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Diving Bonaire: Bonaire sub par diving??
Bonaire Talk: Diving Bonaire: Archives: Archives 2008-2009: Archives - 01-01-2009 to 03-31-2009: Bonaire sub par diving??
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By karen b (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #1) on Wednesday, February 4, 2009 - 5:19 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

This April, me and three buddies are coming to Bonaire for the first time. On another site I was told there was massive damage done by Omar, and to come here to find out more. I still am finding mixed messages.

Let me be clear.. WE ARE STILL VERY MUCH EXCITED AND PLAN TO BE PERFECTLY HAPPY DIVING IN BONAIRE

But is it really as dreadful as some of the posts I've read?? Based on some of the negative posts, you'd almost get the impression that Bonaire should stop letting divers even bother coming.

Tell me something GOOD!

We're staying at Belmar and have no plans to do any boat dives because Bonaire is known for shore dives. I'll buy that lady's book on Bonaire Shore Diving Made Easy but now I hear it's not accurate after Omar.

Please... tell me something GOOD! I don't want to "worry" over what will surely be a great dive vacation.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Kelly (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #5971) on Wednesday, February 4, 2009 - 5:25 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

You will love Belmar and you will LOVE Bonaire. Promise. No worries.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By mary pequinot (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #743) on Wednesday, February 4, 2009 - 5:26 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

We had a wonderful experience at Belmar. Don't stress over Mother Nature. Enjoy your trip for what it is. You'll see plenty!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Dan Jolly (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #557) on Wednesday, February 4, 2009 - 5:26 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Karen - welcome to BT and all things Bonaire. Study some of the threads and pics and I think you will very happy with your diving. Omar did damage stuff. I was there right before Omar so can't personally comment.

Check out the threads and pics.

Enjoy - above and below the water line!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By *Freddie* (BonaireTalk Deity - Post #11462) on Wednesday, February 4, 2009 - 5:39 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Welcome Karen, we were there in Nov. right after Omar.. the sites to the South and on the West side are still good.. The sites North took a beating.. You will have plenty of places to dive..and You will have the time of your life and become a Bonaire lover like everyone here..

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Freddie {Moderator} (Moderator - Post #687) on Wednesday, February 4, 2009 - 5:41 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Karen I am going to move this thread to Diving as it is a more appropriate topic for your question..

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By ****Tink**** (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #8550) on Wednesday, February 4, 2009 - 5:48 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Karen, welcome to Bonaire Talk. I just got back a week ago, and it was my 10th trip. I've stayed at Belmar twice, you will love it!

There were only two sites that I noticed had severe damage, compared to what they were before. Oil Slick Leap, and Andrea II. I didn't dive Andrea II because I could not handle another heartbreak after going to Oil Slick.

ALL of the other sites we dove were great. The Lake, Angel City, Karpata, 1000 Steps, Bari, just to name a few.

BSDME will still be of value, as the sites themselves are not gone. Some of the entries may be a little different, but where to park, topography of the area are still accurate.

Go, dive, enjoy!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By karen b (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #2) on Wednesday, February 4, 2009 - 5:59 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Thanks Freddie for moving the thread. I didn't even notice a the thread topic until AFTER i made the post. Still feeling my way around :-)

And Thanks for the positive feedback! I probably shouldn't have even gone searching for any negative info in the first place but once I know I am going to go somewhere, I cannot get enough little tidbits and ideas.. in my heart I knew we would still wind up having a great time, but my head was starting to get concerned since I was primarily the planner for this trip :-)

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By pat murphy (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #1967) on Wednesday, February 4, 2009 - 6:13 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

karen, welcome to BT. Don't worry, you'll have a great time. as i understand it most of the damage from omar was to the shallower corals. even after lenny in 1999 most of the coral at 40 feet and deeper was unaffected. when are you arriving on bonaire? we'll still be there in april and should be able to give you updates before you arrive.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By a retired Grunt, back in May (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #730) on Wednesday, February 4, 2009 - 6:33 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Lucky you! Being the planner means you get to be the hero for bringing everyone to Bonaire. The great diving and ability to dive anytime 24 hours a day cannot be beat.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Vince DePietro-www.bonairebeachcondo.com (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #1981) on Wednesday, February 4, 2009 - 7:03 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Karen..Welcome to BT!! Frankly, you're going to have a wonderful time at Belmar. I just received e mail from the head divemaster there and was informed the smaller pier is still completely functional..And, you'll be perfectly situated to take advantage of the southern dive sites. Please make sure you do a trip report when you get back as we love to hear from first time visitors. And do not fret.You made a great choice :-).

