Hi all- we'll be in Bonaire next week and since we're staying there wanted to hear any info on the Belmar Apartments house reef.

How big is the dead zone ?
Depth till healthy coral ?
Reef bottoms out how deep ?
Any small heads in the shallows or just rubble ?
Is there a second deep reef farther out ?
Boat traffic ?
Interesting things to look for ? ( most of these places have pipes, old engine blocks, etc. where octopus and morays like to hang...)

Thanks all.

There really isn't a dead zone - there is an amazing amount of life in the coral ruble between Belmar's dock and where the reef start about 50 yards out. Just need to look for it. Squid, octopus, all sorts of blennies and gobies, juveniles of all types, plus mahogany snapper galore and french angelfish around the dock.

Reef starts at about 20 - 25 feet depth and bottoms out at about 100 feet, sloping at between 30 and 45 degrees.

Don't think the double reef starts until further south - never even went looking for it at Belmar during our 8 visits there.

Boat traffic is minimal (usually just local fishing boats and dive boats passing, but well out past the reef. Occasionally Buddy's dive boat will pick people up or drop them off at the dock, but only when enough people from Belmar are diving with Buddy's to justify them making the run. (We were picked up during one week's dives when Toucan ran the Belmar operation, but have never actually seen Buddy's picking up there in the 2 years since Buddy took over.)

Nothing special like pipes, old engine blocks etc, but lots of places for the critters to hide. The octopi usually hang out about 5 - 10 feet to the north of the guide line (you'll know what I mean when you are there) and about halfway through the rubble. Once you find their lair, you can find them if you know what to look for. Also sometimes frogfish (but deeper) and other special critters. Depends how observant you are whether you will find the critters.

Enjoy Belmar's reef, but also plan to go elsewhere as there are many other equal or better sites.

Yeah meant to say Coral (mostly) dead zone.

There are vestiges of a double reef even up as far as where Belafonte apartments stands, although you'd have to squint to see it. Dont ask how I know.

We tend to crawl over the house reef over the days and nights to find all the usual suspects, so low and slow is our habit and if theres a frogfish, seahorse or mating octopi we'll ferret them out.

We'll be there for the coral spawn- so one place and one reef is all we need.

Last summer we met a tech diver that dove with a re-breather at Belmar. Yes, there is a 2nd reef...waaaayyyyy out there at about 300 ft. or so. There are 2 anchors off Belmar, 1 at approximately 95 feet just a little bit to the south and another at about 120 feet a bit farther south...dive safe!

What's great about that area is that dolphins tend to swim right by....and very near the drop off.

Thanks Meryl for reminding me about the dolphins. They swam past several times during our week-long stay at Belmar this past May, and as you say, right at the drop-off. Only wish I had been in the water rather than releasing nitrogen on the patio. Oh well, just another reason to want to go back.

Yeah us too! We were sitting on the patio and the couple on the dock started swimming like mad out to the dropoff... We watched and took pictures but it was not enough time to get in ourselves.
We sat in the water the next day same time...but other divers said they saw them at Salt Pier. Hit or miss...but a great visual!