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Snorkeling Bonaire: Snorkeling since Omar
Bonaire Talk: Snorkeling Bonaire: Archives: Archives 2008: Snorkeling since Omar
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Daniel J. Zielinski (BonaireTalker - Post #30) on Wednesday, October 29, 2008 - 9:31 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Anyone want to comment on this topic? Where are the good spots...where is the damage extensive?

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Amy Johnson (BonaireTalker - Post #61) on Monday, November 10, 2008 - 2:59 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Dan,

I just returned from a 2 week snorkeling trip on Bonaire. This was our fourth trip in four years. Our previous trips had been in February and March, and we chose this time of year because we'd heard that the winds die down and the East and South dive sites are more accessible due to less wave action.

Comparing last year's trip (March) to this one, I'd say that most of the West side (town side) sites were pretty bare in the shallows. Lots of coral rubble and sand all over everything. Windsock shallows were trashed, and we didn't bother to get in the water at Andrea 1 or 2. The northern sites were in much better shape. 1000 Steps, Ol Blue and Karpata were really good snorkels with lots of fish to be seen and even a few turtles. The water was very clear up there as well.

We went to Lac Cai three times because it was such a spectacular snorkel. It's a LONG walk out to the reef from Jibe City, but it was worth every step. The water clarity was superb, and the abundance and variety of fish was amazing. The other East side sites we snorkeled were Tori's Reef, Invisibles, Pink Beach and Red Beryl. All were great snorkels for different reasons. Tori's had a lot of juvenile fish in the shallows right at the entry point, as well as some eels in the shallow fire corals. Pink Beach reef looks really healthy out along the drop off and we saw some garden eels in the sand. Red Beryl treated us to a feeding eagle ray in the sandy shallows.

We hopped a ride with Yellow Submarine over to Klein Bonaire for a two stop snorkel. I didn't catch the name of the first stop, but it was on the south side of Klein. Not good visibility in the shallows, lots of stirred up sand. Ebo's Reef was the second stop, and it delivered two sea turtles and nearly perfect water clarity in the shallows. Spectacular!

Snorkeled at Boka Slagbaai (in Washington Slagbaai Park) for the first time. The shallows were very stirred up with sand and visibility was not good. We did see one large tarpon swim out from the shallows and over the drop off to the deeper reef. While lunching on land, we saw a water spout form on the back side of a rain storm that had just passed over the island. First time I've ever seen that. It lasted for about 20 minutes, then melted away.

There's still a lot to see in the shallows, but if you've snorkeled off Bonaire before, you may have to try some new spots to see the kind of sea life you're used to seeing. In my experience, which is short compared to some, from day to day and hour to hour ANY site can change due to currents and wind. One day a site will be crystal clear and calm, the next will be windy and stirred up. We first learned this by snorkeling with Renee, and every time we visit Bonaire we are reminded of it.

Amy

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Daniel J. Zielinski (BonaireTalker - Post #31) on Monday, November 10, 2008 - 3:47 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Wow!!! Amy! What a great response!

This is exactly the kind of information I was looking for...and I imagine, I'm not the only one. I knew there had to be some reefs at snorkeling depths that survived Omar better than the devastated sites...it's good to hear that some snorkeling locations are fine and which ones they are. Hopefully, now that you've broken the "ice", more snorkelers who've been on the island since Omar will respond with their own experiences.

I've not been to Bonaire, but have a trip re-planned for mid January of 2009. My original plans were to arrive right after Omar hit, but I decided to reschedule and let the sediment clear.

You mention Renee...did you take any trips with her during your recent stay? I did book her for several trips in January and I believe that she can guide me to some great snorkeling.

The trip you made with Yellow Submarine to Klein Bonaire...was that oriented to snorkeling or were you joining a dive trip?

(Message edited by oncor23 on November 10, 2008)

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Amy Johnson (BonaireTalker - Post #62) on Monday, November 10, 2008 - 4:21 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Dan,

Yes, we have hired Renee several times on past trips and her experience is invaluable. She passed on to us her knowledge of how to enter the sites and what to look for once in the water. Be sure to go on a night snorkel with her. It's sure to be memorable! After your time with Renee, you'll be able to explore other dive and snorkel sites with confidence. We always remember Renee's teachings during our snorkels.

We decided to go it alone this year, since it was our fourth visit, and we had 2 weeks to jump in and out of the water to find the best sites.

The trip with Yellow Submarine was with a dive group. We were staying at an apartment just down the road from their downtown site (it's the dock that appears on the Webcam), so we stopped in there one day and asked if we could tag along on a trip over to Klein. For $15 US each they took us to two spots.

If you'd like a trip oriented just for snorkeling, try a Woodwind trip with Dee and Ulf. It's a really great guided snorkel trip with drinks and lunch. They usually do one stop off Klein Bonaire and one stop along the west coast. Dee also does night snorkels.

If you go to Lac Cai, stop in at the Jibe City shop on the beach and ask how to get out the reef. The employees there were very helpful the first time we snorkeled there. They mentioned that there is a plan for the future to add five mooring sites out near the reef for kayaks, which will allow snorkelers to skip the long walk. That will be nice!

At Lac Cai we saw barracuda, HUGE puffer fish, HUGE supermale parrotfish, black durgon, squid, cuttlefish, a sea turtle that was sleeping under a coral head, schools of needlefish, lots of anemones... more fish than we could count or identify. That's why we went back three times. We were exhausted when we got back to the beach because surge was pretty strong from the waves coming over the reef, combined with the long walk out and the long swim back, but it was worth it.

Others may chime in about conditions at Lac Cai in January, but my guess is that the prevailing winds may make it a little more challenging to get out to the reef than our experience in October and November.

Good luck and enjoy Bonaire.

Amy

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Daniel J. Zielinski (BonaireTalker - Post #32) on Monday, November 10, 2008 - 4:43 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Wow Amy!!! More great information.

I was planning on taking at least one trip on the Woodwind...maybe I will do two. And I have talked with Renee about night snorkeling.

I am interested in Lac Cai...if they have the kayak moorings ready by January, I will certainly try that. If not, maybe I can pick a day with less wind or go in the morning if that would help.

How were the roads in Washington Slagbaai Park?

