My buddy and I will be making our first visit to Bonaire the second week of July for a much anticipated dive vacation. I have been diving for about 7 years, but in all that time I have never done shore diving. I'm pretty confident in my skills as a swimmer and scuba diver, but nonetheless I'm a bit apprehensive about shore diving. I was hoping to get some recommendations for dive sites to start off. We will be staying at the Blue Divers Resort and also planning to do 3 guided shore dives with VIP divers (I have ordered the book "Bonaire Shore Diving Made Easy". Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Get the book, Bonaire Shore Diving Made Easy. Can get it from the author here on BT or order it from Amazon. It is very much worth the money. If you're looking for some recommendations to start off, we loved Angel City and The Lake for easy entry. Of course it will always depend on wind direction.

One thing you will definitely want, because of the rubbly beaches, is a good pair of HARD SOLE dive boots. Not pliable rubber like you would get with water socks. Hard rubber soles. There are several brands that make them.

If your apprehension is due to surf, it's usually not a huge problem. You will have some waves to contend with and you have to be careful about where you step so you don't get an ankle caught (it's not as scary as that sounds) but many of the entry points are marked or have references in the book I mentioned.

It's quite easy. Trust me, if my wife can do it on her first dives out of dive school, you will have no problem with your dive experience.

e.

Agree with Eric.
I expect the VIP guys will bring you up to speed fast!

Make sure you have a compass! Having to walk with all your gear after you've come up in the wrong area is no fun (I'm guessing! WINK WINK).
The book you ordered is great!
You will never want to go dive anywhere else again! Make sure to do some night dives, they are great!
HAVE A BLAST!

Ummmm, I'm such a dork. Apparently stopped reading when I got to the parenthesis. Duh. You won't regret having that book. (It rates each dive site by difficulty and gives a reason for the rating. So start out with some easy sites and work up from there.)

e.

Edwin
Rather than buying expensive dive boots, I use an old pair of sneakers that will fit into your fins. I usually end up trashing them at the end of the week.
The first time I came to Bonaire all I had were the normal booties and I left with sore and cut feet.
If your looking for a guide to show you around the dive sites you can't go wrong with Bas

(Message edited by billie_bubbles on February 15, 2011)

While I was never able to get scheduled with Bas Noij, I've never read anything but high praise for him and his guided dives.

e.

You made a great choice with VIP. Don't be put off by the location (side street) or the external appearance (not much parking). The Bas's will treat you to the best diving you can get if you let them. Do the UV night dive, a really different experience.

I can guarantee you that you will LOVE shore diving in no time Edwin. Before you know it you will be ready to explore the wonderful reefs of Bonaire on your own. We will teach you those little tricks that help you get into the 'comfort zone' and of course after those first guided dives we will still give you tips and suggestions where ever it helps.

Looking forward to welcoming you to Bonaire!

Bas.

Hard soled boots (as opposed to very soft soled ones that work fine in boat diving) are a must. Make sure they fit well. I have used SeaSoft Sunray's and they work very well for me. Their thick sole has saved me many a times walking around the entry to dive sites - especially the ones in the north where encountering a cactus spine is not out of the realm of possibility. If you've got a sturdy pair of sneakers, Bill's suggestion will work well.

I've been to Bonaire 4 times now, and each time I get a little bit better "scoping" out the entry before going in. Take time a the water's edge without gear on, walk up and down and visually look at the best way in. I will sometimes walk in up to the point where I put my fins on just to see how the entry is. I've reduced sore ankles and spills to just about nil.

Some Bonaire shore entries are easy! Others are pretty difficult. Bonaire Shore Diving Made Easy is a must - well worth what you will pay if only for the description of the entries and exits. I've done just about all the marked sites on the west side, and there are a few that would have been a disaster if not for her book.

