I have been reading various conversations on this site over the last few days as we are considering a return trip to Bonaire in early November. Since we snorkel from shore I was disappointed to see that Omar had done damage to the coral, conditions at some of the sites had deteriorated, and the fish had left. Would those who have snorkeled there recently please comment. We especially enjoyed 18 Palms at the Plaza when we were there in October of 2003. Also, are there weather conditions in early November that impact water clarity? Having gone to Cayman Brac in December one year, we found that we were limited in finding good sites due to prevailing winds that time of year. Thanks for your comments.

Susan, we were there snorkeling in February. You may not see as much live coral in some of the shallows, but the fish and other critters were better than ever. And Klein has sites that were not damaged at all.
I'll let someone with November experience answer that part of your question. There is a thread in the snorkeling section about choosing sites according to the wind direction. You might find that interesting.

Susan, This does not answer your question, but I read this board from time to time and was wondering if any other people from Wyoming were on it. Glad to see someone else from the equality state.

Hi Susan!!! Welcome to BT - I'm sure you'll find plenty of information.

One thing you may want to do is a "search" of the posts in the snorkeling diving threads - at the bottom of this page you'll see some icons - click the "keyword" search one and go from there!

bon sueltu!

It may not due you much good today - But my wife and I are traveling back the end of September and will post a trip report - we both dive and snorkel.... So stay tuned!!!

Thank you all for your comments. They help bolster our decision that Bonaire is still the place for us to go. Visited Cozumel a few times in the past and while it is easier to get to and less expensive, we enjoyed Bonaire much more on several fronts. More varieties of fish, no current issues, and great breakfasts at City Cafe. We'd like to find accommodations that have a washer & dryer available so that we don't have to spend time at the laundry by the ball fields, but that is a different topic. We stayed at the Plaza last time and enjoyed being able to walk to Richard's and Divi for dinners, not to mention the beach and snorkeling at 18 Palms. Are we there yet?

Bellafonte will do your laundry for you. We are going to Bonaire every 5-6 weeks and it seems as though fish life has doubled and it is as wonderful as ever...

Dennis: Thanks for the good news about the fish and Bellafonte. I'm working on my short list of places to stay - so many things to consider. Can't wait to just get in the water & see those fish.

We stayed at the Plaza third week of June and snorkeled 18 Palms frequently. We saw tons of fish, rays, eels and squid. The coral around the island did look a bit "smashed" at times, but the fish population is still amazing. Same for the other sites we visited.

In addition to 18 palms, we did the Wayakas - LOVED LOVED LOVED Wayaka II, Tori's Reef (another favorite) and Margate Bay. Took the watertaxi to Klein and drift snorkeled for hours - windy the day we went so visibility was poor but we saw 7 turtles. Lac Bay was disappointing as far as snorkeling but the Bay itself is beautiful.

Thanks, Mildred, for the great review of current conditions at 18 Palms and referrals to other good sites. Will be sure to put them on our list of sites to visit. Didn't go to Klein the last trip - sounds like we should put that on the list as well.