Hi Folks:

Been reading the posts. I am planning my first trip ever to Bonaire. How is LAC bay? I am also looking for good snorkeling sites, I plan on having transportation. The only thing that gets me is that I am alone.

Is LAC Bay good for snorkeling, are there any favorites?

Lac Bay is my favourite snorkeling location. It is shallow, a little harder to get to, and full of fish. You will see below a satellite image of how to get out to the good snorkeling. It will be a nice 20 minute walk in the shallow bay to get to the raft. In the end the water will be about chest high, and you can start your snorkel from the raft.

I had thought about Kontiki for our (first)
trip in late June, but decided on a condo
on the west side instead. I wanted to start
each morning snorkeling the reef before
the wife even woke up. I bet the mornings
are just incredible overlooking the beautiful
blue water. I’m still eight weeks out and
have a hard time thinking of anything else!

Which condo did you book?

Most will have nice snorkeling right in front of the unit.

The other nice thing about Lac Bay, is if your wife wants to lay on a beach chair while you snorkel they can be rented. There is also food and drinks available.

Newton's 4th Law.

Snorkel Lac Bay.
Gord's aerial is a great help. We always park
south of Sorobon, by the old fishing shack and walk across there. It is a my shorter walk and longer snorkel (a good thing). The water is shallow and a few urchins in the beginning but to see the myriad juveniles a few inches away is spectacular. Always an octo to eyeball too. The water is as clear as can be coming directly from Rocques in the east.
I go later in the day because of the sun angle and the shadows from 4 to 6 pm are just amazing.
Bud

Gord,
Thanks for the info.
Yeah, there are many things about Kontiki that we like.
The online photos of the first floor studio in particular are
great, with the enclosed patio/deck area and the sand
just outside - reminds me of a place where we've stayed
in the Turks and Caicos. Probably kind of silly, but one
of the only negatives was the lack of cable TV. Since we
don't have it at home, we tend to really enjoy lounging with
a good movie (or South Park :-) while on vacation. Lounging
on the beach isn't that important since I'm sure we'll both be
snorkeling all over the island throughout the day. The place
we chose is a condo at Caribbean Court, just next to the Plaza.
www.vrbo.com/120924
But we'll definitely check out other places while exploring the
island, since from all I hear from others, I'm sure there will be
a return trip! I haven't done it yet, but I definitely plan to get
the snorkel/dive guidebook BSDME. Any other pointers or
info you have is always appreciated. It's still eight weeks
away, and I've already started working on an itinerary and
compiling a thick binder of info. Can't get over what a great
group of folks in this Bonaire Talk group. Hopefully I'll get
a chance to meet some of you sometime.
Thanks.

Caribbean Court looks nice. I have not stayed there, but I have snorkeled at the Plaza. It was quite nice, with a very easy entry and exit. Our first trip to Bonaire we were not divers, and only snorkeled. Some of the other must snorkel sites would be
1) Karpata
2) Andrea I & II

The shore diving book is a good idea. Only other snorkeling tip is to make sure you have booties with a sole, or good water shoes, as you will not find much sand.

A 20 minute walk in the water, it's too shallow to swim in most places there,(don't forget coming back also) at Lac, is just a bit too long and hot when it's a meerly a few minutes(if that much) kick from the shore on the west side to the reef. There are so many places to snorkel.
I have done it, but when you see how easy and fast you get to see things at other sites, you might think again.
I personally don't think it's worth it, others might disagree.

Wow, thank you for all the responses, I know I have one month left to book, I plan to go around memorial day, there are still seats left and reservations at Divi.

I hesitate at new things, but so far I am gathering things for this trip.

Thank you all. I will report back from wherever I snorkel....

Hello Robert,
I was at Bonaire back in October, I too was a solo traveller. I was snorkeling in Lac Bay almost everyday, rest assured it has excellent snorkeling. If you're lucky you may even see a turtle or two. There are also quite a few eagle rays residing in the bay. Although it is true that you can "walk" to the reef, be advised there are a lot of dead coral and sharp rocks, water shoes are highly recommended. Even though the urchins mostly stay on their own turf in the southern part of the bay, a few do venture north. One little guy decided to give me a few souvenirs, he was nice enough to bury them into my heel for the trip home. Since there is a constant tradewind the bay does have some chop and at times can be tiring to swim against, but that's OK, you can always rest on one of the two rafts in the bay. On the western side of the island, Andrea 1 & 2 and Boca Slagbaai have good snorkeling too.

One great thing about solo travelling is being able to do what you want when you want to do it. You may even find yourself at a loss as to what to do next!

Well I have my plane tickets and reservations at Coco Palm Garden. Wanted kitchens. There are so many places to stay I was spending a lot of time researching, I had to put a peg in somewhere.

The route that Gord mentioned it only looks like a depth of three feet or less.

The answer to the long walk is to rent a kayak at Jib City and kayak out to the raft or two other tie up buoys on the reef. We took our kayak to Lac Bay last Feb. and had a great time snorkeling. Peter

The Coco Palm Garden seems nice. I stayed at the Sorobon resort, their rooms have kitchens also. They also have an good on-site restaurant if you don't feel like cooking. But I guess with the Coco Palm Garden you avoid that "naturist tax" heh-heh!

Gord's route is correct. Once you get to the reef there are some isolated deep spots around 7-8 feet, but for the most part the bay is only about 3-4 feet deep. You could probably "walk" from the north end of Lac Bay to the south end.

Ah, I forgot about the kayaks. I did alot of canoeing too. Maybe for your future visit you might want to consider the Sorobon resort. They offer free canoe use for their guests. The place is pricey, no doubt. But being able to walk clothes-free from your room to the beach/water is a priceless experience.