questions about bonaire

[scubaaaronh]

We are leaving for our first trip to bonaire and don't know anyone whohas been there. Can someone please help with some questions about the island.

How safe is the tap water to drink in bonaire? has anyone gotten sick from the tap water or ice melting in a beverage from the island?? Is the food from the market in rincone safe to eat?? or should we stick to the main resorts and restaurants for meals? Do the main restaurants serve the local dishes(i like to try the foods of the islands) like the goat stew and salt fish and other such native foods.

Thanks in advance we leave in a short six weeks from now.

 

[dvrliz1]

We are leaving for our first trip to bonaire and don't know anyone whohas been there. Can someone please help with some questions about the island.

How safe is the tap water to drink in bonaire? has anyone gotten sick from the tap water or ice melting in a beverage from the island?? Is the food from the market in rincone safe to eat?? or should we stick to the main resorts and restaurants for meals? Do the main restaurants serve the local dishes(i like to try the foods of the islands) like the goat stew and salt fish and other such native foods.

Thanks in advance we leave in a short six weeks from now.

Aaron,

The water is the best in the world, at least that is what I think! It is desalinized sea water, and I've never heard of anyone getting sick from it! All the restaurants on Bonaire are fantastic! I have to recommend a few... Casablanca, Swiss Chalet, The Rib Factory, Bistro de Paris, Pasa Bon Pizza, Mona Lisa, so many, so good! For local food you definitely have to try Gibi's on a Tuesday Nights. If you ask around on the island they can give you directions. He hosts a dinner every Tuesday night starting at around 6:30 pm. You can call him (567-0655 on Bonaire) and tell him how many you will have and he can give you directions. We also love Julio's right in town. I get the galina stoba (chicken stew)...and my husband gets the cabrito stoba (goat stew) Yum! Enjoy We will be on the island in January, hopefully we will get to meet up with you at Gibi's!

Liz

 

[scubablue67]

Aaron,
You're gonna love Bonaire. It's truly a divers paradise. The only bad part of going to Bonaire is the day you have to leave.
Check out Bonaire talk.com for the most complete info. There is also lots of sharing of little know tips and valuable experiences. After pouring over all the info I felt like a local when I arrived.
Don't get stuck only eating at your hotel. There are some great spots to eat. Our trip to Gibis for local food was a highlight. After enjoying his hospitality you'll have really experinced Bonaire at it's best. I've heard he now hostes dinner from his home on Tuesdays. There is a gathering of people that have met on Bonairetalk.com that hook up there on tuesdays.

Richard

 

[scubaaaronh]

Aaron,

The water is the best in the world, at least that is what I think! It is desalinized sea water, and I've never heard of anyone getting sick from it! All the restaurants on Bonaire are fantastic! I have to recommend a few... Casablanca, Swiss Chalet, The Rib Factory, Bistro de Paris, Pasa Bon Pizza, Mona Lisa, so many, so good! For local food you definitely have to try Gibi's on a Tuesday Nights. If you ask around on the island they can give you directions. He hosts a dinner every Tuesday night starting at around 6:30 pm. You can call him (567-0655 on Bonaire) and tell him how many you will have and he can give you directions. We also love Julio's right in town. I get the galina stoba (chicken stew)...and my husband gets the cabrito stoba (goat stew) Yum! Enjoy We will be on the island in January, hopefully we will get to meet up with you at Gibi's!

Liz

What week will you be there and where will you be staying. We will be there the 15th through the 22 at Plaza resort. Unless work changes things then we will be there the third week of Feb.

 

[scubaaaronh]

Thanks to everyone so for for all the info i have devoured every word of what each of you have written.
Maybe we'll see some of you there.

thanks again

 

[ZenDiver]

The water is awesome, the food is fantastic and the diving is even better than that....=) Rent a truck and dive your tail off......

Brian

 

[scubaaaronh]

What is the average shore dive depths and how long of a surface swin to most sites. We are planning the drive and dive package through the plaza resort. and may add a boat dive or two. Any comments on the Plaza resort?

 

[herman]

You can make the shore dive almost any depth you want. I don't bother with surface swims out past maybe 30 ft surface distance. At that point the water is around 10 ft or so and there is life there. I drop to the bottom and follow the slope out and do the same thing on the return, makes a long deco stop. The basic profile of the shore on Bonaire is a slow slope over a distance anywhere from 40ft to 150 ft. At the end of the slope you will be in about 35ft of water at which point the slope takes a very sharp drop, at at least a 60 deg or better angle, at some places it's almost a wall. At the drop the bottom can be anywhere from 80 to over 300 ft depending on what part of the island you are on with the northern end being the deeper. The normal way to shore dive Bonaire is to swim straight out from shore until you get to the drop off, note the current direction and head up current. How deep you make the dive really depends on where you want to be on the dropoff. I usually just stay on the edge in 35-40 ft. My average dive time is around 70 minutes.

I will agree with Liz on your earlier question, the food and water are safe to eat/drink. You will tend to dehydrate a lot more than you realize so drink lots of water. We buy a 1L bottle of water (just for the bottle) are refill it the entire trip.
A note on Gibi's. Until recently he ran a restaurant but closed it. The people on the Bonaire board, www.bonairetalk.com , had such a tradition of going to his restaurant on Tues nights that he decided to continue the tradition at his home. He is a really nice guy, great cook and if you want to get a real Bonairean meal, drop in on tues.

 

[munkispank]

Herman's advice is superb- I just wanted to add that two of my fav dives on the island are the Salt Peir dive (check with your dive op that it is OK to dive that day) and the Hilma Hooker- the Hooker is a 'deeper' shore dive with the wreck at about 80ft, but there is a nice slope back to shore giving a good safety stop with lots to see. Our profiles were usually much like Herman's- 40 ft for 60 mins or 50ft for about 50 mins.

It is a great place- enjoy, and don't forget to leave nothing in your truck when diving.

 

[TropicalDiver]

IMHO - Bonaire is better ABOVE water than BELOW water. Diving days and sites just run into one another - all same. LOTS of fun to be had above water though! Ask around and go exploring! Locals are very friendly and nice.