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By karen b (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #3) on Wednesday, February 4, 2009 - 7:14 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

thank you
thank you and
thank you...

we will be there apr 18-25 and of course i'll do a trip report. just be forewarned, i am easily impressed and pretty forgiving so it will take a LOT for me to say anything negative. i figure it's a matter of perspective :D

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By *Freddie* (BonaireTalk Deity - Post #11467) on Wednesday, February 4, 2009 - 7:27 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Karen in my post above I meant to say that diving on the EAST side was still good as well as the southern sites.. it is all good as far as I am concerned cause I like the rubble diving in the shallows...Much to see all over...

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Mitch Dial (BonaireTalker - Post #29) on Wednesday, February 4, 2009 - 7:57 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Karen I will also be on my first trip to Bonaire same dates as you. One thing I have always looked at even if it is damaged a little still better than my local dives in north Alabama (or here in Kosovo). and just the amount of diving really excites me.
Mitch

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Liz ... yes, I dive with pink fins. (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #207) on Wednesday, February 4, 2009 - 8:09 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Along the same lines of this post, I just read the latest Undercurrents newsletter last night, and there was a scathing 'report' from a guy in California about the quality of Bon diving. He claimed not to have seen a single frog fish, seahorse, or anything bigger than 6" during his recent trip. He listed other stuff that was 'missing' but I can't recall them right now.

I have to wonder where he was diving, because in January on Bon I saw at least one of everything he claimed was non-existent. I also saw lots of stuff bigger than 6". I wonder if he is posting on other boards in addition to his Undercurrents ranting......hmmmm.......

To the OP here....you will have a great time

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Leo Irakliotis (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #202) on Wednesday, February 4, 2009 - 8:31 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Karen, welcome to BT.

I am compiling some basic information about dive site conditions after Omar. You may review the information here.

The information is trickling in slowly and is highly subjective but still helpful.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Bas Noij (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #343) on Thursday, February 5, 2009 - 2:03 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Leo.

Good initiative but indeed highly subjective and in my personal (and professional) opinion already with a lot of incorrect statements. Margate bay in my opinion is hardly hit. The second reef at the Lake is not at all 'all but dead'. What I have noticed is that a lot of people who are not regulars on these reefs (meaning dive a single reef less than say 10 times a year) are not the best damage assessment experts. A lot of the damage that is now being attributed to Omar is actually Lenny damage. Also people are sometimes 'in love' with a certain reef after a first visit and then a later visit (after Omar) does not live up to their expectations and gives them the feeling that a lot has changed. This is not always the case. In my opinion there are 2 sites that were hit very hard. The area in front of Divi Flamingo and Oil Slick Leap area. In other sites there is some damage but not devastating. And let's not forget that this kind of damage had been happening for 1000's of years (millions maybe?) and is a part of the natural circle of life.

Maybe it would be a better idea to develop some kind of rating system instead of subjective statements? And maybe only put a rating in after you received at least 3 individual comments about the same site??

In general I think the overall feeling that people have after visiting post-Omar Bonaire is positive and reason to come back. This in my opinion is way more important for old and new visitors than lengthy discussions about which piece of which reef was damaged by which storm.

With that...it is way past my bed time so goodnight all!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By pat murphy (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #1975) on Thursday, February 5, 2009 - 3:02 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

gee bas, it's past your bed time and up getting ready to leave for bonaire. i'll be a zombie when we arrive tonight (it stopped snowing and i'm more hopeful but my fingers are still crossed...and will be till we arrive). i agree about the circle of life. lenny and omar aren't the first storms or surges to hit the area and won't be the last. it just happens and will continue to happen...

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Dan Jolly (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #565) on Thursday, February 5, 2009 - 8:14 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Bas - thanks for the good words.I left right before Omar so can't speak to the reef conditions.

I wonder if there was some mechanism to enlist local DM and folks like to you maintain some ongoing blog or dive site conditions. You all are in the best position to assess things like reef damage, red algae, fish populations, vis and current, etc. Sort of like Accuweather does for weather.