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Amy Johnson (BonaireTalker - Post #63) on Monday, November 10, 2008 - 5:01 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

The roads in the park were no worse or better than our past visits, that is to say bumpy and rutted in most places, with a few smooth patches. The difference for us compared to previous visits ware that there were puddles of standing water in the road that had to be avoided. The mud is quite slippery. I doubt you'll have to worry about mud in January.

We were driving a Mazda B2000 two wheel drive pickup with a manual transmission. It had enough clearance to get over the most deeply rutted spots. Most of the time we were in first and second gear, and it was a real treat to get to third gear once in a while.

The trunk road to Malmok was closed, even though this was not mentioned to us at the entrance. I was bummed, because Malmok is one of the most stark and lonely landscapes I've ever seen, with its iron coral shore and abandoned buildings. It's something to see.

The blowholes were not as active as usual, due to the reduced winds, but we were warned of this at the entrance. "No wind, no action." We spotted four piglets jogging down the middle of the road just after Juwa Pass. That was a first for us. They disappeared into the underbrush. We mentioned it to the employees of the park as we left, and showed them the photos we had taken on our digital camera, and they just nodded. Yup. Seen that before. On our second trip through the park a few days later, we saw an adult pig. Big and hairy!

About the kayak moorings, I wouldn't hold my breath. Nothing happens very fast on Bonaire. But, you never know.

Amy


 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ken Oubre (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #7) on Monday, November 10, 2008 - 9:51 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Amy, Great info. We love to snorkel Bonaire and this will be our 2nd trip. We did not snorkel at Lac Bay last time, but by your comments this must be a great site. When you say a long walk from Jibe City to the snorkel site are you talking about 300 yards or 1/4 to 1/2 mile in knee deep water ?

We will surely be checking out Pink Beach and Tori reef. These were 2 of our favorites on the last trip.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Amy Johnson (BonaireTalker - Post #64) on Tuesday, November 11, 2008 - 9:21 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Hi Ken,

I'm not good with distances, but somewhere between 1/4 and 1/2 mile sounds right, and I'd estimate it took us a good 20 minutes to slog our way out there. At Jibe City, they said it's a "10 minute walk". I'm 5 foot 6 inches tall and for most of the walk the water was up to my chest with foot-tall waves. Once in a while the waves would be higher (2 feet maybe).

You are walking against the wind and the surge, so it works your calves and thighs pretty hard. At times I'd squat down a little and hop off of my toes to take the pressure off the upper legs. We tried swimming instead of walking for a little bit, but got nowhere against the surge. What did work when I got tired of walking was to put my fins on, lay on my back, and swim face up. I could kick harder against the surge that way.

I had read in past snorkeling posts about some rafts or platforms that were out in the bay that you could rest on. When we asked about them at Jibe City we were told that they are gone. We toyed with the idea of renting a kayak to get out to the reef, but we'd have to tow it around with us or tie it up to the one buoy that is out near the reef, and decided against the kayak. We did see people using that method, though.

The advice from Jibe City (which we followed) was to walk straight out from the beach and when you get to the reef, head to the left. We got as close as we could to the edge of the reef where the water breaks over from the deep side, and then wove our way in and out of the coral, generally heading left across the reef. The water is about 3 to 4 feet deep, and in places the coral goes right up to the surface. We had to double back at times because we swam into a dead end with no outlet.

When we were ready to head back to the beach, we swam away from the reef, but not directly toward Jibe City. Instead, we swam against the surge a little bit, keeping the reef on our left. Our focus was the big windmill in the distance to the south. We swam toward that, letting the surge push us toward Jibe City. If we hadn't veered left, the surge would have pushed us beyond Jibe City and more toward the middle of Lac Cai. We could have walked the entire way back, but we wanted to keep an eye out for rays in the shallows, and there was always something to see in the sand (juvenile fish, conchs, sand dollars).

We worked up quite an appetite after all that exercise and stopped at the Jibe City Bar for a sandwich and apple pie.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ken Oubre (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #8) on Tuesday, November 11, 2008 - 1:22 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Thanks for the info.
Sounds like you need to write a book.
You are very good with details.
We arrive Saturday morning so I can not wait.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By William Gates (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #167) on Tuesday, November 11, 2008 - 7:44 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

It seems to me that for a reasonable charge the concessionaires at Jibe City could run a small skiff out to the reef to drop off snorkelers and pick them up a couple hours later. Similar to the water taxis going to klein.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Daniel J. Zielinski (BonaireTalker - Post #33) on Wednesday, November 12, 2008 - 12:09 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

My experience with shore damage from wave action is that wind direction is critical. If the wind direction is parallel to shore, the waves will still turn into shore but not hit as hard as the same wind strength blowing directly onshore. Looking at the western Bonaire coastline, unless the wind direction was shifting a fair amount when Omar was nearby, it's easy to believe there were winners and losers. A west wind...and particularly a north west wind should not have hit sites like Karpata very hard. However, this doesn't explain why the southern (west side) shoreline seems to be in much better shape than the shoreline around all the hotels. Another factor with regard to shoreline erosion is the beach configuration. If water is shallow for some distance off the beach, waves will break on the way in and lose some of their energy. If the bottom is relatively deep right up to the shoreline, then waves can roll right in and cause considerably more damage.

It would be interesting to hear how the snorkel sites in Washington Slagbaai Park made out. Amy reports that conditions were turbid during her visit, so it may have been difficult to assess damage to the reef. I would expect that part of the coastline to have been hit by Omar, but local shoreline situations can vary.

If anyone else visits the access sites in the park, it would be great to hear how the reef is doing at snorkeling depths.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Sue Steiner (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #194) on Thursday, November 13, 2008 - 3:40 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Looking for someone to spend some time snorkeling with when I'm on Bonaire - 11/19-11/29. Boyfriend is avid diver. I will make arrangements with Renee and the Woodwind some of the time I'm there.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By suzii steinbrech (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #5) on Thursday, November 13, 2008 - 9:37 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

This message for Sue Steiner. Will also be on the island at that time with an avid diver. I am an avid snorkeler. Would love to have a snorkel buddy. My husband usually dives and I snorkel above so if your avid diver is interested ???

