Diving Skills - North and South Sites

[lpera]

Friends!

Fiancee and I will be in Bonaire for a week in October for the first time. We are both beginner divers with an average of 50 dives each (in Brazil, Aruba and Thailand) 0 shore dives so far.

Our plan is to do shore dives only, e have been reading a lot lately trying to find out what would be our options and maybe working on a draft dive schedule (which most likely will change when we get to Bonaire!).

We already eliminated East Coast dives from our plan, maybe in a next visit or so.

Considering the West Side only we have been reading that pretty much all "Central" dive sites are easy dives, not much current, although dives north at the park can be quite difficult.

In terms of current how hard can north and south dives be? I would not want to miss a park Dive unless the currents are really strong. I understand that each day is different but knowing the average conditions would be great.

We appreciate beforehand any insight from you Bonaire experts!

 

[Doctorfish]

The North and South are usually pretty benign.
Depends on which way wind is blowing and how hard.
Conditions usually very predictable from shore.
I check with local dive shop each day re conditions.
Buddy dive runs an all day 3 tank boat trip up to the park, which in my opinion, is the easiest, safest way to dive this area.

With 50 dives under your belt, East side boat diving would not be a problem either. Although it is rough, boat drop off and pick up is very well organized and there is always a guide on the drift dive.
As long as you can hover at 10-15 feet to do your safety stop, you can do this. The East side has a lot more pelagics and turtles then the West and is worth doing.

I would pass on East side shore diving for now.

 

[lmorin]

Current is not a problem at most sites most of the time. However, things change regularly. On Bari Reef, for example, often there is no or negligible current, but at times it is difficult and usually from the north, but sometimes from the south. You will always have to make a judgment call at the site. The far south sites are much more likely to have a current problem.

Wave action at the shore has been a greater problem for us than current. Entry/exit is rendered much more difficult if there are waves at the water's edge, even if it is only to render the bottom features difficult to see. Waves that actually pound or move you are obviously much worse. The angle of the shore relative to the wave direction also makes a difference and can be worse at the northern sites on days that things seem decent further south. You will have to make judgments about these issues when you are on the island. If you have worries, ask local dive masters or other experienced Bonaire divers for their thoughts before you head out to a particular site.

 

[diversteve]

We didn't dive the park and concentrated more on south of town dives but we did a few dives north also - Webers Joy, Bari Reef, Cliff - about the only currents we encountered were at Hands Off but it was sold to us as a drift dive. Off Klein anyway so if you're not boat diving...

One exception I'd mention is that any of the south sites between White Slave and Red Slave can also have fast currents. Some dive maps will mark them as advanced. We did a dive down there - don't remember the site but I think it was Atlantis - and it was totally calm in the morning. Really easy entry also. Although now I guess the Kitesurfers are the bigger danger there.

Later that day we dove Vista Blue - the next site down. Looked good from shore but once we dropped down the current was ripping. Fans and soft corals folded flat over. We're both decent divers and after kicking 15mins. solid into it, we gave up and surfaced - where it was actually very calm. Except that with all the kicking we'd done going north we were actually about 200 yds. south of the truck now. Only dive on Bonaire we called due to conditions. And we did 20+ of the known ones - we don't repeat sites.

I'm sure you've read it here but really good really treaded boots are a must. To see some of what you'll be crossing over - all of these listings show the entry: http://www.shorediving.com/Earth/ABC/index.htm

If you dive Angel City (you should) pick your way carefully over the ironshore as the waves receed. In addition to the ironshore, it's one of few sites that have holes in it - easy to twist an ankle. Or in my case slide down into one till the coral edge scrapes the skin off your shin. I still have the scar 10 years later so that means I can still tell the story right?

 

[uncfnp]

Except for the extreme southern sites, current is really a non issue on Bonaire. It's more about the entry/exists. With a few exceptions, the difficulty of a dive site is the difficulty of entry. And the major issue with the park dives is the time factor of driving the park, though some of the sites have a difficult access as well.

 

[jimbeeler]

Current is not a problem at most sites most of the time. However, things change regularly. On Bari Reef, for example, often there is no or negligible current, but at times it is difficult and usually from the north, but sometimes from the south. You will always have to make a judgment call at the site. The far south sites are much more likely to have a current problem.

Wave action at the shore has been a greater problem for us than current. Entry/exit is rendered much more difficult if there are waves at the water's edge, even if it is only to render the bottom features difficult to see. Waves that actually pound or move you are obviously much worse. The angle of the shore relative to the wave direction also makes a difference and can be worse at the northern sites on days that things seem decent further south. You will have to make judgments about these issues when you are on the island. If you have worries, ask local dive masters or other experienced Bonaire divers for their thoughts before you head out to a particular site.

I second this... From my experience, the waves were not that big a deal except that they obscured the bottom visibility by stirring up the sand. This made it easier to step into a hole or lose your balance as you felt your way in or out. As has been presented in other threads, a partner to hold onto make things a lot easier.

Jim

 

[lpera]

Thanks a bunch for the replies! I am OK with a somewhat rough entry, what bothers me is having to dive with a strong current for the entire dive....after all I am there to have fun and not to exercise!!

 

[Mike]

When you say south are you talking all the way south, toward the light house? That's what I consider south and yes they can be really rough down there, but highly rewarding. As long as the conditions are safe I think you can muscle through some current, it's well worth it for what you will see down there. An remember it's swim against the current for 3/4 of the dive and drift back with it for the final 1/4. Swimming against the current doesn't mean swimming like a work out, just swimming leisurely against it at a very comfortable pace that is enjoyable and not like work.

 

[lpera]

Mike,

does not sound bad the way you described. Maybe I just have a bad impression about strong currents because 2 dives we did in Thailand last year. In one of them I could barely keep moving againt the current and after 15 minutes of constant and hard trying our dive master decided to gave up the dive.

An OK swimming would not be a problem at all!

When you say south are you talking all the way south, toward the light house? That's what I consider south and yes they can be really rough down there, but highly rewarding. As long as the conditions are safe I think you can muscle through some current, it's well worth it for what you will see down there. An remember it's swim against the current for 3/4 of the dive and drift back with it for the final 1/4. Swimming against the current doesn't mean swimming like a work out, just swimming leisurely against it at a very comfortable pace that is enjoyable and not like work.

 

[gbf]

We've been visiting bonaire since the early 90's, starting when our children (2 girls) were brand new divers, and regularly since.

I find it to be about the most benign conditions imaginable on the lee side. That said, I always tell my troops upon arrival:

Rule 0 is "Be careful. Don't get hurt and ruin your diving".

That includes running away from rough sites - there is almost always a place to hide from the prevailing winds, and if not, well, there is always a hammock and beer.

Do a practice run on the entry without gear. If you have trouble without gear, then find another way or go somewhere else.

If you get out there and the current is running too fast - and for us that is just about any noticeable current - abort. Go somewhere else or to the hammock.

This is part of the charm of Bonaire. If you don't like the conditions, whatever they may be, go somewhere else. Probably they'll be better. Study a map with a compass rose on it so you can make good guesses based on prevailing winds.

The only time I can remember actually bagging the whole day was a wind reversal. and I "rule 0'ed" the idea of shore diving the east...

One of our Rule 0 limits: Vista Blue (and only early AM to avoid kiters) is as far south, and Nukove is as far north as we go.