Kharon
Contributor
Can anyone who's been to both give me some idea of how the diving on Roatan (CocoView or other areas) compares to the diving on Bonaire. I'm most interested in coral and fish life. I have absolutely no interest in wrecks.
Roatan vs Bonaire
- Thread starter Kharon
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victorzamora
Contributor
Having never been to Bonaire, I can tell you that I LOVE Roatan. West End is my favorite place to be. There's not really any shore diving, but CoCoView does have some shore diving.....including a wreck. Boat dives are like $30 per tank including weights and tanks and you've got a 5min boat ride to most dive sites. Go to Roatan. Go to West End, even if you stay at CoCoView. If you don't, dive with West End Divers. Get to Texas if they think you're skilled enough for it.
The defining characteristic of Bonaire is the ability to drive a rented truck up and down the coast, stopping at any of the numerous well-marked dive sites. The rental trucks are iconic. There are drive-through air stations! Sure, some dive ops offer boat dives, but that is secondary by far to the shore diving. It's ALL about the shore diving and those rental trucks on Bonaire.
On Roatan, it's all boat diving, except for the house reef at CocoView and perhaps a few other places.
As for the coral and reef health, my observation is that it's probably about the same on Roatan and Bonaire. However, in Bonaire it is YOU who get to control what sites you visit and how deep you dive. Maybe you like to seek out that sweet spot on the reefs where it's deep enough to be healthy yet shallow enough to be nicely sunlit, allowing you to see small critters and dive for an hour and a half. On Roatan, except for the limited shore diving, you are at the mercy of where the boat takes you, and most dive ops feel that the customers want to dive to more typical depths, not stay shallow.
Apples and oranges!
On Roatan, it's all boat diving, except for the house reef at CocoView and perhaps a few other places.
As for the coral and reef health, my observation is that it's probably about the same on Roatan and Bonaire. However, in Bonaire it is YOU who get to control what sites you visit and how deep you dive. Maybe you like to seek out that sweet spot on the reefs where it's deep enough to be healthy yet shallow enough to be nicely sunlit, allowing you to see small critters and dive for an hour and a half. On Roatan, except for the limited shore diving, you are at the mercy of where the boat takes you, and most dive ops feel that the customers want to dive to more typical depths, not stay shallow.
Apples and oranges!
I've been to CoCo View (once, two weeks ago!), and to Bonaire (a lot).
Shore diving is MUCH better at Bonaire, although in just one week at CCV the two walls you can shore dive are OK. The Roatan viz sucked...maybe 20-40 feet versus 80+ in Boanire. Coral and fish were similar. Roatan u/w topography much more interesting. Small critters the norm in both places....neither are good for big guys. In Roatan I saw few parrotfish and surgeon fish; not a good sign for the future.
Shore diving is MUCH better at Bonaire, although in just one week at CCV the two walls you can shore dive are OK. The Roatan viz sucked...maybe 20-40 feet versus 80+ in Boanire. Coral and fish were similar. Roatan u/w topography much more interesting. Small critters the norm in both places....neither are good for big guys. In Roatan I saw few parrotfish and surgeon fish; not a good sign for the future.
CoCo View was my first "real" dive trip. Loved it. Set the bar for all other trips I've taken. Couldn't be easier to dive whenever you want. CCV Wall, Newmans wall and the rest of the front yard are yours ANY TIME you want them. At that time (things may have changed) they did an AM and PM boat dive and then for the 2nd tank will drop you at CCV or Newmans wall (or the Prince Albert wreck but you weren't interested). So, you're doing a LOT of CCV and Newmans wall. Awesome macro life, fly by's by rays, occasionally some bigger stuff.
I've been to Bonaire 4 times over the last couple years. Depending on where you stay and what package you go with (boat dives included, truck/no truck, etc) you could basically recreate the CCV experience (e.g. AM and PM boat dives, single tank, come back and do the house wall for 2nd tank) or branch out on your own. We've always stayed at Capt Don's and loved it. The freedom there is outstanding - hop in a truck and hit any dive site you want. If you go south down towards salt pier, angel city, the lake, they're very different dives than Tolo, Karpata, etc which are to the north. If weather cooperates you can get further south toward the slave huts which are different still and I would absolutely do a couple east side dives with Bonaire East Coast diving (boat dives) for a really unique Bonaire dive with almost guaranteed eagle rays, turtles, tarpon, beautiful lush walls. Capt Don's house reef is like the front yard at CCV, great macro life, wall goes down to about 130' where the sand bottom is full of garden eels, jawfish, etc.
I really enjoyed both. There may be less big stuff in Bonaire, however, like I said, east side has bigger stuff and over the trips I've been there we've seen dophin, whales and coming out of Karpata after a 2hr CCR dive a Manta flew over us in 8' of water
To put a pin in this - both are awesome. Depends on what you're after - CCV is an AI and you can dive your brains out. Capt Don's includes breakfast (typically) and you can pick your package to do a CCV type thing with boat dives up and down the coast and to Klien as well, or get a truck and go wherever you want. Coral and fish life are going to be pretty similar from my experience.
