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Diving Bonaire: Snorkeling Report - Ignore Out-of-Date Guides
Bonaire Talk: Diving Bonaire: Archives: Archives 1999-2005: Archives - 2000-12-29 to 2002-08-31: Snorkeling Report - Ignore Out-of-Date Guides
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Gary M Catlin on Wednesday, July 25, 2001 - 7:46 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

We just returned from our first trip to Bonaire (July 2 - 12). We went to snorkel, not to dive, and selected Bonaire because we hoped it was one of the top snorkeling spots of the world. We had a great trip, and have many great things to say about the island, people, etc.

However, we were a bit disappointed in the snorkeling. Not that it wasn't good, because in many spots it was. It is just that our expectations were sky high, and it did not fully meet them.

I now realize that this is because most of the reference materials we looked at were pre-Lenny (a hurricane of November 1999 which, while it passed fully 200 miles from Bonaire, sent very large waves crashing onto the usually-protected west shore).

While we knew a bit about Lenny from these forums, we didn't realize the full impact it had on many snorkeling sites. While the storm surge did not affect deeper water (diving is still excellent), many areas which formerly offered wonderful snorkeling were "scoured clean" (these are the words of a long-time island resident and snorkeler we met). The bottom in many shallow areas is now just a jumble of broken pieces of coral.

So to get the best ideas on places to snorkel, look to this forum, or talk to recent visitors. Don't spend too much time looking at books (such as Huber) or out-of-date web sites (such as skin-diver.com).

We snorkeled at about 15 different sites during our visit. While every place had something unique, if you wish to see beautiful hard and soft corals that seem to have escaped Lenny, stick to the more northerly spots. Our favorites were Andrea II, Jeff Davis, 1000 Steps, and other places from Andrea I northward.

Check out the wind speed and direction and a map to estimate where you can expect calm waters. As you get further north, the shoreline tends to run east-west, and is exposed to winds from the south-east (which were common when we visited). The shoreline at Nukove (drive around the oil tanks to get there) or in the National Park is more protected in case these winds are strong.

All of the areas we explored south of these areas received a lot of storm damage in the shallows. This included spots like Something Special, Windsock and others in between. It seemed to us that most of the fish and creatures were still there. But the spectacular hard and soft corals and general underwater scenic quality was lacking. Of course, this is all a natural process you are observing - here and there you find the reef beginning to resurrect itself, which is interesting. But not what we expected to find.

Another disappointment for us was a trip out to Klein Bonaire. We had read that this was one of the most exquisite snorkeling spots to be found. However, it also seems to have been heavily damaged in the shallows. We took a water taxi out there ("taxi" was a misnomer, since we found that ours would only take us to one particular place, not to where we wished to go). So we walked a long way westward from the taxi drop-off spot, to the area of Carl's Hill. We snorkeled at several spots along the way. As a side note, if you are going to do this, bring some sturdy footwear, as the whole trek is on broken pieces of coral and sharp limestone (and bring plenty of water). Our opinion was that the snorkeling areas on the main island were more attractive, and more full of fish and other creatures. However, we did have one bit of great luck on this trip. While waiting for the taxi pick-up at the end of the day, we did one last bit of snorkeling just east of the pick-up spot. Here we saw a magnificent loggerhead sea turtle just poking along off the reef - quite a rare sighting we learned from some local folks.

So our overall opinion was a bit mixed. If your group is going to Bonaire mainly for diving, you will have a wonderful time. If there are a couple non-divers along that wish to snorkel, or if you like to add some snorkeling to your dive experiences, there will be plenty to keep you happy. But if you are considering Bonaire because it figures prominently in the World's Top Ten Snorkeling Spots list, you need to adjust your expectations in light of the storm damage.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Dave Krause on Thursday, July 26, 2001 - 4:07 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Nice report. I to went to Bonaire about a month ago for snorkeling only, and had similar experiences. Our favorite spots were very similar to yours... Andrea I/II, Thousand Steps, Ol' Blue, Oil Slick Leap... all in the same general area that you mention.

Did you have any luck on the South side of the island. Most places we tried there was not much in the shallows, and the dropoff was usually to deep for good snorkeling other than a few free dives to look around.

We too did the walk on Klein Bonaire to try to find other snorkeling spots, and I think we may have made it to the same area you mention. It was about a 20-30 minute hike. We made the mistake of leaving our cooler and water back at the drop-off point, and it was a LONG, hot, dry walk back after we snorkeled (with salt water mouth to boot). Your points are well taken!

Did you make it to the Park? The best snorkeling we found on the entire island was in the park at Playa Benji. An excellent shallow area with nooks and crannies to investigate in very good condition. We saw a sea turtle here among other things. Just a beautiful spot.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Niki Harris on Thursday, July 26, 2001 - 9:37 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Thanks for writing this very useful and frank report, Gary. This will be valuable for new travelers to know what to expect. Now if I could just step outside and go for a snorkel (or a dive) right about now... sigh...

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Gary M Catlin on Friday, July 27, 2001 - 12:16 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Dave, we did not try snorkeling anywhere further south than Windsock. Once on the island, we made a point of chatting with as many people as possible about the best snorkeling spots. Both locals and visitors that had tried various spots, gave us the impression that there was nothing to be gained by heading further south.

It seemed that every person we chatted with had a different spot that was their top favorite. However, without exception they named spots in the area I have mentioned - north of Andrea I. Not one person that we asked mentioned any spots south of there, nor any out at Klein Bonaire. To some extent I am sure each person remembers one place most fondly for the particular creature they saw that day, the nice weather conditions they encountered, etc.

