According to Sport Diver 2006 Edition of the World's Best Diving and Resorts, the following are must dives in Bonaire:

Hooker
Town Pier
Red Slave
Klein
Calabas Reef - Divi's house reef
Alice in Wonderland
Angel City
Small Wall
Bari Reef
Salt Pier

Has everyone dove all of these dive sites?

I haven't dove Red Slave yet; that's the only one.

I've only done about half - I guess I'll have to go back!

I've done all these dives...obviously, Sport Diver 2006 hasn't done very many dives in Bonaire or their criteria is pretty weak...there are many more dives that easily beat half of this list

Some of the northern sites are nice and the eastside wasn't included.

I've done all these except Town Pier, Small Wall and Bari Reef. There's no such thing as a bad dive in Bonaire IMHO. That said, there are sites not on the list that I would judge superior to those listed with the exception of Red Slave - the best site I've been to on Bonaire. Watch the current if you guys dive Red Slave - that bad boy was strong when we dove it in September.

All but Red Slave and Town Pier....I have to agree with Gregg, I'd like to know what their criteria was in judging...there are a lot more that are great...*******, *****, oil slick, ole' blue, country gardens, *****, the list goes on!

Cynde, shhhhhhh!

Well, I didn't know those dive sites were on the bad word filter! Yikes!

LOL, you silly girl.

Cynde,
I bet you REALLY just want to keep those sites a secret !!

Linda, really, *******, **** ***** *******, and *** *** are on the top of my list!

huh? OK, that is really weird...

soft coral gardens, chocogo, oil slick, ole' blue,
country gardens, lac cai

Don't have a clue, unless you are playing with us. Naw, you wouldn't do that - would you?

We saw some stuff at ******* and at ******** ***** I love those rays. Cynde I hope I don't get moderated again, I promise no butt shots are involved...

these must be very secret places to dive......whatz up??

I wouldn't be messin' with ya...really...Brian, I see you are having the same problems I am...;-) Coral bum shots are OK to post...LOL!

Hey there...I really need to get back to Bon. I only dove two (possible three - Klein) of those locations. What's up with "Klein"? There are multiple sites there. Is one specifically designated Klein???? Or are they mushing them all together?

All but Salt Pier for me; and I agree, there are no bad dives in Bonaire.

**********, told ya so Freddie. Little ****, I hate it when they use me, on me. Payback is a ************

Good job Grasshoppers.

I have a few coral *** shots

I think once you have been moderated the filter must get stricter.

LOL Brian...

Tom what the **** are you talking about??

Cynde, remember that HUGE ***** we saw at Bari???

Jeanine, indeed, they have mushed them together.

Yup, I've been to all but Bari's and Calabas on that particular list ... I concur that there are some different sites that would be on my "must dive" list... so, here's my personal "top 10" for anyone who has not been to Bonaire before (*=advanced/guided only):

10. Oil Slick
9. Salt Pier (pref. night)
8. Sweet Dreams, Something Special or similar (sunset/dusk)
7. La Dania's Leap -> Karpata
6. Ebo's Reef or similar (Klein)
5. Small Wall
4. Angel City -> Hilma Hooker
3. Town Pier (night)
2. Willemstoren Lighthouse or further west*
1. Cai*

Thanks Tom...I actually have four! Still not good, but better than I thought. I forgot about Alice in Wonderland. Leif...we accidentally did the Angel City -> Hilma Hooker. LOL! It was awesome!

The only one I haven’t done is Calabas Reef. Leif, you have a great list. They list the Hooker first, which I wouldn’t, but I would include it in anything in the double reef system from Lake to the Invisibles. I and other friends prefer the Hooker as a dawn or early morning dive before the dive boats arrive. I’m assuming “Klein” means anything around Klein and I would tend to agree but the same friends prefer certain sites. The north sites (and why aren’t they listed) preferred are Oil Slick, Ole Blue, La Dania’s to Karpata (preferred as a first dive to benefit from the deep wall but will do it anytime), and Nukove (just a pretty place). But, of course, La Dania’s isn’t a marked site so you wouldn’t expect it to be listed.

john, ladania's is listed as a boat dive site i believe. it's harder to find as a shore dive.

Is there a small pile of rocks that marks the path to La Dania's Leap? I went looking for it in September after talking to the Dive Master at Belmar but wasn't sure I had actually found it. I saw a small pile of rocks next to what I think was the path to the entry and thought that maybe someone had put them there to mark the path. Anybody know for sure? Thanks.

