My husband and I will be going to Bonaire in August and will be staying at and diving with the dive operator at Divi Flamingo. We have 6 days of 3-boats dives but will want to do some shore diving as well (Isn't this what Bonaire is most famous for??). We've never gone shore diving before and wonder if there are any experienced divers who can render some opinions, make recommendations... how, where, when, etc. I'm a little nervous being without a dive "master" present but will be able to get over it quickly, I'm sure. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Bonnie, check out www.shorediving.com.

Lots and lots of information on the shore diving, complete with pictures.

It will seem odd at first, just parking the truck and getting in the water, but you'll get used to it pretty quickly. ;)

Hey Kelly! Good to hear from you again! I guess what I'm asking is for some nuts and bolts advice... and maybe some suggestions on "easy" and "no risk" or "low risk" areas to dive. What about the area right about or off the shore of Divi? I'd love to do a night shore dive right from my hotel. Is that a good option?

How many days are you going to be there? If only a week, you may not have the time and/or energy for any more than the three a day! You have to allot time for eating, gazing across the azure sea towards Klein, watching the sunset with a nice tropical drink in your hand... Add the hour-plus per tank, then the (admittedly short) trip to and back from the dive site, and the day's gone! Add that tropical drink or two or three, and the ambition for a night dive may disappear too.

If you do find the energy/time, I first recommend doing a keyword search (the button below) in the "Diving Bonaire" section for "best shore dives" or "easiest shore dives".

Also, one of the easiest for you will be the reef right in front of Divi. The coral may be a bit more banged up than you'd see at a more inaccessible site, but I guarantee that the fish life will be as abundant and glorious, and the fish behavior as entrancing to watch, there as any other site on the island.

Susan, The fish and critters are what I go for. The corals are wonderful, but they dont move enough to sustain my attention ;-)
We'll be there for 9 glorious days, so I think we'll have the motivation for a day or two of shore diving. We plan to horseback ride with Marion, too.

Bonnie,
The reef at Divi is terrific. You can hook up your gear on your tank and either giant stride or ease down one of the two sets of steps off the dock into the water.
Calabas is not banged up. The coral and sponges are in good shape, and you will find loads of fish and other sea creatures in abundance--octopus, squid, tarpon, occasional turtles, every kind of fish you can imagine. You're going to love it. And yes, it's a great night dive too.
No need to rent a truck and go elsewhere. You will see plenty of other reefs on your boat dives.
Enjoy!
Tish

Bonnie,
You'll love Bonaire - we just got back yesterday (our 8th trip together), and I was still amazed at the sheer number of fish and reef critters we saw. Everything from the tiniest gobies, juveniles of all kinds (drums are my favorites), masses of baitfish, on up to a stingray (moving very quicky and at too deep a depth for us at that point, right out front of Capt. Don's Habitat), a spotted eagle ray (I got pretty close to him, and got a couple of good photos), to I think 5 turtles (we also got good photos of these) including one huge one (I think a loggerhead).

I was also lucky enough to go trailriding out in the hills with a friend who works at Capt. Don's and has 5 Paso Finos. What a gas! Very different from anything around here (New England), and a fun experience riding a gaited horse (I have a quarter horse).

You'll love it!

Do the reef in front of Divi first- then when you feel confident (Look! I can just get in and swim by myself!!) pick another spot and jump in!! (I remember being AMAZED the first time we shore dove and we came up in the same spot we went down in!! My husband COULD navigate!! (and we think that men don't know their directions!!)

Divi has two docks so one can dive north or south from each or dive from one dock to the other. There is a lot to see even under the docks and around the rocks. Sue

Bonnie

As a first time shore diver just go to any of the yellow rocks, get out and look the situation over and if looks like it will not be a problem for you go for it, if it seems a little rough go the next one. Some of the sites have very east entries. Hope you enjoy shore diving, my wife and I have been to Bonaire many times and have not been on a boat in years except this year we did go out with Larry on
the east side.

Bonnie,
Calabas reef at the Divi is great. If you enter at the north dock swim out west from the dock(Dive gear hut) bear to your left to the reef and you will see a large anchor on the bottom (up right) with a large rope hooked to it running to the surface to a bouy. That anchor has a plaque at the base which speaks about a doctor on the Island that devoted his life helping the Bonairion People. The anchor is on top of the reef and you can go either way for a great wall dive and use the anchor as an exit point.... The Doctors name was CALABAS... Ron

Tami... LOL

I am still laughing.....

WOW. I cant say enough about this website. You guys.. all of you... are amazing. One question posted and an amazing response. I think Bonaire is gonna knock my socks off. Good thing I dont wear socks.

