Hi everybody

At last I have seen Bonaire now! We went there exclusively to snorkel. At the beginning I was quite disappointed. I did not expect to encounter such a damaged reef. I mean I honestly thought that Bonaire was going to be the best of everything I have ever seen. Later I found out that Lenny was the cause of it and that when you go deeper (dive) the reef is okay again.

Although I was first disappointed I think I am very happy to have gone to Bonaire (and might even return some time). We had some really nice experiences seeing all the beautiful and colourful fish, and also we were so lucky to see some really odd and extraordinary fish. (I am researching on it now!).

Now my question:
Is there any snorkeller in this forum who has been snorkelling before Lenny and after Lenny? How was it before? I mean from what I have seen - these huge remaining coral “sceltons” – it must have been gorgeous before. Or was it damaged before already?

Alexia

PS:
Everything I write above is referring to the Corals of Bonaire NOT Klein Bonaire. Unfortunately we did not see much of Klein as I got stung by a jelly fish. On the day we were on Klein, there was a jelly fish invasion. Something that apparently happens only 3 times a year…L

Alexia,,,the corals before Lenny were abundant...the skeletons that remain are whats left...it never looked like that....if you went to Bari reef that was all alive before....we arrived two days after Lenny and were amazed at how "white" everything looked...it seemed even the fish had lost their color (maybe trying to blend with the new destruction) It is a shame but the shallows were beautiful before....

Alexia,

What Meryl says is correct for many sites on Bonaire...but there are also many sites that still have great shallows for snorkelers. There is a site just north of windsock by a little yellow building that is fantastic. The Andrea sites have an extensive terrace with great shallows with staghorn and elkhorn corals. I see squid there almost every time...and many time see a turtle. Country Garden and Jeff Davis Memorial also have nice shallows. At the cargo pier it is possible now to see a frogfish in 3 feet of water on one of the pilings...Caren from Sea and Discover knows right where it is...also Seahorses!

So..yes...pre-Lenny it was easier to find lots of sites with much coral in the shallows...but Bonaire still has some of the best and most accessible shore snorkeling in the Caribbean.

Hope you come back...next time maybe you'll get to enjoy the snorkeling on the south side of Klien...really nice!

Scott

As far as soft coral go, Country Garden was my favorite as well as Southwest Corner off of Kline.I was not there pre Lenny.

Alexia -

We snorkeled Bonaire two months before Lenny hit and we snorkeled there again in January of this year.

The coral damage is clearly evident, but we must report that we saw more marine life and a greater variety in January 2002 than we did in October 1999. And we snorkeled about twice as many times in 1999.

I guess the most obvious difference, other than the damaged coral on the sea floor, was that the fish were not as concentrated. But even with that, we did not have to work hard to see a wonderful variety and splendid specimens of sea life.

We had been concerned about returning to Bonaire after all we had read about the damage from Lenny. We just knew that we would not be satisfied and that we would be saddened. Now, we can't wait to return.

Our other snorkeling trips are limited to Kauai, Hawaii, Grand Cayman, St. John and Virgin Gorda. In our experience, even with the effects of Lenny, none compare to Bonaire.

We hope you get to go again.

Chas.
Dallas

hi Dallas

Just yesterday we read in a diving book that snorkelling in Grand Cayman is excellent. So we thought that might be our next destination. Why do you prefer Bonaire to the Cayman Islands?? Is the reef too far away, I mean does one have to swimm too far to reach it?

Alexia

Thanks for all the comments above. I envy everybody who has seen the reef before, although it is interesting to hear, that people still return...
I think the fact that we spent an average of 5 - 6 hours/day in the water might be a prove that in the end we liked it.
We snorkelled in various yellow stone spots and a few stones should be removed as there is nothing there any more. Others like Andrea II, 1000 steps and an other one that I cannot remember still are beautiful. Also we snorkelled in between the spots, sometimes climbing down/up the rocks when we saw a passage in the sea.

Alexia

Alexia, it sounds like it is time for you to write up a trip report for a snorkelers guide to Bonaire! I know I would like it for my pals who only snorkel. Those yellow rocks are dive sites tho, not snorkel sites, really.

Alexia,,,I told you above about the destruction of the coral....I guess I should have said "some of the coral" we go back twice each year...snorkling and diving is the easiest and best as far as my experiences go...I've been to the Caymens and yes they are nice...but not as many shore dives as Bonaire offers....

We have been to Bonaie for 8 years in a row and yes there is a difference now. Before Lenny there were coral formation all down the coast and there was great snorkeling in all Belnam areas. The first year we went back and went snorkeling in that area it looked like a giant rotating brush had swept the sea floor clean. However, we quickly found new wonderful places to snorkel. We are windsurfers and snorkelers and have found the fish life just amazing. We continue to find and see things we have never seen before. We have been to the BVI, Jamaica, Grand Cayman, Bahamas, Barbados, St. Martin, USVI, Antigua, Montessart, and Grenada and find the snorkeling best in Bonaire.