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By swimdad (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #1) on Thursday, November 27, 2008 - 9:48 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

great info on post omar snorkel areas.we are making first trip in jan and would love more reports.we have scheduled with renee but will not go with her till middle of trip and would like to snorkel before going with renee. already have BSDME but sure things have changed. also need advice on arriving through cur but will post on getting around bonaire. thank you, this is my first post.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Bill Mulvey (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #4) on Saturday, November 29, 2008 - 11:18 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

We are arriving in Bonaire Dec. 7th. We would appreciate hearing about other post-Omar snorkeling experiences in addition to the excellent ones above.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Pauline Kayes (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #134) on Wednesday, December 3, 2008 - 6:19 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Snorkelers are really going to have to be inventive in order to have a good experience. The traditional sites--Windsock, Batchelor's Beach, Divi, Plaze etc.--are 100% damaged in the shallows--nothing but grey rock, sand, and algae moving in. Even further out at the drop-off there is more damaged coral, coral bleaching, etc. And to prove how much coral is needed for a coral reef ecosystem to thrive, there is a marked drop in fish populations, etc.

Some of my favorites have become more difficult to enter and exit (at the risk of breaking something) and there is nothing to see once you get in: Witches Hut, Batchelor's Beach, etc.

thanks for the above suggestions for a satisfactory snorkel--please post anymore that you come across. I am afraid it is going to take Bonaire another 10 years to become a snorkeler's paradise again.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Lloyd Haskell (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #265) on Wednesday, December 3, 2008 - 7:03 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Twenty years ago Bonaire was said to be out of the hurricane belt , apparently before Lenny the shallows were a sight to behold , teeming with coral and fish . Now it seems to get hit every couple of years. It may be a very , very long time before snorkelers paradise resumes .

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By michael gaynor (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #3487) on Thursday, December 4, 2008 - 9:01 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

I beg to differ with Pauline. There are still many places left to snorkle and see fish life. I suggest you talk to Rene or one of the boats that take snorklers for day trips. Granted it is not as prolific as in the past but still well worth putting on your mask and fins.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Dan Jolly (BonaireTalker - Post #100) on Thursday, December 4, 2008 - 11:02 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

1000 steps is still a great snorkel location. Boats to Klein are still great snorkeling. Renee is your best source of info and guiding.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Krispi ~ Bright Lover ;-) (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #4286) on Thursday, December 4, 2008 - 11:15 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

doesnt the east side offer decent snorkeling?
We stayed shallow at the baby's beach area and saw some nice stuff and if you walk out past wind surf area, I have seen people talk about nice snorkeling.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Patrick Matthew White (BonaireTalker - Post #65) on Thursday, December 4, 2008 - 12:26 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

I am still curious about how the shallow coral in the far south (from Hidden Beach through Atlantis) fared the storm. We are returning in January and are bringing friends who don't dive. We also love to gas off in the shallows after a dive. Any information would be appreciated.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ken Oubre (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #9) on Thursday, December 4, 2008 - 12:30 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

My wife and I snorkeled on the island from Nov.15 - 21 and had a great time. There were vast amounts of juvenile fish in the shallows. The best sites we found were 1000 steps, Tori's Reef and 2 unmarked sites on the south end called Hidden Beach and Soft Coral Gardens. These sites were found by research in the book "Bonaire Shore Diving Made Easy" which we purchased on the island. Basically these 2 sites are between Pink Beach and Red Slave.
We saw plenty of soft coral and fans with several large fish and an Eagle Ray. The weather was not perfect but this site was by far the best we found. Another great site we were told about would be Lac Bay but it is a long walk across the bay in chest deep water to get to the reef, but we were unable to try this one due to the storms that were with us all that week.

Good Luck !!! ..... A bad day snorkeling in Bonaire is still better than a good day working.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Patrick Matthew White (BonaireTalker - Post #66) on Thursday, December 4, 2008 - 1:24 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Thanks for the information Ken. Specifically I am interested in how the proliferative stands of staghorn coral in the south fared. Did you see these at Hidden Beach? Has anyone snorkeled the shallows at Margate Bay lately. During the past few years, areas around Margate Bay have had extensive tangles of living staghorn coral in the shallows. Does any of that remain since Omar, or is that gone for another decade?

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Daniel J. Zielinski (BonaireTalker - Post #34) on Thursday, December 4, 2008 - 2:22 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

As the OP, I have to thank Pauline and Ken. The point of this thread is not to discourage snorkeling on Bonaire, but the opposite...there are plenty of good sites to visit now and here is the list. If someone gets off a ship and visits a snorkel site or two that got hit hard, they will not come away with a positive view of Bonaire. Identifying the good snorkel locations has benefits for everyone. As part of that process, sites that got hit hard get checked off. Let's see...where am I going today...Batchelor's beach or Hidden Beach...I think I'll try Hidden...

So Ken, you went to 1000 steps...did you go any further North? Did you try Karpata? I'm not sure if the road there is an issue or not.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ken Oubre (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #10) on Thursday, December 4, 2008 - 3:42 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

We did not snorkel at Karpata or anywhere North of there. We wanted to go into the park and snorkel but due to the heavy rains that were there during our stay, the park was closed.

We did snorkel at Ol' Blue and there was some damage but there were many juvenile fish to view in the shallows to the north.

We also Snorkeled between Red Beryl and Margate Bay and did not see very much damage but that was our first time at these sites so we did not have anything to compare it to.

We had a trip planned to go to Klein but again the rains canceled the Woodwind that day.

The weather played a big part in the sites we were able to snorkel. But once we found Soft Coral Garden it became our instant favorite.
Fish were abundant and the tube coral and fans were amazing.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Daniel J. Zielinski (BonaireTalker - Post #35) on Thursday, December 4, 2008 - 4:03 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Thanks Ken!!!

It would be great to hear from someone, besides Amy, who has tried snorkeling off Klein since Omar. I imagine that Dee and Ulf know where the good snorkeling is, but I'd like to hear about the experience. Are snorkelers still taking the water taxi's to No Name Beach and ?

