Trip Report Trip Report: My First Visit to Bonaire, Early July 2017

[Ironborn]

Introduction

My first, week-long trip to Bonaire was outstanding, exceeding the high hopes that my pre-trip research on this sub-forum and elsewhere had nourished. Bonaire was an excellent choice for my second trip devoted exclusively to diving and provided an experience vastly superior to my first trip to Cozumel (see my trip report on it). Bonaire offered the best diving that I have experienced in my admittedly short history as a Caribbean diver. I intend to return to Bonaire at least once or twice, if not more. I now understand why many divers frequently return a favorite diving destination, such as Bonaire, which may be the right place for me. This trip also marked my further maturation as a diver and confirmed my preference for shore diving. The operator that I chose played a key role in the quality of my experience.

Genesis and Planning

Bonaire originally came to my attention in connection with my previous trip to Curaçao (see my trip report on it). The guide books that I used for Curaçao also covered Aruba and Bonaire, and I overheard other divers' discussions of Bonaire, the gist of which was “Bonaire has similar but significantly better diving and almost nothing else to do, especially at night.” I enjoyed the diving on Curaçao enough that I added Bonaire to my bucket list and planned to visit when I had matured enough as a diver to devote an entire trip to nothing but diving. Curaçao was my first extensive post-certification diving experience, so it may have had a formative role in shaping my tastes and expectations and thus predisposed me to favor the similar but better experience of Bonaire's shore diving and marine ecosystem.

A diving trip to Bonaire nonetheless posed some obstacles, including my lack of a buddy around which to plan a trip, my lack of a solo or “self-reliant” diver certification, and my inability to rent a car (a long story that need not concern us here). One obvious solution to this situation would have been to stay at one of the coastal resorts and join their boat dive trips, but most of those operators did not sound like a good fit for my preferences, and it would have been ironic to travel to the shore diving capital of the world for boat dives. The quality of my guided shore dive experiences with two of the most highly regarded operators on Curaçao persuaded me to seek out similar experiences on Bonaire.

VIP Diving seemed like an obvious choice, given their excellent reputation for guided shore dives on both this sub-forum and Trip Advisor. I contacted them, and they might have been a good fit in most respects, except that it was unclear if they could provide the number of dives that I wanted. They could only guarantee two tanks a day, not the three that I wanted, and they usually did only one or two night dives per week, given their minimum of two divers for night dives. I went further down the Trip Advisor rankings and found GOOODive, which had similarly favorable reviews and a few favorable references on this sub-forum. They listed a three-tank trip option on their website. When I contacted them for more details, they explained that they could also provide transportation, Nitrox, and gear rental for a complete package, as well as guides for night dives every night that week (for a cash payment to the guides). They also accommodated my request to schedule my orientation/check-out dive late in the afternoon, shortly after my flight had landed and I had checked into my lodgings.

I stayed at Den Laman, as it was within walking distance of GOOODive, and its reviews impressed me the most. The accommodations were more than adequate, as I merely slept, bathed, ate breakfast, charged my camera and dive lights, and secured my belongings there. I flew directly between Bonaire and Newark on United, which was the best option, despite my distaste for both Newark and United. My flights were the only part of the trip that I disliked, but the other options would have been worse.

 

[Ironborn]

Dive Operator: GOOODive

I read Trip Advisor reviews, for both dive operators and any other businesses, with a great deal of skepticism. I usually read the worst reviews first, as I tend to assume that the worst will happen, so I want to know what it is, determine whether or not I could live with it, and prepare accordingly. In the case of GOOODive, the worst thing that anyone has had to say about them is a few four-star reviews; almost all of their reviews are five stars. The quality of my experience with GOOODive was consistent with their stellar reputation and definitely warrants five stars. They occasionally asked me for feedback on ways to improve my experience with them, and I honestly could not think of anything. The only minor hassle was not with them but with the slowness of their payment processor Payoneer, which they use to receive booking deposits. I later learned that they use Payoneer because many other payment processors do not have Bonaire on their country lists (I had a similar experience with one of my banks).