Cayman vs. Bonaire for snorkeling. We've been to Bonaire about 20 times now and to Cayman 6 times (my dad lives on 7 mile beach so we have to go there sometimes). I much prefer Bonaire for snorkeling...many better sites and much more accessible...much fewer people...much less hassle.

Much of the West coast of Cayman is sand...7 mile beach...that means not much great coral in the shallows...in fact...very little.

There are some places to snorkel on the south side and east side...but the waves and surge are often large and strong.

Stingray City is a nice novelty dive/snorkel...only 10-12 feet deep and lots of "tame" stingrays to hand feed...also a few "tame" green morays...but not worth a special trip to Cayman.

Everyone has their own tastes and priorites...you might like Cayman better than Bonaire...but I doubt it!

Scott

Alexia, I have snorkeled on Bonaire (pre and post Lenny), Grand Cayman, Maldives, Seychelles, St. Lucia and Grenadines.. and in terms of diversity, BON is best.

Certainly, much coral was lost due to Lenny, and as Meryl mentioned earlier, she was surprised at how "white" everything looked. Without going into too much detail, the reason for the white appearance was due to the loss of zooxanthellae (autorophic microalgaes). The zooxanthellae have a symbiotic relationship with corals by giving the corals nutrients for production, in return, the coral polyps give the zooxanthellae a protected place to hang out and a supply of CO2 for photosynthesis. So the corals receive their colour from the microalgaes living in the tissues of the coral polyps. This loss is also a cause for coral bleaching, which often occurs due to a rise in sea temps etc, etc....

I really enjoy snorkeling on BON, even post Lenny. There is now an obvious recovery, and with the warm, clear waters of BON, this will continue Have fun with your research..Sarah

Thanks for the interesting Cayman replies.
I will save this page for the future in case I feel again like going to the Cayman Islands I will read it and lose interest. There is nothing worse than waves/surge for a snorkeler. Actually that is what we had in BON the first 3 days. It was horrible!! An awful strong wind (I had to fasten my hat on my head…!) and such a rough sea. We went to Karpata and we actually had so many difficulties only in getting into the water. This was the first place I went to and never went back. My first impression was that everything was dead. From what I have been reading here I should have maybe gone back.

Sarah
You really prefer Bonaire to the Maldives?? You say in terms of diversity BON is best. Are you referring to sea life when you talk about diversity? Were you on an island in the Maldives that did not have a house reef for snorkellers? (very important to future Maldives travellers: check out first how far away the house reef is!)
We were on two Maldive islands. One with a half damaged house reef but an awful lot of sea life and the other one with a completely intact huge house reef but little sea life (quite strange…). I was overwhelmed by both. I mean rarely seen such diversity and beauty of colours and wilderness like in the Maldives. I am not sure but I would say that the Carebbean islands the corals are less colourful and there is less diversity. (but only know Mexico, Belize, Honduras, BON).
1)You also say that you have been to the Seychelles. What was your experience as a snorkeller (not diver) there? I am looking for Islands with house/shore reefs that can be reached by swimming a very short distance (not by boat). Unfortunately there are not many on this world… But if someone knows of one please share it with me!!
2) Also do you think that what is "left" of Lenny is really "left" or "regrown"? I mean the huge trunks of elkhorn (is it elkhorn?? hm...) that are left among all the ones you see "dead" lying on the floor cannot have possibly regrown in such a short time, can it? On the other hand the fragile fire corals (not sure if what I mean are fire corals, should look it up I guess) must have regrown because they would not withstand Lenny if a huge trunk of coral does not withstand it.

Seb
The yellow stones might be great for diving but snorkellers can find some nice shallow patches along the north shore too. I personally would not recommend to snorkel on the sand part (although most of the snorkellers we have seen do that) and I would not recommend to snorkel on the diving part where you could see the tremendous beauty but it was already so deep that it was a total frustration. I prefer the shallow waters on the shores. You actually can “see” and “experience” things. Like one tipical BON thing is that it is full of different kind of morays. In the end I did not count them any more. They are small and hide in really unexpected way in what I believe are fire corals (not sure though).

Alexia, I visited the island of Bi Ya Doo in the South Male Atoll back in 1987 which does have rather a nice house reef. Though 1987 was an El Nino year!! Unfortunately, we were on the Seychelles at the time of the '98 El Nino also! These high sea surface temps cause coral bleaching (see above post).

When I speak in terms of diversity, I mean marine life.. Only on Bonaire have I seen 2 different species of Moray Eels, Seahorses, huge Barracuda, Octopi and Parrot Fish at their different stages whilst snorkeling in one place! I have never experienced this at any of the above mentioned destinations.. just lots of pretty colourful fish..

Parts of Bonaire were not damaged by Lenny.. in the deeper areas there are still plenty of large sponges and soft/hard coral. In terms of "regrowth", yes, it is happening.. I saw new coral growing a few months back in front of the BelMar.. see my trip report Bonaire DEC 7-20. Also, look up the coral spawning events.. I've commented on this too somewhere on this site!! this will help you understand "regrowth".

