Hello

How deep can you get at Karpata?

What do the general profiles look like as you work your way offshore? Gradual slope to the abyss, plateaus, any walls? Just wondering. I've never been diving in Bonaire and I'm wondering if its worth bringing my scooters and trimix gear.

Cam

From what I've been told, Karpata goes to around 300ft. I'm sure Walter at RecTek can give you a better answer.

There's the Windjammer if you want to do some trimix diving. I believe it's around 250ft.

The reefs are mostly gradual slopes.

You can get sorb through Walter too, if you want to bring your rebreather.

http://www.rectekscuba.com/news.html

I haven't dove Karpata in 2 years but I think that it slopes off steeper than most sites in Bonaire. someone else with more experience can confirm. It's definitely a must visit dive site IMHO.

Karpata goes to over 3000 ft.

I have done 426 ft there. You are looking straight down.

Here is a picture of the chain we were chasing to see what was at each end. One end a new style anchor at 395 (Guessing from it size for a 120 to 200 ft boat) at the other end was a small pile of chain at 426.


Returning from the dive.


In general there is a gentle slope down to 30 to 40 ft then a steep drop down to 130 to 200 then a sand flat with widely varying width then another vertical drop.

Love that scooter Walt!

Cameron: get in touch with Walt and rent the gear from him instead of hauling it down... :-)

Edit*** Cameron I see you're a rebreather pilot...still, check with Walt about gear.

Thanks for sharing those photos, Walt!
Our fav site will always be Karpata.
I want to see those chains, in person, and use that scooter

I have been in contact with Walt and I think we are going to be able to sort things out. I'm going to be in Bonaire for 2 full months so I don't really want to rent everything as it will be very expensive; I'll just buy consumables from Walt. I was thinking of buying tanks while i was there and then selling them or ship them home when i am done. Can you easily get luxfer 80s and 40s down there?

BTW
Scooters are mandatory... especially for shore dives :-)

My trip is still a long way off, so I have plenty of time to obsess over this..;)

Cam

Walt, as always, love your pics

Cameron, you are a commercial diver in Ontario Canada???? Isn't that COLD?

Actually, I'm a saturation diver. I work offshore in oil fields around the world. I'm in India right now waiting for my turn in sat..
I used to work inshore canada.. and yes... its cold.....very! But I gave that all up a couple years ago.

I still love cold water diving, actually its all the sport diving I really have done. This trip to bonaire will be my first real taste of warm water sport diving in a long time. My wife and I are pretty stoked to dive in wetsuits!

Cam

Cameron, you will LOVE Bonaire...and for two months, nice!

OK, I had to look up saturation diver...wow...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturation_diving

Two full months???!!! Groan. Not jealous. Not jealous. Not jealous.

I dive up here in Ontario with an ex-sat diver. He has lots of good stories about diving in the Gulf of Mexico.

Speaking of cold, two weekends ago we did an ice dive in Lake Simcoe, Ontario, 32F you could see ice crystals forming in the water.

You'll love Bonaire. It ruined me for shore diving for life!

Wetsuits? Nah, do a drysuit.

LOL.. I think not. I can see the benefits of a drysuit for someone banging off 4 dives a day in a week long trip. That really tires out the body. We're there for a while so arn't in as much of a rush to get dives in.

Anyways, I spend way to much time in trilam anyways..:P

Cam

Is this Cameron...the Evolution diver?

That's what I use it for..4 dives a day for a week...makes a world of difference.

Nope... Cameron the KISS diver.

Right name, wrong rebreather.

I hear your buying a inspo? Or at least are trying to get your self in to diving bubbless?

Cam

Now where would you hear such things?