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Diving Bonaire: Buck Island v. Bonaire snorkeling experiencs?
Bonaire Talk: Diving Bonaire: Archives: Archives 1999-2005: Archives - 2000-12-29 to 2002-08-31: Buck Island v. Bonaire snorkeling experiencs?
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Louis Keith Myers on Friday, June 15, 2001 - 8:41 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

In 1999, my wife and I had our first snorkeling experience at Buck Island, off St. Croix. We were quite impressed. We've snorkeled quite a bit since then, but subsequent experiences at other sites have pretty much paled in comparison(with the possible exception of the Tobago Cays). Are my hopes for Bonaire snorkeling too high? Has anyone snorkeled both Buck I. and Bonaire? Thanks for your comments.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Dean Botsford on Friday, June 15, 2001 - 1:34 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

I snorkled the trail at Buck Island, maybe 15 years ago.As I remember the depth was about 10-15 feet (one cool room that as you passed into it fell down a bunch) lots of parrot fish, big elkhorn and stag horn corals. Bonaire has shallows that are nice to check out, lots of 'baby' fishes. Like Buck island little in the way of current and great vis...since Lenny passed by a lot of the coral in the shallows was damaged but new growth is happening all around. I think snorkling in Bonaire is more like when you snorkel at Cane Bay in St. Croix than at Buck Island. That said,after morning dives on the reef I still love to spend the afternoon snorkling all over the place. Night snorkles are way cool also.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jake Richter - NetTech on Thursday, June 21, 2001 - 10:36 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Linda and I snorkeled Buck Island almost 12 years ago. Bonaire seems better (but then again, I'm biased, since I chose to live on Bonaire :-) ).

Jake

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Dave Krause on Thursday, June 28, 2001 - 5:17 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

There are plenty of places on Bonaire better then Buck Island. I visited both this year, and I am in no hurry to go back to Buck Island. The tour operators on St. Croix make you wear a floatable vest for heavens sake! I understand liability problems, but show me a waiver please. Bonaire allowed us to explore more than one location at our leisure without the crowds.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ginny Stokes on Thursday, June 28, 2001 - 6:23 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Interesting, Dave! I've been to Bonaire x3 and absolutely love it. Going back to St. Croix for a golfing vacation in August, and planned to do a fair amount of snorkeling since we aren't taking our dive gear along. Last time on St. Croix, we dove a lot, and snorkeled a lot on the southeast side of the island at Turner Hole / Grapetree Bay. It was great there, we never got over to Buck Island. Will proceed with caution! :-)

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By bob neer on Thursday, June 28, 2001 - 7:32 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

well...i just was talking to a guy who had just dove kaparta for the first time on his first visit to bonaire - he was disappointed in the color present - told me i should try the us virgin islands for much better color...the question then becomes is the additional "hassles" of diving/snorkeling a place other than bonaire worth a little more color?

i dunno...

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Dave Krause on Friday, June 29, 2001 - 9:11 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Ginny... try Davis Bay at Carambola Resort for snorkeling. We saw a variety of life around the rocky shore on the left hand side of the beach. Just swim around the corner and keep going. The deep area straight out from the shore is similar to Cane Bay. We once saw a fairly good sized nurse shark out there.

I too was expecting a little better water clarity in Bonaire, but St. Croix was'nt any better when we went this year in May. Perhaps it's a seasonable thing?

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Hazel Scharosch on Friday, June 29, 2001 - 12:02 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Hey, it all beats looking at ants under the sagebrush on this hot, dry, Wyoming prairie, IMHO!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jake Richter - NetTech on Sunday, July 1, 2001 - 12:40 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Bob,

I'm not sure what sort of "color" the person was talking about. If you take a flashlight with you to compensate for red and other color loss in water at depth, you'll find Bonaire quite colorful. For snorkeling, color depends on location - I've never snorkeled Karpata, but have snorkled a number of other locations, and been quite happy in contrast to my snorkeling at Buck Island off St. Croix...

Jake

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Glen Reem on Sunday, July 1, 2001 - 4:36 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Sites on Bonaire vary in the basic color available because the bottom varies. Karpata is major coral country which tends to be less colorful than the bottom south. The basics of underwater life are the same in the US Virgins and Bonaire. One point of view does not a true evaluation necessarily make. Those of us who know (and love) Bonaire diving and snorkeling are prejudiced--but then we have a few hours underwater there between us.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By bob neer on Sunday, July 1, 2001 - 7:43 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

i took the guy on a night dive, tried to explain the bit about light and color...i think topology is a factor - i think these folk are talking about reefs that occur in basically shallower, clearer water with the reef elements growing up from the floor of the sea. the background color is more white and a lot more light gets relected most likely...the elements present are a little different as well...i have not snorkeled or dived the virgin islands, i do recall snorkeling off the naval base in cuba (GITMO) - and recall a more colorful reef system...

whatever, i ain't thinking no where but bonaire...

:)

 


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