What is a reasonable number of shore dives to get in a day?

[DF200]

I'll be heading to Bonaire in late June for 5 days of solo diving. My hope is that by picking sites in an area, I should be able to get in 4 shore dives per day. On two of the days, I also plan to get into town in time to do a night dive with VIP Diving.

As I'm putting down notes and watching videos for each site though, I'm starting to worry that all the extra time getting past the rocks and swimming out and back from the buoys where I start the dive may be cramping the number of dives per day.

What is your all's experience with this?

 

[inquis]

What time does your alarm ring in the morning?

 

[The Chairman]

Don't over-do things that you end up losing the joy of diving in the process. I've been diving one or two years, and I've met too many burn-out divers. Take time to smell seahorses. It's a big ocean, and not only won't you be able to see it all in one dive, it's not possible to see it all in one week, or month.

 

[scubadada]

My wife and I just finished our 12th trip to Bonaire. We used to do up to 4 dives per day. Now, 3 dives per day are enough, 3 1/2 hours.
I just did 38 dives in 13 days, 42:50 dive time.

 

[tursiops]

I'll be heading to Bonaire in late June for 5 days of solo diving. My hope is that by picking sites in an area, I should be able to get in 4 shore dives per day. On two of the days, I also plan to get into town in time to do a night dive with VIP Diving.

As I'm putting down notes and watching videos for each site though, I'm starting to worry that all the extra time getting past the rocks and swimming out and back from the buoys where I start the dive may be cramping the number of dives per day.

What is your all's experience with this?

Four dives a day is pretty straightforward.
Avoid going over lots of rocks to get in; many sites ae marked for a good way to get in, and one of the shore-diving books will also help. For example, south of Salt Pier you can almost walk in on sand, whereas anywhere else you are clambering over slippery rocks.
Don't waste any time swimming out to and back from the marker buoy; start and end your dive in the shallows....lots of interesting stuff to see, and much more relaxing. Get in chest deep water, take a compass bearing on the marker buoy, drop down and swim out. Reverse the course to get back to where you dropped down.
If you only end up with 3 dives some day, that's OK. It's not a competition.

 

[BoltSnap]

I believe that an average of 3 dives per day is reasonable. Perhaps 4 when you do a night dive (not every day).

 

[OMyMyOHellYes]

NJight dives? When? What lunar cycle?

Box jellies.

 

[uncfnp]

There are many factors including where you are staying (drive time to dive site), is there a house reef, how long are your dives, are your dives along the one way road and just how motivated are you…

4 is certainly reasonable for a short stay, 2 morning dives, lunch and then 2 afternoon dives or 1 plus a dusk or night dive. Often when we planned to dive north we would pack lunch, do 2 dives, have lunch, then another dive before returning through Rincon. Very rarely would we do 5 dives in a day. That was pretty much our norm until like scubadada we got a bit older, and longer stays helped too. Now we are happy with 3 and even just 2 occasionally (our dives tend to be a bit longish as well).

 

[OTF]

I've played the maximum dives per day (or hours underwater for the week on CCR) game and it's a fun goal to strive for and a great way to make a Bonaire trip really worthwhile. Although I will say the park is amazing and worth skipping a couple dives to see.

For context the following is in reference to a regime of relaxed mostly shallow dives, in Bonaire specifically, for a moderately experienced diver, staying somewhere with easy access to fills, a vehicle, and a house reef, and the pace maintained every day for one full week. Assuming full length dives not quick dips to pump the numbers. This will NOT apply to most other locations in the world where logistics are tougher...

4 dives per day is easy and relatively relaxed. Double dip in the morning, double dip in the afternoon. Pretty much the standard format if you don't skip any diving. 5 per day is manageable and still fun but takes some commitment to maintain the pace. 2 in the morning, 2 in the afternoon, and a night dive after dinner. Dive eat sleep repeat. It will mean sometimes going diving instead of to the fancy restaurant. 6 per day is possible but starting to become truly strenuous physically and logistically. Careful time management, reduced sleep, reduced self-care, a bit insane all around - but tons of time experiencing Bonaire's incredible reefs before they are gone completely.

It helps to have simple systems in place to make the transitions smooth - get a convenient place to store gear, hit the grocery store to load up on quick meals/snacks to have between dives (restaurants on the island can be sloooow), minimize driving distance, have one bathing suit out to dry while you wear the other, etc. Don't be afraid to dive the same accessible/nearby/"house reef" site many times, a good diver can always observe new things or work on new skills. Dive conservatively as the models are not really optimized for this kind of thing. Slow ascents, enjoy the shallows. Use nitrox but plan your dives considering both N2 and O2 exposure. Stay hydrated, try to get enough sleep. Tape your blisters before they become serious.

 

[arew+4]

3-4 is not excessive, if we pull up short on a dive we sometimes throw in a unscheduled dive on a half done tank then we are at 4 to 5. Conceivably you could do 6 to 10 25 minutes dives and not get N2d out. If you're enjoying the dive maximize it, if not, minimize it. Your probably paying for unlimited fills so use them.