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By swimdad (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #4) on Thursday, December 4, 2008 - 6:58 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

more, more. these are all gems that i will use in jan. my boys 7 and 11 are more excited about bonaire in jan than christmas thank you

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Cindy K (BonaireTalker - Post #30) on Thursday, December 4, 2008 - 8:33 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Good to hear about some sites that are still worth going to. We arrive on Saturday and I feel much better! Karpata is one of our favorite places so if weather allows I'm sure we'll be checking it out and will post a report.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Bill Mulvey (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #5) on Thursday, December 4, 2008 - 9:08 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Thanks for the suggestions. We are arriving in Bonaire Sunday morning and will check them out. Does anyone else have a post-Omar snorkeling site to recommend?

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By DARLENE IN MA (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #2596) on Friday, December 5, 2008 - 12:19 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

After reading some of the negative postings regarding the quality of snorkeling in Bonaire since Omar, I decided to contact Renee and also share my experience. I am the type of person that my glass is not half empty, it is always half full. My very fist trip to Bonaire was just a few weeks after Lenny when everyone was all upset about it's destruction. We had been to about six other Caribbean islands prior searching for great snorkeling with easy access. I did not see Bonaire prior to Lenny so I had nothing to compare it to but even after all it's destruction, I thought I had died and went to Heaven!! It was the best snorkeling ever!!!What I saw that trip began a love affair that will last a lifetime! Sure I saw barron snorkel sites but there were still plenty of sites with breath taking corals,fans and gorgonians in the shallows. There was an abundance of fish life where ever I entered the water, even in the baron sites. In fact, I have found that most of the fish life that I have seen over the almost ten years (March trip will make 10 :-) ), has been in the sites where there is not much there! Doing the guided snorkels with Renee has taught me where to look for everything. Her knowledge has been invaluable to me. I don't need to do guided snorkels with Renee but I still do because she is always in the water and knows where the great fish life is hiding!
Now on to the present. I was there during Omar and witnessed it's power and destruction first hand. I knew there was a lot of damage being done to the reefs in places but there are still plenty of places that weathered it's fury just fine. I only was able to get in the water on the leeward side once after Omar and saw many fish, including and ocean trigger and it was right out front of one of the hardest hit hotels. Folks, what I am trying to say is that there is still plenty of good stuff to see. You just need to know where to look.
I e-mailed Renee expressing my concern of some of the postings on this thread and her reply was simple. "She did three trips for the cruise ships yesterday and two different people told her that the snorkeling was better than Cancun and Hawaii! They saw, three turtles, a Spotted Eagle Ray, numerous baracudas and puffers, eels, a Burr fish,a Buffalo Trunk fish and much more! I think that just about says it all!!
I did not email De from the Woodwind regarding this thread but I did email her post Omar to ask how Kline had survived and she told me the new beautiful sites that I had been to that trip were fine.De has been exploring many different sites over at Kline and we had done quite a few new breath taking ones for the first time while I was there.
I haven't had much time for BT lately but I just felt I had to take the time to share my experiences post Lenny. I hope this eases the minds of some of you folks traveling to Bonaire for the first time.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By TreknRobin (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #4) on Friday, December 5, 2008 - 1:18 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Darlene - Thank you, thank you, thank you! We are snorkelers heading to Bonaire for the first time in February. Some of the post-Omar reports have been discouraging, but as I look at it, any day in the waters of Bonaire will be better than a February day in Massachusetts! Thanks for sharing your experiences post-Lenny. Any additional updates from folks on snorkeling post-Omar would be appreciated.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Vince DePietro (Bonaire Beach Condo ) (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #1794) on Friday, December 5, 2008 - 3:31 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Thanks Darlene for putting a little perspective on the various perceptions & opinions expressed on this board.

We've been going to Bonaire since 1985 & have seen a lot. I haven't been in the water post Omar but am confident that with time & some intelligent management by the local government of the increasing tourism & it's respective demands on the ecology that Bonaire will be just fine.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion. However I honestly believe there are many Casandras in life.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Pauline Kayes (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #137) on Friday, December 5, 2008 - 3:51 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Darlene, it is good to hear your assessment of the snorkeling post-Omar. Perhaps there should be an updated guide for snorkelers that recommends some sites over others--i.e. 1000 Steps over Windsock--and advises entry and exit points. Since it is snorkeling that seems to have been the most affected by Omar, it seems to be prudent to guide tourists to exactly the sites that are still flourishing.

Another concern, however, is that with the daily increase in nitrites from sewage seeping into the sea, it might be impossible for some of the shallow reefs to ever recover. And that is not being a Cassandra but making deductions based on scientific evidence from numerous marine biologists that the reefs of Bonaire are in serious decline. And if there is not action soon, that decline may be permanent and Bonaire will slide off the list of premier dive and snorkel destinations.

And that is not being "negative" but providing a critique of Bonaire's current environmental policies that might destroy its dive and snorkel tourism

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Daniel J. Zielinski (BonaireTalker - Post #36) on Friday, December 5, 2008 - 6:36 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

The various posters on this thread are all, I'll assume, interested in snorkeling and Bonaire. That said, they aren't all looking for the same things or have the same expectations when they snorkel. Some might want to see big fish and turtles; some might be happy seeing blennies and gobies; some might want to see invertebrates; some might want to see the various corals. All of us would like to see the whole package if given the choice. I would love to see a Jaguar in the wild. Any location would be good, but a pristine rainforest would be best.

All of my snorkeling in Hawaii last March was better than the snowstorms at home. However, the snorkeling I did at Hanauma Bay was much better than any other site I visited on Oahu.

Asking for current information on the best snorkeling after Omar is really no different than asking about it before Omar, from the point of view of maximizing one's experience. Given a limited amount of time to spend exploring, who doesn't want "insider" info on the best places to visit? Given a choice, I'd rather have a list with the better locations identified and work down from the top rather than randomly hit locations and hope for the best. Yeah, I know, adventure does not come with recommendations.

My point of view is affected by my job, in which I have to assess the quality of the environment so that I can make recommendations. It's not about seeing the glass half full or half empty...it's about seeing the glass as it is, and if possible, making suggestions for actions that will hopefully fill it to a greater extent than it was when I first examined it.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Lloyd Haskell (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #266) on Friday, December 5, 2008 - 6:40 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Well said Daniel , I love your comment as I am one of the lucky ones to encounter a mature black jaguar in the Yucatan Jungles in 1992 . A brief moment I will never forget , thanks for the reminder .

