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Diving Bonaire: Dozen Shore Diving Tips
Bonaire Talk: Diving Bonaire: Archives: Archives 1999-2005: Archives - 2004-08-15 to 2005-06-05: Dozen Shore Diving Tips
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By David Johnson (BonaireTalker - Post #67) on Thursday, October 21, 2004 - 3:56 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

For me, Bonaire is all about shore diving. But, in my most recent trip, I observed many divers making it harder (and in some cases more dangerous) than it needs to be. And a few of the stories I heard were just plain scary. My point is to recognize that none of us were born with great SCUBA skills but that learning new skills often makes the dive much better all the way around.

With that in mind, here are my shore diving tips for Bonaire (other sites might demand modifications):
1) Scout out your entry point before you put on weights and tank. Sometimes a spot up or down the beach 30 feet is much easier (or not). There is often no special magic to diving exactly in front of the yellow rock.
2) Scout out your exit at the same time. Stepping off a two foot iron shore shelf is easy -- it may not be as easy when you have to step back up at the end of the dive. Are there are any good markers (bush, hunk of coral, your car, etc.) that you can use as a landmark when you return?
3) Now is also a good time to set a reciprocal compass heading for swimming into shore. Navigation is your responsibility alone -- although remember at many sites you can swim one direction, exit, and walk back to your truck.
4) If you have a pick up, sometimes the bed (or even the gate) makes a convienent place to kit up. Nothing easier than sitting down, sliding into your rig and then standing up.
5) Good booties are worth the cost. They tend to shield your foot from any wayward urchins and also make walking the coral shores much easier. The lesson I keep learning over and over and over again -- booties do you no good if you forget them back at the hotel!
6) Do not put your fins on before you are in the water. My advice (for Bonaire!): walk out with some air in your BC and with your fins in your hand. Then, when you are in waist deep (or maybe even chest deep) water, put on your fins.
7) Before you walk out in the water is the time to be sure that your air is turned on and your hoses are not tangled.
8) Walking sideways in/out of waves is often helpful -- you present a smaller target and are better balanced. As the water gets deeper, it is sometimes useful to dip your head down (wearing your mask) to look for any hazards.
9) At crowded entries (i.e., Karpata), try and clear the bottle necks as quickly as possible. Do not set gear down in place where it might be grabbed by the surf. Spend as little time as possible in the surf zone.
10) If you fall and are getting rolled, often it is best to head out to deeper water and start over again. For this reason, keeping the reg in your mouth can be a very good thing if you slip. Also, exposure suits can provide a tad bit of protection if you slip.
11) You can fill old water or pop bottles and leave them in the back of your truck -- they work well to rinse off.
12) Leave *nothing* of value in the car. Leave the doors unlocked and the windows down.

So, what are a few examples of some of the things I saw (or heard about)? The person who surfaced at Pink Beach at night (facing out to sea) and, at first, thought the last remnants of sunset were the hills of Bonaire. Then realized that that seemed like a really long ways. People trying to put on their fins while in water just over ankle deep (with small waves). People taking off all of their gear on the cement slab at Karpata -- taking a really long time and having the surf grab their gear (which they did get back). People at Karpata putting themselves directly between the slab and the waves. The guy at the Divi dock who started his solo dive by literally sliding down the dock stairs one by one (on his butt) with full gear including fins (although he did not have the regulator in his mouth). Someone losing a weight belt while jumping off a hotel dock. Then swimming into the surf zone (very small waves) and sitting down in about six inches of water to put back on their belt. Someone choosing a harder entry spot at Lighthouse than you need to...

My hope is that, with a few tips, these folks will have much more enjoyable (and safer) shore dives.

So, what other great tips have I missed?

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By seb schulherr (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #1721) on Thursday, October 21, 2004 - 5:31 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Wet suit first, THEN booties.

Mary W using seb's computer.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Martin de Weger (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #3658) on Thursday, October 21, 2004 - 5:36 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Booties with thick soles... I bought the Seasoft Sunrays at Carib inn last week and they are GREAT!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Denise Kacavas (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #835) on Thursday, October 21, 2004 - 8:07 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

small note regarding dive off Divi dock:
it could have been me :-) except I do believe I had the reg in my mouth for my dives off the Divi dock last week....
right now there is no bench on which to put tank and set up in order to slip it on standing up and then jump off for a dive off the dock. So at least temporarily it is easier to put the set up on the edge of the dock at the top of the stairs and then go into the water from the stairs. It will be wonderful when the benches etc are all built back on the Divi dock(s) in order to set up and do a proper giant stride off the dock.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By David Johnson (BonaireTalker - Post #69) on Thursday, October 21, 2004 - 8:51 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Denise:

Rest assured that it was not you! This guy took a while getting his kit put together and then went off on a solo dive -- for about 15 minutes. Said another way, he really did appear to be fighting his gear. (Note: I have nothing against solo dives for those with proper gear and experience -- in fact about half of my dives are solo).

I understand using the stairs to put on the tank but wouldn't it still be easier to descend the stairs w/o fins? Or am I just wrong headed?

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By The Ginocchio's @ Golden Reef Inn (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #364) on Thursday, October 21, 2004 - 9:04 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

David,

Great tips! We also agree! A little addition to #11. We fill the 20 oz. Pepsi plastic bottle 3/4 w/water, freeze it, leave it in the truck so when we get back we also have water to drink, nice and cold!

