Hi all. This will be our first time to Bonaire. We have not dove in the ocean yet. Just quarries and lakes in the midwest. We will be there in Feb of 2009. We do have a shore dive package and are staying at Buddy Dive resort. Does anybody have any recommendations on where to dive and what type of wet suit to wear. We have only 23 dives under our belt. Any info would be greatly appreciated.

We were in Bonaire in March and the water was about 25c and we wish we had taken our 5mm full wetsuits. You should buy a copy of Bonaire Shore Diving Made Easy.

Thanks. I believe we will.

philip, welcome to BT. you'll find that wetsuit thicknesses are a matter of personal preference. i dive in a 5 mil, my wife uses a 3 mil and we've seen people diving in everything from t-shirts to 7 mil suits.

we also started our diving in midwest quarries and bonaire was our first dive vacation. we loved it and went back numerous times before buying our condo five years ago.

as brian said, buy a copy of bsdme and check out some of the sites. as newer divers you might want to do some of the ones with easier entries...and go with other divers, at least for the help of getting in and out.

Phillip:

This will all sound much harder than it is!

I would start by diving at your resort. Get oriented and used to diving in Bonaire. Practice some very basic navigation skills. Do your second dive also at the resort.

This time, try two new things:
a) Slow way down. Bonaire has lots of little critters you will miss them if it is a swim meet. Look carefully and work slowly.
b) If your resort has the option, try a shore entry or exit. (you always have the ladder or stairs as an alternative if you struggle the first time)

Most house reefs are great dives! When you are really comfortable, it is time to branch out. That said, knowing your house reef is a good thing when you try that night dive at some point...

Next venture to some sites where entry is a bit more sporty but is still no big deal (use BSDME as the guide). Try a mix of northern sites and southern sites (these are all still on the leeward western side) as they really are different. The lake is great south site. Old blue is a great north site.

Get used to the places with iron shore and the small drops. Avoid places with much surf until you are very comfortable with that. (On this trip at least, I would stay away from sites at the far south end of the island -- such as red slave, lighthouse, etc.)

A few tips:
a) STURDY booties and open heeled fins are a must. I gear up using the back of my truck as a gear station.
b) I walk out with fins in hand and some air in my bc. Watch for holes. If there are any waves, stand sideways to the surf. I wait until I am in chest deep water to fin up. Take a reciprocal compass heading, and submerge. I take a look at shore while underwater to see what the last part of my exit will be like.
c) Use your compass to sight an item in the distance and swim there. Look at your compass and repeat.
d) When you get to the reef, descend to the deeper part of your dive. Make note of distinctive items (excluding fish) at the lip of the reef and their depth.
e) Swim one way or the other (if there is a current, swim into it) and time yourself. Turn around (based on air usage) and ascend closer to the reef lip. Swim back. Keep an eye on time and a few minutes before you think you are back (you may have to mentally adjust for current, etc.), start looking for that distinctive thing.
f) Pay attention to your gauges. Compared to diving in poor viz, it is easier to get deeper than you think you are. It is also easier to get distracted by the sights and ignore your pressure gauge. (It is also easier to make many longer dives per day making a computer useful)
g) When you find the distinctive item, head back in using your reciprocal bearing and step (c). Do step (b) in reverse. (If you swim a few minutes past where you think that point should be and still don't see it, I swim partway towards shore and then surface to have a look see)
h) It is worth it to keep you reg in and your mask on even if you are in a foot of water.
i) Leave nothing you care about in the car. If you care whether it is there when you get back to the car, take it underwater or leave it in the room.

I know this sounds complicated but it will become second nature after a few dives and you will never think about it.

Exposure suits: it really is a personal thing. My guess is that the water in feb is probably about 77 or so (I could be wrong!). At 80ish, I am fine in a t-shirt and shorts. My brother wears a 3 mil and a beanie and gets cold after 50 minutes. Others wear 7mm and hood.

A few things to consider:
a) Were you one of the people in class who was always hot or always cold?
b) Have you dove in water temps close to 77? What did you wear and how warm were you?
c) Consider layers. Like a 3mm full but have a hooded vest you could wear under it.
d) If you slow down and swim less, you may feel colder (but see more and, likely, have a great dive).

David, Excellent advice and well written do you mind if I make a copy of it and use it again if the need should arise and I know that it will arise....Your name will be included..

Freddie:
I would be honored!

I just got back from 2 weeks in Bonaire. While I brought both my shortie & full suit (both 3mm), I wore the full suit more for protection value, especially on any sites with surf entries.

And I can't second enough the recommendation for booties with a firm sole!