I had assumed that they would include me in groups with other divers, as they had a separate booking option for private guides. They only included me in a group with two other divers on one day; for every other day (and the night dives as well), it was just me and the guides. I did see that they had other divers with other guides on many days that week, so they could have consolidated me into a group with those other divers on those other days, but I wonder if they kept us separate in order to give us the best possible experiences in the smallest possible groups, e.g. just me and the guide. They may have put me with that other group of divers on just that one day because they were busier. Most other operators that I researched require a minimum of two divers for guided shore dives, which would have been unfeasible for me as a solo traveler, or offer private guides at high prices. GOOODive has no minimum number of divers for guided shore dives (in fact, they limit those trips to four divers), and for all but one day it was just me and the guides, as if I had hired a private guide, but at a more reasonable price.

Due to the high number of dives that I had scheduled (24 in one week), they distributed the workload among multiple guides. I understand that dive operations may have different views on this issue. Some try to keep divers with the same DMs for the sake of familiarity and continuity. Others assign you to different DMs for scheduling reasons or in the interest of variety and diversity. I prefer the latter approach in general, and I believe that it worked well in this case, as it exposed me to a variety of different diving styles and philosophies and enabled me to learn more from a wider range of guides.

Now, why would you want or need a shore dive guide in the home of “diving freedom?” Well, aside from my need for a buddy as a solo traveler, I was still a relatively new diver (I arrived with 55 dives and left with 79) and thought that I would be more comfortable with trained professionals. My previous experience in Curaçao also taught me the value of guides for shore dives, especially for the harder shore entries and exits. The GOOODive guides taught me enough shore entry and exit techniques that I would be comfortable without a guide on future west coast shore dives. I also value the greater critter-spotting skills of trained professionals, and in this regard the GOOODive guides truly distinguished themselves, as they pointed out many creatures that I never would have noticed otherwise. I thought that my critter-spotting skills had been improving with experience, but it seemed to me that many creatures on Bonaire had more effective camouflage than I had observed elsewhere.

The guides demonstrated the right balance of flexibility and guidance. They usually took me to specific sites that I suggested but sometimes advised against certain sites due to conditions that might not work well for me, e.g. they knew my distaste for strong current and giant strides and thus advised against sites with such conditions. They ensured that I dove the most important or popular sites and any others that I particularly wanted. They tracked the sites that I dove in order to avoid repeating them and found other ways to ensure variety, e.g. we went north one day and then south the next day. The guides must have compared notes on our dives, as they were often aware of my interests and tastes from previous dives with other guides and adjusted our subsequent dives accordingly. I had a list of specific sites that I particularly wanted to dive and covered them all; the rest of the time I went with their selections.

GOOODive's general style and philosophy of diving was consistent with mine. For example, the guides generally avoided greater depth (more than 60 feet) unless there was a specific reason to go deeper, such as a specific objective (e.g. the Hilma Hooker), or if a given site required it (e.g. the flatter outer reefs of the south, which provide less flexibility to vary depth if you want to stay close to the reef). I have an AOWD certification and have no problem with greater depth in and of itself, but I do have a problem with diving deeper for the sake of diving deeper. I do not see the point of using more gas, absorbing more nitrogen, and assuming greater risk in order to see less.

I had read about the orientation/check-out dives that the Bonaire Marine Park requires and thought that it was in large part a formality to ensure that divers did not damage the environment. The GOOODive guide was more thorough and treated it almost as a mini-refresher course, which definitely set the rest of my trip on the right footing. She gave me many helpful tips that improved my technique, and I wish that I had received such high-quality instruction when I took my OWD certification course. She was very perceptive and observant during the dive, noting my interest in tiny marine life.

The GOOODive guides demonstrated a genuine enthusiasm for their work that further enhanced my experience. Even underwater, I could often see the enthusiasm in their reactions to a critter sighting or other noteworthy experiences. One must really like diving if one moves to Bonaire, as there is so little else to do there. Many of them dive for their own enjoyment in their off-hours, which must be easier in Bonaire than in most other destinations. I had read elsewhere about the importance of continued recreational diving for professional DMs, as it sustains their passion for the sport and reduces the risk of burnout from handling customers. Some of the guides took me to what they described as their favorite sites, which exposed me to a greater variety of environments. Others alluded to their interest in lionfish hunting in their off-hours, and GOOODive also offers a PADI specialty course in lionfish hunting. One guide with a Wreck specialty also took me on my first wreck dive to the Hilma Hooker.

 

[Ironborn]

Diving Conditions

I had heard that diving in Bonaire was easy, and it was even easier than I had expected. This greater ease that I experienced may have been due in part to my growing competence as a diver, but the topography and water conditions also facilitated my dives as well. The dive sites were quite easy to find, compared to Curaçao, some of which are on back roads and may be hard to find without someone who already knows them. The hardest part of Bonaire shore diving was the shore entries, as there were often rocks to avoid or sudden drops. The guides knew the safe paths at each site and told me what to expect. The other challenge was finding the entry/exit point again during the return to shore, which was occasionally difficult due to the smaller number of natural features to aid navigation on the sandy or semi-sandy shelf between the shore and the drop-off. The guides sometimes performed a “sea turtle” maneuver, e.g. after our safety stops, they briefly surfaced to look for natural topside navigation features. I only had one minor problem at one site, and it was not with the shore entry or exit, but at the bottom of 1000 Steps; the last step down is a bit too high above the ground, so I fell and scraped my knee. Perhaps that 1001st step would have been one too many.

Beyond the shore entries and exits, the actual dives were easy. The underwater topography is quite simple. I had thought that one would need a compass to navigate, but the consistent north-south alignment of the reefs is easy to follow. Most reefs have a gradual slope that allows one to vary one's depth as one likes, facilitating multi-level dives. The slope is usually steeper in the north, less steep in the south, and minimal or absent in the south's outer reefs. Current was usually mild or negligible and was only an issue at three sites that I dove: Pink Beach, the location of which was far enough south to expose it to stronger currents from around the island's southern tip; Cliff, where the entry point required us to swim with the current on the way out and against it on the way back; and Bari Reef, where the current suddenly increased about halfway through a night dive and brought unusually cold water with it. Water temperature was otherwise consistently in the low 80s, and I only became cold that one time on Bari Reef, even with a 3mm shorty and four dives a day. Visibility was consistently excellent, except for one dive at Oil Slick, where a southern ray was feeding and kicking up sand:

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When I first took up shore diving on Curaçao, I had been concerned that the underwater swim to and from the drop-offs would be a waste of time and air with nothing to see, especially since my air consumption was high at that early point in my development as a diver. This concern turned out to be a non-issue on Curaçao, and on Bonaire I found that the sandy or semi-sandy shelf between the shore and the drop-off was often as interesting as the reef itself, if not more interesting. These shelves do not have as much coral or other growth on them, but some of the most noteworthy sightings of mobile animals of my entire trip occurred during these underwater swims to and from shore, including spotted eagle rays, squid, and spotted drums. One can also see animals in the shallows from shore or in the nearby tidal pools. Below are some examples, and the squid photo that I now use as my avatar was also from a swim back to shore. (Can anyone deduce the significance of the combination of my username and that new avatar photo?) I would have missed out on these experiences if I had done boat dives.

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There were also different coral species on these shelves, such as this elkhorn coral at Karpata:

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This trip reinforced my belief, which I had developed during my trip to Curaçao, that shore diving provides a more holistic perspective on both the topside and marine environments and the relationship between them that one might not get from boat dives. The natural topside environment is pleasant to observe up close during surface intervals and driving between sites. More importantly, one can see the relationship between the topside and marine environments. For example, the rugged topside terrain of the north gives way to steeper underwater drop-offs closer to shore, and the northern reefs had more elaborate topography, such as the ridges of Karpata. The south is flatter both topside and underwater, and its mangroves and salt pans were interesting to see in their own right. I had never seen salt “suds” blowing the in wind before, and I could not help but wonder if and in what ways the presence of so much topside salt (much of which must find its way into the ocean due to the wind) could affect the southern reefs. One of the guides also explained that she preferred the southern dive sites because the south's mangroves and tidal pools acted as a nursery and provided shelter for juvenile marine life.

I got the sense from both my pre-trip research and my actual trip that many Bonaire divers, including my guides, have preferences for the northern or southern dive sites. I preferred the south for its more gradually sloping topography, the more distinctive features of its outer reefs, the more distinctive Salt Pier and Hilma Hooker dive sites, and what I found to be more abundant marine life. It was a close call, though, and it was only at the end of the trip that I had decided that the south was more interesting. The north has the advantage of shorter swims to and from the drop-offs, for those divers that find those parts of a shore dive less interesting than I do. The steeper slopes of the northern reefs do more to facilitate multi-level diving and photography, but those photos may not come out as well due to the more distracting reef backgrounds. The flatter topography of the south sometimes made it harder to get into low positions for photos, but those photos usually turned out better, and I saw more to photograph in the south anyway. The more complex topography of the north, such as the ridges of Karpata, may be more appealing to those whose interest in underwater topography is greater than mine. To the extent that Bonaire's underwater topography engaged me by itself, I preferred the visuals of the sandy “lakes” between the south's inner and outer reefs, where we saw a spotted eagle ray feeding on my last dive. The north may have had less mobile marine life, but the animals that we did see there were usually larger and more noteworthy than the smaller and more numerous creatures that we saw in the south.

I had read in my pre-trip research that Bonaire's mainland west coast dive sites were relatively homogeneous. Having dove up and down the mainland west coast for a week, as far north as Karpata and as far south as Vista Blue, I can see why one would say that, but the range of sites that I dove was diverse enough to keep me engaged for that week. The most distinctive sites and, in my opinion, among the most impressive, are the man-made structures of the Hilma Hooker and the Salt Pier. I did both of those early in the week because they were high priorities for me, but in retrospect it might have been better to spread them out over the course of the week in order to sustain the variety.

 

[Ironborn]

Dive Sites

Below is a list of sites that I dove, with some comments on each and links to photos from those dives. The list is in a very rough and imprecise order of preference. Some of the imprecision in the ranking stems from my inclusion of similar or neighboring sites next to each other on the list.

The Salt Pier (day and night): During the day, this site had some of the most abundant and diverse mobile marine life that I saw on Bonaire, and it was interesting to see their interactions with the structure of the pier. At night, there were fewer critters, but the ones that we did see were more interesting, like slipper lobsters and sea basket stars. It was also interesting to see the coral and sponges growing on the pillars of the pier at night, as the black color of the pillars made it look like the coral and sponges were floating in mid-water. This site yielded some of the best photos of my trip, including shots of squid, an octopus, a scorpionfish, and many other critters.

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Angel City: One virtue of this site is the greater accessibility and shallower depth of the outer reef, which comes closer to the inner reef here. The shallower depth of the outer reef here also enables you to see it more clearly and for a longer period of time. Its other virtue, in my experience, was the abundance and diversity of marine life here, including some very inquisitive squid that seemed almost as interested in me as I was in them.

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Alice in Wonderland: We saw two spotted eagle rays here; one was feeding at the bottom of the sandy “lake” between the inner and outer reefs, and the other one was missing its stinger and swam by us as we were swimming back to shore. The shelf between the shore and the drop-off here was more teeming with life than elsewhere, and the fish seemed more interested in us here than elsewhere. I saw two spotted drums on the way back, one of which was hiding with a spotted trunkfish, and the other of which was the least camera-shy spotted drum that I have ever encountered.

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The Lake: This site was a good place to check out the outer reef and see the visual contrast of the sandy “lake” between the inner and outer reefs. This site yielded one of the best sightings of my trip: a spotted eagle ray that we saw on the swim out to the drop-off and again on the way back to shore.

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1000 Steps: This site impressed me before I even got wet, with the beautiful view of the water from the top of the steps. A minor scrape on my knee on the way down, where they should have put a 1001st step, did not detract from my enjoyment of this site, the reasons for which I find difficult to articulate, beyond my appreciation of the area's general beauty and more abundant marine life than elsewhere in the north. Notable critter sightings here included a freakishly long fireworm, a curious barracuda, and a spotted drum that was more cooperative with my attempts to photograph it than most others.

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Calabas Reef (night): You know that you have had a good dive when you have to go the fish ID book to identify unfamiliar species, and night dives are great opportunities to see such species. We saw a few such species here at night and also saw some sharptail eel behaviors that left us scratching our heads. I also noticed that far more of the daytime fish that one would not normally see at night were still awake and active here. This was the best night dive of my trip – I wonder what it is like during the day.

Something Special (day and night): I did my checkout dive here, on GOOODive's house reef. It was a good introduction to Bonaire's diving conditions and marine ecosystem, with abundant, diverse marine life, ranging from anemone shrimp to unusually large tarpon. It was equally interesting later that night, albeit with different species, such as Spanish and spiny lobsters and a Queen conch. It was so interesting that we stayed down a bit longer at the drop-off for some plankton bioluminescence.

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Hilma Hooker: This was my first wreck dive, and I did it with an enthusiastic wreck dive specialist who described it as a fortuitous choice for a first wreck dive. The mere size of the wreck was striking the first time I saw the hull as we approached it from the reef. I enjoyed it enough that it fueled my interest in doing more wreck dives in the future.

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Karpata: This site stood out with the distinctive ridges of its topography and the larger marine life that we saw there, including a sea turtle and a green moray eel. The sea turtle yielded what may be the best photo of my trip, as I was able to descend easily and approach him as he received a cleaning.

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Tolo: This site also stood out with its many large purple tube sponges and distinctive formations. As with 1000 Steps, I find it hard to specify what else I liked about this site, beyond a general beauty.

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Witches Hut: We encountered some very curious squid here, who seemed as if they were posing for some of the best photos of my trip.

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[Ironborn]

Windsock (day and night): This site had an extensive range of interesting critters during the day, including a scorpionfish/pufferfish couple, a grouper/sharptail eel couple, and a barracuda that took a great deal of interest in me. At night, there were fewer creatures, but those that we did see were more interesting, including multiple species of shrimp and crinoids.

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Bari Reef (day and night): This site supposedly has some of the highest marine biodiversity in the world, and I can see why, but much of it is very small, so one should move slowly and look closely. Photographers should bring their macro lenses here. At night, it turned into an eel convention, and it became a bit difficult halfway through, due to a sudden gust of cold, strong current from the north.

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Buddy Reef (night): It was similar to neighboring Bari Reef at night, albeit without the sudden burst of cold current and a more diverse range of non-eel nocturnal marine life.

Margate Bay: A sea turtle swam by to check us out almost immediately after we reached the drop-off. The mangroves and tidal pools made for a picturesque shore entry.

Vista Blue: We saw an elephant ear sponge in the shape of a winding staircase and a lizardfish that almost seemed like he was waiting for a photographer to photograph him and posing for a photo on the perfect perch. It seemed to me that these two species were more abundant in the south.

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Oil Slick: When I reached the drop-off, I thought that the visibility here was going to be bad, but that was only because of this southern ray kicking up sand as he was looking for food all up and down the reef. For those of you that prioritize easier entries and short swims out to the drop-off, there is a convenient ladder down into the water, and the drop-off is no more than 5-10 feet away.

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Andrea: We spotted this very large green moray eel out in the open. I also got one of the best shots of my trip, depicting a trumpetfish trying to blend into his surroundings.

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Cliff: Managing the current here was a bit of a challenge because of the position of the entry and exit relative to the reef, which required swimming with the current on the way out and swimming against the current on the way back. The current was also bit stronger than it was elsewhere in the north. There were some interesting critters, though, such as this spotted eel receiving a cleaning.

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Pink Beach: The unusually strong current here was quite a challenge, but it may have also been the reason for the usually large size and unusual shapes of the elephant ear and vase sponges here (perhaps the stronger current brings them more food and shapes them differently). It never would have occurred to me before I dove this site that sponges could be so interesting.

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[Ironborn]

Marine Life

I understand that Bonaire's “diving freedom” and the relative ease of shore diving there explain much of its appeal for many repeat visitors, but for me the chief selling point was the greater health, abundance, and diversity of its marine life. In that regard, Bonaire greatly exceeded my expectations and pleasantly surprised me further with the more natural or otherwise interesting behavior and the more fearless or approachable nature of its mobile animals. It had the best marine life of any Caribbean destination that I have dove thus far. It was common for us to interrupt out observation of one interesting creature when another, even more interesting creature arrived to compete for our attention.

I suspect that the relationship between Bonaire's diving culture and its marine life may have been responsible for the more interesting behavior of its mobile marine creatures, some of which I had not previously observed elsewhere. The mobile marine life seemed much more at ease with the presence of divers than anywhere else that I have dove before. Perhaps this greater comfort with divers is due to the high volume of divers on Bonaire, the protective measures of the Bonaire Marine Park, and maybe the more respectful and appropriate behavior of most divers there. The creatures thus seemed to have little or no fear of divers or even seemed curious or interested in us. I felt as if we were a natural part of the environment, rather than alien intruders, and we were observing more natural animal behavior.

For example, I found that the fish on Bonaire were more photography-friendly and less camera-shy than in other destinations, or perhaps I have just been getting better at approaching them without scaring them away. I was finally able to get some semi-decent photos of adult spotted drums:

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I also found that lizardfish were great subjects for photography, since their natural posture was at an interesting angle and they did not care when I got very close to them.

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I saw two species mating: black durgon and sharptail eels (at night). I had never seen marine animals mating before, and the presence of divers watching them in the act evidently did not disturb them.

By the same token, perhaps the lesser fear of divers that many creatures on Bonaire displayed also explains why not one but two damselfish bit me for the first time on Bonaire. I have seen many territorial displays by damselfish that they clearly aimed at me, but none of them ever actually bit me until I came to Bonaire, and it happened twice within a week. It was not painful at all, and in fact it was kind of funny that such small fish would attack such a big guy.

The trumpetfish, in which I had taken a special interest on previous trips to other destinations, also demonstrated more numerous and more interesting examples of their attempts to blend into the environment. The funniest examples were instances in which they tried to ride on top of parrotfish, which the parrotfish usually resisted. I photographed two of these attempts:

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I also saw a pair of trumpetfish at Tolo that appeared to be trying to blend in with...each other!

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I had never witnessed a cleaning in progress before but observed many animal cleanings on Bonaire (mostly of eels and one sea turtle). I also many observed more examples of other forms of symbiosis than I have elsewhere, such as shrimp with sea anemones. I also saw two different sea anemones with arrow crabs at the Salt Pier; I did not know that those two species lived together too, and I only observed that phenomenon at the Salt Pier.

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My favorite creature sightings were of squid, as they seemed quite approachable and curious, changed colors to communicate, and made great subjects for photography, as one could get quite close to them. I noticed that they were always in pairs or a pair of pairs (2 or 4), never in an odd number, and seemed to stay at certain distances and angles from their “buddies.” I had only seen a pair of squid once before during a Cozumel night dive and was surprised to learn that Bonaire's squid were active during the day.

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Eels were a common sight, especially on night dives. Spotted morays and goldentail and sharptail eels were the most common. I heard that green morays are less common on Bonaire than they are elsewhere, but I saw two green morays in a row at Andrea and Karpata, respectively.

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The schools of fish were usually a soothing pleasure to observe; one could often swim into the midst of a school of smaller fish and they would surround you and did not seem to mind the presence of divers. More interesting to observe was the dramatic feeding behavior of blue tang schools as they descended on a coral head to gorge themselves and kick up silt before moving on to the next smorgasbord.

Instagram post by Paul • Jul 14, 2017 at 12:50am UTC

Instagram post by Paul • Jul 14, 2017 at 12:52am UTC

I saw three spotted eagle rays: one at “the Lake” and two during different parts of the same dive at Alice in Wonderland. The guide suggested that the sandy “lake” between the south's inner and outer reefs may have attracted rays as a place for them to feed.

Instagram post by Paul • Jul 17, 2017 at 4:19am UTC

Instagram post by Paul • Jul 17, 2017 at 4:23am UTC

If so, this southern ray apparently didn't get that memo, because he was digging for food in small sandy patches in an otherwise coral-dominated spot up north at Oil Slick.

Instagram post by Paul • Jul 17, 2017 at 4:52am UTC

Large crustaceans were only one of two forms of marine life that I saw less frequently on Bonaire than I have elsewhere. I only saw a few lobsters (spiny, Spanish, and slipper) on night dives and never during the day, and the largest crabs that I saw were arrow crabs. I know that Spanish and slipper lobsters are almost exclusively nocturnal, but I have usually seen at least a few spiny lobsters during the day in places other than Bonaire. Most of the crustaceans that I saw were small: arrow crabs, anemone shrimp, and the occasional coral banded shrimp. I was surprised to learn that coral banded shrimp are primarily nocturnal on Bonaire, as I had only seen them during the day elsewhere. The shrimp with anemones were quite common, both day and night, and would have been great subjects for macro photography if I had a macro lens.

Instagram post by Paul • Jul 11, 2017 at 10:16pm UTC

Instagram post by Paul • Jul 18, 2017 at 4:06am UTC

I saw several sea turtles on Bonaire, but fewer than I did on Cozumel, perhaps because the Bonaire turtles were usually swimming around (and quite quickly at that). while the Cozumel turtles were usually resting. I even saw one swimming around at night at Buddy's Reef.

 

[Ironborn]

Planning My Next Trip(s)

I hope to return to Bonaire at least once or twice, if not on a recurring basis. I have a few things that I would like to do on future trips and would appreciate feedback or suggestions from repeat visitors.

I would be interested in pursuing the Self-Reliant Diver course for solo diving in the future, although I am uncertain when I would be ready for it. I understand that the prerequisite/guideline for that course is a minimum of 100 dives, although I wonder if any users of this sub-forum would recommend waiting longer than that. If so, how long? This trip to Bonaire brought me up to 79 dives. Alternately, is there a development or competence milestone other than number of dives that you would recommend reaching before I take that course? For those of you that dive solo on Bonaire, do you find that it has improved the quality of your experiences? If so, how?

I covered much of the west coast during this trip but only got as far north as Karpata and only did two far southern sites (Margate Bay and Vista Blue). Are the far northern sites in Washington/Slagbaai National Park and the other far southern sites significantly different from most of the west coast? For example, are the shore entries more rugged in the far north, or is the current much stronger in the far south? Was the marine life different or more interesting in the far north or the far south? One of the guides suggested that Pink Beach was the point at which the current began to intensify as one headed south, but I found the current at Margate Bay and Vista Blue to be quite mild and manageable.

I did not dive on Klein Bonaire at all. My guides suggested that I was not missing much there; they described it as having somewhat healthier coral and better visibility than the mainland, but otherwise not that different from the mainland. Some of my pre-trip research on this sub-forum and elsewhere suggested much the same. I would nonetheless like to know if anyone thinks that Klein Bonaire is worth the greater cost and inconvenience of boat dives, even if only for the sake of novelty and thoroughness, after one has already covered much of the mainland west coast.

I look forward to diving on the east coast on future trips. My guides described it as a qualitatively different experience, as larger marine animals are far more common there than on the west coast. They explained that east coast diving would be easy via boat dives, which eliminated the more challenging and potentially hazardous east coast shore entries and exits. They were hesitant to recommend east coast shore diving due to potentially hazardous shore entries and exits. For those of you that dove on the east coast, would you agree or disagree? Is it just the shore entries and exits that make east coast shore diving more challenging, or are there additional difficulties during the actual dives themselves? Do boat dives eliminate or reduce those additional challenges? Is it the large marine animals that make east coast dives so much more interesting, or is it the different environment in general?

My current camera has the advantage that it is small enough to fit in the palm of my hand and in a BCD pocket. It has the disadvantages that it is a beginner's camera with very limited functionality, no internal flash, and (as far as I can tell) no way to integrate strobes. I plan to upgrade to a more sophisticated camera in the future, and it will probably be larger and more fragile. Bonaire is a great place for underwater photography, and I look forward to using a camera that can truly capture the beauty of the environment and its marine life. I also wonder what it would be like to carry a larger and more fragile camera safely through some of the more rugged shore entries and exits. For those of you that bring camera rigs on shore dives, how do you do it? Are there any specific models that you would recommend, e.g. a compact camera and strobe small enough to fit inside a BCD pocket?

 

[drrich2]

Enjoyed your trip report and glad you had a good time. A few thoughts...

1.) One point of discrimination between southern & northern dive sites is that up north, bushy scrub isolates parked vehicles, which often can't be seen from the water due to that and elevation. To what extent this might raise likelihood of petty theft from your truck isn't clear, but I've seen the point raised in other threads.
2.) Shore diving independently can give a person the sense of 'doing their own dive,' vs. being led on a tour.
3.) Occasionally waves can stir up the turbidity along shore and whirl one around a bit; a compass can be handy for reorienting if the surge messes with you. It's a small minority of dives, but it can happen.
4.) If you found the Bonaire marine life accustomed to divers, I want to read your report someday when you make it out to the Cayman Islands, maybe diving Little Cayman, where some Nassau grouper will let divers touch them.
5.) When you are ready for solo depends on different things; how comfortable are you diving, how independent are you, what's your reasonable confidence level for handling problems alone, and what kind of diving to you plan to solo (e.g.: conditions, depth, etc...).
6.) My last Bonaire trip I dove mostly solo and loved it. Not being land-bound while a buddy who got sea sick blows a big chunk of the day napping, or trying to get my wife to tag along on a 'pity dive,' or (horror of an introvert) actually approach a stranger about diving together...it's about freedom. If you can solo, you can also buddy dive. If you can buddy dive...well...
7.) On the east coast, I dove Cai twice; once with a buddy (that was stressful) and one with Bas Tol of BasDiving.com (still my longest dive-to-date, and a real pleasure; highly recommended). Yes, the east coast diving is quite different. Here's a trip report to show you.

Richard.

 

[Ironborn]

Enjoyed your trip report and glad you had a good time. A few thoughts...

4.) If you found the Bonaire marine life accustomed to divers, I want to read your report someday when you make it out to the Cayman Islands, maybe diving Little Cayman, where some Nassau grouper will let divers touch them.

Richard.

I do have the Cayman Islands on my to do list. Would you recommend a liveaboard or staying on one of the islands? I am leaning towards a liveaboard, as it sounds like the islands themselves are both expensive and boring topside.

 

[drrich2]

Grand Cayman would not be boring topside. Little Cayman or Cayman Brac would depend on what you want to do; @KathyV could know a lot more than I do about that. I had a great time aboard the Cayman Aggressor IV May 2016 (trip report). Traveling alone, there to dive and no non-divers to entertain, the live-aboard route was the way to go...for me.

But someone who wanted fewer dives per day might prefer land-based. And some Grand Cayman op.s have both morning & afternoon 2-tank boat trips, and some areas are reasonably close to shore diving options.

Little Cayman has often been referred to as having the 'best diving in the Caribbean,' a distinction I've also seen tied to Turks & Caicos (the latter mainly via live-aboard). At some point, if only to see for yourself, you're probably going to watch to go.

Richard.