Hi, My family will be making our first trip to Bonaire in Aug. '05. We will be staying at the Sand Dollar resort. My wife and I dive, our 16 year old son will be taking scuba lessons, and our other two boys (11 and 5) will want to snorkel. Can someone please recommend shore diving sites and also boat dives worth taking? Thanks for your help! Pam and Henry

Henry

Look at the dive sites in the map attached, many are suitable for snorkelling too.

http://www.geographia.com/bonaire/bondiv03.htm

Look at the difficulty and start with the Novice and then Interm and AL sites. Try boat dives to Klein and have a great trip.

Brian,
Thank You.

Sand Dollar Dive will have all the info you will need...there is an orientation before you do anything that is very informative and should answer all your questions....your first time if you can get your classes, certification, boat dives and shore dives from the dock at Sand Dollar you will be doing well...there is a great class for kids I think is the Sand Penny Club or something like that ..all I know is I hear the kids all excited about what they see in the classes...have fun..don't get sunburnt..or miss Lovers Ice Cream

Most of the common dive sites are fine for most people. This is especially so from a boat.

For shore diving, conditions do vary so always seek advice from the dive professionals at the resort, especially if you are trying one of the more remote locations. Some sites are a little tougher later in the day than early in the morning, so also discuss when as well as where.

Advice? Get your son certified before your trip. At least the classroom stuff. He can do his open water dives there. That way he can enjoy diving rather than sitting in a classroom on his vacation.

http://www.shorediving.com/ Henry, Welcome to B/T. Check out the url I gave you it is fairly accurate with alot of pictures. One of the safest snorkle areas is Cha Cha Beach just north of the Divi Flamingo Resort. You will see a land windmill on the beach that is Dive-Inn Studio Appartments and the beach across the street from them is Public with parking and a public dock with a ladder. A real good and easy snorkle and protected area from any current. Alot of park benches at waters edge.. Enjoy....Ron PS Also a good shoredive......

I think the most current dive/snorkel site map and information is at:

http://www.bonairedivingpro.com/map.html

(It was just finished a few weeks ago)

Jake

Henry,
It is not difficult to get information about good dive sites. The best advice, is indeed the one Bruce gave you, yesterday! Could't agree more.

Toos

Agree with Bruce W. about taking the classroom sessions before the trip. Most PADI facilities offer this 'referral' certification option. Get the PADI video/DVD too, so he can review before the trip. A copy of Jesse Armacost's book will advise you about ease of entry etc. (Also the Shore Diving site posted by Ron G.) We stayed at Sand Dollar and snorkeled Bari reef and along the shore to Buddy's/Lions. We also too the water taxi from the Sand Dollar pier over to Klein Bonaire and snorkeled Ebo's Reef. Andrea II was another good site--we saw an octopus and a speckled moray before we even put our fins on. We didn't snorkel there, but spent half an hour in the nooks and crannies of the shallows with our scuba gear. Check into the guided snorkeling tours and posts under the Snorkeling topic. I strongly recommend a dive skin for sun protection while snorkeling. Even the best sunblock wears off.

Henry

There is a lot to see, but you have one big chunk of it right there at Bari Reef...a beautiful easy dive....if your son is hesitant, one could stay between Bari and Buddy's and have the time of their lives. Have a blast!

Are you sure you want to have the 16 y.o. take scuba lessons there? Our 14 y.o. just got certified here in Montana and it took 2 evenings, all day Saturday, and then a whole weekend for the 4 open water certification dives. Also, there is a lot of homework and studying involved. May not be the best way to spend a vacation. Why not do it ahead of time? If there are classes here in Billings, Montana, surely there are classes where you are.

When are you going in August? We will be there August 6-13 and are staying at the Sand Dollar.

Does anybody know what dives to recommend for new teenage divers? I am especially looking for ones 60 feet or less for good reef viewing. Martha

Martha,
For new teenage divers, avoid Hilma Hooker, but you will find gorgeous reefs at 60 feet or less everywhere else.
Tish

We agree with Tish avoid Hilma Hooker it is for advanced divers. All of the other dive sites have plenty to see at 60 or less. Would probably also avoid the far north and the far south as the current can get strong and there are plenty of other sites to dive. Talk to the dive masters at the shop you use on Bonaire and they can give lots of good info for a new diver and what to avoid and where to go. Enjoy the island and the diving it is great!
Andy

I don't really think that the Hilma Hooker is for only advanced divers, *IF* you are on a guided dive. You want to be comfortable with diving because its deep but, from a skill perspective, nothing extra is needed as long as you don't penetrate into the dark portions of the wreck.

However, I think that avoiding deep dives with young divers is good conservative advice.

Something to keep in mind with young divers, whose bones are still growing, the consequences of a decompression accident are much more severe for them. There is potential for the bubbles to arrest bone growth.

I also think that its important to asess their maturity and ability to follow a plan, watch air and so on. Keep in mind that judgement and focus is always lessened by depth with a signficant difference past 60 feet.