Interesting that you did the walk on Klein also. I timed our walk back, and it was a solid 45 minutes. It was pretty slow going, but I think we covered as much as two miles. One memorable moment was on that walk back - a pod of about a dozen dolphins came swimming along the shoreline. At that point it was a bit of a cliff down to the water (maybe 15 feet high), so we pretty quickly dismissed the folly of trying to leap in with our masks and snorkels. But it was fun to see them go by just 20 feet offshore.

Another highlight was that in the water taxi on the way over to Klein, we saw several flying fish. These amazing creatures would leap out of a wave and sail low over the water for a distance that astounded me - perhaps as much as 100 feet.

That is very interesting to hear your report about Playa Benji. Unfortunately, it reminds me of another frustrating episode in our visit. We were very interested in visiting the National Park to see the scenery, flamingos, iguanas, etc. We also were planning to do a bit of hiking - we wanted to hike up to the highest point on the island to get the 360 degree views. And of course, we wanted to do some snorkeling at spots in the park.

But here was the problem. When we got our rental car, we received the caution not to leave anything of value in it unattended. In fact, car renters are told not to lock the cars. A locked car pretty quickly gets its window smashed in, since the thief figures there must be something of value worth locking the doors about. The rental car companies are tired of buying new windows. Any doubts you might have about the frequency of these break-ins is pretty quickly dispelled when you see broken window glass at virtually every snorkeling parking area.

So our quandary was this - to visit the National Park for both hiking and snorkeling would necessarily force us to leave stuff unattended in the car. If someone wants to make off with my smelly hiking shoes while I am in the water, I can live with this. But I definitely did not want my snorkeling gear to disappear while I was hiking. Since we were in Bonaire for 10 days, we figured we would just do the park twice. The first visit was to see the sights, do the hike, and scope out the best snorkeling spots (without actually getting in the water). Then we would go back a second time just for snorkeling.

Somehow we had it in our heads that our admission fee to the park would be good for a week or so. But this was wrong. To get into the park costs $US 10 per person, which is just good for that day (and you must exit the park by 5:00 PM). Also, the roads in the park are pretty rough and slow going. We had a pickup truck, which was never in the slightest danger of actually getting stuck or anything (though we did not encounter rain). But it is just a slow process to get out to the snorkeling areas and back again.

From shore we checked out the various snorkeling spots. Playa Benji was mentioned by the entrance station ranger as one of the best spots, though as Dave mentioned it is not marked on the map they hand out (ask the ranger to mark it).

The result of the significant overhead of driving out there again, coupled with the steep admission fee, caused us to abandon plans for a second park visit. So I can not add anything to Dave's comments about the snorkeling at Playa Benji (except that I now wish that I had seen it).

Here is my advice to future visitors - plan on one long day in the park. Get there early (I think it opens at 8:00 AM) - bring food and drinks. Skip plans for an extended hike (which we ended up not doing due to heat). Do a loop drive, heading counterclockwise around the park. Head out along the coastal road, stop and see the various nice views - you never need to get too far from your vehicle and I think your gear will remain safe. Climb up inside the lighthouse to get a view of the area. Do some snorkeling in the more protected areas - sounds like you should at least go to Playa Benji. Head back along the inland route (only one of which was open when we were there), and make sure you exit by 5:00 PM.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By fred Brown on Friday, July 27, 2001 - 9:25 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

I thought your snorkelling report was excellent Gary. What did concern me in reading your second submission, though, were the remarks about the frequency of car break-ins. Do any resident Bonaireans, ex-pat, ex-res or otherwise have any comments to make about this?

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Kelly on Friday, July 27, 2001 - 9:45 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Fred, I think we have, in numerous threads, done the car break-in issue to death.
However I am pleased to note rental agencies are now advising NOT to lock doors. However for the agent to comment they (the rental companies) are tired of paying for replacement glass does not ring true. If you have a car window broken the rental agency will take your security deposit to cover replacement and I believe you have to make another security deposit. Glass has to be shipped in so it is VERY expensive.

I note so far this season I have not read one horror story about a break-in or someone losing an item of value they left in car. Maybe the word is getting out that if you leave nothing of value in your parked vehicle then nothing will be stolen. Leaving your vehicle unlocked serves to reinforce the statement "I have nothing of value in this vehicle".

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By mary pequinot on Friday, July 27, 2001 - 12:51 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

One of the other difference we noticed was that there was a patrol car cruising through the dive sites-we saw him twice, just making his presence known and waving to us. I think is an excellent idea, and I hope it is kept up. We didn't lock our doors and left nothing of value-and there were no problems, even way up in Nukove, which is pretty isolated. In fact, that's where we saw one of the patrols.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Corney Ann Carter on Monday, July 30, 2001 - 9:57 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Two other very good snorkeling sites are Karpata in the north and Margate in the south. Snorkel south when entering the water at Margate. Karparta usually has small turtles.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By jeff on Monday, July 30, 2001 - 5:50 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

I always leave my windows all the way down, car unlocked and empty except for water, oranges, etc. Last trip I returned from a dive and all my windows had been rolled up and the door locked! Good thing I always dive with my keys in the BC.

Always amazed that people leave anything of any value in the vehicles. I almost never do that in the USA, either.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Sarah on Monday, July 30, 2001 - 6:06 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Gary, I have always been the snorkeler in our party... I would have suggested that you snorkel off the back of the BelMar.. particularly under the pier.. there's so much to see.. also,I would have suggested the Plaza.. every year the snorkeling has been fantastic.. it was there that I saw my biggest Barracuda..:) I have just returned from the Cayman Islands and have to say that the snorkeling on Bonaire is better.. As for the break-in issue, we never take anything but ourselves and the gear we wear in the water.. my partner pops the keys into his zip pocket.. and that's about it..:)

 


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