Start with some easy entry sites, see how it goes, then branch out to some of the more difficult to get into sites. You'll do great - shore diving is wonderful!

enjoy u are in good hands

Welcome to Bonaire Talk . As others have said , you will discover diving freedom on Bonaire .
And yes ... you are in good hands for an introduction . enjoy

Edwin, as you wait for July,, here is a start for some planning

http://www.shorediving.com/Earth/ABC/BonaireN/index.htm

enjoy

As there are many sites, if one has large waves breaking on shore, move to a calmer site.
Watch other divers to see where to enter and exit and observe to see the degree of difficulty moving out to deeper water.
Ask other divers at the site - most everyone is friendly and willing to help.
Take your time - it's not boat diving, the pool is always open.

Tori's Reef (page 59) has the easiest entry of all the sites. The book says long swim but I didn't think it was bad and there is stuff to see on the way out. Once you hit the dropoff going south will be a lot of soft coral & sponges. Going north is more hard coral. Lots of fish either direction. This was my favorite spot. Next I liked Angel City. The double reef was very interesting.

One thing I quickly learned was to watch the waves and count the big ones and watch for the lull - figure out the pattern and wait for the lull. Then enter and move to chest deep water. Float using your snorkel and put the fins on. You will love it.

You've got the book. you've got the contact (VIP), you've gotten advice on footware, don't worry.

Ya know, half the fun of travel was the unknown, now with the internet, I think folks get more stressed with more info at hand. Remember, what some complain about, others love.

For instance, here in N.S., if you "wait for the lull" (valid plan, no criticism intended)to go........ouch, here we have to enter on the withdraw, ride it out, and catch the lull further out to descend, so as not to be smashed back to shore. But, that's here, perhaps that works on Bonaire. Never had surge entry issues on Bonaire (by N.S. standards). But, again, it's what your used to.

Edwin,
You could try a few of your first shore dives with vipdiving to learn a few tricks when wading into the water from the shore. Bas T and OB1 (aka Bas N)are both great shore dive mentors and both can/will/may show you the most amazing creatures.

Edwin-
An easy site with a very easy entry is at The Plaza Resort's house reef 18 Palm. Sandy beach, with sandy entry. There are some buoy marker and some makers below water.

One can dive the site even if you are not staying at the resort.

More here:
http://www.shorediving.com/Earth/ABC/BonaireS/18_Palm/index.htm

Others that have chimed in above me have provided some excellent advice.

Enjoy your trip.

Edwin,
lets us know what you think of Blue Divers Resort. Very little written about it here on Bonaire talk. I've been by it but know nothing of the place besides what Bas has told me :-)
Looked interesting. Might be a place I want to stay in the future. I know the dive shop is great.

Thank you all for your input. I'm feeling a bit better about shore diving, but will still do 3-4 guided shore dives to get the hang of it. I am really looking forward to diving in Bonaire. I have wanted to visited the island for the longest, but for some reasons I have never made it, but this time no matter what, I am going to Bonaire!!!!

Bob,

I'll let you know what I think about Blue Divers Resort

(Message edited by edwinq72 on February 16, 2011)

Brenda,

Waiting for the lull worked for me but I have to admit that I pushed in as the (hopefully last - if I counted right and got the pattern right) - big wave receded. Glad you pointed that out. I wanted to get the max time without surge/waves to get as far out as I could before being hit with the next wave. Exiting was not that bad if I took my fins off when I was still deep enough to float without being thrown into the bottom or rocks. To exit I just rode the surge in and held on a rock till the next surge till I got to where I could stand.

Edwin,

One other extremely easy entry/exit site is Yellow Submarine (Kaya Playa Lechi 24, Kralendijk
). It's the house reef of Dive Friends Bonaire. There is a pier if you want to giant stride but also a ladder for exits and beach entry. Saw a goldspotted eel in the flats going out to the dropoff. Lot's of good stuff there. Should have dived it more but I prefer soft corals and loads of fish so dove the southern sites more.

I would suggest that ANY of the major resort house reefs that permit non-guest access (with or without a fee) will provide for very low-impact shore diving opportunity.

I would try to book my dive package with one of them and thus have immediate approved access to terrific diving just a walk down a set of stairs or a ladder away.