It would be valuable to have a web site the visitors can access to see current conditions, at least from the last day or so. Obviously these things change underwater in some ways far more than above water but it might be worth an idea ???

To enlist DM and, OWSI and other regular divers to upload information might be a challenge.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Cecil* (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #7268) on Thursday, February 5, 2009 - 9:23 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Bas nailed it, it is just way to subjective. Let's go pick a hotel based on Trip Advisor, we know how well that works. In the way of another example, I can not count the number of times I have read bad reports about the dive at Eden Beach. Yet every time we go, we do that dive two or three times, not because it's there and easy, we could go anywhere. It's because we like it, rubble is amazingly fascinating. In a way of quantifying it, I always take about 4 times as many shots on a rubble dive then a reef dive.

Anyway back to the OP, Karen I bet the diving is terrible and it would not be fair to subject yourself to that hardship, I'll be glad to take the tickets and the burden.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By karen b (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #4) on Thursday, February 5, 2009 - 9:52 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

HAH!! Cecil, while I appreciate your generosity and caring, as I said in my original post NOT A CHANCE!

I knew there wouldnt be any problem with ME enjoying myself. I was beginning to worry tho that I had let my dive buddies down. Based on the postings here, I understand there has been some damage but Bonaire is still the place to be.

Thank you all for the responses, and hopefully other newbies to Bonaire will find this thread and it will help ease their concerns as well.

Bon Bini everyone!!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Bas Noij (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #344) on Thursday, February 5, 2009 - 10:01 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Pat....welcome back (I presume you're on Bonaire by the time you read this. Maybe we bump into each other under water. I am easy to recognize under water...I'll be swimming in front of the group with all the funky UV lights :-)

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By ****Tink**** (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #8555) on Thursday, February 5, 2009 - 11:03 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Bas, well said:-)

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Leo Irakliotis (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #203) on Thursday, February 5, 2009 - 12:15 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Bas, I am all in favor of an objective, quantifiable rating system.

All I am doing in my little spreadsheet is to transcribe information posted here by BT members. Some of it is even contradictory, I know. But if we get multiple reports about a site, from different divers then there may be some convergence.

Nonetheless, a quantitative rating system would be in the best interest of the diving community. Something like this perhaps, as a starting point?

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Natalie S (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #181) on Thursday, February 5, 2009 - 12:20 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Next month I'm bringing 4 people who have never been to Bonaire with me; it'll be my 4th trip. I think that even with the storm damage they will be impressed by the reefs and sea life here. We all went on a trip to the Bahamas last summer, and I was really disappointed by the barren moonscapes (reefs) we saw there; yes, some of them were that bad. I like rubble dives (Bari and south of Bari, Tori's Reef), so I'm not too concerned about the damage. In the Bahamas, I was still finding some of the little stuff I liked, but I had to look really hard. I always look forward to Bonaire because there is so much to see. Yes, some of my favourite sites will not be the same, like Oil Slick Leap. Yes, some of the creatures I see will be different. But I'm sure I'll find some new favourites this time. Bonaire is like an old friend: every time you see it, it changes a little, but the heart is still the same.

(Message edited by Natalie_S on February 5, 2009)

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Pauline Kayes (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #159) on Thursday, February 5, 2009 - 4:34 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

For all of you who love Bonaire's reefs, even though they have been compromised by Omar, and think the "heart is still the same," consider all the sewage that is seeping and being dumped into the sea, eroding the reefs even further and perhaps preventing them from a full recovery from Omar.

Time to love the reef by holding your resorts, hotels, condos, etc. accountable for their role in the damage to Bonaire's ecosystem. Ask them what they are doing to mitigate their sewage dumpage and leakage. Write the Governor and the new Dutch Czar in charge of transition to get the sewage project done this year before these reefs finally end up like all the other eroded reefs in the Caribbean.

Remember that dive and snorkeling tourism is Bonaire's #1 industry, so you all have clout! Please use it before it is too late!

SOS Campaign To Save Bonaire's Reefs

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Bas Noij (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #345) on Friday, February 6, 2009 - 1:26 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Pauline. Although I agree with you that reef protection is extremely important, that was not the subject of this thread. I'd prefer to stay on topic.

