I recently took a trip to Bonaire and wanted to share my experiences
w/you.
I flew from LA overnight to Miami and
then took 2 flights on Air Jamaica changing planes in Montego Bay.
The flights were comfortable.
Bonaire is quiet and relaxed. It's not crowded at all. My
experience was that the people don't make an extra effort to interact
w/you and are quite nice once engaged. I liked that -- no one
hounding me as a tourist since I tend to be a bit quiet and distant
myself until I'm comfortable in the situation.
I was met at the airport (open-air, small, quaint) by the owner of
Happy Holiday Homes who transported me to my accomodations which were
very near. Since there was still some daylight, I hopped on the bike
that I had had arranged, and rode to Bachelors Beach. Wasn't too
good -- fair visibility, not a lot of fish. However, the water felt
nice after all that traveling.
The next day I rode miles to Pink Beach -- very good snorkeling right
off the shore. And I truly mean right off the shore -- just walk
into the water, place your face in, and there it's all happening.
Lots and lots of life. I saw my first peacock flounders (those fish
that rest on their sides and have developed both eyes on one side of
their bodies). The reflection of the sun made the water illuminate
pink. It truly was beautiful.
By this time I realized that I was going to have to rent a car to get
myself to other venues. Although small in size, the island was too
big for me to pedal to all the dive sites I wanted to explore. So
once I did, I drove to Windsock Beach which is right off the runway
at the airport. Again, just great!
Now these 3 snorkeling sites are on a side of the island that appears
very desolate, just like a desert. Add to that the presence of very
few people, and I was feeling a little twilight-zone-ish. And the
beaches are not the quintessential "sand and palm trees" types --
instead the "beaches" are made up of stones/rock/gravel/coral with
very little shade if at all. The weather was hot and heavy.
Although I was enjoying what I was seeing under the water, I was
beginning to think that this place was really over-rated. In other
words, the charm of the island was really eluding me and I was
beginning to feel disappointed. But then I drove to another part of
the island...
The following day I drove to 1000 Steps. The area of the island
north of the main town is much different than the part where the
airport and my accomodations are located. This part is quite lush
with lots of birds and lizards in the bushes, and the land is lifted
far above sea level making for some fantastic views. I took a wrong
turn and ended up on a 1-lane road that was really encroached upon by
the bush and covered with hundreds of lizards. I have never seen so
many lizards together in my life. I had to drive really slowly so as
to not run over them -- they'd move off to the side as my little car
would approach. Once I got back on track, I made it to 1000 Steps
where you have to walk down some beautiful stone steps to get to the
ocean. Oh my God, I haven't seen such beautiful coral reef gardens
since I was in Australia years ago -- absolutely breathtakingly
phenomenal. It was a very rainy day with waves of squalls -- that
also reminded me of snorkeling in the GBR in the (warm) rain. So
pretty. Afterwards, I drove up to another snorkeling spot beyond,
Karpata, just to check it out and plan for the next day. If you
drive beyond Karpata, you have to take a long way back due to the
road becoming a 1-way, but it's a wonderful, scenic drive. I passed
though a beautiful large cactus forest and got to see the ocean on
the windward side of the island for the first time. I also explored
a small town called Rincon -- very colorful with a lot of dogs, goats
and donkeys roaming freely all over.
Like 1000 Steps, you must come down steps from above at Karpata.
However, unlike 1000, there is no beach -- just a little dock. I was
the first to arrive for the day and the dock was totally overrun by
scores of big ol' crabs. I was like, OK, guys, move it over so I can
pop into the water. Very rocky entrance, but the snorkeling was out
of this world. Since I was alone, I hugged the coast for safety.
Then a large group of scuba divers arrived, so I followed above them
out to sea -- what a reward!! It was amazing! I was having such a
good time by this point in my vacation (caught up on my sleep,
feeling familiar with the island, enjoying what I was seeing and
doing), that I even stopped at Windsock Beach on the way back home
for another snorkel session there.
I had seen a post card that had a picture of the beach/diving site called
Ol' Blue and I made up my mind that I just had to go there because it
looked so beautiful. And it was. I think it was my favorite spot on
the island. A nice beach, easy entrance, fantastic underwater life.
That day happened to be very sunny and calm, so the visibility was
incredible -- I'm sure I was in water 60-70 feet, and could still see
detail on the ocean floor.
Another site I explored is called Witch's Hut. A big wave knocked me
down hard as I was halfway into the water fiddling with my mask -- I
totally wasn't expecting it and it hurt. That seemed to set the tone
for that day's snorkeling. The day was cloudy and rainy, and the
surf was kinda' rough. Nonetheless, I did see a cool seaslug and
then an enormous iguana once out of the water.
At Oil Slick Leap you have to either jump in a few feet from the
cliff above or climb down a short ladder. I really, really like this
location because you can explore all the caves and cliffsides that
are there in place of beach. It's like the ocean is a few feet below
ground level, so no shallows exist. Shallows are usually where I
like to comb because because not only is everything so up close, but
there are usually a lot of interesting creatures and things going
on. In this case, however, you're like under the overhang of the
ground (thereby creating the semi-caverns and cliffside). The red
corals were outstanding.
I saw such spectacular sea life in Bonaire. It truly lives up to its
excellent reputation. I saw eels, small and medium-sized squid, and,
for the first time, a true cleaning station that was very busy. I
was not only impressed by the diversity of fish, but by the diversity
of the life cycle stages I witnessed -- I have never seen so many
fish at differing ages (and sizes). I saw tiny juvenile sargent
majors to "teens" to full-grown adults. I also saw the teeny-tiniest
of juvenile fish where all you could see were 2 bulging eyes and a
tiny transparent body -- thousands, seeking safety and shelter right
up against the coastal rocks. I saw 2 juvenile eels, something I'd
never seen before. As for the water temp, I only snorkeled once
without my dive suit and I never got cold. I didn't use gloves or
booties, and my feet and hands and face never got cold. I did get a
bit sunburned on the back of my hands and the back of my head that
sticks up out of the water. The water temp was very pleasant and the
surf was usually quite calm but never completely still. Visibility
was very good and access to the sites was, too -- everywhere I went
into the ocean, there was a ton of fish and activity and corals and
sea plants.
I don't know much about the weather cycles in Bonaire, but when I was
there (10 days over Thanksgiving 2004), the island was very, very
wet -- lots of ponds and puddles all over, plus the ocean and some
rain. I didn't find it expensive (except for groceries, which were
also limited in selection). So, I found it cheaper to go out for
dinner and order a nice fish dish rather than go buy expensive
groceries and fix them at my accomodations.
I really enjoyed seeing so much wildlife right outside my window --
namely a large variety of birds including bright colored ones and
hummingbirds as well as spiders and lizards. My accomodations were
very clean, quiet and safe.
The more I explored the coast, the more I realized that there is
really so much more to see and experience there. I didn't even make
it over to Klein Bonaire -- the nearby island that has multiple dive
sites -- or do a night snorkel which is very popular.
I'd like to return. I give this place a total thumbs up. |
By Vernon Silva (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #1) on Saturday, January 22, 2005 - 11:17 pm: 
you might want to try the WoodWind for a nice sail and snorkel over to Kline. It is a very relaxing and fun time with drinks and lunch served with two snorkel stops. I sail regularly with them. I also do guided snorkel trips with Renee from Renee snorkel trips because she knows where a lot of the local critters live! I call her old eagle eyes!