Boka Bartol

[flyingDiver75]

Had a great dive on Boka Bartol this week - strong currents but worth it for garden eels, green morays, big schools of black durgon, and a sea horse.

 

[darook]

I've had the opportunity of diving most of the Slagbaai sites late last year. They were okay, but not really worth the trip there unless you want to tick them off your bucket list. Some of the sites North of BOPEC, (Candyland, Taylor Made and Carel's Vision) on the other hand, are some of the best on the island, in my opinion. Not the easiest entries though, and you have to know where to find Carel's Vision from shore. Once you know where it's the easiest of those three tho.

You have my attention on Carel's Vision. Do you have any hints on finding it? I agree that area is totally worth the trip up there. I think the low pressure and lack of sunscreen really helps that area. My usual dive buddy is my wife and after one trip through the park she says she doesn't need to go there again. Nukove is as far North as I have been but liked Candyland better.

 

[boat sju]

I believe I was "told" some years back that Caral's Vision is a boat dive. I was confusing it with Candyland.

 

[darook]

According to the book it is a boat dive but if there is a way from shore I am interested.

 

[ijdod]

@darook @boat sju Carel's Vision is formally a boat dive. It is next to a pebble beach, which is accessible from the road by following a narrow footpath down. Aside from being unpaved, and having to dodge bushes and branches, this not a particularly difficult path to climb or descent.

As you drive along the road towards Playa Frans, and past the salina near Taylor Made/Candyland, there is a steel tower (lighthouse?) with a concrete ramp next to it (looks suspiciously like a garbage dump) This is near the white text in the first picture. Drive beyond that. Just before the road runs very close to the sea, there's a small spot where you can park a car (a recent Ford F150 fits) under the bushes, at roughly a 90 degree angle from the road. A few meters back from the road there's the path down. I hope the picture below is large enough, the white square is the parking, the white line the path (roughtly, from my the top of my head.) On the bigger map the blue thingy is Taylor Made.

I've visited this site a couple of times by car. Also, lost a wedding ring here. Memories

Standing a meter or so in front of the car, looking down at the beach. Sorry about the salt on the lens. Notice the clearer path to the deeper reef, directy behind the large rock.

From the sea. Path is behind the drop on the lens, picture above was taken from the cliftop left of the drop

 

[boat sju]

If we could get someone to pin the coordinates of the path on google maps we'd be all set?

 

[ijdod]

That would be ideal. Then again, where's the fun in that? Discovery, exploring the unknown .

(I have noticed that a lot of the information on google maps about exact divesite locations is... suspicious. And I don't just mean in the Bonaire context of buoy vs yellow marker location. Some a a few 100m off...)