Say goodbye to twisted ankles.......

[Craig66]

So last time in Bonaire there were many a time where I would love to have had a shoulder or arm or buddy to grab onto to steady my entrance and exit. Alas not always possible as buddy was trying to prevent his own tottering from becoming a fall - Behold the Bonaire walking stick combined with a go pro camera mount.

I took two plastic pipes with a coupler. At the far end of one I have placed a go pro mount and at the opposite end a bolt clip. On the second pipe is a coupler and at its opposite end is a bolt clip as well.

When entering and exciting the water the two pipes are joined together and help as a walking stick to steady entrance and exit from rocky sites.

When in the water it can be used either with one piece of tube or two pieces as a mount for a go pro.

If you do not want to use it as a mount while diving just take it apart and clip each pipe onto your D rings.

But won't they drag onto the reef??. Thought about that. stuffed a little neoprene or foam into the tubes to achieve neutral or even positive buoyancy and the tubes will lie parallel or even slightly vertical and will not be in the way of your diving - sort of like slinging a cylinder.

Attached pics - works like a charm to be that added support to help center you when tottering on the rocks.

If you see Moses coming out of the water staff in hand its not the Caribbean Sea about split its just me !!!

 

[KeithG]

You are over thinking this. And not lazy enough.

There are lots of docks / boats to splash from. Easy in, easy out.

 

[Craig66]

Limiting one to the boats and docks kind of leaves out a whole lot of great dive sites.

Believe me I learned first hand what going down feels like - not something I want to repeat. A real ouch !!!

 

[KeithG]

Limiting one to the boats and docks kind of leaves out a whole lot of great dive sites.

Believe me I learned first hand what going down feels like - not something I want to repeat. A real ouch !!!

Agreed, but how many dive sites do you need? The fish do move, especially the bigguns. The small ones don't, but you can't find them all in 1 dive. Especially if you are looking through a camera lens like I do.

Last Bonaire trip we dove the same site 13 times. I did not see it all. I have 10 Stinapa "badges". I have only dove about 1/5 (or less?) of Bonaire sites. I have seen less than 25% of most of the sites I have dove. I dock dive and go where the afternoon boat is going. Every dive is a new box of chocolates.

I have the same problem in T&C and Belize. We have repeated these trips many times and have not yet covered all of any dive site. Last Belieze trip i spent 70 minutes covering the 5 foot by 5 foot anchor block. I did get a keeper picture. And my dive buddy spotter saw many things I did not.

We are one of those rare dive teams that do not count dive sites. We count fish species (well my buddy does, they all look like snappers to me...).

P.S. Ugly industry secret: You dive at least 2 sites each dive...if you swim...

 

[Kharon]

Agreed, but how many dive sites do you need? The fish do move, especially the bigguns. The small ones don't, but you can't find them all in 1 dive. Especially if you are looking through a camera lens like I do. ... Every dive is a new box of chocolates.

Agree to some extent. But, and it's a big but, on Bonaire there are quite a number of really special sites that can only be accessed across the iron shore. Cliff, Tolo, and the southern double reef (at least 4-5) come to mind. I'm sure others can add a bunch to that list (just do a search on this forum). If you are only going to dive the docks you're going to miss some of the best that Bonaire has to offer.

Oh, and yes, the boats do go to some of them and even some that can't be easily gotten to from shore. But personally, I go to Bonaire to shore dive where I want, when I want, for as long as I want, solo - no DM to follow, no dip****s to kick me in the head or shove me so they can get a picture.

So I actually do need to cross the ironshore sometimes/most times.

 

[RJP]

Agreed, but how many dive sites do you need?

If you arrive at a site and there's a truck parked there... you need at least ONE MORE site.

 

[Craig66]

Actually some of the nicest sites I visited were not "official sites but areas near the salt fields where the entries looked reasonable and would pull off the road and walk in. Only car being mine !!!!

 

[KathyV]

So last time in Bonaire there were many a time where I would love to have had a shoulder or arm or buddy to grab onto to steady my entrance and exit. Alas not always possible as buddy was trying to prevent his own tottering from becoming a fall - Behold the Bonaire walking stick combined with a go pro camera mount. I took two plastic pipes with a coupler. At the far end of one I have placed a go pro mount and at the opposite end a bolt clip. On the second pipe is a coupler and at its opposite end is a bolt clip as well. When entering and exciting the water the two pipes are joined together and help as a walking stick to steady entrance and exit from rocky sites. When in the water it can be used either with one piece of tube or two pieces as a mount for a go pro. If you do not want to use it as a mount while diving just take it apart and clip each pipe onto your D rings. But won't they drag onto the reef??. Thought about that. stuffed a little neoprene or foam into the tubes to achieve neutral or even positive buoyancy and the tubes will lie parallel or even slightly vertical and will not be in the way of your diving - sort of like slinging a cylinder.Attached pics - works like a charm to be that added support to help center you when tottering on the rocks. If you see Moses coming out of the water staff in hand its not the Caribbean Sea about split its just me !!!

Good for you! You keep doing what you need to do in order to dive independently wherever you want!

 

[RJP]

Actually some of the nicest sites I visited were not "official sites but areas near the salt fields where the entries looked reasonable and would pull off the road and walk in. Only car being mine !!!!

We simply carry our own yellow rock and a black dry-erase marker.

 

[lmorin]

We simply carry our own yellow rock and a black dry-erase marker.

Don't leave them in the truck during a dive; it will be stolen.