Leo and others. My fundamental problem with 'Omar Damage websites' etc is pretty simple. All it does is focus on negative and that does not really fit with my personality. I think that it is very valid to have a list of which sites are better for which types of activities or marine life or skill level. I do however not really see the need for a detailed look at the past. Again...I feel that focussed too much (and unnecessary) on the negative. I hope that both the Bonaire shore diving website and the book will be updated to reflect the current situation. I would say that with some exceptions in general BSDME is still a fine guide for shore dives.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Mel Briscoe (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #381) on Friday, February 6, 2009 - 9:47 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Bas, so list those exceptions, please.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Dan Jolly (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #573) on Friday, February 6, 2009 - 10:18 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Bas is right. All tropical dive sites have risks and damages from storms regularly and all over the world. It is a normal thing and has always been. Cayman gets hit far more frequently and violently than Bonaire but it seems no one worries about the diving there. Same with Turks and Caicos which took a huge hit, couple of them, this year but I hear nothing about their problems. Bahamas are more in the target center than Bonaire is but people still are eager to dive there even though it's best is no where near Bonaire IMHO.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Bas Noij (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #346) on Friday, February 6, 2009 - 10:54 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Mel...of the top of my head:

In general: some broken off hard corals above the 15ft depth line.

- The Cliff. Dive is the same but the ladder leading down to the beach is broken so you now need to walk around the dive shop

- Oil Slick Leap. The shallows are more or less wiped out.

- Ole Blue. The little beach has gone so the entry is somewhat trickier but the dive is more or less the same.

Other than that I do not find too much differences from the descriptions in Susans book.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By karen b (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #5) on Friday, February 6, 2009 - 11:05 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

I cannot tell you how EXCITED we are again! We knew we would enjoy ourselves and the diving but with negative report after another, well.. this thread has been a tremendous shot of good!

while i may not be seeing the Bonaire of the past, i am thrilled to be coming to see the Bonaire of today.

10 weeks to go!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By ****Tink**** (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #8560) on Friday, February 6, 2009 - 11:21 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Karen, if you night dive, you simply have to do the UV night dive with Bas.

Bas, how bout Andrea I and Andrea II. We were told it is all "gone" so didn't dive it. I was so heartbroken after diving Oil Slick, I couldn't handle another one.

That said, as Bas states, it is VERY subjective. I thought Oil Slick was devastated compared to what it used to be. My three diving buddies had never dove there before, and thought it was a great dive. So, 3-1 great dive...

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Leo Irakliotis (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #205) on Friday, February 6, 2009 - 11:38 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Bas, I agree with everything that you said. I was in Bonaire last month and I enjoyed diving post-Omar as much as I did before Omar in August 2008. I am coming back this may.

There are, however, people who ask the question: how bad are things after Omar? They deserve some answer. Also, there are people who post trip reports here. I just compile these reports. I try to balance both positive and negative information in the compilation.

I would love to see an objective tool for dive sites at Bonaire. Something online. Something that will be constantly updated. That will allow you to print your personalized copy of a BSDME-like document and take it with you.

Do I see it happening? Probably not. I am sure that we can have a heck of a discussion about the criteria that we'll need to evaluate a site, about the format and function of the tool, etc. Perhaps we could go as far as setting up the website itself. But that would be all.


(Message edited by lgreco on February 6, 2009)

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Tom Schamp (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #188) on Friday, February 6, 2009 - 11:47 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Maybe this could be setup as a bunch of pages on WikiPedia.
I'm not sure how to go about it, but it would be an interesting public resource.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Leo Irakliotis (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #206) on Friday, February 6, 2009 - 12:42 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Tom, I think the technical part is the easiest challenge in this endeavor.

More challenging is the collection of information and the objectification of what a "good" or "bad" dive is.

What information do we ask the divers to supply us with? If we ask too much, then they may not want to deal with the time and complexity. If we ask too little then we cannot provide objective assessment.

For example: how to describe an entry? Easy, medium, and difficult, are subjective terms. A video or photographs from the entry point may be more useful. A depth profile for the first 25 feet might be helpful. Who's gonna provide that initial information? And do divers care?

Once underwater, what makes a dive a good one? An exceptional one?

What information do divers really need around Bonaire? Repeat visitors need very little. First timers need all the hand-holding they can get.

At the end of the day we return to a subjective assessment. We like Bonaire. End of discussion. Go there and see for yourself, we tell our doubting friends.

