I was just checking out fishid.com as suggested by the mail, and a discussion about snorkeling was in progress. The opinion was stated that Bonaire was not very good for snorkeling because of the wall. Any comment? Also, are there any beaches for swimming?

Hi Joyce,

The opinion you're referring to was: Bonaire is OK. It's great for shore diving, but there is a sloping wall just off shore that descends beyond snorkeling depths pretty quickly. One of the nicest snorkelling reefs I've seen that you can get to by shore is in Caicos, by a place called the White House.

That doesn't fairly describe Bonaire snorkeling, as the fringing reef topology varies greatly around both Bonaire and the smaller neighboring (1 kilometer away) Klein Bonaire. I can certainly find you sites like the person above described (Rappel, for example is an extreme case), and I can also point you to a dozen excellent snorkeling sites where the water (and reef) is 15 feet deep or shallower for 50-200 feet from shore, followed by a gradual incline as the reef drops away to the 100-150 feet depth.

Bonaire is known as the snorkeling capital of the Caribbean (and perhaps the world) because the snorkeling is so easy here - you're in amongst the reef the moment you enter the water, and there are tons of places to enter the water from (and to) around here. And, if you manage to sample all of those (takes a few weeks), then there are a number of nice snorkeling areas on Klein Bonaire too.

I can't comment much on Caicos - I snorkeled there about 12 or 13 years ago (off Provo), and it was nice (even saw a black tip reef shark while snorkeling there), but Bonaire seems nicer in terms of colors and fish variety (although I have not seen any sharks here while snorkeling :-) ).

Jake

PS I moved this discussion to a more appropriate place.

Jake, Thanks for clearing things up. I can't wait to visit. Joyce

Joyce,
I have been to Bonaire three times now and I go just to do snorkeling. We don't dive. It is the best of all Islands that I have visited for snorkeling. I have been to Caicos and the white house that was talked about and Bonaire is by far better. I will return again and again just to snorkel. Good luck. Sandy

Joyce,
Jake is right: Bonaire is good snorkelinjg water.
He is a newcomer to the island but he learns fast.
[(:-), Jake] Seriously, snorkeling is almost an
advantage on Bonaire because it forces you into
shallow water where you can see things that those
macho divers just swim right by. Anywhere south of
Jake's house, all the way to the southern tip of
the island at Willemstoren is excellent
snorkeling. My favorite place really is the area
in front of Habitat and to the north of Den Laman
past Sand Dollar. There, as anywhere between town
and the Marina Jetty you can see just about any
fish you want right up to the water's edge. And
you see juveniles in the shallow water that don't
go out deep. I am sure this is true all down the
island.
Check out the change of day too. Either sunrise
(not my thing) or sunset. At eventide, all the day
feeders come back to their spot in the reef and
lots of cleaning happens. Once saw a jewfish in
front of Habitat, and a large grouper lying on
it's side being cleaned by two yellowheaded
jawfish.
Try it at night, too. Especially on the sand
flats. Night animals and fish. It used to be that
big tarpon (sagging-belly big) would come in to
the water in front of at least Sand Dollar and
Habitat after about 9 pm. Best seen by just
hanging out with no light on. You can see them in
the lights from the restaurants that they feed by.
Enough. You will enjoy it wh

Bonaire is a wonderful place to snorkel. All the fish are around and at a depth you can see. Once the water gets over 45 feet, you cant see much snorkeling. I've seen squid and octopi and even a frog fish (!) snorkeling, mostly in front of Sand Dollar. the large jacks and the huge midnight blue parrot fish come in occasionally to feed. Even some of the deeper fish like reef butterfly fish come to the top of the reem to feed once in a while. So you never know what you will see. Around the rocks at the Sand Dollar are cardinal fish and grouper and grey snapper (a school) and even spotted drum. Snorkeling is great in lots of places on Bonaire. People have seen sharks at Klein (the snorkelers not the divers) and turtles are uncommon but can be seen as well. Dont miss a guided snorkel in Lac bay for some unusual fish and upsidedown jelyfish.