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Diving Bonaire: Dive Guide
Bonaire Talk: Diving Bonaire: Archives: Archives 1999-2005: Archives - 2002-11-26 to 2003-04-30: Dive Guide
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Cameron Streutker (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #1) on Monday, March 10, 2003 - 4:27 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

My fiance will be spending a week of our honeymoon on Boanire. We will be there June 15-22. We have a few dives under our belts (her more than me) and the only shore dives we have done are at local quarries. Since we are not too great at navigation we were thinking of hiring a dive guide or dive master for a few dives until we are more comfortable with it. Will this be a problem?

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Martin de Weger (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #2324) on Monday, March 10, 2003 - 5:22 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Cameron, congrats on your up comming wedding and welcome on the boards. I think the best you can do is go out on some boat dives and tell the divemaster you're not to sure about navigation. They will either buddy you up with an experienced diver or join you. There should be no problem what so ever. Enjoy the trip!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Marcus L. Barnes (BonaireTalker - Post #19) on Monday, March 10, 2003 - 8:05 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Cameron: We have dove Bonaire the last 2 years and have had no problems with underwater navigation. We go from the shore to the dropoff, turn right or left, follow the wall until your pressure guage reads 1500 PSI, turn around and come back the same way; we usually wound up (more or less) where we started. Have great dive.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Cameron Streutker (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #2) on Monday, March 10, 2003 - 8:23 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

I guess it can't be any harder than navigation in 55 degree water in a quarry with only 10 feet of viz. :-) I can't wait for the warm water.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Linnea Wijkhof-Wimberly (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #445) on Monday, March 10, 2003 - 10:44 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Marcus forgot to mention that since Bonaire diving is mostly on stepped slopes, you can go out at 40-50 feet and return at 20-30 feet or less and that way you are off-gassing on the return trip and all you have to do is putz around in 10-15 feet of water for a few minutes as your safety stop. And if you know your right hand from your left, you will have a hard time getting lost.


\/ /\
\/ <------------------------< back
\/ /\
\/ /\
>>>--------------------------> out

Lousy graphics

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By pat murphy (BonaireTalker - Post #14) on Thursday, March 13, 2003 - 3:34 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

yep...boat dives are the way to start. you can dive attached to the hip of the divemaster or wander off on your own if you feel comfortable enough. i'm not an expert navigator but for bonaire shore dives i usually do a surface swim to the top of the reef, drop to depth (50-70, rarely deeper) and swim into the current until i have about 1500# in my tank. then i do a 180 and come back at about 30-40 till i have between 600 and 800#, make a turn to the east, get in the shallower water and spend a few minutes at 15'. i know, it's not the best way to do it but it's worked great so far.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ginny Stokes (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #471) on Thursday, March 13, 2003 - 5:30 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Pat, I don't see anything wrong with your system; that's essentially what we do, too, except with the addition of noting a particular sponge/coral head or other notable marker at about the 35' level on descent, and make our turn back toward shore upon returning to that spot on the reef. That way we surface at our entry point, where we left the truck.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Randy P (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #139) on Thursday, March 13, 2003 - 5:38 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

And one night diving tip that works for me, if you pick up one of those inexpensive tiny 1 AA or AAA battery underwater lights and attach a large clip to it, you can attach it to the dive site buoy rope right at the cement block and kinda point it outward. Then check your depth gauge. As long as your return leg has you within 10fsw or so of that depth, that little light will look like a landing beacon.

Specific note: the Marine Park rules prohibit using "Cyalume" type chemical light sticks, so leave them at home. Only battery operated marker lights are allowed.

Have a great trip. Like everyone has mentioned it's almost impossible to get very lost shore diving on Bonaire. If you surface low on air too far from your entry point, just go onto shore, take off your heavy gear and walk back to your car/truck and drive back to where you left the gear. It really couldn't be easier.

Dive Safely

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By pat murphy (BonaireTalker - Post #16) on Friday, March 14, 2003 - 9:06 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

the only time i ever really missed our exit point was diving right off carib inn where we were staying. the current (south to north) didn't seem too strong as we were swimming into it but apparently we were really flying on the return. when i surfaced (thinking that we were either right off carib inn or maybe even a bit short) i found that we were well into the divi area. still, we had air and there was no boat traffic so we managed to swim back to carib inn dock. i agree with the post about going to shore, leaving your gear and walking to the truck....you really can't get lost.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ginny Stokes (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #473) on Friday, March 14, 2003 - 11:48 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

I remembered one other thing I do routinely, as a tip for new Bonaire shore divers - while you are doing your surface swim out to the reef, take a compass heading in the direction of your vehicle. The final bit of the dive is generally over sand patch with minimal features, so it's easy to be off by a few degrees, which can translate into being quite a ways from the vehicle. Even so, you still wouldn't be lost!

 


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