Marcus,

there are numerous piles of rocks along the road...yes, there is a pile at the path to LaDanias...once you get out, the path is fairly clear...you are about 200 yds from the rock wall entry to the Karpata area

La Dania's is on several maps, although it lacks the usual marker because there is no exit (thus, the "leap" ... as opposed to Oil Slick, at which a ladder has been installed.)

Lately (prob. in '03 or '04) somebody painted a green and white ying/yang on the road itself right where the path leads down to the leap ledge. It's a bit faded, but not too hard to spot.

I concur fully on the double-reef stretch. Something in the Nukove area is still on my list of dives "for next time"...

i was going to dive nukove on our last trip but was discouraged from doing so by a few people who said it was still pretty trashed from hurricane lenny. has anyone been there lately? what are the conditions?

I stopped at Nukove in October...didn't dive...gone...small beach is now rubble...

Yes, Pat, you’re right, La Dania’s is a boat site. I was in the shore diving frame of mind. I see you live in Sagamore Hills. I live in Medina. Anyone else from NEOH that loves Bonaire?

Nukove was definitely trashed by Lenny. The small beach entry was covered by coral rubble and you now have to climb over it and into the water. Not too easy when it keeps moving under foot. Only a couple of the coral heads/columns remain. It was a great site beforehand but it’s still a nice site. Because of its remoteness it is underused. Go past the bottom Lenny rubble on the flats and over the edge and you’ll find good reef. The rubble on the bottom has attracted lots of a parrotfish. I’ve seen more blue supermales and midnights than anywhere else since Lenny. Two years ago, after one dive, I snorkeled in the shallows in front of the beach and counted a dozen scorpionfish. It’s also a nice place to just sit and do a SI.

Thanks Gregg and Leif S - we'll try and find La Dania's again in June.

You all forgot about Rappel.

Marcus, get the book Shore Diving Made Easy. It describes the entrance to Diana's Leap in it (even though it's not a marked site). It has just been updated, so the info is fresh. Susan also describes Nukove, and how to best make that entry.

We dove Nukove in September. It is difficult to enter because of the rubble. The original pathway out to the reef is messed up and you need to sort of dodge debris to get to the main part of the reef. It is still a nice dive. The greater issue is getting to it. The road is very bad and you need a truck to get to it. Don't try to haul dynamite or Nitroglycerine on the way to it. Expect a protracted and very bumpy ride. Also, the dive sights North of Oil Slick are wonderful. The reef system sort of wanders in and out in little coves and makes interesting divng. The enteries can be a little more challenging but it's worth it.

By the way, that article was a bit outdated anyway, it listed the departure tax as still being $10.00. ;)

(of course I will read anything I can get my hands on about Bonaire though!)

Thanks Cyn. I've got the book already - I was pretty sure we had the right place following the book at the time - now I'm very sure we were at the right spot. The book has always been good but it seems to me the info on what you can expect to see at given dive site was improved in this last edition. I'm hoping Susan has some new unmarked sites in the next edition.

Marcus, do you have the one Susan just revised?

Cyn, I think so - is it the 3d edition I believe with the color cover?

Marcus, I believe the new books are blue.

In the north, I like Rappel and Country Gardens.

I did notice that the magazine had incorrect info on the Islands!

Sue, I haven't dove either of those. Hopefully our paths will cross again SOON so we can do more diving together. When is your next trip?

Marcus, the new one is the Fourth Edition. It has a picture of a shore dive site, with a pick up on it. It was just completed about 3 months ago I believe.

Kelly, Country Gardens was Dylon and Sarah's favorite dive! It is just South of Ole' Blue, and in general a boat dive, unless you want to enter at Ole' Blue, snorkel to Country Gardens and then dive back up to Ole' Blue (we "thought" about doing this in October, but it looked like a LONG snorkel and conditions weren't optimal so we just dove Ole' Blue)

Thanks Cyn. I'll take a look at mine and make sure its current.

I especially like Country Gardens...even as a snorkeler. I have Jan Huckaby's print (framed by Dara) hanging in my bathroom. You might think that's an odd place BUT when I'm in the soaker tub I love looking at it and thinking of the fishies!

Linda, I bet there are a lot of BT'ers that have a Bonaire print in their bathroom ;-)

We are building a house and I'm pretty sure I'm getting Linda's pink flamingo print for the bathroom.