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Vince DePietro (Bonaire Beach Condo ) (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #1795) on Friday, December 5, 2008 - 6:45 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Pauline..You & I are really on the same page here. I do share your concerns.
IMHO the most significant problem facing Bonaire now is the eutrophication of the surrounding waters.
Any legislation passed by the local government which serves to ameliorate the situation, I am in complete agreement with.

I do view the proverbial glass as half full & believe that the problems facing the island will eventually be solved. Generally speaking, I've noticed that throughout our history we have certainly made our share of errors, but we always seem "to muddle through".

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Larry DiMauro (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #1) on Monday, December 8, 2008 - 4:23 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Have not been to Bonaire in two years. At that time the snorkeling by the Divi was already degraded. By The Plaza was better but not as good as in the past. Before going up to the North side for my afternoon snorkel, I used to go up to Aquarius for my morning snorkel. How is that area?

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Pauline Kayes (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #141) on Monday, December 8, 2008 - 4:42 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Larry, since basically all the coral from shore to drop-off is gone at Tori's Reef, Margate Bay, Invisibles, sites like that, I am assuming the same will be true at Aquarius. Even more disturbing is the algae blooms everywhere attaching to what is left of the coral. I am sure the nitrates from the sewage are exacerbating the problem, perhaps making it more difficult for the reefs to recover this time.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By snorkelfan (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #1) on Monday, December 8, 2008 - 5:51 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

We visited Bonaire in Oct 2007 and had some fantastic snorkelling with Renee. The news of damage from Omar is so sad. My question is what will happen over the next few weeks and months to the marine life. If the algae is blooming and attaching to the coral, will things get worse before they get better? Also how localised is the damage - is it restricted to sites like Windsock and the town area? Sarah

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Bill Mulvey (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #6) on Tuesday, December 9, 2008 - 10:18 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Yesterday we snorkeled at Andrea I. The fish are there. We saw a ray, a turtle, the normal assortment of parrot fish, four eye butterfly fish, a golden morey eel, trunkfish, rock beauty angelfish, barred hamlets, banded butterfly fish, spanish hogfish, file fish, trumpet fish, a really big porcupine fish, plenty of blue tangs, bluestriped grunts, yellowtail damselfish, blackbar soldier fish, sergeant major fish, dusky squirrelfish, bluehead and yellow head wrasses, redlip blennies, french grunts, striped grunts, yellow tailed snappers, yellow goatfish, chubs, juvenile barjacks, etc. What was missing was coral near the shore. Even the fire coral was broken off almost to the base.
We are headed south today.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By chris keen (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #117) on Tuesday, December 9, 2008 - 10:45 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Bill, thanks for the report on Andrea I, that is our favorite snorkel site...we're headed down in January...please keep the reports coming! Hope you get to Tori's, which is our second most favorite site.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By ronald mcconnell (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #5) on Friday, December 19, 2008 - 8:02 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Please keep the "still good after Omar" snorkel spots comming. Going in late Mar. Anyone know about wayka in the park (or any park coral reports)Thanks,ron

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Tim Crull (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #1) on Sunday, December 21, 2008 - 10:54 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Just got back from a week in Bonaire. We had two excellent drift snorkels with Woodwind at Klein: Captain Don's Reef - South Bay - Hands Off and Jerry's Reef - Just a Nice Dive - Nearest Point. Dee pointed out numerous turtles on the second drift. Much soft coral was still in place, as well as at two spots we snorkeled down south: Yellow Hut and Soft Coral Garden (identified in Susan Porter's BSDME between Sweet Dreams and Red Slave). 1000 Steps and Ol' Blue were good, too, put probably not as good as the others. There was only very sturdy Elkhorn and large Brain coral at Wayaka II, but the shear beauty of the place and two very sociable French Angel fish made that swim unforgettable.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Daniel J. Zielinski (BonaireTalker - Post #37) on Monday, December 22, 2008 - 11:08 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Thanks Tim! Those are the comments we all like to hear...the sites that you enjoyed the most and why. In particular, I liked hearing about the drift snorkel at Klein.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By ronald mcconnell (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #6) on Monday, December 22, 2008 - 12:26 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

So is yellow hut unmarked & near soft coral garden too? thanks,ron

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Tim Crull (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #2) on Tuesday, December 23, 2008 - 1:50 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

The 5th edition of Susan Porter's "Bonaire Shore Diving Made Easy" has four "unmarked sites" between Sweet Dreams and Red Slave: Soft Coral Garden, Hidden Beach, Yellow Hut, and Chocogo (all listed as excellent snorkel sites). These sites are close to one another, since there must be less than a mile between Sweet Dreams and Red Slave. We went to Yellow Hut twice and had little surf or current during our visits. Entry was fairly easy, and there was even somewhat of a small, coarse sand beach. Susan's little book had excellent directions and a nice map showing how to find the sites. I understand she is currently revisiting all the sites post-Omar for a future edition.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Vince DePietro-www.bonairebeachcondo.com (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #1826) on Tuesday, December 23, 2008 - 2:13 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Anyone know if Susan is planning an updated edition subsequent to Omar?

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Susan - www.bsdme.info (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #615) on Tuesday, December 23, 2008 - 6:54 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Plans for a 6th edition are pending. The shoreline is still changing and now that the Trades have begun will shift further. I am making notes of all the changes so far but rewriting the guide at this time is not realistic. The earliest a new edition could come out would be summer. You can be assured that Bonaire Talk will be the first place to know.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Snorkeljohn (BonaireTalker - Post #39) on Tuesday, December 23, 2008 - 7:15 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

We snorkeled yesterday at Andrea I. Good number of fish. Not a lot else to report.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Patricia Shapiro (BonaireTalker - Post #58) on Friday, December 26, 2008 - 8:14 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

In Washington Slagbaai Park, has anyone recently snorkeled at Wayaca II (I mean post Omar) Are the very tame French Angel Fish still greeting all comers?

