La Dania to Karpata

[Tunaman68]

Is this drift feasible from shore with two relatively advanced divers? We have lots of dives in Coz, and we're used to shore diving in So Cal with the stairs and conditions but it's our first trip to Bonaire.

I was thinking to do it 1) from a boat or 2) with a guide but don't want to kick myself for wasting money if the .

What are the major landmarks and at what depth underwater that signal arrival at Karpata? I'm not exactly an underwater navigation genius but if it's follow the wall at 45' until you see the giant anchor then go east I think I can handle it....

Thoughts??

 

[chauncy19]

i am sure it can be done if you are an advanced diver. would it be easier to hire a guide?--yes
would advise doing Karpata first to get use to it etc. don't think its a big deal but just to be clear I hired Bas
really though if you're comfortable doing it I don't think it would be a problem.

 

[boat sju]

Honestly . . . I think you're getting ahead of yourself. Do some diving first and then decide if you really think that's worth it.

 

[diverjen]

Not that pricey to get someone from VIP Diving to guide you.

 

[T.C.]

Finding the exit shouldn't be that hard. The anchors are to the east of the entry/exit point, so once you see them, you can start coming up and looking around. There's no reason not to just make a safe ascent as you're drifting, check your position, and come back down.

Sure, it's doable...if you and your buddy have good enough air use rates. It'll be sorta far to swim, I make it as 250 yards. I say swim, because every time I was on that area of the island, the current went from west to east; opposite the way you wish to go.

And that current is not much. Bonaire is NOT a drift diving destination, at least on the west side; not like Cozumel is. I think you'll be missing the point of Bonaire if you try to do drift diving there.

 

[djtimmy77]

We did it last week. No current. Took 52 minutes to swim slowly to the exit.

Did it the "easy way" though. two of us did La Danias Leap, and the other two drove the trucks to Karpata. They got in and swam towards us. When we met up, they told us how long they were swimming so we could time the exit easily.

Definitely helps if you've done Karpata a few times, and can recognize the giant sea fan and the staghorn.

Never went below 33fsw on this dive though, as we were taking advantage of the late afternoon sun lighting for my wife's photos and my gopro video, so didn't see the anchors.

We also did another dive just down the coast prior to this dive as a "current check"

 

[uncfnp]

We did it last week. No current. Took 52 minutes to swim slowly to the exit.

Did it the "easy way" though. two of us did La Danias Leap, and the other two drove the trucks to Karpata. They got in and swam towards us. When we met up, they told us how long they were swimming so we could time the exit easily.

Definitely helps if you've done Karpata a few times, and can recognize the giant sea fan and the staghorn.

Never went below 33fsw on this dive though, as we were taking advantage of the late afternoon sun lighting for my wife's photos and my gopro video, so didn't see the anchors.

We also did another dive just down the coast prior to this dive as a "current check"

So do you think the dive is different enough from the others nearby that it was worth the effort? We have talked about trying it and have even looked for the starting point but have never committed to the dive.

 

[T.C.]

Did it the "easy way" though. two of us did La Danias Leap, and the other two drove the trucks to Karpata. They got in and swam towards us. When we met up, they told us how long they were swimming so we could time the exit.

Now that's thinking with your dipstick.

So do you think the dive is different enough from the others nearby that it was worth the effort? We have talked about trying it and have even looked for the starting point but have never committed to the dive.

I don't think the site is marked with a rock. I could be wrong, though.

 

[uncfnp]

I don't think the site is marked with a rock. I could be wrong, though.

No but supposedly there is a path. We thought we found it but it didn't look quite right and I think it was too far from Karpata.

 

[Gdog]

The anchor at Karpata is just south of the exit, at about 40 fsw. Easy to find. We talked about doing the dive you are asking about, but the current was minimal at best, and we ended up just entering at Karpata every time.