Bonaire Photography scuba travel

Diving Bonaire

When we took our PADI Advanced Diver Course, the instructor kept talking about the great diving he had done on Bonaire and that planted a seed in our minds. So, when we found ourselves in the neighbourhood we could not pass up the opportunity to check it out for ourselves. We did 16 different dives along the west coast of the island of Bonaire. The government has done a fantastic job here of declaring the entire coastline around the island “The Bonaire National Marine Park”. Established in 1779 it is the oldest marine reserve in the world and includes everything from the high water line to a depth of sixty meters.

Southeast Coastline
The island is perfectly set up for shore diving with a coastal road that allows you to pull over nearly anywhere and suit up before swimming out to the drop off and exploring the incredible coral and sea life.
White Slave Dive Marker
Most of the dive sites are marked with these yellow stones with the name of the dive site on them. There are also several dive sites that are not marked. The beauty here is you can pretty well walk into the water anywhere on the shoreline and swim to the drop off to see great coral.
Lionfish
The only negative thing we saw diving here was the number invasive lion fish. We saw them on nearly every dive we did. Beautiful fish, they just do not belong here.

After much research we chose to rent our dive gear and vehicle (a vehicle is required here) from a company called AB Dive. It was a great choice. The pick up truck was perfect for hauling gear and their policy of leaving the trucks unlocked meant you didn’t leave anything of value in the vehicles so there was no concerns with theft. Also there is no charge for insurance and they have zero deductible. Not to mention, nitrox is a free upgrade with them. Like I  said, great choice of an outfit to get your gear from if you are renting.

Porcupine fish
The coral ranged from good to excellent and was only outdone by the number of reef fish and other creatures swimming by.
Salt Pier
I am generally not a big fan of diving around industrial sites, however the Salt Pier is one of those required dives to be done. