Why Bonaire instead of Aruba?

[Altamira]

After reading many of the threads on the ABC islands, it seems as if most people choose to dive Bonaire rather than the other two, so it would assume that Bonaire is a better place to dive. Never having been to any of these islands, I am curious as to what makes Bonaire so much better for diving? My wife and I are novice divers considering a trip to that part of the world, but the transportation options to Bonaire are more difficult than going to Aruba. We are certainly willing to deal with the extra transportation requirements if the diving and dive conditions are considerably better on Bonaire. Thank you for comments.
Guy

 

[BHB ScubaTroll]

I have not been to Aruba and through all of my web searches for Aruba vs Bonaire I can see many say Aruba is busier than Bonaire, but I will not quote that as a fact.

I am interested in hearing what people have to say who have been to both...

 

[diverrex]

I also will be interested to hear from those who have been to both. I have not been to Aruba, but have been to Curacao and am going to Bonaire in June. I suspect some will end up saying it's the marine park that surrounds Bonaire and the protection that provides to fish life that helps make Bonaire a better dive place. Though apparently Aruba is considered to have more wrecks.

 

[spectrum]

Of the 3 I have only been to Bonaire. On the other 2 there are many more "distractions" to keep you from totally immersing yourself in diving. While I understand that shore diving is readily available it is not the same 24/7 way of life as on Bonaire.

Bonaire is especially renowned for the plentiful shore dive sites and the fringing reef that puts the drop-off insanely close to the shore. Boat diving is offered but many eschew the boats to drive down the coast and dive on their schedule. With most of the resorts central on the coastline nearly any site is within a 1/2 hour drive, many much less. SOP is 2 AM dives then 2 PM with a nightcap not unlikely. The layout is just wicked conducive to that routine.

If you are looking for significant nightlife or diversions for non-divers then A & C shine.

Pete

 

[DeputyDan]

Bonaire is a dive destination
Aruba is a vacation destination with some diving.

Aruba had marriotts hiltons wyndhams etc.
Bonaire has none of the above.

Bonaire is actually too easy to get to.
The harder to get to the less the crowds.

 

[Mossman]

Also, Aruba gets a half-million cruiseship tourists a year. Only a small handful of cruiseships visit Bonaire and smart divers check the schedule to make sure they avoid Kralendijk when a ship is in town. (On that note, however, I do recall an interesting dinner we had at Bambu's outdoor tables, located directly across the street from the commercial dock: first the cruiseship sailed off, always nice to see them leave and it's a pretty sight with the ship all lit up, then we were treated to the carefully orchestrated arrival and unloading of the supply barge, finally the owner sat down with us for a nice chat over dessert and coffee as we were closing the place out - I love dining out in Bonaire!)

I've avoided trying Aruba so far because there are apparently far better places to dive, including Bonaire and Curacao. Gist is that there are some nice wrecks, but viz is lower than B & C and I don't recall hearing anything about decent shore diving - it's mainly boat diving AFAIK.

 

[drrich2]

Here's a link to my trip report from March 2010 to Bonaire, which contains a link to the trip report from a prior trip in '09. These 2 trip reports use a lot of photos to illustrate what it's like to go, and should help you get an idea what a trip to Bonaire will be like.

I've visited Aruba one day while cruising; haven't dove it. Have seen people talk about it on the forum. In a nutshell:

1.) Aruba's got gorgeous sandy beaches and Bonaire has nothing close.

2.) In Aruba you will probably pretty much be going on boat dives - my experience with boat dives elsewhere is something on the order of $125 per person, boat takes you out, you dive twice, each in a separate location, and they bring you back to the dock.

3.) Aruba has wrecks. Bonaire isn't as 'wreck famous,' but you can dive the Hilma Hooker, and if you like small, the Bakanal and Our Confidence.

4.) Aruba may have more 'entertainments of civilization' topside aside from diving - such as casinos.

Now, Curacao vs. Bonaire is a more complicated issue, and there are threads on the forum discussing and debating that in detail. In a nutshell, Curacao is larger, also has shore diving but isn't as 'dive focused,' and either can be a lot of fun. Neither is known for much larger sea life aside from tarpon, sea turtles & the occasional barracuda or big green moray, so don't expect sharks, dolphin, manta rays and such to be likely to be seen.

Richard.

 

[DiverVince]

The dive conditions on Bonaire are better than what you will find on Aruba..There are several reasons for this, some mentioned above. But the one that I see not mentioned here is limestone. Bonaire has lots of limestone, Aruba has sand beaches. Limestone is much better for the water clarity. The other major factor is the tourism and occupancy of Aruba is far greater than what's found on Bonaire. Lots of people & pristine diving do NOT mix.

 

[DiveMaven]

The answer seems simple to me. If you're looking for a activity filled vacation where you'll dive, go to Aruba. If you want a relaxing dive vacation, stick to Bonaire!

 

[snowdog]

My wife and I just got back from Aruba on May 7, 2010, did a week of diving there. All three locations will be relaxing, As it was stated before, Bonaire and Curacao are a bit more off the beaten path, where diving is the prime activity and diving is measured in "hours per day" vs "dives per day".

No matter where you end up going, do your research for a dive operation and book early. The better ones do fill up fast.