Roatan vs. Bonaire

[Herk_Man]

Could I get people that have been to both places to comment on the differences between these two diving destinations. For travel considerations, coming from the central U.S.

I've been to Bonaire and absolutely loved it. Have a friend trying to decide between Roatan and Bonaire and I don't want to let my bias toward a location I've been (and loved) lead him away from something that might better suit his diving.

Thanks in advance,

E.

 

[netmage]

Loved both.... I stayed at Divi Bonaire and took my rebreather, went OC for the week at CocView in Roatan.

Bonaire gets higher scores for more varied dive sites....

Roatan, or at least with CoCo View, you end up doing the same two walls as your second dive all week long... Nice - but worth mentioning.

PS.... also tilting to Bonaire is the shore option; which changes the whole timetable/schedule/tempo of your trip... Load into a truck and dive on your own schedule; wanna sleep in - no problem... wanna go early - no problem.... no waiting on anyone....

 

[doctormike]

Not to disparage Roatan (had a few great dives there), but there is nothing quite like Bonaire. And that's not just me saying that, Bonaire almost always scores at the top of those dive magazine surveys year after year in many categories...

They REALLY take reef conservation seriously. The island is all about diving, and it shows. I went to Curacao this year instead, and found it nowhere near as nice (10 times the population, lots of fast food places and strip malls). You can read all about it in a number of places, so I don't need to go over it, but it is great just being able to walk into the ocean anywhere, any time and have a terrific dive. Cheaper too, since there really is no need for boat dives on Bonaire as long as you are comfortable without a divemaster, and have a good buddy (although there are a few Zodiac trips on the "wild side").

A lot of people go to Curacao or Aruba for more "nightlife", but as far as I was concerned, there were plenty of fantastic restaurants, a few casinos, etc.. more than I needed. I guess if you were looking for a place to LIVE, Bonaire might be a bit small, but for a dive week it's great. There is other stuff to do there as well (windsurfing, kitesurfing, touring, nature preserve, etc..).

Have fun!

Mike

 

[robint]

Loved both....... very different diving experience.

Roatan, we stayed at CoCoView Resort and loved it more than any other resort/hotel we have been to around the world. It is small and cozy, efficiently run, and not fancy. Suited us perfectly. The diving is 24/7 and 4 boat dives per day are provided with unlimited shore diving. All meals are buffet style in clubhouse at set times and very good. You are able to pick whatever you like and take as much as you like, free tea and lemonade, coffee, water. Beer and sodas $ are run on a tab at bar that you pay on last day. It is very easy to get in 5 dives per day there, some people even did more than that. My trip report: http://www.rnrscuba.net/CCV_Trip_Report.html

Bonaire, we stayed at Buddy Dive and loved it. It was nicely set up, great shore diving right in front of resort. Only hassle for us was that only breakfast was provided so we had to find food for lunch and dinner. We bought some food for room fridge and made sandwiches for lunch several days but other than that we had to depend on restaurants. The food there was expensive and waiters were slooooooooow beyond belief. Meals just took too long. For that reason we did only 3-4 dives per day.

As far as the actual diving.... vis is better at Bonaire but the reefs are much more dramatic on the southside of Roatan with many swimthroughs and chasms, sheer walls, colorful coral and sponges. Roatan southside dive sites are also the kind of walls where you can pick your depth - shallow right under the boat, then a sheer wall dropping off to abyss. Several dives were in 100'+ range like Mary's Place and Calvin's Crack and those were fantastic. Nothing like those two dives on Bonaire.

The shore diving at Bonaire was great for sure but so was the diving from shore right at resort. We saw more turtles and frogfish in Bonaire, more seahorses and squid and garden eels in Roatan. We really loved diving both locations. The diving is just very different.

Diving on the northside of Roatan is different from southside, so you will need to see which area your buddy is interested in staying. The resorts only dive the side of island they are located on. AKR is north, CCV and FI are south.

robin

 

[doctormike]

Loved both....... very different diving experience.

Yup, sounds like I might not have given Roatan enough of a try... Stayed at Fantasy Island beach resort, but the diving got cut short when my buddy broke her hand by getting it between a hinged dive ladder and the boat!

But seriously, neither of these come close to the diving off the New Jersey shore, and you can catch a Broadway show during your surface interval!

 

[Herk_Man]

Appreciate the input. I absolutely loved the shore diving in Bonaire. I've been on many boat dives all over the world and while getting tanks can be a little bit of a hassle, I think I'll take the freedom of shore diving over the problems associated with boat diving any day. Only been home two weeks and already pining for Bonaire again.

 

[DeputyDan]

In all honesty - at some point in time you should do both.
I am making my fifth Bonaire trip later in the month and have been to Roatan (Coco view) twice.
It's not really a good versus bad choice but a preference choice. It's sort of hard to explain until you have experienced both.

My daughter who dives with me on most trips, prefers Cocoview since she does not have to drag gear around (she weighs 95 pounds soaking wet and gear lugging can get old)

I would probably recommend Roatan to you since you have not done it and suggest that you look on the trip as an adventure.

One last point - insects are much MUCH (did I say much) worse on Roatan.

 

[robint]

In all honesty - at some point in time you should do both.
I am making my fifth Bonaire trip later in the month and have been to Roatan (Coco view) twice.
It's not really a good versus bad choice but a preference choice. It's sort of hard to explain until you have experienced both.

My daughter who dives with me on most trips, prefers Cocoview since she does not have to drag gear around (she weighs 95 pounds soaking wet and gear lugging can get old)

I would probably recommend Roatan to you since you have not done it and suggest that you look on the trip as an adventure.

One last point - insects are much MUCH (did I say much) worse on Roatan.

I found the sand fleas to be a nusance on Roatan but we used Cactus Juice so no real issues. Bonaire it was the mosquitos everywhere that were a problem, especially at dusk. I am more worried about those mosquitos as they numb you when they bite, so you don't know they are there. The noseums hurt so you immediately know you have been bitten and need to apply more Juice. Mosquitos carry really bad diseases, too.

As underwater photographers/videographers, we like both destinations because of the diving freedom. The boat dives at CCV were great because the DM let us do our own thing and just meet back at boat after 1 hour. Worked great for us! I can just lay in sand and watch a critter pop in and out of his hole for an entire dive, or hover over a small coral head watching critters do their thing. I don't need a DM or guide, but it is cool that one is in the water and will signal if he finds something cool like a seahorse or toadfish.

As I said though - they are our Top 2 destinations in the Caribbean. Both are great, very different, but great in their own way.

 

[doctormike]

As a photographer, I loved mornings at Eden Beach, Bonaire. I would get there before the rest of my group got up, take my macro lens and a few extra pounds of weight, and just sit by the rock pile off the shore for an hour or so.

A photographer with a macro lens is definitely no fun for anyone not taking pictures, we tend to stay put...!

 

[rrobey]

Just back from Bonaire last night. My sons and I had a great time, both diving and enjoying the island. I have been to both Roatan, and Bonaire on other occasions. I would recommend both, however I feel Bonaire has more coral life, and more attractions above water.
One thing to be aware of on Bonaire is a high rate of petty crime. We lost several items at Karpata that were in the rental car. When the rental companies tell you to leave your car unlocked and the windows open you know they have a problem on the island. Most dive sites have broken glass as testament to those who chose to lock their doors. The police told us to call back in five or six hours as they were busy. You would think a island of less then fourteen thousand could put a stop to such activity. All that aside, the reef on Bonaire is one of the best I have experianced on this side of the world.