We're arriving Feb 5 (Thank Heavens), and I'm hoping to do a "Resort" diving course -- which I was prevented from doing last year due to a hurt back. Two questions:
1) Anyone with any specific recommendations on where to do this. I'm still a "tentative" swimmer, but am quite happy snorkeling. Got to try diving (which my husband still refuses to do, hence only the little course), but will probably need extra "tender loving care".

2) Need snorkeling recommendations for a "still tentative" swimmer. Not comfortable with difficult entries or much surge. Last year we pretty much stuck with 19 Palms and Windsock, but want to go further afield this year. Particularly if a current sinus problem prevents diving any.

Thanks, y'all!

Try snorkeling in the mangroves. Go to the park area of Sorobon just past the windsurf area. You enter to the left of the fisherman docks and snorkel to the left into the mangrove area. The entry is sand. This is where you can look for the upside down jellyfish. The water is very calm and protected.

Andrea I and II looked like it might be a nice snorkel in the shallows. (I went diving.) You enter just to the left of the big yellow painted rocks. It has some rolling waves when I was there last but sometimes it is quite calm.

I have done some diving in the Angel City area, and found that the shallows offered quite an array of creatures. Saw many a garden eel, and on two different occasions, an Octopus! Entry is easy with little wave action most of the time, and the fish really come out later in the afternoon.

Josie,

All of the shore from the Town Pier north at
least to the Andrea's is quite calm. Something
Special and the area just south are very calm
and you can see fish all the way to the shore
line, in six inches of water.

The areas in front of the dive operations
usually are good-I am most familiar w/ Sand
Dollar and Habitat. I believe any op will let you
snorkel off their dock. Always look close to the
docks and piers-nooks and crannies are
hiding places. And try this at night when you
are comfortable-that's when the 'night people'
come out, of course. None of the Bonaire
denizens are aggressive so you can be
comfortable.

Bait fish and squid often come in late in the
afternoon over the sand flats near shore that
run from town north to Black Durgeon , the
baitfish 'accompanied' by hungry jacks, etc.
Almost always there is a school of jacks under
the junk Samur.

Jerry Ligon at SD has run guided snorkelling
trips to the mangroves in the past. Others may
do that now-I just don't know of others. Jerry
also has done guided snorkelling i.d. tours
around the SD shallows- again other
operators may do that now at their places.

It is hard to go wrong just stopping your car
and slipping into the water anywhere along
the shore that appeals to you.

I suggest a drift snorkel along the west side of Klein Bonaire from the Sea Cow.Very easy and lots to see.If you don't already, try wearing a wetsuit when you snorkel.You can't sink,it's like wearing a life preserver.

Bob's suggestion of a wet suit, even a shorty, is right on. Also the dock at Habitat is a very easy entry, you just hold on til you're in and comfortable!

Thanks, guys. We have actually done a fair bit of snorkeling on Bonaire, just don't want to miss the good stuff. We did a guided snorkel two years ago with someone other than Jerry at the Sand Dollar -- to the mangroves, then went back ourselves last year. Those jelly fish are great!

Will definitely try to do the drift snorkel on KB. I have a dive skin, and have tried for two years to buy a wet suit that will fit. I have a long torso, and one that's long enough is far too big in the shoulders/arms and legs. At only 5'2" and 120 lbs, I have a torso sized to at least a 5'7" person. (short, stubby legs, too!) Do they come in two pieces anywhere? I haven't found separates in Rochester, at least.

I actually float very well, I'm just a little uncomfortable unless the water is pretty smooth. I'm not a strong swimmer, either.

Any other suggestions welcomed.

Josie,

Some of the wet suit manufacturers have sold
'made to measure custom' wet suits that at
least come closer to a non-average person's
dimensions. Ask at the dive shops in
Rochester. And check out the manufacturers
web sites. You can find adverts in the scuba
magazines. More expensive but more
satisfactory. Henderson and Parkway made
them for me in the past.

Thanks, Glen. As always, I'm thinking of this too close to departure to do anything. I did actually check out Henderson, I think, with a local shop last year. Couldn't get it made in time, and then forgot about it until too late. I am a little hesitant, but it's good to hear you've had a good experience. Maybe next year, I'll do something in time.

Josie,

Take along some thin slacks and a
longsleeved shirt and a set of sweats, top and
bottom, to wear in the water. Try them in
different combinations.

Most divers won't wear a hood in the tropics
but half your bare body heat loss is through
your skull so covering it up in the water is as
effective as wearing a hat on land. Even a pool
swimmer's 'beanie' helps.

Yes, I know it won't be stylish but you can be
warm and protected from the sun. And you just
smile at laughing, cold divers with bare
heads.

Highlight of our trip was night snorkel with Rennee, small goup, close to shore, slow pace, very different than day snorkel. Only problem was people in restaurant who tried feeding the snorkellors with broccolli, etc. BUT TRY IT!

Try Broccoli? Snorkelling? Having someone feed me? All three? Okay.:-) (Just trying to make nice,R)

If you are at 18 Palm (Plaza), facing the ocean, turn left and walk to the Tipsy Seagull site. You can see it from 18 Palm - the cement dock with two light poles at the end. There is a ladder into the water and the snorkeling is great. We did a night snorkel there with Renee Woodwind.

Hi Josie,

I realize that this is too short notice for this trip but for future reference, here is the web address of a custom wet suit maker that the ladies on a scuba web site I frequent have nothing be high praise for (I have not done business with them myself) http://www.liquidfit.com/ Enjoy your trip.

Thanks, Herman, I've bookmarked them in my "items to buy" category, and e-mailed them for some info.
Appreciate the lead.

looking for internetsite

surfing on the world wide web, I ran into a site on which the variouos diving/snorkeling sites of Bonaire were described, complete with a description of fishes to be seen at each spot, and other specific remarks. Does anyone know about this internetsite?
We are planning to go to Bonaire, mid-july.

Skin Diver Magazine has a comnplete set of descriptons. I think it is www.skin-diver.com I have seen the site and it is fairly complete.

Michael,
Thank you very much for your quick answer! I tried immediately. It is a beautiful site. For those who do not know yet: try www. skin-diver.com Then choose "dive into Bonaire", and "dive sites". The other pages of this site seem to be worth visiting, too. Pitty, one can't print the pages (or what did I do wrong?)

There is also a site www.shorediving.com which has excellant desciptions and entry points for most of the sites (nice pics too)

Toos van Vliet and family

You can highlight the text (dive site descriptions), copy (Ctrl + C), and paste it into a word processor document (Ctrl + V).

It works for me. Good luck.

The one thing I will caution about any documentation which proclaims to explain which fish you can find where is that fish move around, and with only a few exceptions, uncommon fish can't be counted on being in a given location for long periods of time.

That's one reason we find the new Shore Diving guide (you can buy it from www.BonaireReporter.com) more realistic in its descriptions - it also provide entry/exit information, which is very important at some dive sites.

Jake

If you do want to see frogfish or seahorses which tend to stick around for a few weeks or so at a time, ask a local divemaster for directions.

On our last trip we snorkeled for the first time in Lac Bay. We walked in on the Sorobon side by the fishing shack until the water was deep enough to snorkel. Then followed inside the barrier reef until we reached areas of Elkhorn coral loaded with all varieties of fish. We found two porcupinefish larger than I realised they get. One had to be 3', the max given in the book, and the other not much less.