Ron, James and t-shirt divers... trust that I am printing out and saving your suggestions. My only worry is that we wont have enough time to do it all. Oh well. Guess we'll have to go back!

Hey Bonnie
Speaking of socks - Be sure to wear a pair of sandals or shoes that have a good rugged sole on them. Personally, I also suggest a pair of water shoes with a rugged sole as well. It makes access to sites that have coral or spiky rocks so much easier to navigate.

One of our instructors had a pair of flip-flops that she would leave at the water-side. On the other hand, after our first trip to Bonaire with thin-soled summer shoes, we invested in rugged wear and fins to accommodate them. Makes walking a snap anywhere.



(Message edited by michelle_s on May 12, 2005)

Michelle,
I was just reading about the need for thick soled booties. It's been over a year since I last dove (or is it "dived?") so I'm not sure what soles are on my booties. Investing in something so small can make a huge difference. Thanks for the advice.

BTW--- your personal quote has me wondering...
(:-0

Make sure you can do basic compass navigation before doing shore dives. It's really easy to do. It's a big plus to be able to get out where you went in.

Bonnie - The quote is from a movie "Erik the Viking" (Starred Tim Robbins, written & directed by Terry Gilliam of Monty Python fame).
It just points out that we all have to keep our priorities straight. I think I'll change it back now.

Compass navigation? maybe on the double reef.

Bonnie

navigation is usually reef left side on the way out and right on the way back or vice versa depending on the current (you normally start your dive into the current so you get an easy return). You will need to remember a feature or two that you can recognise on your return, such as an unusual coral or sponge formation at your likely return depth.

The strangest thing I have seen on Bonaire was someone with a boat finder. On some boat dives you may need a compass. Personally - I cheat as I like to be first in and last back to the boat, this way the divers finishing off their dives at the mooring block make an excellent marker.

When I mentioned basic compass navigation, I meant BASIC, as in a heading out and back. While you can always find the shore, finding the place where you entered can make the exit that much easier. What better place than Bonaire to practice such a basic skill?

Thanks Ron. I must confess that you need a compass on Ebos Reef as the mooring block is deep and a good distance out and the boat is often not visible from the reef. I also found that when noting a landmark and then heading back on a bearing to the boat you don't hold your camera anywhere near the compass. Let's just say that every time I surfaced the boat was still behind me.

Just a note (and I felt stupid when I finally figured this out- two DAYS into my trip)- I had spent the year before getting in trim and dropping my weight belt down to 5 pounds (off a dive boat)- and then I bought new hard soled booties for shore diving. Was I frustrated when I had to put MORE weight on- up to 9 pounds!! I thought that I was just being fat- but the second day when my feet kept floating up it finally got through my head. And I still don't understand why shore diving would make such a difference staying underwater- but I seemed to have a much easier time staying under off a boat- or was it all my shoes....?
But on the other hand- MAN was I glad that I had those hard soles on!! especially when my little foot kept sliding into all the cracks in the rocks getting out and I knew those spiny sea urchins were all lurking down there.

LOL
I've always been cold underwater. (I do not have the thick blood of all those Nawthern Divahs.) This trip I added a 3mm wetsuit and upgraded my booties - and needed to add 3 more pounds accordingly.
Our instructor told us some people have to add 1lb ankle weights when they wear dive boots. Personally, they offset my legs' lack of buoyancy, and when added to a 3 lb weight strapped to the tank (near my head), I was finally able to hover horizontally for the first time.
I HIGHLY recommend the Peak Performance Buoyancy class, especially when adding new/different gear.

Bonnie,
With three boat dives a day you are not likely to want to shore dive anywhere except Divi, so you need not rush out and buy thick-soled booties. Save that for another trip.
You don't say how familiar you are with compass navigation, but I agree with Ron that knowing how to use a compass can be very helpful both for boat and shore diving, even on Bonaire where the diving is so easy. Panic is your enemy, confidence your friend, and comfort with a compass builds confidence and helps handle emergencies skillfully.
You're going to love Bonaire!
Tish

If you are a bit wary, get a lesson in shore diving from a dive master. Even though I was an experienced diver I found the confidence a guided shore dive gave me was amazing. I picked up loads of 'handy hints' which have helped enormously and it didn't cost very much.

Bonaire has some very easy shore dive site but also some "not so easy". For the easier ones, try Andrea II Karpata (if the wind is +/- calm); Oil Slick, Buddy's reef (easy entry via a dock), Calabas reef, captain Don's (all 3 of them have leading lines to get you back), in fact almost all sites are quite easy except those on the more exposed shores like Lighthouse or the deeper ones like the Windjammer

I would still recommend the thick soled booties. Here's why.

