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Diving Bonaire: Shore diving newbie
Bonaire Talk: Diving Bonaire: Archives: Archives 1999-2005: Archives - 2000-12-29 to 2002-08-31: Shore diving newbie
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Heather Laird on Monday, August 20, 2001 - 3:10 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Hello all,
I've been enjoying this site for several weeks, just soaking up all the info. on Bonaire. My fiance Tim and I are coming down there in October (10th-17th) on our honeymoon!!! I'm so excited from reading these boards that I'm ready to go now.

We've only been on about 20 dives and have never done shore diving/ boat dives only (been drift diving in Cozumel and diving in Grand Turk). Which sites would be the best to get acquainted with Bonaire's magnificent shore diving. Thanks in advance for your input.

Heather & Tim

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Susan Bolin on Monday, August 20, 2001 - 4:48 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Hello --

My boyfriend and I have just returned from a week in Bonaire. We had only done 10 dives (including the 3 for certification!) prior and all had been boat dives.

At first I was a little nervous to be going out on our own with no divemaster, but in the end I think shore diving is fantastic. You have amazing freedom, with no long or choppy boat rides or waiting on the boat in the hot sun during the interval.

The biggest difficulty I had was the entry and exit at some sites. I am small and the tanks are heavy for me, and I get toppled easily. So I chickened out on some sites when they looked particularly choppy.

One important thing for us was to wade out in our Tevas. We strapped them to our BCs during the dive and put them back on for the exit. It took us a couple of days to learn this trick (before we were leaving them on the beach) and it made things much easier!

For a first dive, I recommend North Belnem. The entry is very easy and there are swarms of beautiful fish -- we were cloaked in schools of blue tangs and other surgeonfish. The reef in front of Captain Don's is super easy -- there is a step ladder from the pier so no coral beach to deal with at all.

For an easy night dive, try the Cliff. You go down steps to a little sandy beach, and the dive flag and memorial plaque underwater make an easier marker for exit. We saw an octopus and an absolutely gigantic lobster.

In our experience the dive sites south of Kralendijk were the gentler ones for entry and exit, and even the northern sites are calmer in the mornings. At every site we dove (22 in all) the marine life was stunning.

Take a couple guided shore dives if you can -- at our shop these dives were just my boyfriend and myself with the divemaster. They will take you to their favorite spots, and are great at pointing out seahorses and other critters that are easy to miss.

One you've gotten your feet wet (ha ha) you can decide what you feel comfortable with and no matter what there will be options for you. Have a great time!

Regards,
Susan

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By mary pequinot on Monday, August 20, 2001 - 7:24 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Windsock is a great shore dive for a beginner. Having just been certified in Bonaire, it was my first shore dive with the exception of Bari Reef, right at my hotel. Invisibles and Angel City are also pretty easy, as are many south. North entries were more difficult-the most difficult for me was Nukove, where I literally had to crawl along the coral. Thank God I was wearing a full wetsuit! Weber's Joy, which is north is a reasonably easy entry. You'll love it-I was nervous at first as well, but with my husband a very experienced diver, I soon felt at home. It's an unstructured way to enjoy diving at your own pace. Have a great time!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By J Rushman on Monday, August 20, 2001 - 8:00 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

I dive with full-foot fins so my entries are either barefoot or with Teva's. But I highly recommended getting booties and open-heel fins for shore diving. (I'm just cheap)

Since you're relatively new divers, don't let others pressure you into dives you're not absolutely comfortable with. Bruce at Carib Inn gives a "rough water entry" course. It is invaluable even if you're only doing leeward (west coast) dives.

There are dives I would recommend NOT doing:

* East coast dives (unless the wind dies and you're with a dive guide).

* Shore dives in Washington Park and Nukove. Most shore diving in Bonaire is safe. It usually doesn't matter if you're good at finding underwater landmarks and estimating how much distance you've traveled. But in the the Park, it is imperative you don't get confused. If diving at Boca Bartol or Playa Benge and you miss the cove when you surface to see where you are, you could get into trouble. Do sites in the Park only if you're experienced or with others who know Bonaire.

* Night dive at Salt Pier. It gets awfully dark out there. If you don't have a compass and get turned around when at one of the distant pilings, it's easy to lose you're sense of direction. (Been there, done that).

But, generally, the shore diving IS very safe. Follow the instructions to leave your car unlocked with nothing of value left in it.

Juancho
4 months to go!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Kelly on Monday, August 20, 2001 - 8:05 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Jeeez, you did't leave anything for us to say (grin)

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Barry Gassert on Monday, August 20, 2001 - 9:08 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

This is a good time to bring up something very important here.

When I first arrived on Bonaire (69 dives) I tried to find out about shore diving techniques. I was told: you can dive anywhere, just go to the water and go in - it's that easy.

Well, it isn't that easy. I know Mary didn't purposely kill all those corals at Nukove.

