Hi all!

I understand that in September and part of October the trade winds that are a constant companion in Bonaire either go away or are greatly reduced. While I know this makes things "feel" hotter, I also think it might make for some great diving opportunities!

I will be in Bonaire Sep 12 to 24 and am looking forward to hitting the Coral Spawn, and to diving some of the sites that I just stayed away from in the past because of the conditions.

Suggestions? I am a fairly experienced diver (mostly cold water) with 300+ dives and would LOVE some advice from those of you who have frequented Bonaire during this time. Do any of you have sites that you wait to do until this time?

Thanks in advance!

4 words. Dive the South Side!

Find a guide and do the east side from shore. The south rocks too!

Yes, the South side has been on my radar and is now in my sights! Any specific suggestions?

And I'd LOVE to do a few east side sites from shore! Any suggestions? Directions? Who to talk to? A guide will not be happening - please don't flame me, I'm not opposed in principle, just in pocketbook.

Tom, I wouldn't do the east side without a guide. entrances/exits are tricky (the bokas), and cai had been known to eat divers who have gone without a guide

I'm a broken record...get "Bonaire Shore Diving made Easy" and do exactly what she says...it's a great guide.

Last time was the only time we've ever found it calm enough to do the Lighthouse on the south tip, and it was fabulous...BIG everything, and lots of it. But it's gotta be flat...there's a ledge that you have to negotiate in knee high water between shore and the drop off that will clobber you with any surf at all(I dive Northern California, so I'm not a surf sissy). And there will be a current...many folks drift dive the southern end, although on a good day, it's a perfectly swimmable event.

Red Slave, White Slave, Margate Bay(that one's a little more protected). But have a good look at what the soft coral is doing before you commit to the current...

Thanks for the warning Boat Chick... and I do take it seriously.

I have worn out one copy and am on my second of Susan's excellent book Barbara! The Lighthouse is one of the sights I have my eyes on. I DO NOT like diving in big currents, though I have learned to relax in them and even when I'm having to kick against them to slow my breathing down and mentally relax. If the soft coral is bending in half I won't be venturing far.

I've done Margate Bay - great and easy dive, even in the wind, the Slaves are on my list as well.

Thanks again for the comments, and I look for more!

I was just on Bonaire for the past two weeks, and one of the few sites we repeated was Red Slave. Incredible dive each time; eagle rays dancing in the shallows, garden eels, turtle, huge green moray swimming above the reef during daylight. Great dive, and much more enjoyable when you don't have to risk your life on the entry & exit!

Try Baby Beach near Sorobon. We did it several times during ultra calm days without a guide (although Bas IS the King of the wild side shore diving if you want a guide).

Barabara covered the trick entry at Willemstoren Lighthouse - you definitely want to do that when it's calm. That's the very southern most tip pf the isle. Massive gorgonian forests, giant pillar coral, a tiger grouper king, giant rainbow parrots in the shallows, and more...

"Massive gorgonian forests, giant pillar coral, a tiger grouper king, giant rainbow parrots in the shallows, and more..."

Oh, you guys are killing me! I can hardly wait! It's hard enough to keep my mind on my work without the visions that you are painting in my head!! The Pre-Bonaire Anticipation is making it very hard to focus on work... 9 days to go!!!

Tom, you might want to consider picking up a new copy of BSDME on island. Susan has added sites to the book (a couple of East sites) and updated one's that are now gone, and added new one's.

Have a safe trip!

On the Cai thing...the time I dove it (with a guide), if you come back too far on the right, you get caught in the surf and have to crawl your way on the bottom to the exit (which we did). When we got out, there were two other groups there diving. One came out, and one in our group thought she saw someone surface in the channel and wave for help. We all got together adn counted heads, there was one truck with no divers accounted for. Someone remembered a couple gearing up and going in after we got in the water. After over an hour of looking on the surface, a search boat was called. It came and did a criss cross in the channel for about a half an hour. Nothing. By this time it was getting close to two hours since the couple were seen entering the water. Right after this, they surfaced and got out. It was frightening. I asked our guide if anyone has died diving Cai...his answer was yes.

Try Lighthouse and Cai, both with a guide. Dove them last September. Cai was the best, but I'm glad I had a guide because navigation was tricky before you got to the reef (viz in the channel where you enter is very murky). Lighthouse had some quite large surf, and then a mid-dive change in the current direction, but not much current really. Cai was awesome: we saw a large school (around 15) of eagle rays, as well as a couple of large free swimming green morays and other rays.

(Message edited by natalie_s on September 11, 2008)