You will love Bonaire - Congrats on your decision to go! Happy diving!

I certified in a cold/no-viz quarry in Kankakee, Illinois wearing a 7mm wetsuit and nearly 30# of weights. After diving in the USVI/BVIs and Bonaire, I'll never dive cold water/fresh water again and certainly not in a 7mm wetsuit. We found T-shirts and swimsuits sufficient in Sept/early Oct, but often wore dive skins for the sun protection. My theory is that the further north you come from, the more accustomed you are to cold water and cold climates, the less you seem to need a wetsuit. Andrea II, Weber's Joy/Witch's Hut, and house reefs at Divi, Eden, Sand Dollar, Buddy's, Capt. Don's are relatively easy access. Don't pass up a boat dive to Klein Bonaire.

My wife and I were there this past Feb. The water temp was around 78. It was 81 in April and 83 in July. There had been some upwelling and the vis was not that great. But, we are (not her so much anymore) quarry divers and a lousy dive in Bonaire beats the daylights out of a good dive in Blue Springs or Falling Rocks. I used a 5 mil in Feb. and with a beany was comfortable. We are 3 or 4 times a day divers and by day 3 or 4 we needed the 5 mil. I started in a 3. We were also there in April and July and are coming in 2 weeks. Blowing our kid's inheritance.

You're going to love it. Watch out.

Ron...I too was certified at Haigh. I dive Haigh in 3 mm with a 3mm core warmer. But I don't do the repetitive dives like I do on Bonaire. I got cold this past May/June diving in my 3mm on Bon (I did 120 dives that trip - over almost 2 months). I'm taking a 5mm to Bonaire next May.

I like David's list. I would just tweak one thing. I take a compass heading to the buoy and solely use that. When I reach the buoy, I note how deep I am and I come back up to that depth about 1/2 - 3/4 way back down the reef. This guarantees I hit the buoy and then I just follow my compass back to shore.

Just a couple of quick thoughts:

Wetsuit
I should have added (as several others have pointed out) that multiple dives per day over multiple days will take more out of you than a single dive on a weekend at home does. And dives on Bonaire may be longer and/or involve less work (i.e., typically minimal currents) than those at home. And then there is time in the pool...

Buoys & Navigation.
Tribs approach is easier than mine. That said, it does have some limitations. Not all sites I dive have a buoy. And sometimes a site has more than one buoy (meaning you just have to carefully observe it and not turn in at the wrong one). Finally, if the buoy is anchored in the sand flats at the southern site I need to use my compass to keep going north/south (for some reason, I tend to veer left in the sand flats if I am not watching my compass!). That is probably a personal problem though...

Thanks everybody for the information. We really appreciate it. I know we are going to love it there. Maybe we'll see some of you there. Happy Diving.

Philip,
I have been to Bonaire with my daughters only once and cannot wait to get back!!
Read up on sites in 3 different guide books and kept reading Bonaire Talk. After great deliberation I decided a guide would be a worthwhile approach.....Best decision I could have made. Contact Bas Tol on Bonaire Talk, he goes by looneybin. Keep ready trip reports and you will see his name popup often...Great guy.
Enjoy yourself but beware...you can't get Bonaire off your mind

It would be nice if this board could provide access to useful documents (subject to moderator approval and edits) such as David Johnson's list above that visitors could download for reference.

David said it best. Spot on. I'm a brand new diver myself. I just returned yesterday from my first trip to Bonaire. I received my Open Water Cert in Aruba the previous week. I did 5 dives in Aruba and followed it up with 15 in Bonaire. What a trip. Philip you couldn't choose a better place to start in the ocean. Coming from a newbie...I'm originally from New Hampshire and have surfed my whole life in 50 degree water in a 5 mil full suit and hood so I can tolerate cold water pretty well. With that said I took my 3 mil full and was quite warm the entire time. Water was about 83 or so. There were several dives down to about 50-60 ft where I only wore shorts and I was fine, but my girlfriend was chilly by the end of the dive. So as many people have said, it's all a matter of preference. Worst thing that could happen is you have to rent a suit to compensate for the temp. You're going to have the greatest time on this island. I've only been back for a day and we're already planning a return trip for February, so who knows, maybe we'll see you there! Happy Diving and Dive Safe.

We're going to go crazy waiting for our trip. You all have made it sound so beautiful. I can't wait to see it. You all have been wonderful about getting information to us. We thank you all again.

Hey that is what Bonaire talk is all about. Feel free to e mail me or anyone that has their e mail address posted on their personal profile. Just double click on our names and it will pop up.