From my vantage point, I am 42 and I've been diving since I was 11 years old, growing up in Greece. I dove some extraordinary sites: ancient ruins, wrecks from 2000 years ago, underwater petrified forests, the volcano of Santorini, the Red Sea, etc. Yet given a choice between diving the Mediterranean again for a week and diving Bonaire for a week, I am off to Bonaire. I wish I could explain why.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Vince DePietro-www.bonairebeachcondo.com (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #1983) on Friday, February 6, 2009 - 12:54 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Interesting debate here, but (again) I'll refer to an old saying: "too many cooks spoil the stew"..

I'd rather have one person handle (& who better then Susan) who has done this in the past then a mish-mosh potpourri of opinions all over the map.
Just M2C worth!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Mel Briscoe (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #382) on Friday, February 6, 2009 - 1:00 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Bas, very helpful. Thanks. This is the kind of info that helps me help my group, in four more weeks. Factual changes from BSDME#5 are a good start.

It's all about perspective. The sand flats in front of Buddy Dive are relatively barren, compared to deeper, for example. But when I take open water students there for their first certification dive, and we poke around and look at the fish under the dock, and the little blennies in the coral rubble, and spot a yellow-head jawfish poking out, and watch a mojara stop and start, I can see how big their eyes get and when we surface the first word out of their mouth is usually something like, "Awesome!"

I was in Bonaire immediately post-Lenny, and during Omar. Sure, the changes may be disappointing, but the sea goes on and we are privileged to be able to get so close to it.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Bas Noij (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #347) on Friday, February 6, 2009 - 1:00 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Leo...I can explain why. You have been infected by 'the bug'. Happened to me the moment I set foot on Bonaire for the first time and there is no remedy except regular immersion in Bonairean waters...LOL

In response to your wish for an objective tool...I think one of the very links that you sent is one of those tools: http://www.shorediving.com/Earth/ABC/BonaireN/index.htm

People can supply their own feedback in a structured manner and comment on the site. I think this works great. In addition there is BSDME which is written by a local expert. I think the combination of these two works fine and see no reason for additional tools. More in this case is not better. It might help if BT-members would put more (recent) input on dive sites at the shorediving.com web site. That way the tool we already have will only get better (no Krispi...I am NOT talking about the clanger!!) *wink*

Happy diving to all!!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By *Freddie* (BonaireTalk Deity - Post #11472) on Friday, February 6, 2009 - 1:00 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

I agree Vince.. One man's junk is another man's treasure... just like the posts here.. what one thinks is a great dive others may not.. Susan is the expert and it is in print and I am sure there will be a volume 6..

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Leo Irakliotis (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #207) on Friday, February 6, 2009 - 1:14 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Bas, I agree (again) that the shorediving website is a very useful tool. The challenge is to convince more Bonaire divers to spend some time there and provide some feedback about their experience.

The problem with that website, though, is that you cannot take the content with you in the car as you drive around Bonaire. If the owners of that site provided a tool to create printable summaries of the reviews, it would be awesome.

(Message edited by lgreco on February 6, 2009)

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Liz ... yes, I dive with pink fins. (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #210) on Friday, February 6, 2009 - 1:22 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Well said Freddie and Vince!

Susan posted somewhere on BT recently that she is working on the 6th edition now. I hope she can include pictures of some of the more "challenging" entry sites (and, perhaps, a map to Taylor Made and Candyland for those of us directionally challenged). :-)

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Debbie B. ~ Jersey Gal (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #8806) on Friday, February 6, 2009 - 1:31 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Karen, I totally recommend buying Susan's book. It is STILL a wonderful guide to the dive sites, sure "some" sites are changed from Omar, but then some are still right on. Gives you a base to start from.
It hasn't been that long since then, it takes time for Mother Ocean to heal, the sites are still changing little by little. I was there right after Omar and still had a wonderful dive vacation, Karen!
No worries. You will most definitely have a great time diving and seeing all Bonaire has to offer. Please post a trip report when you get back, would love to hear your thoughts. Oh, did I tell ya I saw a mantra this past November? Yup, one of my best dives and it was right after Omar. :-)

I am sure Susan will be making a new edition of BSDME in the near future, no use doing so now as it has not all settled down, still changing, a few good wind reversals would be helpful too getting the sand outta of some of the sponges, corals. Of course, I hope they hold off till I get back from vacation there. Selfish, aren't I?

