First try at roll call thread for BON - February 2018

[darook]

Yeah, everyone is talking about it being unusually chilly right now. We had a very rainy day yesterday but today was much better. I was here the same week a few years ago and it was definitely warmer. The rain has put a damper on the viz but that should rectify itself quickly. The locals say this is how it used to be but have had several dry years so everyone forgot that this is normal. Rainy season used to be November thru the winter. It has been this year. There is a lot of good news in this though. The water level in Goto Meer is climbing back to it's historic average which is great for the flamingos. If you haven't visited it make sure you do. I have been parading folks from my group up there the last three days and they are blown away by it's beauty. They can't believe it is the same island. Tomorrow morning is the end of the diving for this trip and with the viz will be shooting macro. I have got a few keepers that I will throw a link up for later once I am done doing post on them.

 

[wwguy]

We love diving Bonaire in 5mm full suits with 2mm beanies in the winter and spring months. (We tried it once in September and ended up diving with zippers partially undone to let a little cooling water in.) Warmer body core temperatures result in less energy consumed to run the body's heater, which results in longer bottom times.

I have never been to Bonaire in February, but I always figured it might be one of the colder months topside and below- seems to be that way around the Caribbean. Kind of hits a peak low before the gradual climb the other direction.

Exactly this ↑

Right now is traditionally the coldest water temperatures of the year in this region. Unfortunately even now water temps are higher than normal. ("SST" in the chart below means Sea Surface Temperature.)

 

[morecowbells]

I also noticed the cooler temps. Rain and strong winds have created some rough conditions. The water visibility has been fairly turbid, ranging from 30-60 feet. Today it seems the weather is more typical of what we encountered during past vacations. Fortunately, the marine life has been vibrant. Today Salt Pier was meh. Second dive at Aquarius had much better visibility. During our safety stop, we were greeted by two magnificent eagle rays. When we were waist deep numerous people on shore were staring in awe. There were DOZENS of dolphins frolicking right where we were diving 10 minutes ago! It was crazy. Several were completely breaching and slapping back down. So envious of those divers who got to see this up close.

 

[darook]

I am having a hard time buying the NOAA posted temps. Both in December and now our experience was temperatures 3 degrees cooler than what they posted. That is across several computers not just mine. I check that regularly and found that it varies significantly from our experience. I was here the same week three years ago and it was warmer both topside and I the water.

 

[darook]

Quick wrap on the trip. After getting in a few hours late due to a couple of broken Delta planes the trip went great. The whole crew enjoyed the island and the divers loved it. They were very impressed with the dining the island offers. Our stay at Divi was nice. It is a big resort so if you don't plan things out you can end up doing a lot of walking. They have been doing a lot of work on the grounds and it is nicer than our first stay 9 years ago. The place was completely full. It seems to be really popular with smokers which gets annoying if you don't smoke. I named our next door neighbor Phlegm Shady as he was up at 5 am beating a heater and hacking up a storm. It made it hard to enjoy our little screened in area both audibly and odor wise. The dive operation is good though was sometimes challenged for tanks due to having lots of divers. They always resolved it quickly. Fills varied slightly from just under 3000psi to 3200psi. Nitrox was 31 to 32 percent. Their shore dive is fun though the cruise ship side thrusters do it no favors. If a boat is docking or departing the south pier you can't be in the water due to danger of getting nuked by the thrusters. We were in the water when a ship departed the north pier and there were no issues with currents, it was as loud as a locomotive and you could feel it in your chest.

Since our trip included boat dives we did several. About half were to sites you can't shore dive. Best site of the week was Small Wall which you can only shore dive if you are staying at Black Durgon. I don't know what that place is like but I would stay there to have that as my house reef. Super fishy, really nice coral and interesting topography. The two sea horses and frog fish didn't hurt either.

Visibility deteriorated over the course of the week likely due to the rain. It was still fine for diving and seemed to make the sites more fishy. Windsock was our last dive and was great. We had an octopus out in the open during the middle of the day. All in all, it was a great trip and can't wait to come back.