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Snorkeljohn (BonaireTalker - Post #42) on Friday, December 26, 2008 - 9:00 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

We just finished snorkeling at Wayaka II about 5 hours ago and, yes, the two French Angelfish are greating everyone -- as are two smooth trunkfish.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Patricia Shapiro (BonaireTalker - Post #59) on Saturday, December 27, 2008 - 9:55 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Snorkeljohn: Thanks a lot for the quick response and a very happy post-Christmas holiday to you! I googled "smooth trunkfish" - I love those cute little guys - I always call them "box" fish.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Larry DiMauro (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #2) on Wednesday, December 31, 2008 - 12:23 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Thanks for all the Reports. Although we have previously spent full weeks in Bonaire, we found ourselves in Bonaire as passengers on the Celebrity Summit the Day of Christmas Eve for just 5 Hours. Knowing that Klein Bonaire would be too crowded due to our fellow passengers. We heeded your advice that the Southern Shallows were in disrepair and hired a Cab and went to Andrea I. We selected it not only because we enjoyed snorkeling there many times before, although we have other favorites on the North Shore we felt if we had a cab snafu we could still make the ship before sailing due to the proximity to town. Our concerns were unnecessary. Jacob our cab driver picked us up right on time. We spent two hours in the water and it was fabulous. We have snorkeled all over the Caribbean and nothing compares to Bonaire. We look forward to our next visit which will be longer. If you find yourself in a similar situation and you can not hook up with Dee or Renee, don't walk down to the Divi or the Plaza (nothing against the Hotels we stayed in both and loved them) but get in a Cab and hit the North Shore.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Carole B. (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #7007) on Wednesday, December 31, 2008 - 9:44 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

We enjoyed time in the water at the old Sunset Beach (new Divi property) with the fish and an octopus, too. Current is really moving around, tho.

We swam (with power fins) over to the Samur ship and decided to swim around to the other side to enjoy the carvings on her...well, we almost ended up in Venezuela with the current on the north side of the moored ship~!! It was damn near a rip tide effect. We had to really power the legs hard and remembered to swim parallel to the shoreline even tho it was instinctive to go towards the shore line. Man, that was one heck of a workout. We made it fine but realized that a lot has changed in the waters since Omar was there.

Went to Andrea I & II and enjoyed the snorkeling there, as well.

Water was actually too rough and clouded with sand being kicked around at the Divi to even continue beyond a few minutes. We ususally spend several hours at Calabas reef but it was so difficult to get into the water by the wooden ladder due to the rough tide going in and out that we gave up and went to the pool area for the rest of the day.

Wanted to go to Donkey Beach but there was a tanker down there. Didn't want to get too near to the tanker at all.

Way too many cruise ships in port for our liking that week, too. Mega ships, two at a time. Horrible.

The venders in the park are great, tho! Bought some nice hand made glass jewelry and items from a nice young lady from Bonaire.

Anyway, have fun snorkeling but be prepared to use your legs and arms in case the waters get rough or the tide goes in or out while you are snorkeling. It is still well worth it. Trust me. Have Fun!! Carole

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Mary McClelland (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #1) on Friday, January 2, 2009 - 9:45 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

I am one of those awful cruise ship passengers coming to Bonaire for a very short time--1-7 pm. So, I want to make the most of the short time I have available to see a bit of the island and get in the best snorkeling possible. Is there any consensus on whether to go north or south or areas to avoid? I know conditions vary from day to day, but is any spot more reliably good or is there a way to tell--wind direction or anything like that--to help us predict a good place to go? We really want to check out the island to see if we want to spend a week on the island when my brothers go next (they go most years) and certify.

Thanks so much for any info you can provide.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By pat murphy (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #1742) on Saturday, January 3, 2009 - 9:31 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

mary, welcome to BT. there are good snorkel sites both north and south of town. and the conditions can vary not only day to day but sometimes from morning to afternoon so it's hard to say exactly where you should go. the cruise ships usually make arrangements for their passengers to snorkel at donkey beach and one or two other places. there are also bus tours available to show you the island.

when will you be arriving on bonaire?

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Mary McClelland (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #2) on Saturday, January 3, 2009 - 10:04 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

We will be arriving on January 14th. We generally stay away from ship's tours and do things on our own. Since we will be there such a short time, we will have to rely on taxis or walking to get where we are going.
Thanks

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Larry DiMauro (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #3) on Saturday, January 3, 2009 - 11:32 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

I'm sure you read my post above, hailing a cab was easy, It was $20 each way, for two of us. Don't undersell Cruise Ship access. I would not have been able to make it to Bonaire this year if it wasn't a port on my ship. When I've stayed for full weeks it was always easy to work around the cruise ship traffic. The economic benefit to the Island, I'm sure is substantial and the Exposure of travelers who are not familiar with Bonaire also promotes future dollars flowing into Bonaire. I trust everyone I've met in Bonaire to manage the growth and and keep it the best destination in the Caribbean.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Mary McClelland (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #3) on Saturday, January 3, 2009 - 3:25 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Thanks for your response and we will try going north. We do land trips and cruises and it is interesting to see how our attitude toward cruise passengers varies according to what kind of trip we are on.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Deborah Bennett (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #167) on Tuesday, January 6, 2009 - 12:06 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Where do cruise ships empty their waste?

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By swimdad (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #6) on Saturday, January 10, 2009 - 9:52 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

finally going to bonaire. staying near small wall and wish to snorkel there on arrival is this a good area or was there extensive damage?. also where is the closest place to get nature/ snorkel permits? we will be close to black durgon and will arrive on sun afternoon(dae willing) jan 18 thanks, mark

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Susan Brown (BonaireTalker - Post #42) on Saturday, January 10, 2009 - 10:42 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Mark, I don't have an answer to your question but was wondering are you staying at Divers paradise? From what you said about Black Durgon and small wall I was just wondering because we are going for the first time in 4 weeks and staying at Divers Paradise. Hope you'll let us know all about your trip when you get back. Have fun and be safe. --Sue

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Snorkeljohn (BonaireTalker - Post #43) on Sunday, January 11, 2009 - 1:24 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Mark, we stayed for a week at Black Durgon, Dec. 27 - Jan. 3.

The snorkeling is the same as it always was, as far as I could tell. The coral along the shore has never been vibrant and mostly is not alive. But that old reef is at water level (or 2 feet to 8 feet below water level) and therefore is easy for continuous access and scads of fish.