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By ****Tink**** (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #8561) on Friday, February 6, 2009 - 1:31 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

I believe Susan is going to have updates on her website, until the new addition comes out.

Problem solved:-)

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Bas Noij (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #348) on Friday, February 6, 2009 - 2:12 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Liz...if sites like Taylor made and Candy land open up to the masses it might spoil it for those that know the ins and outs of those more 'secret' sites ;-)

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Liz ... yes, I dive with pink fins. (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #211) on Friday, February 6, 2009 - 2:15 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Good point, Bas. :-)

Inclusion of a map is a non-issue for me, anyway, since I've already planned to "invite" you along for my dives there next trip!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By David Frank (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #741) on Saturday, February 7, 2009 - 12:23 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Bas,

The "all but dead" comment about the 2nd reef at The Lake is mine. A better way to put it would have been perhaps 15-20% hard coral cover. Of the sections of the double reef we have dived we felt this was the least healthy and we saw the least life here, as opposed to Invisibles, Angel City, the second reef at Hilma Hooker, and a few others. I think this has little or nothing to do with Omar. We have made 14 trips to Bonaire. We see obvious decline over the years but the reefs remain overall beautiful and vibrant. We are puzzled as to why the second reef in alot of places seems less healthy than the first reef in the same area (anyone have knowledge of or a theory about this?)

I read the same report in Undercurrent referenced above. Wondered what island that guy was on. See my pics under trip reports, Karen. As for "nothing over 6 inches", we saw schools of Barracuda and Southern Sennet, several Cubera Snapper over 3 ft, multiple Eagle rays, 1 Southern Stingray, a large Broad-banded Moray, Tarpon galore especially at Lac Cai,
Blue and Midnight Parrotfish, a couple of quite large (I'll guess 30 lb) Tiger Grouper, the biggest damn balloonfish I've ever seen. Conspicuously absent (none in 2 weeks of diving) were Green Morays, though I hear they are being sighted. I usually see one every 2 or 3 dives.

My overall impression re Omar is that the south was largely untouched except the staghorn in the shallows, the middle of the west side took the brunt but only the shallows, and the far north sites we dove were fine from Candyland down to Weber's Joy, though a lot of silting at Webers Joy. We did alot of "fanning" to clear silt.

I am going to send Ben Davison a link to my trip pictures. Undercurrent should not be publishing that kind of nonsense.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By David Frank (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #742) on Saturday, February 7, 2009 - 12:25 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

PS Karen, you are going to have a blast!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By David Johnson (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #504) on Saturday, February 7, 2009 - 1:17 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

I dove Bonaire well before Lenny and I was on Bonaire during Omar. I also tend to dive my favorite sites over and over. I still think the diving is of good quality.

There is no question that both Lenny and Omar did damage. After watching Omar rage on, and three docks go down (including one that had survived Lenny), I was afraid of Lenny scale damage. On my first snorkel, I couldn't see more than about one metre.

On my first dive, I was very happy about the conditions I found. No lenny scale damage to the sites I dove. Yes, I found a park bench and some wicker chairs where they should not be. And I couldn't find one major support of a dock that was just gone. On a driving trip, I was stunned at the new look of the old blue beach and the remake of the close-in parking area at oil slick.

My observations:
a) Healthy corals seemed to fare very well. Dead spots tended to grab the sand. This made the storm effect look worse than it really was.
b) Lots of nooks and crannies were covered in sand. There were some mini-avalanches in places as a few inches would slide by as critters were moving about.
c) Some of the sponges looked like plants that had been suddenly planted deeper. Rather than branching at the surface, many seemed to be branching under the sand.
d) The shallows (esp. under about 4m) were impacted. In spots, I also noted siltation at about 27 meteres.
e) Impacts tended to vary based on some very local factors. Calabas, especially to the north, looked like it had snowed in spots. Margate had minimal damage.
f) Other marine life was back and seemed better than before the storm.

I could see a change everywhere I dove. Some more, some less. That said, it was still better diving than I have had in many other tropical locations. If I had not dove Bonaire before, I would not have noticed.