When I went to Bonaire with Cynde, we signed up for the boat dives, too. However, after one boat dive, we cancelled all the rest of them to do just shore diving. Better safe than sorry, and you WILL be sorry on some of that coral without any foot protection.

Shore diving is great. I had a little trouble getting into the water. The rocks can be tricky with the waves and the heavy gear. The easiest way I found was to wear the booties like everyone mentioned, put air in your bc walk out as far as possible and then swim out a good ways. Please be careful not to touch the coral. It takes so long for it to grow. Getting your fins on out there is a little tricky. :-)). Have fun.

You mean people actually get on a boat sometimes in bonaire?

One word: Klein.

Bonaire touts itself as being the best shore diving destination in the world (I whole-heartedly agree). Boat dives are wonderful but the costs do add up. You'll be paying $25 pp for the Marine Park pass, and you have roughly 30 miles of diveable shoreline. You will probably end up doing several shore dives, simply because it is more cost effective to dive from the shores as much as you can. Live it up!

Booties:
We certified OW on Bonaire using our footed fins from snorkeling days, but many sites had coral and rocks that were painful to bare feet. Our OW instructor showed us the convenience of having booties and the fins that accommodate them. Just fill your BCD with air, walk into the water with mask and snorkel on, swim out a bit watching for coral and the occasional urchin, and snap your fins on in the water.

For exiting the water both onto shore and onto a boat, they are easy to snap off. You can slip the straps over your arm, leaving both hands free for a safe exit.

Shore Conditions:
You will see many different kinds of shores on Bonaire. A rough over-generalization of shore conditions include: sand with loose coral shards, piles of loose rocks and/or coral shards, firm rocks with algae & coral, coral ledges that are jagged and sharp. Very diverse. All wonderful dives.

We'll be looking forward to your honest trip report opinions! Enjoy.

Michelle, We've already got our booties and fins. :-) And we also have 6 days of boat diving already lined up with the operator at Divi, but we'll be in Bonaire for a total of 9 days so we'll be happy to experience some shore diving on our own. I will gladly report back as long as you can wait until the end of August to hear!!

And to satisfy my curiosity, how in the world is the name of this island really pronounced? LOL I have heard it several different ways and I would prefer to call it as the islanders do.

In American, it's pronounced "bon" as in bon-bon, and "aire" as in "air" that we breathe. To pronounce it in another language, you would spell it quite differently. Stick with American unless you learn to speak the local language, in which case it's quite a different word.
Tish

You might also want to invest in the book Bonaire Diving Made Easy. It is available at dive shops on the island and gives info on entries and exits as well as topography for shore diving sites and other valuable information.

The Bonaire Reporter says that book is sold out. But if you can locate a copy, it's great!
Of course, with all the dives you're being urged to do, you will need to move to Bonaire.
Tish

Tish - And what's wrong with that?!

Nothing. I did it. So should Bonnie.
Tish

What? What should Bonnie do? Move to Bonaire?? Find me a house and I'm there!

Now, Bonnie. You have to go there first, and then fall in love with the island. Then you have to obsess with it daily by reading all of these threads - only then can you begin wishing you lived there!!!!!

I moved here, Bonnie, after 14 trips. But I got hooked on the very first trip.
Tish

I am in the process of rewriting the "Bonaire Diving Made Easy Guide" which should be available again the end of June, beginning of July.
Susan

Sus,
In your spare time, huh?! lol
But good for you!! Eager to see it!
Tish

Oh! Bonnie, one piece of advice that I give shore divers is to Fully inflate your BCD as you enter and as you exit.

Its really quite safe but you are carrying some weight and are not as agile as you would be without the tanks and weights. A very significant part of scuba fatalities happen at the surface. Just good old fashioned swimming accidents! Using your equipment in this way just provides an extra margin of safety if you are knocked over. Even if the worst does not happen, the fully inflated BCD will help you get your feet under you and help your buddy to help you (especially if they followed this advice as well)

The next piece of advice is, if you can not stand in the surge, getting out, don't. Crawl. Keep snorkel in your mouth until you are clear of the sea and just crawl on all fours and pull yourself along. Generally, the snorkel is not optional in a shore dive. If you need a long surface swim (which happens) its easier with snorkel.

Excellent advice, Geoffrey! Thanks so much.

Geoffrey's advice is indeed the wisest you have received, Bonnie. Always remember it, Bonaire or anywhere.
Tish

I always exit with my reg in my mouth. I figure may as well use the air in the tank. I inflate my BCD about a quarter of the way (heavy lift BCD) so if I fall it's not so hard to roll over. Eva inflates hers to about half. Don't walk out far. You can put your face in the water and kick along at mid theigh depth.