won't be a problem as that is the norm. Wind is good for chasing skeeters away at night. You may want to hit the extreme north or south end in the morning as it will likely be calmer. It will not have an effect on viz, really only a reversal, coral spawning or a bunch of rain would do that. I am heading there in 8.5 weeks, but who is counting?

 

[cmtn]

I was also concerned about the wind before my first trip to Bonaire at the end of June. It was very windy, but that did not affect the water visibility much on the west side of the island. The only thing I found is that kayaking back from Klein Bonaire was very tough against the current and the afternoon winds. Ziggie from WoodWind picked me up, which I was very grateful for. The other option was waiting until evening when the winds typically die down some. I kayaked over to Klein again, but made arrangements with the Eden water taxi to pick me up for the ride back - had my inflatable kayak folded up and in a backpack. You can see from my photos from June the clarity of the water: Bonaire Reef Gallery 1

---------- Post added August 27th, 2015 at 10:38 AM ----------

 

[Doctorfish]

Waiting till evening would be a bad plan. If you did not make it back, you would be out on the water in the dark with limited odds of rescue.

I was on Bonaire a few weeks ago and with the winds, shore entries at the south end seemed to be a bit choppier than other trips. Still, no big problem.

 

[Titatom]

We're headed to Bonaire in a couple of weeks. We are meeting friends and plan to do a day just 'shore diving'. We'd done boat dives in the past but not shore diving (except the house reefs where we stayed at). Any suggestion on which sites are a 'must' and which ones with easier entries? Thank you.

 

[H2Andy]

all the shore dives are superbly easy entries. my favorites were Karpata, the Hilma Hooker, Jeff Davies, Tori's Reef, Buddy's Reef and Bari Reef.

 

[Doctorfish]

Titatom, There are lots of threads here on Bonaire Shore Diving. Also the book "Bonaire Shore Diving Made Easy is a good reference.
Wherever you shore dive apart from house reefs, you need hard soled boots.

My personal favorites last month were

Salt Pier
Karpata,
Thousand Steps

If you want non house reef easy entries;

Pink Beach,
Bachelor's Beach
Salt Pier


Check conditions with the dive shop in the AM, if the wind shifts slightly to the east or north, some of the shore entries at the extreme south or north end of the west side of the island, can get a bit rough. Navigation for all the sites on the west is dead easy.