I think you have a lot of great advice in this thread...
Hard sole booties...if you didn't own them, and you learned that you needed them from this thread - just finding out about that before going to Bonaire made this thread worth it's weight in gold to you...I mean, that would be the difference between fun and no fun
I own a hard copy of the reefguide book mentioned earlier...it is great. Many of the sites discuss difficult vs easy entry sites, and things to look out for. On some sites it even recommends specific routes. All of them discuss how to reach them by car - where they are on a small map.
In general nearly all dives on the leeward side where 99.9% of diving is happening are similar: all of the sites involve a kick off shore of varying distances from 25 yards to maybe 100 yards - until you are near where the reef starts at that point you descend. Every dive offers a wall or slope that you can follow at whatever depth you are comfortable with. You go out one direction on the wall, and turn back when you are 'halfway' on air or NDL dive time. Which direction you go out? Before picking a direction take a moment...stop kicking...see if you move at all, give it 30 seconds. If you move - swim out into the current, and you'll have it carrying you on the way back. Think there isn't a current? spend a moment looking at things on the wall see if things seem to be bending in one direction or another - like watching leaves on a tree branch looking for wind...sometimes a gentle current is present and you can't 'feel' it. Still no current? OK fine, flip a coin and go that way. During the dive remain aware that as you proceed you might find a current...if you do, keep in mind you might be fighting against it later. Currents are not common, but its certainly something to be aware of...and if you are having a great dive it is easily something you'll not notice if it is carrying away from your entry point on the first half of your dive.
Choosing the turn back point can be kind of interesting. We would go out at 80ft and turn back at 1500lbs/30 minutes into the dive or when we have our computers indicate our NDL time remaining is basically how long it took to get where we are - which ever is most limiting. On our return we were around 40-50ft, so our 1500lbs would go much farther on the way back. Also the shallow return means that our NDL time should be increasing on the way back. Your first few dives you will likely be a bit more conservative as you get a feel for things. Worst case scenario - you hit 700lbs or NDL before you get back to your starting point, make your way to the top of the wall, take your safety stop and head back to shore...if you had to walk to the truck, yeah, I mean it wouldn't be ideal but it's not the end of the world. If this happened I would leave one person with gear, walk back to truck and bring it to the wife and gear. It's never happened to me, but if it did - we would survive.
That being said - as you get a feel for what your turn point should be - this won't be an issue. Air integrated computers that tell you estimated air time remaining can be helpful as well. For the wife and myself it was easy - go out to 1500lbs or 30 minutes - and then turn back. Keep an eye on your NDL on your computer. It can be easy to get into deco because you have many long dives per day.
OK, on the way back...the goal here is to get back to the same spot on wall/slope you started on. A few sites (cliff, la machaca) have really easy navigational markers to guide you back (Cliff has a pipe that is supposedly the fiberoptic internet line for bonaire...it will take you right back to shore. La Machaca has a line the dive shop at shore has laid to guide divers). Windsock beach has a pier that you will spot when coming back - you follow the pier back to the beach. The salt pier has...well, the salt pier.
Other dive sites are more challenging...and people have various ways to 'mark' their way back. Here's what I do...before I descend I take a compass reading to where I parked, and mark it on my dial on my compass...this can be fun because I've had that dial move during a dive...at any rate...once on the bottom, I know I'm going to be coming back in about 40-50ft of water looking for this spot. So I have a smb that I put just the smallest puff of air into...I let out about 10ft of line on the reel, this meals the bouy sits about 10-15ft from where ever I put it. I do this in a sand patch in about 40-50ft of water with a 2lbs weight I get from the diveshop for the week. Then on return I just keep an eye out for it - it's pretty easy to spot. I collect it, and follow my compass reading back - this is usually where my safety stop takes place during the swim back. However if necessary stop and take the safety stop before you are back in 10 ft of water
If you have never deployed one, be prepared to be frustrated by your first attempt. You will invariably over inflate it - and it will shoot all the way to the surface...or worse carry you with it all the way to the surface...don't do that. There are only about 1000 youtube videos about deploying these. It's not hard, but like many things it will be awkward the first time. After you screw it up once you'll have it down. I let out about 10ft of line on the reel...lay the reel and 2lbs weight in a sand patch in about 45ft of water, put in a little puff of air - and start my dive.
- go to the last 2 seconds of that video and you can see how this might be helpful in determining where to head back to shore...that's mine deployed...it only takes the smallest puff of air. if you fill it it's going to carry your 2lbs weight right off the bottom.
I've seen other solutions that don't use an smb, but some other type of underwater marker. Many don't use anything except natural navigational features...I tip my hat to them...how they identified that it was the same giant brain coral the saw on the way out is pretty amazing to me. I recommend finding some way to mark it. Just don't use anything that is going to create litter, and whatever you use - put it in a sand patch...not on coral.
That's it...those are my tips.
3 easiest entries/exits:
Oil slick leap (there's a ladder!)
Yellow submarine - in front of dive friends shop...the shoreline is like a boat ramp you just walk down
windsock beach (sandy beach entry - easy entry but I do get sand in my booties!)
3 easiest to navigate without any extra markers:
Salt Pier - this is one of my favorites
wind sock beach - hard to miss the pier that leads back to the beach
cliff..there's a pipe running down the wall that goes from entry on the beach to curacao...it would be hard to miss.