Mary, on my very first shore dive, my buddy and I killed corals too - on the way OUT! During the whole dive I kept thinking, this is wrong. How can an island like Bonaire promote this....

Then I found out the truth...you can't just dive anywhere, there are designated spots to enter. Find them and use them - both ways. Look for the yellow site markers or the break in the corals. If there is none, don't dive there...walk along the water and find it.

If you come upon corals on the way in, snorkel or dive parallel to the corals until you find the channel.

And, Mary, thank you for your honesty. You were able to help save millions of corals because of it. :)

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Kelly on Monday, August 20, 2001 - 9:13 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Okay Barry so there was more to say, and well said too!!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By herman mowery on Monday, August 20, 2001 - 9:22 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Hi Heather,

Two esp easy entrys are Windsock and Pink Beach, both are sandy and plenty of places between the rocks. Also, any of the hotel docks are fairly easy, just ask if you are not staying there.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Barry Gassert on Monday, August 20, 2001 - 9:41 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Heather... Tori's reef is good, as well as Angel City, Alice in Wonderland and the sites in that area. They are shallow and have a high diversity of corals and those fishy looking critters.

You could do the inner reef at the Hilmer Hooker - do it as a reef dive, not a wreck dive, but you can see the bottom of the ship as you dive the reef. That could be interesting.

Pink Beach has a long stretch of sand and it might not be an exciting dive for a new person, although as said, it is an easy access dive site, but it is a hard dive to return underwater - all sand, no landmarks - but that would give you experience on compass navigation :).

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By DIVER DEBBI on Monday, August 20, 2001 - 10:32 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Theres a great book out called Bonaire Shore Dives..available on Bonaireinfo or I'm sure they will have it at the airport giftshop upon arrival..I personally would'nt reccommend Karpata, very hard to get in and out of... and of course Thousand Steps is alittle harder to get up and down for the first time diver with tanks on their back (only 80 steps)
Webers Joy easy to get in and Bari Reef..any of the house reefs are great because they usually have a line to locate the entrance/return to the reef makes it easier for navigation..

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By DIVER DEBBI on Monday, August 20, 2001 - 10:33 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Oh yeah forgot SHOREDIVES.COM also great reference to all the shoredives in Bonaire you can actually see them

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By John P. Wahlig on Tuesday, August 21, 2001 - 2:49 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

For fun you can do Oil Slick Leap. Litterally, you do a giant stride off the "cliff" 10 feet above the water. It's fun. There is a ladder for coming back.

Susan, you should use 50 or 63 cu.ft. tanks if you are petite. My wif is 5'6"ish and she still comes back with more air than I do, it's a matter of metabolism. I'm 6' 200lbs. and will get to 1500 psi before she will.

Heather: Once you get used to shore diving, it's really hard to go back on a boat. My simple tips for you would be to:
1. take a compass reading to see exactly which way is perpendicular to the shore (just in case you have a significant distance of sand to cross)
2. at the crest of the reef, determine the direction of the current so you can swim up stream first, downstream later, to consreve air.
3. mark your bezel on your watch.
4. go over the crest to your agreed upon depth.
5. go against current until someone reaches 1500psi.
6. check your time so you can go back the same duration.
7. slowly move up to a shallower depth or the crest and go back.
8. when about the same time/distance has gone by, you should be in the vacinity of your entry point.
9. do your 15 ft. 3 minute safety stop and then slowly swim towards shore (or surface and swim up there)

I've only surfaced to the left or right of our truck by 100' maybe three times in the 70+ shore dives I've done in Bonaire. Most of the time, its perfectly in front of us. I also look for land(sea?)marks on the bottom when we hit the crest to help. If there is a bouy, go to it in the beginning and make a mental note of the depth its anchored in, then on your return, if you stay near that depth, you should see the anchor again.

Congrats & have fun.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Heather Laird on Wednesday, August 22, 2001 - 1:36 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Thank you to everyone for the all information! I really appreciate the thorough responses--I'm definitely a "planner" and like to be prepared.

I have a wedding to my soulmate and diving in Bonaire to look forward to in October. What more could a girl ask for?

--Heather

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By mary pequinot on Wednesday, August 22, 2001 - 6:08 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Barry, I guess I should clarify it was DEAD coral I crawled over. Although I am a beginning diver, my husband is very experienced, and led the way out and back. It took us around half an hour to go from hip deep water to the shore. We were very careful. I never would have tried it without an experienced diver as my buddy.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Susan Feldman on Wednesday, August 22, 2001 - 9:19 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Heather,

Congratulations!

My husband and I will be spending our second anniversary down there, right around the same time - we were married October 15th. Who knows - maybe we'll run into each other at the street cam or reef cam!