On our final morning, my wife and I snorkeled together and in one hour we counted (and mostly identified) 59 different kinds of fish. If we had not had a plane to catch, we might have hit 60!

Assuming you have access to BD because you are staying at Diver's Paradise, or that you have other waterfront access, this is a mandatory, every-morning snorkel.

In addition, we are scuba divers and enjoyed Small Wall immensely, as before.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Daniel J. Zielinski (BonaireTalker - Post #61) on Sunday, January 11, 2009 - 8:46 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Snorkeljohn,

I'm at Black Durgon now...what time in the morning did you go out? Before or after Breakfast? Did you head North or South...was one way better than the other?

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Snorkeljohn (BonaireTalker - Post #44) on Sunday, January 11, 2009 - 9:47 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Dan, say Hi to Al for me and Lana.

You can go any time and see all the fishies. (Our count of 59 was at 11 am, but I had snorkeled earlier that morning alone and counted 44; my wife's eyes added more!)

I usually go south; let me know how it is to the north. You can probably see 20+ species within 50 or 100 feet of the dock. Maybe more. Because of the waves, I don't normally go above the coral, but hang around at the edges of it.

Good luck!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Nathalie (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #285) on Monday, January 12, 2009 - 9:15 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

I think you will likely see more heading north from Durgon (away from town and dense development). I've found I'm more apt to see eagle rays and turtles heading north. Also, if you are covering some distance, heading south gets you to the water plant and diminished water clarity.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By chris keen (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #122) on Monday, January 12, 2009 - 10:44 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

We are planning a night snorkel and are considering going in at Eden Beach. How is the snorkeling there since Omar and is the access easy via the steps on their dock??

Thanks!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Daniel J. Zielinski (BonaireTalker - Post #63) on Monday, January 12, 2009 - 10:55 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Thanks Natalie...I'll keep that in mind. Clarity near shore wasn't great today near Black Durgon. So, I took a ride south all the way to the lighthouse. As part of my job, I have to rate water conditions when surveying on a lake...I would rate the conditions today at the lighthouse as "high surf". So, I went back north to Tori's reef. Snorkeling there was okay, but the same issues with turbidity from smaller waves. I did see a number of those long spined sea urchins. Next to one of the black urchins were 3 tiny, colorful crabs. I tried to get a picture, and I would show what I did get, but I'm having some trouble reducing the size to 50 kb. Maybe I need to resize the pixels?

Anyway, when I came out of the water, there was a couple waiting for me...they had been snorkeling too and they lost their dry box with the rental car key, the driver's license and a credit card! So I did the only thing possible for fellow snorkelers and gave one of them a ride back to their car rental shop...the other stayed behind to snorkel some more!

After that, I felt so good about myself...I had to do something to balance it out...something bad, really bad...yes, I went on my first scuba dive in the waters of Bonaire. Now, don't tell anyone on the Diving thread to read this or they will gloat till the honeycomb cow fish come home. You would have to tell them, because I'm sure they don't bother to read the snorkeling thread. That said...we dove Small Wall. Wow...wow..wow...wow-wow. That's me on the dive. It was literally hard to take it all in...sensory overload...so much to see...when I wasn't struggling to clear my ears. It was my deepest dive ever, a death defying 44ft. Call me crazy...but it was so worth it. What a difference with the shallows. Unbelievable. To all my fellow snorkelers...I'm sorry, I fell off the wagon and descended to the dark side. But the view was fabulous...and maybe because I didn't take my camera...it was my 6th logged dive and I need to get better at this before I worry about photography...the fish were swimming in my face and demanding to know what I was doing down there when I belonged on the surface...or maybe it was just plain,"ha, ha...you can't take our pictures". My first barracuda...and all the corals...just gorgeous! I imagine it was unfair before Omar...after Omar...it's not even close.

(Message edited by oncor23 on January 12, 2009)

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Kimo (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #274) on Monday, January 12, 2009 - 11:43 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Daniel, welcome to the dark side.. Totally different in the underworld with a 360 view and no limitations how how close you can get to the sea life.. See, most everyone reads most all the posts.. Welcome

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Debbie B. ~ Jersey Gal (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #8646) on Tuesday, January 13, 2009 - 8:37 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Way to go, Dan! I dive as well as snorkel, enjoy both sports! Welcome to the dark side! :-)

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Bob Eiceman (BonaireTalker - Post #49) on Tuesday, January 13, 2009 - 5:51 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

After receiving invaluable tips from Renee, we have become addicted to night snorkeling. We love going in at the Plaza due to the ease of entry at night. Is there anything left there after Omar?

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Vince DePietro-www.bonairebeachcondo.com (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #1893) on Tuesday, January 13, 2009 - 6:48 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Dan..Welcome to the world of scuba.
Be careful with your ears and go slow.
Until you get some real experience my advice would be to leave the camera behind. Enjoy..

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Daniel J. Zielinski (BonaireTalker - Post #65) on Tuesday, January 13, 2009 - 11:10 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Vince,

I left the camera behind again today. Went down to 64 ft...I believe that's near the limit with my OW Certification. Everything was going better today. Except when my partner pointed out the Spotted Scorpionfish...I got a little too close and did a reasonable imitation of wiley coyote after he notices he's run off a cliff. Went down to the cave at Small Wall. It's all good. Also went snorkeling at the northern end of Lac Cai...silty behind the reef; I dunno why...maybe it's the huge waves on the other side of the reef. It's supposed to calm down starting on Friday....good thing I scheduled 2 weeks here!!! Tomorrow, I'm going out with Renee.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Bob Eiceman (BonaireTalker - Post #50) on Tuesday, January 13, 2009 - 11:29 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Dan, Please let us know what Renee has to say about snorkeling sites post Omar. Thanks

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Daniel J. Zielinski (BonaireTalker - Post #67) on Wednesday, January 14, 2009 - 9:12 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Bob,

Sorry, I didn't see your message...and I didn't think to ask her. Things were a little hectic as she had 2 groups today with a cruise ship in port. And then one of the people in my group in the morning broke a mask strap, so we had to leave that site to go to a local shop for a replacement.

