Bonaire/Curacao trip report

[petemoss]

Just returned after 3 days in Bonaire then 7 in Curacao. Nov. 3 thru 13. Luckily we did Bonaire first as it was divable. We mostly shore dive by ourselves and Curacao was nasty the first few days but returned to its beautiful self. Curacao looks like a lowland rainforest at the moment.

We did Karpata, Andreas, Alice in Wonderland, Cliffs, and Red Slave. Red slave had very strong current but was worth the effort. Andreas and Cliffs were decent also. I was a little dissapointed in the marine life as I expected a little more. Perhaps it is better at other times of the year. Curacao was more interesting to me. I am sure this will cause some raised eyebrows.

After the ocean calmed we dove Alice in Wonderland, a must do shore dive, Portmari, the San Juan area (excellent), the house reef at the Marriott which I actually enjoy the most and Daaibooibaai where I got a video of a chain eel. I do not know how frequent they are seen but this was my first.

Habitat was closed due to there pier being tore up. A dissapointment as I like diving that reef.

First off, unfortunately I got tired of looking at all the lionfish. I lost track of the amount. I have a video of three large ones at one spot I took at Playa Manzalina.

All the dives had the usual cast and were plentiful with life. Coral in some areas had a sand dusting on them.

Spotted morays were plentiful, some greens and my favorite are the green youngsters. Saw barracuda, tarpon and a few turtles.

Favorite dives were at the Marriott where we stay. Night dive there produced countless lobsters, two nice octopus, two eels swimming around us at one time and others.

Our last dive was our best and the fish were plentiful, eels were out in fullforce including the largest free swimming spotted moray I have seen. Topped off by a beautiful eagle ray at the end. Did a boat dive with Carribean Sea Sports whom I highly recommend to Seldom reef and Lighthouse which were nothing special. Areas were limited at this time.This company will be offering trips to Eastpoint after their faster boat is repaired.

I do not think I will return to Bonaire soon but we stayed at the Son Risa and I can absolutely recommend it. However it is not on the ocean but is peaceful, clean and Jaqueline the owner is fanfastic.

Pete

 

[Craig-n-Em]

Pete

Were headed to Habitat on Christmas day. How bad was the pier damaged? Any idea what happened?

Craig

 

[petemoss]

Yes Craig, The storm blew away some of the structure. It did not look like it was damaged real bad but could not be used at the time. I am sure they will have it operational soon if not already. Obviously a necessity for their livelyhood. The house reef there is excellent and many good spots just up the coast to shore dive if you care to. You willl have a great time. Wish I could be back then.

Pete

 

[Craig-n-Em]

Thanks Pete-

Good info. We are excited. We both cant wait. The countdown is on. If you have any tips or really cant miss dives, please pass on. Also, good restaurants and other places to go.

Craig

 

[petemoss]

Craig, There is a lot of info here if you do some searching on this forum. I do not know if you will have a car or not or your diving preference. If you want some guided shore dives I think the Dive Bus does this. They are highly recommended. Diversity is the dive shop at the Habitat but I know little about them. There have been recent threads discussing dive sites. Check these out. Most all the sites are good but Alice in Wonderland from shore is very nice. Easy dive. For a nice shore diving day take a few tanks and lunch and go to Manzalina. Little tricky getting in after the storm though, it is all dirt road. There will be a guy collecting 3 bucks about half way in. Portimari is nice but a little strange the first time you dive it. Other good areas are around Pierbaai. If you drive to shore dive some places have dive shops an you must use their tanks. Good boat dive spots are plentiful also.
Some good ones are Watamala, Mushroom, Bluebay, and close to the Sea Aquarium. As far as places to go, we do not do much taveling. After diving the Marriott provides all we need. Plus we night dive there. There are a lot of places to eat and shop in town.

Good luck, Pete

 

[scubapeople59]

Hey Pete,
Great to hear you had a good trip. Just one quick question, was it Habitat Bonaire or Curacao that was closed?

 

[petemoss]

Hello 59, It was Habitat Curacao. The pier was damaged but it did not look extensive. I certainly assume it should be operational by now or very soon.

Pete