Need Suggesstions for Next Trip With Shore Diving Similar to Grand Cayman

[sullivan]

I’m looking for a little guidance on our next divedestination without the benefit of being a real experienced diver (recent Advanced Open Water Divers with 20 dives under our belt; 15 in the past month).

We recently went to Grand Cayman “GC” and liked the qualityof diving and the type of diving. By that I mean that on days where we wanted a more structured itinerary, we coulddo boat dives (we did 4 different days of boat dives) but on other days we could roll out of bed when we wanted and choose from a variety of decent shore diveswhich have dive shops and air right by the shore location. Very easy to get air and get to the dive location.

We would like our next trip location to be something similar to GC so that we can access really good dive spots from shore and easily coordinate with dive shops for purposes of renting tanks. On days where we want a change of pace, we would like to be able to do a little boat diving but diving at our own pace from shore would be the preferred type of diving. Once we get more experience from this trip, we’ll likely go to Little Cayman andplan on nothing but boat dives every day.

While we only have 20 dives over the past 18 months, we are very comfortable in the water. However, the next trip location and the related shore dives should not be anything that has a reputation for being appropriate for only super expert/experienced divers.

Based on what I have read, I’m thinking Bonaire would be a good next trip location for good diving, much of which is accessible from shore.

Anyone have thoughts on the Bonaire location and/or other locations we should consider based on the above considerations? We’d prefer to limit travel to the Caribbean and Mexico is not an option.

Thanks

 

[jlevine]

Bonaire is a great location for both shore diving and boat diving. You can rent tanks from plenty of shops and do boat dives with them as well. Boat diving is the only way to see Klein Bonaire ("Little Bonaire") which is just off the shore of Bonaire. I would definitely consult the Bonaire Talk web site (BonaireTalk) for more info. I've only been there once, but my suggestion would be to stay somewhat near the main town of Kralendijk so you don't have as far a drive to restaurants. On the Bonaire Talk web site, pay particular attention to articles about rental cars.

 

[diversteve]

Unless you "dive the resorts" for 95% of the shore diving on Bonaire you'll need to haul tanks with you - none of the sites north or south of town/the resort area have any sort of facilities. Some resorts - like Buddy Dive make it real easy - they have tanks on their dive dock and a drive-thru tank pickup at the back of the property. At a lot of locations you'll likely be the only divers nearby if that's of concern. At some of the south sites you can see divers at nearby sites in either direction, it's pretty flat and open.

A lot of entries off Bonaire are over ironshore both onshore and just off-shore, picking your way thru it often requires some help from your buddy. Like on Cayman, it's sharp and tricky footing. Many sites have sand channel breaks in the ironshore for easier entry. At some people have made small piles of coral rubble indicating them, at others we just parked the truck in front for reference on our return - once you're at water level they're harder to spot.

If you haven't seen it, www.infobonaire.com has info on just about everything there.

You might also look at Curacao, many of the dive sites there have on-site operators - often combined with snack shops/beach rentals etc. You pay a small usage fee at many improved sites also. Driving between sites is longer. On Curacao the reef is slightly farther out so more sites are off sandy beaches. The site/entry photos here explain it much better than I can: http://shorediving.com/Earth/ABC/index.htm

The diving is similar as they're on the same reef. Navigation at either location is pretty easy as the reef generally parallels the shore. I found Curacao to be more interesting, especially on the west end. I thought Playa Kalki in Westpunt, Curacao was the best shore dive we've done on either island. Either location has on-water dive resorts, Curacao also has a few chain hotels with diving on-site. If that's of interest one is the Marriott Emerald Bay in Piscadera Bay. Lodge Kura Hulanda out in Westpunt is also extremely nice but it's a long drive to town from there. LKH is also on the Playa Kalki dive site. If you wanted some assistance shore diving on Curacao, I often recommend the Dive Bus, they offer guided shore dives all over the island with van pickup - also they're good people.

No personal experience but I've read there's some good shore diving on the north side of St. Croix also. Not the same quantity of sites like Bonaire or Curacao though.

 

[herbdb]

Bonaire is a great place for all experience levels. You can set your own schedule and pick your dive sites. My recommendation would be to pick a package that includes unlimited shore diving, a rental vehicle and some boat dives. You can then pick the days/locations for the boat dives.

We stayed at the Plaza resort last summer and really enjoyed it. We skipped some of the boat dives, beause the shore diving is so good and easy. Many of the boat dives go to sites you can dive from shore.

The operators make shore diving easy. You pull your vehicle up to the tank pickup, drop the empties and get fresh tanks. At most dive sites you can park within 20-30 feet of the entry point. Drop the tailgate, gear up and walk into the water.

Some of the sites have more difficult entries, but there are so many sites that you can pick and choose. I am almost 65 years old and have two artificial hips and I did just fine. We made 29 dives during that week.

The only thing that could be an issue for you, as DiverSteve mentioned, is that you and your buddy will often be alone at a dive site.

 

[sullivan]

Thanks all; you have confirmed that Bonaire would be a good location for the next trip nad the resources, suggestions and links are a huge help for someone with very little specific knowledge of the island.

 

[zihuatcat]

Also check out www.bonairetalk.com for a message board specifically related to Bonaire.