I think the OP will have a great time and I still think Bonaire is a very good dive spot (even more so, if you like shore diving)

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Liz ... yes, I dive with pink fins. (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #213) on Saturday, February 7, 2009 - 3:55 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

David F. - thanks for mentioning that you will follow up with Undercurrents. Reading that inaccurate "report" really made me wonder how many other inaccuracies we've read in Undercurrents over the years (or even how valuable the subscription is).

Had we not been to Bon several times recently, we might have relied on the report to stay away. Hopefully other readers were not so persuaded!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Lloyd Haskell (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #323) on Saturday, February 7, 2009 - 5:44 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Any of us that have been diving longer than twenty years know the story , the oceans are suffering , every year they seem to deteriorate a little more . Here at home in the pacific northwest , south pacific , Caribbean , chances are if you have done a dive and come back a year or two later the reef will not look as good . Less visibility , less fish , less non-swimming critters. Since the day I was certified I have never seen improvement , only deterioration.
Bonaire is still the top shore diving destination on the planet . case closed

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By David Frank (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #744) on Saturday, February 7, 2009 - 10:04 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Liz, I did sent a note to the editors with a link to my pictures from Dec-Jan. Note that this report was a paragraph quoted from a reader, not a full report or article. If you read the Undercurrent CHapbook, you sometimes wonder how different people will have such disparate opinions of a destination, resort or liveaboard.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By karen b (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #6) on Saturday, February 7, 2009 - 10:10 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

wow! my cup runneth over!! thanks to all of you. i just KNEW if i specifically asked for something good that i would get some feedback but this has been exceptional!

i am looking forward to falling in love with Bonaire like the rest of you. heck, from these posts i almost feel that way now!! :-)

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Dan Jolly (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #593) on Saturday, February 7, 2009 - 10:17 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Karen - GREAT! Get used to it here on BT. The family of BT talkers and the family of Bonaire are truly fantastic. Oh, and BTW - the diving is pretty darn unbeatable too !!!!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Leo Irakliotis (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #208) on Saturday, February 7, 2009 - 10:23 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

David, I've seen wide variations here on BT as well. For example, your assessment of the Lake states that "[t]he second reef here is all but dead" while another diver wrote (about the same site) that "[i]f you didn't know about Omar, you wouldn't see much difference in the reefs".

Taken at face value the two statements about the Lake are confusing, at best.

Without any background information on the diver who writes the review it's very difficult to assess the accuracy of a statement. And this is where Bas suggestion about a rating system becomes critical: how do you correlate the background of a diver to the accuracy of his/her report?

For better or worse no one can describe a dive site in a completely objective and quantifiable manner. We express our emotions which are amplified upon reflection on past experiences. As a Cubs' fan, I know first hand. The hard data (objective, quantitative descriptions) tell us that the team sucks. Yet we fall in love with them at every game -- there must be something in the beer they sell at Wringley (I mean, something other than alcohol)!

(Message edited by lgreco on February 7, 2009)

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Mel Briscoe (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #383) on Saturday, February 7, 2009 - 11:04 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Which issue of Undercurrent was this report in?

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By NoGoSlo (BonaireTalker - Post #16) on Saturday, February 7, 2009 - 11:51 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

It was in the most recent issue of Undercurrent. I received mine on Wednesday.

We were in Cozumel a couple months after Wilma. We had read many reports that the reefs and life weren't negatively impacted to a great degree. Not true. Many of the shallow dives were sanded over tremendously. No seahorses, no eels, no urchins. The deeper dives were terrific reef systems with the swim throughs much bigger, but no life to speak of. Shows you how reports can be misleading.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Mel Briscoe (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #384) on Saturday, February 7, 2009 - 12:38 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

I can find nothing in the (current) February 2009 issue nor the January 2009 issue. Perhaps someone can provide a more detailed citation? Like, date and page number?

(Message edited by tursiops on February 7, 2009)

(Message edited by tursiops on February 7, 2009)

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By David Frank (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #745) on Saturday, February 7, 2009 - 12:49 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Page 5 under the heading, What Is A Marine Park?", in the article "Cabo, Cozumel, Dominica, Naples".

(Don't know why you couldn't find a paragraph about Bonaire there!?)

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By karen b (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #7) on Monday, February 9, 2009 - 9:58 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

I got a response back from Susan that she would NOT have the 6th edition ready before our trip, so I went ahead and purchased her 5th addition :-)

Based on all of your responses, I understand there are some minor changes but for the most part it is still the best guide to have.

 


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