Two Noobs Report on Bonaire...In Detail

[gypsyjim]

Barb, one of the keys to seeing a lot of life in Bonaire and elsewhere is to slooooow down and take in the view. Too often I see divers zooming past like Jaws were after them. Fish do not like big things moving fast, that usually means someone is about to get eaten so they hide or you just miss them altogether. Slowing way down will also increase your bottom time, always a good thing.
Oh and don't zoom past Jim, esp on night dives. He has been know to lecture total strangers about diving too fast. (inside joke)

And I will never live that down. Thanks...

 

[drrich2]

Eden's Rubble is like many things in life; your expectations going in will seriously color your reaction to it. It's not a nice REEF dive like most of the other sites; the rocky ledge/shelf along shore is a bit different for entry and exit (I like the exit); the entry off the pier can be done as a small giant stride. Lots of sandy and rocky bottom and some patchy coral here and there.

A friend and I have had good fortune finding scorpion fish and sea cucumbers in the shallows here, and enjoyed 2 night dives at Eden's Rubble (one accompanied by 2 tarpon).

Here's Wallob shot of me on a giant stride entry at Eden's Rubble, off the pier:

If you night dive there, these anemonies (that can retreat into the sand very fast) are common.

One of our new dive buddies.

We also found spiny lobster diving there at night.

Richard.

 

[scubamickey]

Are there any sharks around Bonaire? Never seem to hear anyone mention them and a lot of stories about shore dives at night which would indicate that there isn't a shark problem for shore divers. Is this correct?

 

[gypsyjim]

In 5 or 6 trips we have never seen a single, even tiny shark:depressed:

We love to see sharks, day or night. They are awesome creatures, and most types of shark will not bother you, unless you give them no choice.

Can't tell you the reason for the seeming complete lack of sharks on Bonaire, am just not that knowledgeable.

 

[b1gcountry]

Nope, sharks exist in Bonaire waters, but running across one is a pretty rare occurrence.
Tom

 

[drrich2]

Are there any sharks around Bonaire? Never seem to hear anyone mention them and a lot of stories about shore dives at night which would indicate that there isn't a shark problem for shore divers. Is this correct?

I've had 2 trips to Bonaire, a total of 26 dives total over the 2 trips, and haven't seen any sharks. Of course, there are a lot of things in Bonaire that I haven't seen. I saw a mention somewhere once of a small shark of some sort at Bonaire.

Since 'shark' is such a broad term (3 foot dog fish, 16 foot great whites, etc...), I figure your concern is potential man-eaters. It's my understanding great whites are a cool water shark not all that common in the warm Caribbean. I don't recall off-hand from the Bonaire postings I've read people talking about bull sharks, for instance, or other large 'man-eater' species coming around.

Here is a link discussing shark attacks & the Caribbean; here's an excerpt from that:

The Bahamas, with its huge amount of coastline and larger tourist and resident populations, has recorded more attacks than any other Caribbean destination - still only 35 since 1896 - while the rest of the region averages less than one attack each year. Florida averages 20 to 30 shark attacks each year.

Yeah, since that first female victim got nailed night swimming in the original Jaws movie, I've been leery of the idea, but it doesn't seem to deter Bonaire night diving. I enjoyed the 2 I went on.

Richard.

 

[scubamickey]

Actually, I'm not afraid of sharks. Been on a few shark dives over the years. But I'm not stupid enough to shore dive at dusk in areas with large shark populations. That's why I was asking

 

[herman]

I have only heard of one or 2 sighting and no problems. Even so, there is no need to do long surface swims.....and plenty of reasons not to, loads a little stuff in the shallows... which is where you would be at most risk. The biggest danger on a night dive from an animal is a close encounter with a large tarpon...they are no danger but will cause you to hurt yourself. It's very common for them to swim within a foot or 2 of divers which can be very unnerving if you are not expecting an 8ft plus fish to come from nowhere and be your close diving buddy.....many a wet suit has needed washing after such an encounter.

 

[gypsyjim]

Or maybe Morgan's jelly fish? I think I can get him to run across the surface on his fins by just mentioning jellies! (another inside joke)

 

[DiveMaven]

On our second day of diving on Bonaire last year, we were treated to a 4' Nurse shark tucked under some coral at Andrea II. When we told folks back at the dive shop, everyone got all excited and told us how lucky we were. That was the only shark we saw in 2 weeks, though the 6' Tarpon certainly were a decent substitute!