I've been to Bonaire 4 times over the last couple years. Depending on where you stay and what package you go with (boat dives included, truck/no truck, etc) you could basically recreate the CCV experience (e.g. AM and PM boat dives, single tank, come back and do the house wall for 2nd tank) or branch out on your own. We've always stayed at Capt Don's and loved it. The freedom there is outstanding - hop in a truck and hit any dive site you want. If you go south down towards salt pier, angel city, the lake, they're very different dives than Tolo, Karpata, etc which are to the north. If weather cooperates you can get further south toward the slave huts which are different still and I would absolutely do a couple east side dives with Bonaire East Coast diving (boat dives) for a really unique Bonaire dive with almost guaranteed eagle rays, turtles, tarpon, beautiful lush walls. Capt Don's house reef is like the front yard at CCV, great macro life, wall goes down to about 130' where the sand bottom is full of garden eels, jawfish, etc.
I really enjoyed both. There may be less big stuff in Bonaire, however, like I said, east side has bigger stuff and over the trips I've been there we've seen dophin, whales and coming out of Karpata after a 2hr CCR dive a Manta flew over us in 8' of water
To put a pin in this - both are awesome. Depends on what you're after - CCV is an AI and you can dive your brains out. Capt Don's includes breakfast (typically) and you can pick your package to do a CCV type thing with boat dives up and down the coast and to Klien as well, or get a truck and go wherever you want. Coral and fish life are going to be pretty similar from my experience.
diver 85
Contributor
AND---the north side is better than the south side-------DEFINITELY Roatan------IMO......but--I might be a little biased???(Roatan 25 times---Bonaire 1 time..
)..........Saying this though, I'm getting way too old for that shore diving stuff(crap), give me a boat to roll off of ---ANYDAY......
Damselfish
Contributor
comparing a single resort with an island...though I sort of agree anyway. I'd rather do the boat dives at Cocoview and the convenient shore dive there than do Bonaire, and I'm not even a huge Cocoview fan. More variety of terrain and sights just on the shore dive at Cocoview than most of what you see boating or driving all over Bonaire, with a few exceptions of course. (My main issues with Cocoview are that I didn't think the food was very good, at least not when we were there a few years ago. And when I get on a boat with 2 tanks I want to use them both someplace else - I don't like that the second tank of every boat dive is a dropoff back by the resort that I could just do from shore. Plus we discovered that we mostly prefer the diving around the west/north of the island.)
Anyway, they're both good places with enough fish and critters to be seen, I don't think one can be declared better. Which one you will like better depends so much which place fits your style.
As far as actual diving goes, for the most part, whatever you can find in Bonaire you can find on Roatan.
The main difference is the focus and abundance of shore diving on Bonaire.
Both places have A.I. resorts if that's what you like. Roatan might be easier and less expensive to get to, depending on where you live. It's possible to stay and dive on Roatan on a shoe string budget, if you don't feel a need to stay in "resorts." When staying on the westside of Roatan, it feels like more of a remote island atmosphere than I ever felt on Bonaire. There are more bugs (mosquitos and no-see-ums) on Roatan.
As you can probably tell, I don't love Coco View, like so many on this board. I like the lower cost, Mom & Pop hotel, dive, restaurant and bar OPs on the other side of the island. I like "island life" and don't like being stuck on a resort for the majority of my time.
So yeah, it really just depends on your style and what kind of dive trip you want.
The main difference is the focus and abundance of shore diving on Bonaire.
Both places have A.I. resorts if that's what you like. Roatan might be easier and less expensive to get to, depending on where you live. It's possible to stay and dive on Roatan on a shoe string budget, if you don't feel a need to stay in "resorts." When staying on the westside of Roatan, it feels like more of a remote island atmosphere than I ever felt on Bonaire. There are more bugs (mosquitos and no-see-ums) on Roatan.
As you can probably tell, I don't love Coco View, like so many on this board. I like the lower cost, Mom & Pop hotel, dive, restaurant and bar OPs on the other side of the island. I like "island life" and don't like being stuck on a resort for the majority of my time.
So yeah, it really just depends on your style and what kind of dive trip you want.
robint
Contributor
I have been to both and have PHOTOS and VIDEOS of both.
My thoughts:
Roatan has beautiful reefs with dramatic walls, especially near CCV. They have swim-throughs and walls covered in massive sponges and coral. Fishlife is good but not great. HOWEVER, there are seahorses! We had 4 on one dive last trip! Check out my website.
Bonaire has easy shore diving and lots of fish. The reefs to me are boring, just the opposite of Roatan. You can spend hours underwater there, just checking out the fishlife though, including all types of small fish.
night diving = Bonaire is awesome, tarpon come out and hunt with your dive light. Very cool.
Roatan is not great due to worms being attracted by dive lights. Very annoying.
So... depends what you want.
CocoView resort is the best resort we have ever stayed at. We love it, the staff, the amazing shore diving, the reefs.
Bonaire is great, but different.
My thoughts:
Roatan has beautiful reefs with dramatic walls, especially near CCV. They have swim-throughs and walls covered in massive sponges and coral. Fishlife is good but not great. HOWEVER, there are seahorses! We had 4 on one dive last trip! Check out my website.
Bonaire has easy shore diving and lots of fish. The reefs to me are boring, just the opposite of Roatan. You can spend hours underwater there, just checking out the fishlife though, including all types of small fish.
night diving = Bonaire is awesome, tarpon come out and hunt with your dive light. Very cool.
Roatan is not great due to worms being attracted by dive lights. Very annoying.
So... depends what you want.
CocoView resort is the best resort we have ever stayed at. We love it, the staff, the amazing shore diving, the reefs.
Bonaire is great, but different.
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