 

[gbf]

Best site of the week was Small Wall which you can only shore dive if you are staying at Black Durgon. I don't know what that place is like but I would stay there to have that as my house reef. Super fishy, really nice coral and interesting topography. The two sea horses and frog fish didn't hurt either.

Indeed.

We've stayed at BD a couple of times and I almost made 2 weeks of diving on Small Wall.

And you can dive it from shore - you just have to swim a really really long ways. I don't recommend it

 

[Trailboss123]

Indeed.

We've stayed at BD a couple of times and I almost made 2 weeks of diving on Small Wall.

And you can dive it from shore - you just have to swim a really really long ways. I don't recommend it

What is staying at Black Durgon like? I considered staying there in the past, but didn't.

 

[gbf]

Remember Alamo Plaza motels from the 60's?

It's pretty funky, but we loved it (until Beachcomber Villas got my attention). Doris cooks breakfast in the outdoor kitchen. I got out of the water from my daybreak dive on Small Wall to coffee and eggs/pancakes/etc.

BD is different. Basically you get a room with bed and a bathroom. We had plenty of hot water. Some of the rooms face the water, and a few face the road. You want one that faces the water (obviously). 7&8 (I think) face the water but don't have a balcony for hanging swimsuits or sitting. You want one of the others.

The outdoor kitchen is used by Doris for breakfast, and by guests at other times. I thought that was going to be a problem, but never was. There are also refrigerators around, 3 I think, for guest's use. That too sounded strange to me but worked out ok.

Al (owner) is a bit unusual. But he's been on Bon since the 60's. If you can get him to sit still and talk he has great stories.

The grounds are well-kept, and private. Only guests can use the property. I think Al owns another off-water property, and those guests can use BD for diving as well (I think).

Tanks (air only, no nitrox back then, don't know about now) were delivered to the front of the place. You toted them down a set of uneven stone steps if you wanted to dive Small Wall, or backed up to them and loaded into your truck for off-site diving. I convinced my lovely bride that toting tanks down to the pier was better exercise than going to the gym. She was telling everybody what good exercise it was and some jackwagon there started laughing and ratted me out.

There is an equipment cage with hangars. Plenty of room. If you go in there early in the AM be sure you've sprayed yourself for skeeters.

 

[uncfnp]

To shore dive Small Wall head north from Black Durgon. The buildings will end and as I recall there is a small partial wall that you drive past. Just past this is a parking area to the left along the road and just a short walk to the water. Swim shallow and if you have a fairly good sac its doable but it is a bit of a swim.

 

[wwguy]

To shore dive Small Wall head north from Black Durgon. The buildings will end and as I recall there is a small partial wall that you drive past. Just past this is a parking area to the left along the road and just a short walk to the water. Swim shallow and if you have a fairly good sac its very doable.

Lisa! Shhhh... this is a secret shore dive site!

Seriously though... it's obviously not a secret to anyone driving the main road, and I think it might even be in Susan Porter's BSDME guidebook as Petri's Pillar. I like to stay at 25' to 30' while diving south for 20 to 25 minutes until I encounter the anchor shown below at 25' or so. Then I drop down off of the reef crest as I continue south, angling down towards Small Wall, which I encounter 5 to 10 minutes later. On the return I stay at 60' or so for most of the way until it seems like a good idea to get back to 25' to start looking for my "memory markers" near the exit point. At my leisurely pace this is a 75 to 80 minute dive.

There's not really much to see between the entry and the anchor other than the occasional squid, turtle, or eagle ray in the shallows. Over the reef crest is mostly hard corals in typical condition for the area. I do seem to see more barracuda in this area than at other nearby sites like The Cliff or Oilslick. One of Bonaire's rare whale shark sightings also occurred here last year.

The best entry into the water is at the far southern end of the rocky "beach" accessed from the trail down from the road. The steep incline from road to shore can be tricky and a little walking is involved, so be sure to scout it before you commit to diving there. I usually carry my wife's scuba rig to the entry point before returning to the truck and donning my own. If you're just looking for something different close to town the dive north from the entry is kind of interesting too.