That said, the first site was very good. We got a glance at a spotted drumfish...which promptly hid after the first siting and we couldn't see much. We also saw several scrawled file fish, but the second one was just laying on its side...playing dead I think. Great for me...I'm the only one who had a camera. BTW, Renee really does have a great eye for finding stuff at a distance. She spotted what I think she called a juvenile pork fish...it was a long way away and deep...I don't know that my picture will help me verify what it was.

After the strap was replaced, we went to the second stop. Renee was pointing out various juvenile french angel's, I believe...I need to download my camera and haven't done so yet today. Then she saw an octopus, I think...but it hid...I went around the back and found a chain moray under the same big rock. Then Renee found another octopus...and it started to swim...while she yelled for the other people, I swam after it taking pictures. It would stop and display...sometimes turn color and then get up and go again...a bar jack joined it...it went on, then it landed next to another, smaller octopus. Probably it was running because something that looked a lot like me was following it. Anyway, with all the commotion, a spanish hogfish joined the group and off they want. Then a peacock flounder joined the crowd and off they went...however, the flounder turned out to be a party pooper and bit the octopus. At that point we decided to move on. Renee then asked if the one person with a camera had used the video mode for all this action...and, as hard as this may be to believe, that idiot forgot he even had a video mode on his camera. Unbelievable!

Later on, I tried to redeem myself by spotting a green turtle...Renee was busy looking for the batfish she had seen in the area. Unfortunately, we never did find the batfish...we did follow the turtle for a little while. And we called it a day.

For the afternoon...I went on my longest dive yet...51 minutes with max depth at 54 feet. The coral was absolutely great today...water clarity being better than yesterday. I, a fish person, was staring at the coral more than the fish! The best fish sighting was a large blue parrotfish. We went to look for the frogfish seen yesterday, but missed it. The group (from BDI) right behind us made a bee line for the frogfish area and managed to find it. We were heading in the opposite direction and by the time we came back, it was not in sight. That other group also found a seahorse. Sure, I know what you're thinking...if my partner didn't have to babysit me...he could have found more stuff too. No doubt. Hey, the other group had 5 people and that's just a lot more eyes to pick stuff out.

Well, tomorrows another day...I do believe it's time to try a trip on the Woodwind...and another scuba dive and then, maybe, just to top it off, a night snorkel with Renee. Life is busy...life is good on Bonaire.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Bill Mulvey (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #7) on Wednesday, January 14, 2009 - 9:27 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Dan -- I missed the names of the snorkel sites you went to today but I loved your stories.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Kimo (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #279) on Wednesday, January 14, 2009 - 9:54 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Daniel, Glad to see you are getting the most out of your time on the island. Great report and thanks for sharing.. Now if you only had some video..

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Bob Eiceman (BonaireTalker - Post #51) on Wednesday, January 14, 2009 - 10:16 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Dan, Thanks for the report. We're coming in July and were concerned about the conditions for snorkeling after reading the various threads on this subtopic.

I would still appreciate hearing of the conditions at the Plaza. We love to night snorkel there.

Be sure to night snorkel with Renee. You will love it!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Daniel J. Zielinski (BonaireTalker - Post #68) on Saturday, January 17, 2009 - 1:13 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Just time for a brief note. I've been very busy and the internet connection was lost last night. I went on the Woodwind on Thurday...it was very windy...somewhat difficult snorkeling conditions. Still, I saw a lot of turtles and got some excellent shots of a mermaid. Yes, I did say mermaid. That Dee is amazing in the water. Just amazing. She likes to free dive down to the various things she points out so there is no mistake about what she wants you to see. I thought she was going to play patti-cake with the octopus. And Dee, along with her crew, are wonderful hosts. If you like to snorkel, the Woodwind is a great way to see the corals on Klein, which are in better condition than what I've seen so far in the shallows on the main island of Bonaire. I rate the service on the Woodwind 4 stars...it's really great. Even the lunch was great...though the wind kept blowing the lettuce off my plate. Count that a plus if you don't like lettuce. I'm going again on Wednesday...the wind is supposed to be much less then. I have high expectations...but since I was so pleasantly surprised at how enjoyable the trip was despite the wind and the waves last thursday, I will really be looking forward to this trip.

I did a dive after I came back from the trip on the Woodwind. Other divers showed me my first seahorse...about 5" and dark red. Never would have seen it without them. But then we went up to shallower depths looking for the frog fish reported to be near and "I" found it. It was sitting on top of a burnt orange coral head and it was bright yellow...kind of on display. The only way it would be easier to find is if it had a neon arrow above it pointing down. No wonder I found it!!!

After that, I did a night snorkel with Renee. Soap fish, lots of eels, red banded shrimp, pencil worms, blue cardinal fish, blue tangs in pajamas and she finished it off with an octopus. Renee is so knowledgeable, it was a great experience and highly recommended.

What a day!

I did two dives on Friday and got some great pictures of a squid while snorkeling on my own. I saw a rock hind...but it didn't want to wait for me to take it's picture. I did get some very poor pictures of a very large grouper...it was too deep and I don't free dive like Dee. I need scuba gear to do that. Also saw another octopus, a baby spotted drum and a hawksbill turtle while diving.

This morning...I was diving at Something Special...I was in front of the underwater camera sometime between 10 and 11 AM. I saw two spotted drum and an atlantic creole fish with two big isopod parasites stuck on the poor thing.

Goto go. More later!!!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Daniel J. Zielinski (BonaireTalker - Post #69) on Saturday, January 17, 2009 - 1:16 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Whoops...didn't know whether the first posting took as I got an error message...so I am deleting this copy.

(Message edited by oncor23 on January 17, 2009)

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Daniel J. Zielinski (BonaireTalker - Post #72) on Tuesday, February 3, 2009 - 6:32 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

As for that large grouper I mentioned above...after describing it to Renee, she corrected me...it was actually a Cubera Snapper. Subsequently, while diving, I saw other similar fish and, maybe the same fish...no surprise, it did look like a Cubera Snapper with the bars on the side.

Other snorkel trips I did included Soft Coral Gardens and Lac Bay. I would recommend Lac Bay if it is at all do-able. It was somewhat rough while I was there; I and my dive buddies got tossed around. But everything is shallow at Lac Bay and you can get closer to whatever you find there. If you see the waves pounding over the reef...it's going to be tough. If you don't see a lot of wave action on the reef...go for it! You won't regret it.

 


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