Hi,

we are thinking of going to Bonaire instead of Egypt now with the war probably coming up. But how is the diving really? Can it be compared to the Red Sea?

No comparison, Bonaire is much better!

The fish and critters are different and Bonaire has nothing to compare with the bump-headed wrasse, but it is still great diving.

The diving is much easier and laid back. You can shore dive your a*s off if you want, do all boat diving, or do both. No honking currents like in the Red Sea.

Oh, no pyramids either, but the QE2 visits once a year and thats nearly as big.

donkies instead of camels...the donkies smell a whole lot better

No donkey ride entreprenuers on Bonaire, though.

Diving very different. Much more color in Red Sea, at least up around Sharm el-Sheik: Indo-Pacific fish and coral vice Atlantic. Boat trips on Bonaire are short, less that 20 minutes. Much shore diving: you can see most of the different fish and life from shore though some things are seen only around Klein Bonaire by boat diving. The people and the whole life on Bonaire are 'European' rather than 'Near Eastern', of course.

All in all, just a very different experience. I have enjoyed both.

Don't forget the other big advantage of Bonaire-- no crowds. Except for the Hilma Hooker, there is no more than one diveboat on each site