Hi there, does anyone have an opinion as to the best time of the year to visit.dive Bonaire? Thanks!

Kate

Any month that has a vowel in it.

To me Coral Spawning in September is very special but apart from that Bonaire is a 365 day diving destination. People get worried about the rainy season but that is the rainy season for a desert island so no problem.

Sorry I just noticed this was your first post - welcome to BT.

Well there's something about being on Bonaire when the Weather Channel says it's 15 degrees F back home that for some reason or another makes being on Bonaire even more special.

Vince, I hear ya on that one. I also like going in late summer or early fall.

Jan to Dec.
Welcome Kate!

Winter is cooler, summer is hotter. Just came back. The first week was unusually windy, thus a little cooler. The second week had less wind, so it was hotter even at night.

The only months we haven't been to Bonaire (not yet anyway) is February and August. The rest of the year was the same...give or take a shower or two...

Now sounds good. Also now. And now.
It's anecdotal info, but I did notice that in February, the water was as cold as I'd seen it, about 79f. Usually it's more 82f-84f. More families and kids in summer, which is either good or bad, depending on you. And it's generally less crowded in Sept, I think. It all works for me...

I'm with CB...NOW! Seriously though, went over Thanksgiving and had no families and it wasn't crowded at all. We joked that all of the resorts had lounge chairs available because the few guests who were there were hard core divers. Same resort in early August and we were run over by European families on vacation. Got to go back May/June, different location, and it was not very crowded, but the winds were up which was a bummer because I wanted to shore dive the east side with Bas. Heading back this December and expect it to be crowded, at least Bonaire style crowded and that is more than acceptable! I do wish I could go back over Thanksgiving. So far that was the best combination, limited tourists, great weather....

Tribs,

Thanks for the Thanksgiving period perspective, since that's when we're going this year. Last time we went around Memorial Day and enjoyed no crowds then as well. I was concerned that with cruise ships in port during Autumn it would seem more crowded in Bonaire than in the Spring.

Curacao around Memorial Day we were overrun by European families on vacation (Jan Thiel area), and quite a few American families on vacation (Aquarium area). But with shore diving it was easy to find spots away from the crowds.

Thanks so much everyone - I guess I am going to have to get planning! Its always nice to get away in March or Feb also so I guess we will have to travel there twice, dang! Now I am going to start an obnoxious thread called "really bad lodging experiences in Bonaire" I am sure that there are many great places to stay, I just want to ferret out the weasels so to speak....

Kate

I think BT is more often a forum to share positive experiences.