La Dianas Leap

[Reidkon]

We scouted out the entry today but want to make certain it is the right location. There is no yellow marker stone, but it appears someone has drawn an arrow on the asphalt pointing to it on the edge of the road. It appears the jump point is just to the right of where the trail comes off the road. Sound about right?

 

[tursiops]

Yes. Make sure the current is going north before jumping in.

 

[Reidkon]

Most definitely. We dove Sunday and Monday and it was going the wrong direction. We will likely do Tolo first to confirm the current. How long does it typically take to get to Karpata?

Yes. Make sure the current is going north before jumping in.

 

[tursiops]

It's a bit less than half a mile, maybe 2000 ft. If you just swam hard it would take maybe 20 minutes (assuming 100 ft/minute just swimming along). I'd allow double or triple that (so as not to fatigue and to do some sigh-seeing), and would plan on an hour dive, and would stay fairly shallow just to make sure the tank lasts. A lot of people breath 0.5 to 0.7 cuft/min at the surface, so call it 1.5 cuft/min at 35 ft. That's 90 cuft in an hour. Hope for current.

 

[tursiops]

P.S. You ought to post this question on the BonaireTalk forum too.

 

[Reidkon]

Thanks, never thought of asking on Bonaire Talk.

P.S. You ought to post this question on the BonaireTalk forum too.

 

[Trailboss123]

@tursiops nailed it pretty accurately. Not at all a problem assuming no current or a south to north current or even a very mild north to south current. Also, it is actually called La Dania's leap-- In case you ask the question on Bonaire Talk. All the best!

 

[choiahoy]

If I remember correctly, there was a tiny yin yang symbol painted on the road marking the entrance.

 

[Reidkon]

The current has been going north to south every day since we arrived albeit negligible. All the same I would rather drift than kick, so we will wait until it's going north again.

 

[Bas Tol(B.A.S.Diving)]

Don't worry too much about the current. If you find the current is running the wrong way just stay shallow, 20 to 30 ft, not going over down the drop off. Loads of nice coral, plenty of fish and it's usually where the Turtles hang out. There you find little to no current and probably get the surface current helping you out. It's not very far, about 300 yards at the most. Done it many times, also when current was wrong way, never any problems. And IF it gets really tough, which I highly doubt, on the surface the waves will push you there...
Go slow, better to come up a little short rather than overshoot. If you overshoot it could be hard getting back to Karpata in the shallows or on surface.
It's not difficult to find where you have to park. Look for rock pile on left side of the road, parking for about 3 cars on right side of the road and there's yellow paint on the left side of the road. I would be more worried about finding the right spot to jump in. Two criteria will put you in the right spot... the jump in/cliff should be no higher than 1-2 feet. And at that point, looking straight out to sea, the buoy should be at your 11 o'clock. So slightly off to the left of you.
Leave your truck and get it later. That will save you organising, get to use the tail gate for getting your gear on and save one person from standing and waiting in the sun while you bring the truck away. Better to hang out under a tree at Karpata while the other gets the truck. Have fun