What are the "Can't Miss" dive sites in Bonaire?

[mitridate]

We're looking into planning a trip to Bonaire. No dates set yet. Looking at 4+ dives per day, including our first night dive/s.

But I've been reading everything I can about Bonaire, its reefs, its history, people...

One of my biggest questions is regarding dive sites.
What are the "CAN'T MISS" dive sites around the island?

I've read review after review on shorediving.com but was looking for input from the boards.

Thanks
Dennis

Red Slave for fish (we had a hammerhead shark there, first time in 20 years of diving on Bonaire), but you have to go way beyond 100 ft), and Red Beryl to see turtles, up to 3 hawksbill on one dive.
Have fun

 

[yhike]

13 more days and we will be in Bonaire. Looking forward to a week of diving.

 

[reefseal]

6 more days and there.. Looking forward to Karpata. Favorite is La Dania's leap and drift over to Karpata. It's a short walk in btw sites.

 

[Maule]

Something Special
Last trip we dove it three times.
.

I agree, Something Special is my absolute favorite. I dove it twice last year and going back in July plan on making it my very first and very last dive site again this year. I also vote for Invisibles as my 2nd favorite. Group I was with last year stated, and had photos to back it up, that they saw some incredible stuff at Oil Slick. My least favorite is Bachelor's Pad, that is one big step down to the beach.

 

[CCTX50]

COUNT DOWN TO BONAIRE>>> 12 more days!!!

 

[ClayJar]

Okay, let me turn back the clock 1024 days to when we were leaving Bonaire last time... *whirring noise*... Yep, I can remember it as if it were 1023 days ago, and I'll have to agree about including the "Can't Miss" dive of La Dania's Leap to Karpata. mb and I were leading the trip, and on the last dive day (1026 days ago... I can remember it as if it...), we left the others behind and went up to do La Dania to Karpata. The early part of the dive made Cliff look more like "Short Drop", as I recall, and the shallows on the Karpata end were amazing.

Only 25 days until we're heading to the airport to go back. This time, we're going for two weeks. The first week is with her parents, and then we send them home and do the *fun* dives (like La Dania to Karapata) the second week. :biggrin:

Is it the first two weeks of July yet?

 

[glazeddonut]

I'm taking my first trip to Bonaire in a couple weeks, and can't wait. Although everyone seems to agree that all the sites are good, I put together a quick tally of the recommendations so far, so I could try to hit all the REALLY good stuff. In case anyone else is interested, here's my count. Thanks for everyone who's contributed so far, and keep the recommendations coming!

1000 steps (+5)
Alice in Wonderland (+1)
Angel City (+4)
Bari Reef (+3)
Buddy’s Reef (+1)
Candyland (+1)
Forest (+1)
Hands Off (+1)
Hilma Hooker (+8)
Invisibles (+8)
Jeff Davis (+2)
Jerry’s Reef (+1)
Karpata (+1)
Ladonia’s Leap (+5) [drift from there to Karpata]
Margate Bay (+1)
Oil Slick (+7)
Ol' Blue (+4)
Rappel
Red Beryl (+2)
Red Slave (+5)
Salt Pier (+2)
Something Special (+6) [check out shallow areas during surface intervals]
South Pink Beach (+1)
Taylor Made (+2)
The Lake (+4)
Tolo (+2)
Town Pier (+3) [Best at night…must hire a DM]
Vista Blue (+1)
Windsock (+1)
Witch's Hut (+3)
Yellow Sub (+1)

 

[DiverVince]

Looks like you've got enough sites to keep you busy! A great (unmarked) site which I see is not on your list would be "the Rock" located down south. I believe it's right after Invisibles (if memory serves me correctly). Swim straight out about 100 yards to the drop off & drop down on a beautiful underwater island. Top about 80 feet, bottom of island about 115. This is one of our favorite dives which we do multiple times on our trips.

 

[glazeddonut]

Just returned from my first trip to Bonaire, and have to agree that all of the diving is good there. Our favorite spots:

Hilma Hooker (For the wreck, but also a great reef)
Red Slave
Something Special
Lake
Weber's Joy/Witch's Hut

 

[ClayJar]

I'm in terminal guidance mode now, so I'm remembering everything I enjoyed... not to mention my BSDME is now open and beckoning. One thing that I'm remembering now is that the double-reef sites were quite enjoyable. Using my BSDME to jog my memory, the main section includes (in north-south order):

• The Lake: 65' second reef (to the south, it actually joins here and there, which makes for an interesting route -- and one of the few places you can get turned around in Bonaire, hehe)
• Hilma Hooker: 75' second reef (and the wreck, which we mostly looked at from the reefs on either side)
• Angel City: 45' shallow, broad second reef (this was fun to explore)
• Alice In Wonderland: 75' second reef (getting deeper from north to south)
• Aquarius: 88' second reef

and the second double-reef (and The Rock) section goes

• Salt City: 70' second reef
• Invisibles: 80' second reef, and the reef would look like a giraffe from way up high, as there's sand between the "spots", which are "islands" of coral
• The Rock: 65' top of The Rock

At Invisibles, we did one dive where we just hovered in place above one of the larger sand highways and watched all the fish pass *us* by. It was like a parade. Of course, if you really want islands of coral, you can't beat Karpata, which looks like a giant Smurf village made of coral.

Of course, no "best sites" list would be complete without me noting that just south of Bari Reef (basically, in the Front Porch area, I suppose), we hit a giant, desolate sand and rubble slope. One would think that this would be a boring, sad dive, but we got to observe a hunting squid. He would change color, put all but a couple arms back, and dart forward to reach under a rock. He didn't get to what he wanted, so he backed out and studied it, then went in on a slightly different tack. We got to sit there for five minutes, maybe more, watching this cephalopod trying to figure out lunch, complete with curiosity and lots of color changing. (When we first stopped nearby, he looked at us to see whether we were predatory, but hovering asymmetric quadripuses leaking bubbles from their heads didn't count to him as predators.) So, basically, wherever you dive, if you keep your eyes open and just enjoy what's there, there's no telling what you'll find.