Good luck with your further research. Sarah

Alexia,

A bit off-topic, but you asked: In '99, we went to Fiji for a snorkeling vacation. Two of the island resorts that we visited (Navini Island, and Naigani Island) had very good reefs within 50 meters or less of the shore. Navini's reef pretty much encircled the (extremely small) island. Naigani had some very pretty reef to the side of the main building, and an excellent reef at a place they called "Picnic Beach". Unfortunately, the latter required either a very long walk (45 - 60 mins) over a rocky beach, or a boat ride. Also on the downside, the tides in Fiji were extreme (at least when we went). So what was perfect snorkeling depth at one instant could be either too shallow or too deep 3-4 hours later. Fish variety and quantity were decent, but didn't have quite the diversity that I've read about (& look forward to seeing) in Bonaire. Still, I'd go back again to either place (or others) in Fiji, given the opportunity.

Ken

Sarah...thanks for the lesson...very interesting!!!

Sarah, yes thanks for the infos!
How lucky you were to see seahorses! I am sure not many have seen sea horses!
Alexia

Ken, thanks for the Fiji report. It definiteley sounds like I should go there. (If only it wasn't so far away...)
Alexia

Alexia, you'll be surprised, there are quite a few of us who have seen Seahorses on Bonaire.. though I did have to dive down to see it..

We saw this cute little guy while snorkeling on some sandy flats in less than 10 feet of water on our last trip to Bonaire.

These are pictures of the two huge cornetfish that a few of us snorkelors have spotted lately. We saw these at Andrea in about 25 feet of water in January.

I would have LOVED to sea a seahorse! I did not think that snorkellers would see a seahorse. For some reason I always thought that they are to be seen in deeper water. Does anybody of you remember whereabouts you have seen it. Just wondering.

Darlene, thanks for the nice pictures. We also saw one of these beautiful cornet fish (never seen one before). It was not at all shy and we could look at it as long as we wanted. I remember the beautiful colours. First thought it was a big Trumpetfish, but was confused by the tail. It looks like a spine but apparently it isn't.

We never thought we would get a chance to see them either! Renee from the Woodwind finds them fairly often in shallow water. We saw the seahorse some where near the Green Submarine. I don't think there is a name for the site. We just went in the water there. I have also seen an orange Longlure frogfish and I thought they to be very lucky, as well!

Great site! So, where do you think we should stay if the snorkeling right from the shore is our first priority. We used to stay at Sunset Beach Hotel with the Front Porch snorkel site, but that hotel is abandoned. We assume this is still a great area to snorkel in? Any one hotel snorkel site better than another - like at Captn Dons or Buddy Dive or Harbour or Sand Dollar. We don't want to have to rent a car every day we are there, so the snorkeling at the hotel is critical. Thanks a lot, Jen

One thing no one has mentioned about the difference between snorkeling Cayman and Bonaire is the price of staying on the island. Cayman has some beautiful reefs, but to reach most of them you have to take a boat trip out. Sting Ray City is only accessible by boat. But the sheer cost of accommodations and food on Cayman is somewhat prohibitive (maybe not for all, but where we're concerned except for something like a major wedding anniversary we would not go back). Lodging is expensive there. Food is expensive, and there is a mandatory service charge added to every meal. Back in 1988, we paid around $20 just for breakfast for 2 at Burger King. Even the simplest lunch was no less than $40 for 2. And in spite of the mandatory service charge (or maybe because of it) service in the restaurants was terrible. We like Bonaire because you can go right offshore almost anywhere and snorkle. We've seen some great stuff in the water, and yes you can find seahorses while snorkeling. Food is a little expensive on Bonaire, but there are some ways to get around it. And you can find lodging for as little as $50-$75 a night for 2 if you don't insist on staying right on the beach. We're sold on Bonaire!!

One place that I felt had great snorkeling was at Akumal in Mexico. They have a two bay areas - I think one is called Turtle Bay and the other one is Half Moon Bay. We only snorkeled in the Turtle Bay area (since it was right out where we stayed) and you are literally right on top of small clusters of reefs - alot of times I was only able to use my arms to move through the water because if I kicked, I would have hit the coral. But I saw a bunch of turtles, a couple of moray eels, one ray, urchins galore, and lots of fish. The water in the bay area is very calm. So, if you are ever around Cancun or Tulum in Mexico, please visit Akamul for some snorkeling. Since we had to take boats out for diving (only 3 dives a day) in Akamul, we spent alot of off-diving time snorkeling and really enjoyed it. My in-laws don't dive, only snorkel and they go there alot.

Jennifer,
I am partial to the Divi. The snorkeling is incredible right there and it is a ten to fifteen minute walk to town and many restaurants. Also the Woodwind has great guided snorkeling tours and she sails right from the Divi. If you do a search on my name and check out my trip reports they may help you even more