Bonaire Dive Profile Help

[xxMACxx]

Down to 11 days and we're very excited. My SDME book by Susan came in and after reviewing it, and trying to do searches on the forum, I have some questions that I'm hopeful some here can help with.

I'm trying to plan out my dives and it seems like everything bottoms out at 130 feet. I really don't want to have that many deep dives so I'm trying to figure out if you really have to go to the bottom or can you hit these sites and stay shallower?

Are there buoy's that you swim out to and descend or does the shore just gradually drop off?

Thoughts/opinions are appreciated.
Michael

 

[sasscuba]

Almost all the sites start in about 35 feet of water and slowly taper off down the slope. You will have no problem doing any depth you want. Have a great trip!

Some sites do have buoy's.

 

[laurelgsc]

Most of my dives were 30 to 60 feet. What can I say, I like to stay shallow and have longer dives. There is so much to see in Bonaire at the shallower depths. The only deeper dive I did was on Hilma Hooker where I maxed out at about 90 ft. Have fun, hopefully I will be back this summer for 2 weeks!

 

[DeputyDan]

I agree with Laurelgsc.

Except for the Hooker dive and the double reef system on the east/south end of the island you really don't need to go deeper than 60 feet.

Bonaire is not about deep. It's about quality reef diving from the shore with depths of 15 to 60 feet!

 

[flatwood]

Most of my dives were 30 to 60 feet. What can I say, I like to stay shallow and have longer dives. There is so much to see in Bonaire at the shallower depths. The only deeper dive I did was on Hilma Hooker where I maxed out at about 90 ft. Have fun, hopefully I will be back this summer for 2 weeks!

I agree...there is tons to see in these depths. When you get to the island, start diving on the south end first. The entrys are easier. Enjoy Bonaire.

 

[xxMACxx]

Thanks for all the great, and quick, feedback. I'm glad to hear that you don't have to go deep to get good quality dives. We want to be in the water as much as possible!

Thanks
Michael

 

[reefdiva]

Down to 11 days and we're very excited. My SDME book by Susan came in and after reviewing it, and trying to do searches on the forum, I have some questions that I'm hopeful some here can help with.

I'm trying to plan out my dives and it seems like everything bottoms out at 130 feet. I really don't want to have that many deep dives so I'm trying to figure out if you really have to go to the bottom or can you hit these sites and stay shallower?

Are there buoy's that you swim out to and descend or does the shore just gradually drop off?

Thoughts/opinions are appreciated.
Michael

Glad to know that you are starting your trip with such a great tool -- BSDME by Susan Porter. As others have said you absolutely do not need to go deep. There is so much life in the water that you will love staying shallow so you can have long dives. My typical profile is to reach my pre-chosen depth depending on the site and previous dives that day and then to work my way back up the reef spending most of my time above 45 feet -- I love the shallows!

Concerning the buoys ... there are markers at many sites and they can be a great aid in navigation. You can surface swim to the marker, take a compass heading and then descend, noting the depth of the block so you can use it as your mark when you return. The buoys tend to be in water that is 15- 25 feet deep and near the drop. The drop is very gradual so you can easily work your depth. On the return I like to turn towards shore at the marker and stay submerged until I am almost to the shoreline -- and then I like to try to drain my tank looking in all the little holes! You do not need to swim to the markers if you don't want to though!

It is good that you are using the guide to plan ahead but remember that conditions can change based on wind and wave action so be prepared to move to another site if the entrance looks challenging that day. It may change by the next!

Have a great trip!

 

[CLEAR BLUE]

Ditto on what everyone is saying. Frequently there is a buoy where the reef begins. We would generally snorkel out to these because there was fun stuff to see in between. When we got to the buoy we would descend and check the depth and swim into the current (of which there was very little). There was tons of stuff to see anywhere between 30 and 60 feet and if you wanted to go down to the sand what you would frequently see her garden eels. We would swim until about 1/2 our air was gone and then turn around and come back at the depth of the buoy. Tons more to see. The only deep dive was the Hilma Hooker. The reefs are pristine and there is SO much life in them.Take your time and look in the nooks and crannies. Have a GREAT time and safe diving. By the way...even when the Shore Diving Made Easy book says that an entrance is challenging...it's not too bad. The "long" surface swims aren't too long so don't worry about that.

 

[diversteve]

You may not want to grab the buoy rope at some of the south sites - I've seen what I think is Firecoral on some of them. No gloves allowed...

 

[Cecil]

Here's some profiles for Bonaire (to give you some idea).

Bonaire Talk: Dive Profiles from March Trip

Bonaire Talk: Dive Profiles