My wife and I will be on Bonaire October 9-17th
scuba diving. I would like to know where would be
the best dive sites to see turtles and sea horses.
We are also thinking of hiring a local guide to
dive some of the dive sites that we are not
familiar with. Does anybody of any recommendation as to a guide?

Mike,
You don't say where you'll be staying. I expect that just about any of the divemasters with the dive shops on island will be capable as a guide, and they will be able to tell you about the particular dive sites where turtles or sea horses can often be seen.

There's probably no guarantee with sea horses, since while many divers are very careful and considerate of the animals, there can always be one who's so intent on getting his/her photo framed right they knock the poor little buggers off their perch. So although we may have seen one at a particular site, it doesn't guarantee that it's still there. Again, your best bet is to ask a divemaster from the shop.

As for turtles - a boat dive off Klein is probably your best bet, though they have been seen elsewhere. Still, it isn't as if they're attached.

Hi Mike,

Sea horses I cannot help with- we missed them too, although I have heard that they have been found pretty much everywhere- I guess you have to look hard.

As for Turtles-we saw a large Hawksbill off of the Cliff and we also saw a Juvenile south at Margate Bay and several other divers have had luck in the south.

happy diving

We've seen turtles on most dive sites...however, LaDania's leap to Karpata is a sure bet...

Hi Mike, We just got back from two weeks on Bonaire. We saw a turtle swimming around in the shallows at margate bay. While at Invisibles, we saw a pair of eagle rays and a pair of coronet fish.
As for sea horses, they are very good at hiding in plain sight. Try the bottoms of soft coral where there is a food source nearby. Most of the time, since sea horses are not known for their swimming ability, they like to be near where food such as very small fishes will be swimming by. Have a good time.