I just received my copy of this book and I am a little confused. I am a snorkeler only and thought there would be a map in the book showing you where these sites are, how do we find them and also what do the reef #;s mean by the name? Thanks

Dive sites listed in BSDME also have noted if they are snorkel sites also. The book was originally written for divers but does serve well for snorkelers. Most sites are acceptable for snorkeling. The numbers beside the name correspond to the numbers on the map of Bonaire. My copy has a simple map in the back of the book. You can get a fairly good map of Bonaire with numbers on it and a legend that explains the numbers.

Susan, everyone who snorkels or dives in Bonaire is required to purchase a Marine Park tag and attend an orientation. At that time you can pick up a map from the dive operator. Sites are listed north to south in BSDME. If a site is noted as "marked" you will find a yellow rock on the road to show the site. The REEF numbers refer to the Reef Environmental Education Foundation numbers for people who do fish surveys (counts). There is an explanation on page 7 of BSDME.

Susan,

Not to take anything away from Susan Porter's BSDME book (it is wonderful, and a "necessity" for truly enjoying shore diving on Bonaire), there is an unrelated website that has pictures, descriptions and reviewer's comments of the official Bonaire Marine Park sites: http://www.shorediving.com/Earth/ABC/index.htm. Scroll down to the two sections that deal with Bonaire. Note that the site numbers in these descriptions DO NOT match the standard BMP numbers, but the names are correct. Also some of the photos are quite out of date (notably Oil Slick Leap), but they do give an indication of what to expect. We use it along with BSDME to help guide where we are going, but BSDME includes many more sites.

As always, evaluate the specific conditions at each site when you arrive and decide whether its conditions that day are within your personal capabilities. As mature (i.e., "older") divers, there are several sites we just won't do, but there are many in BSDME that are terrific that we would not have even tried without having the book.

Hello Susan,

My wife and I were avid snorkelers who used the book to great advantage. we went through the entire book and made a list of all of the sites that were noted for snorkeling. we separated the list into "excellent", "very good", "good" etc. we started with all of the excellent sites(as conditions allowed) and moved on down the list.

We found it to be an invaluable book that led us to many great snorkels. The information was accurate and up to date. We made notes for ourselves at each page that listed our thoughts, things we saw, conditions, notable entry/exit points, etc. We still use the book and add to it.

All of the main named/numbered sites are easily located with the yellow rocks. the maps are available everywhere(dive shops, car rentals, on-line,etc). Don't worry-it is the standard to go by.

Enjoy your trip
Vann Evans

I thought it was kind of odd, too, that there was no map other than the "Far South" sites in the BSDME book. I just printed out the standard numbered map and corresponding site names (from the innernets) on a sheet of peel-off label paper, then cut them out to stick on the back page and inside the back cover. It's nice to have it all in one place.

Can anyone recommend good night snorkeling spots. I'm a diver but am not crazy about night diving.

Pat, The pier just north of the Divi is the Dive Inn pier. At the end of the pier is a 3" rope that goes out to the drop off. Twenty feet north of the rope is a pipe (8" Di) that runs from shore down the reef to Curacao. Back to the rope! When you get to the drop off swim south, at any depth, you will see a 20' dingy on the reef slope at 55fsw. That should be your 1/2 tank point. Turn around and swim north, at any depth, till you see the pipe that runs from shore to Curacao. Follow the pipe up to the top of the reef ans swim south till you see the 3" rope on the bottom. Follow the rope to the end of the pier, and WALA you can exit the sandy beach, and log a great night dive! Ron
Also a good snorkel day or night along the shore.

(Message edited by ronindiana on August 1, 2008)

Hello Pat,
We found a great night snorkel to be in front of the airport. slightly north of windsock is a small concrete block building with a nice beach area and lots of easy parking. we went south toward Windsock about 100'-150' from the building and there is a nice ,large break in the coral to get to the outside of the closest shallow reef. The reef is only about 50' from shore, an easy swim. It is directly across from a large street light and the fuel tanks. the street light makes a good marker for your entry/exit point. We also made a pile of coral rocks there to help us find the break. We entered the water, snorkeled out to the reef and then go north or south, following the outside of the reef. We go north as far as the corner where the channel turns towards shore and went south as far as the fuel pier. I would suggest doing this first during the day to get your bearings and figure out where things are. There are a lot of fish and cup corals- a very nice place, day or night.
Vann Evans

Thanks for the info, we are leaving in 3 weeks, will try these. We also booked a night snorkel with Renee.

In the back of the newest edition has a list of snorkle sits, you can then go to the site in the book and see where and how to enter. I was just looking at mine just last nite.