Shore Dives with no Current ?

[NightRaven77]

Ok...

I decided to take my girlfriend to get certified in Bonaire strictly because of the ease of diving.

Ive read all these threads about Must-Do dives......But kinda need to filter the suggestions out there.

Im looking for about 10 shore dives that have little to no current and easy entries into the site.

We are staying at Belmar Apartments......

I hear Tori's Reef is nice.....Anyone else got any suggestions?

NR77

 

[Craig66]

I never found current to be an issue on either of my two trips there and while there was always a marginal current it was not really a decisive factor in any dive.

What did surprise me though was the difficulty in many of the entrance and exits.

I highly suggest getting "the book" as that is very helpful in guiding entrances and exits and advising difficulty off Dive.

In general any Dive from a dock of a resort is going to be an easy exit and entry as there are invariably steps.

I found the dives south of town to be a little easier as many involved Sandy beaches. Dives like pink Beach, bachelors beach and the Dive opposite the airport we're all pretty easy.

You can also be chivalrous and help carry her equipment into the water beyond the obstructions. The water is usually at standing level and very calm.

I also floated my equipment out a couple of times beyond the obstructions but be sure to inflate your BCD.

Often the best way is to choose a site, drive to it, get out of your car analyze it, plan an entry possibly even practice and then go back to your car and suit up.




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[diversteve]

Start with Belmar's dive - it's a decent dive. We stayed there also. You'll do it anyway as your BMP dive. We also dove it again one afternoon. I don't remember any current there at all. Nice dive dock also. Somebody told me it's part of the Corporal Meiss site. If the hurricanes didn't get them, there's some big purple tube sponges sort of at 11 o'clock from the dive dock when facing west. Not particularly deep, no more than about 40'.

Entry photos/descriptions for a lot of sites are here: Scuba Shore Diving Region: ABC Islands

Windsock is one of the easiest entries there is on Bonaire. Just north of Belmar - named that since it's at the end of the runway. It's the site Craig mentioned.

While Tori's is a good dive, it wouldn't make my top 10 for easy entry:
Shore Diving Site Picture for: Tori's Reef of Bonaire South, ABC Islands

Salt Pier is a pretty easy entry. And a good shallow dive. None of the pilings are more than about 40-50' deep. Can't dive it if a ship is loading though. Shore Diving Site Picture for: Salt Pier of Bonaire South, ABC Islands

Pink Beach just south of Tori's is an easy entry right here: Shore Diving Site Picture for: Pink Beach of Bonaire South, ABC Islands But more of a swim out to the reef than some.

Look for sand channel breaks in the ironshore at some of the other south side sites also, at many you can walk right out to deeper water. Sometimes you have to park and walk to the waterline to see them. At many sites, other divers have made little piles of coral rubble indicating the best entry.

One not to try is Angel City, there's ironshore in the water with holes in it. And it's slippery - I went down there hard.

Mostly don't dive the far north or far south sites to minimize current. South that's past White Slave down to Lighthouse. North it's mostly the Slagbaai Park sites. Anything marked Advanced here: http://www.infobonaire.com/divemap.html

Maybe dive some of the north resorts also. Since you're staying at BelMar that gives you privileges at Buddy Dive - including the drive thru. To dive Bari Reef rent tanks from Bonaire Dive/Adventure and use their dock - they're a little fussy about non-guests. You can also dive at Habitat for a small fee. Swim north from there to the Cliff site - one of few vertical walls off Bonaire. Cliff is also accessible from the 1st turn-off north of Habitat but some of that area is private property.

Farther north many entries are rougher on-shore or are hard to access like 1000Steps. Karpata is another more difficult entry. down stairs, over an ironshore area then off the concrete slab. After I tore up my shin at Angel City, I didn't see much north of town that looked easy enough to want to try.

 

[mbs]

Also note that the tide can change ease of access.We love Windsock and Corporal Meiss for easiest access. Except one day at Corp Meiss when the tide was low our normal access point was a big step down. 18 Palms at the Plaza resort also has very easy access. Something Special has easy access, but I did have current kick up a little once going right. +1 for the shore diving made easy book. Helpful tips for first time. I honestly don't recall any serious current on any dives. Challenging entries and exits is our issue, especially on that 4th or 5th dive of the day

 

[gbf]

Bari Reff - if you're not diving with BDA get in from the empty lot just south of Den Laman. West off the traffic circle - there is usually a big pudlle to drive thru, but just go on, it is no problem, park by Den Laman, walk down to the water then right about 10 yds, walk in the water. Easy Easy.

Tori's - Long swim out. Get in on the East/South side of the channel (away from town). Easy enough, but longish swim out.

Pink Beach - There was a sand channel that cuts thru the ironshore so you can just walk in, no sweat. Kinda long swim out, too.

Witches Hut - about 4 stairsteps down to the beach, then walk over small rubble into the water. The rubble can shift a little. This is always our first dive after checkout because entry for my girls is easy. Then we do Oil Slick...

Oil Slick - Jump in from the flat spot just north (right) of the ladder. I act as leaning post for my girls/wife then put my fins on and jump. Climb out on the ladder. Got beat up some during hurricane, but my girls like the jump.

1000 steps is about the same as Witches Hut, but has a longer staircase (about 70 steps, not 1000)

Salt Pier - If no boat coming/in. Get in on the north/west side of the pier. Easy.

Cliff - Walk down to the water behind the Oasis Dive Friends store, then south until you get to the yellow entry rocks, about 50 yds maybe? Swim south to the wall.

Any of the dives along the airport are easy walk-in/out dives.

Basically most of the dives on the lee side are pretty easy. I dove for years with teenaged girls and never thought much about it. Except for stormy weather current has never been a problem.

 

[Kharon]

Never experienced much current though Bonaire Shore Diving Made Easy lists some sites where you need to be aware of it. Two very easy entries are the dock at Yellow Submarine (Dive Friends) and Tori's reef. I liked both dives. At Tori's I found the short step down to the water easier at the south side of the channel. Very calm, sandy protected channel that they used to draw water through for the salt pans - no longer used. Once you hit the drop the dive is nice either right or left. Almost always saw turtles there. The book says long swim to drop but I didn't think it was long.

 

[Ray and Pam]

Tolo (Ol Blue) which is up North has an easy entry at the southern end of the beach. Although not shore dive but do a couple boat dives on the north side of Klein or Rappel which is on the North side of Bonaire but only accessable by boat, unless you rappel.

 

[SandyUT]

we did a week there 4 years ago any only had a weak current on one dive. It caught us off guard as it was the last dive of the week and well there was a bit of surface swimming that afternoon. But we were not off by all that much, we just didnt expect or want to work that hard swimming back on the last dive of the week.

 

[T.C.]

I never encounted a current more than a trickle in Bonaire. I've had worse currents in a lake than in some places in Bonaire.

 

[Gdog]

Once you are on the Island, and you have dove a couple of the above sites, drive around and check out the entries on the rest of them. You will easily find what you need. As for Tori's reef, one day we had huge surge there, got our butt kicked getting in. So what is good one day may not be the next. Even the more difficult entries, such as Karpata, arent that bad if you just take your time. If there is more surge than you like, move on.