Hard sole booties...if you didn't own them, and you learned that you needed them from this thread - just finding out about that before going to Bonaire made this thread worth it's weight in gold to you...I mean, that would be the difference between fun and no fun
I own a hard copy of the reefguide book mentioned earlier...it is great. Many of the sites discuss difficult vs easy entry sites, and things to look out for. On some sites it even recommends specific routes. All of them discuss how to reach them by car - where they are on a small map.
In general nearly all dives on the leeward side where 99.9% of diving is happening are similar: all of the sites involve a kick off shore of varying distances from 25 yards to maybe 100 yards - until you are near where the reef starts at that point you descend. Every dive offers a wall or slope that you can follow at whatever depth you are comfortable with. You go out one direction on the wall, and turn back when you are 'halfway' on air or NDL dive time. Which direction you go out? Before picking a direction take a moment...stop kicking...see if you move at all, give it 30 seconds. If you move - swim out into the current, and you'll have it carrying you on the way back. Think there isn't a current? spend a moment looking at things on the wall see if things seem to be bending in one direction or another - like watching leaves on a tree branch looking for wind...sometimes a gentle current is present and you can't 'feel' it. Still no current? OK fine, flip a coin and go that way. During the dive remain aware that as you proceed you might find a current...if you do, keep in mind you might be fighting against it later. Currents are not common, but its certainly something to be aware of...and if you are having a great dive it is easily something you'll not notice if it is carrying away from your entry point on the first half of your dive.
Choosing the turn back point can be kind of interesting. We would go out at 80ft and turn back at 1500lbs/30 minutes into the dive or when we have our computers indicate our NDL time remaining is basically how long it took to get where we are - which ever is most limiting. On our return we were around 40-50ft, so our 1500lbs would go much farther on the way back. Also the shallow return means that our NDL time should be increasing on the way back. Your first few dives you will likely be a bit more conservative as you get a feel for things. Worst case scenario - you hit 700lbs or NDL before you get back to your starting point, make your way to the top of the wall, take your safety stop and head back to shore...if you had to walk to the truck, yeah, I mean it wouldn't be ideal but it's not the end of the world. If this happened I would leave one person with gear, walk back to truck and bring it to the wife and gear. It's never happened to me, but if it did - we would survive.
That being said - as you get a feel for what your turn point should be - this won't be an issue. Air integrated computers that tell you estimated air time remaining can be helpful as well. For the wife and myself it was easy - go out to 1500lbs or 30 minutes - and then turn back. Keep an eye on your NDL on your computer. It can be easy to get into deco because you have many long dives per day.
OK, on the way back...the goal here is to get back to the same spot on wall/slope you started on. A few sites (cliff, la machaca) have really easy navigational markers to guide you back (Cliff has a pipe that is supposedly the fiberoptic internet line for bonaire...it will take you right back to shore. La Machaca has a line the dive shop at shore has laid to guide divers). Windsock beach has a pier that you will spot when coming back - you follow the pier back to the beach. The salt pier has...well, the salt pier.
Other dive sites are more challenging...and people have various ways to 'mark' their way back. Here's what I do...before I descend I take a compass reading to where I parked, and mark it on my dial on my compass...this can be fun because I've had that dial move during a dive
...at any rate...once on the bottom, I know I'm going to be coming back in about 40-50ft of water looking for this spot. So I have a smb that I put just the smallest puff of air into...I let out about 10ft of line on the reel, this meals the bouy sits about 10-15ft from where ever I put it. I do this in a sand patch in about 40-50ft of water with a 2lbs weight I get from the diveshop for the week. Then on return I just keep an eye out for it - it's pretty easy to spot. I collect it, and follow my compass reading back - this is usually where my safety stop takes place during the swim back. However if necessary stop and take the safety stop before you are back in 10 ft of water If you have never deployed one, be prepared to be frustrated by your first attempt. You will invariably over inflate it - and it will shoot all the way to the surface...or worse carry you with it all the way to the surface...don't do that. There are only about 1000 youtube videos about deploying these. It's not hard, but like many things it will be awkward the first time. After you screw it up once you'll have it down. I let out about 10ft of line on the reel...lay the reel and 2lbs weight in a sand patch in about 45ft of water, put in a little puff of air - and start my dive.
- go to the last 2 seconds of that video and you can see how this might be helpful in determining where to head back to shore...that's mine deployed...it only takes the smallest puff of air. if you fill it it's going to carry your 2lbs weight right off the bottom.
I've seen other solutions that don't use an smb, but some other type of underwater marker. Many don't use anything except natural navigational features...I tip my hat to them...how they identified that it was the same giant brain coral the saw on the way out is pretty amazing to me. I recommend finding some way to mark it. Just don't use anything that is going to create litter, and whatever you use - put it in a sand patch...not on coral.
That's it...those are my tips.
3 easiest entries/exits:
Oil slick leap (there's a ladder!)
Yellow submarine - in front of dive friends shop...the shoreline is like a boat ramp you just walk down
windsock beach (sandy beach entry - easy entry but I do get sand in my booties!)
3 easiest to navigate without any extra markers:
Salt Pier - this is one of my favorites
wind sock beach - hard to miss the pier that leads back to the beach
cliff..there's a pipe running down the wall that goes from entry on the beach to curacao...it would be hard to miss.