Liz

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jeff Stine (BonaireTalker - Post #67) on Thursday, October 21, 2004 - 10:43 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

13) set the parking brake on your vehicle

14) know when high tide is so that your vehicle is not sitting in water when you come back from your dive

15) don't drive on loose sand you will get stuck (ask the Brits we dug out near Aquarius)

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By herman mowery (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #429) on Friday, October 22, 2004 - 8:22 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

great tips. Here are a couple of additions.

When you enter with air in your BC, as soon as you are around waist deep, bend your knees and let the BC take the weight of the equipment. It much easier to keep your balance and walk with the load off you. I like to keep my face in the water so I can see where I am walking.

When putting fins on in deeper water, put your reg in our mouth and bend forward and raise your foot tward you by bending at the hip and knee. This is soooo much easier (and looks a lot more graceful) than trying to do it on your back with your feet in the air.

Use your compass (set in step 3 above)to navigate straight out to the drop off. When you reach the drop off, find an odd item (or drop a marker)and note it's exact depth. This will be our exit marker. On your return, move to the depth of your marker and watch for it. When you find it, it's a simple thing to use your compass to navigate back to your entry point. If the site has a mooring buoy in shallow water, I like to use it and set my compass heading to it instead of straight out.

When parking your truck, if possible, put the front end up a slight incline. This lowers the tailgate making it easier for your vertically challenged buddies.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Denise Kacavas (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #836) on Friday, October 22, 2004 - 9:50 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

David, yes putting the fins on in the water would be a plus vs. already on when coming down the dock steps :-) and actually I've seen some people throw the set up into the water from the dock, jump in and put on while floating in the water .. especially those with shoulder problems. My husband has tried it and found it awkward.
I was taught by my dive instructor to put fins on in the water using the figure 4 configuration holding onto my buddy (hopefully you know what I mean and I don't need to try to describe). I tried this way with friends on a shore dive a couple of weeks ago and it was difficult. Much easier to do in a little deeper water with face in water sort of floating. Surf conditions could effect either method I guess.
Good pointers from everybody :-)

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Randy P (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #233) on Friday, October 22, 2004 - 10:47 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

I'll add a thought or two that helped me.

For night dives a tiny U/W flashlight or tank marker (NO Chemical light sticks are permitted!) clipped to the site marker buoy block makes finding your entry point VERY simple as long as you note the depth before you head off INTO the current for 1/2 your air. On the return leg just work your way up to that depth and you will spot that little light a long way off.

Don't panic about finding your re-entry point, especially on the sites south of town. As was posted if you need to surface just head into shore, drop your gear and walk back to your vehicle.

Get shallow (15 feet)for the last 5 minutes or so of your dive, enjoy the view and the fish and be doing your safety stop at the same time. There's no rule that says you have to just hang in one spot at 15' you know. And any snorkeler can tell you that there's LOTS to see in the shallows.

Just my thunks on a cool Chicago morning.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Vince DePietro (BonaireTalker - Post #60) on Saturday, October 23, 2004 - 5:01 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

I realize this is basic but...On night dives after you paddle out & descend, always leave a strobe tied up at the area where you begin the dive & know the exact compass heading back to shore for your exit point... Too easy to get disoriented at night.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jerry Besco (BonaireTalker - Post #53) on Sunday, October 24, 2004 - 9:15 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Great points David. Last February I did two weeks on Bonaire with the first week solo shore dives. The second with two dive buddies with one rated excellent and the other rated cringe. What one observes how some people enter and exit the shore your points are helpful but will they head?
The first week was stress free.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By David Johnson (BonaireTalker - Post #74) on Sunday, October 24, 2004 - 2:32 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Jerry:

My thesis is, that for many coming to Bonaire, shore diving is a skill they have not practiced since their cert. dives (if even then). I don't think they are making it harder than it needs to be out of some sense of bravado. Rather, out of a lack of knowledge. Whether they even read this thread...

And, I agree, I find solo diving to be very relaxing!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Gary Thuillier (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #150) on Sunday, October 24, 2004 - 9:03 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Nice list Dave, As a New England shore diver I couldn't agree with you more. Same goes for the solo diving. During the Summer months and vacations I have my wife for a buddy but from now until late Spring I usually dive solo. I find it safer and more stress free than with some of the buddies I've had over the years.
As for #13 Jeff, you must have read my "First timers Trip Report" :-(LOL :-)

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By mark Lockley (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #1) on Thursday, October 28, 2004 - 2:47 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

some great tips, but for bonaire "good booties" have to be number 1

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By scott johnson (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #4) on Thursday, December 16, 2004 - 12:12 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

David Johnsons brother here, don't loose your hotel keys at the dive site, amazingly we drove back and after a few minutes of looking, they were in the sand.
If you use one of those cheap credit card sized dry "box's", put a few coins in it so it doesn't float next to your face the entire dive.
If you see a strobe tied to a dock, leave it, Dave and I passed some people heading in as we started our dive, we later found out they thought somebody "left" there strobe behind and they almost took it.

(Message edited by scotty51 on December 16, 2004)

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By scott johnson (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #5) on Thursday, December 16, 2004 - 12:24 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

I would like to add to # 1, I take just a mask and stick my head in the water to check the entry point as well as what obstacles there are for the first 20 feet or so from shore, a great entry point might have a huge rock or coral head 20 feet from shore, making it a not so great entry point.

 


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