Susan

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Glen Reem on Thursday, August 23, 2001 - 11:29 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Susan Bolin,

Do you use a 50 or 60 cuft tank when diving?? Easier for a small person and a small woman can often outbreath a man with an 80.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Susan Bolin on Thursday, August 23, 2001 - 3:13 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

I have just been using regular tanks, so I guess that would be 80 cu. I don't know how much those tanks actually weigh, but it feels like 80 pounds!

You guys are right: at 5'4" and 115 lbs, I still have well over 1000 psi left in my tank at the point when my boyfriend (6' and 195 lbs) is at 500 psi.

Are 50/60/63 cu tanks significantly smaller and lighter? And do dive shops generally have them on hand?

Thanks for the advice -
Susan

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Glen Reem on Thursday, August 23, 2001 - 4:33 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Yes and yes. Also shorter, which I think you will appreciate. Check it out at your local dive shop.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Mike Endrizzi on Thursday, August 23, 2001 - 6:07 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

One other tip that I picked up during my first trip to Bonaire:

As Juancho pointed out, booties with open heel fins are best for shore diving. When you are shore diving you usually end up with some sand in your booties, especially on the southern end of the island. When you have entered the water and are in deep enough to put your fins on, inflate your BCD, take off your booties first and rinse the sand out. If you do many dives with sand in your booties it will grind all the skin off the tops of your toes. When I get out the the wall, I usually pause to see if I can feel any sand around my toes. If so, I stop and rinse out the booty again before continuing with the dive.

Makes a big difference a few days into the dive trip. On my first trip to Bonaire, I was in pain after the third day because all my toes were raw. Earlier this month I made 28 dives in Bonaire and came home with all the skin on my toes.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Meryl Virga on Thursday, August 23, 2001 - 6:29 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Heather,,,1000 Steps,,,,Ol Blue...Something Special.....are also great easy sights to enter....We found Pink Beach (only time we tried} and Alice in Wonderland to be alittle currenty...You will know as soon as you get in if it is right for you...there are so many you are sure to have a wonderful time! Enjoy

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Susan Bolin on Friday, August 24, 2001 - 12:48 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Heather, I obviously have no idea what size you are, but if you are on the petite side then I really recommend looking into these smaller tanks. With boat diving it doesn't matter so much -- you take a couple of steps and then splash. But with shore diving you need to be fairly agile even after you are geared up. A smaller tank could make things easier and allow you to dive sites that are more difficult to enter/exit. Best wishes!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By mary pequinot on Friday, August 24, 2001 - 6:12 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

I am not on the petite side, but I'm not a big air sucker either. I used a 60 tank when doing my checkout dives. I really liked them. I used 80 when we were shore diving-I'm glad I did, because some of the exits took awhile, and used air. But give a 60 a try. It makes a difference in how easy it is to transport.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Julie on Tuesday, September 4, 2001 - 11:35 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Lots of good suggestions - especially John's on how to find your way.

I'd done only 2 dives over my cert course and my husband only a few (he was certified 20 years ago but hadn't dove since until last fall). We were a little apprehensive but did fine. Started at Windsock and Alice in Wonderland and N. Belnam. The hardest were the last day far south where the surf was breaking right at my knees - I did get knocked over (I am small too and had a heck of a time trying to get back up!!) at Angel City. I actually found Karpata to be pretty simple. If you hang onto the pier (go to the right) going out carrying your fins and then just ride a wave out past the rocks you can put on your fins and it's easy. And I'm a real chicken.

I highly recommend getting the book Bonaire Diving Made Easy by Jessie Armacost. We found it really helpful. Got it at Photo Tours where we did our package (90$/week with our discount through our apartment) She explains exactly where to go in on alot of dives and how to negotiate. Helpful. N. Belnam's entrance is actually behind the wall to the left. We found it when coming in - nice sandy beach. You just have to walk around the wall but that's not too hard even with all the gear. Which reminds me - it really does get easier to negotiate all that gear on land after a few dives. I found my balance improved and I could even pick up my fins off the ground if I'd forgotten to prop them up on the van!

Following John's advice pretty much we did perfect. Always came back exactly where we started! I was impressed. We did about 1 hour dives. Went out against the current for 30 minutes (a little more if there was a big current) and headed back toward shore at about 20 plus minutes and piddled around at 20 then 15 feet for a while. Then we'd pop up to see where we were and were consistently amazed that we were right where we started. Even on our night dive. Then down to 10 feet or so to swim back in - especially in the surfy dives it was a lot easier to swim in at some little bit of depth.

You'll do great and have fun. Congrats on your upcoming marriage - it's wonderful.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By freda armstrong on Sunday, September 9, 2001 - 12:20 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Responding to Mike about the booties, sand and ripped skin issue. It's awful! However, our solution to the problem and it eliminated the problem totally, is to WEAR SOCKS in your booties. I assign an old pair of socks for the whole week and throw them away after the trip. NO MORE BLISTERS OR SKINNED TOES. And you're right about booties and open heel fins for shore diving. How are you going to walk across coral rubble in bare feet? Tevas seem too much trouble.

 


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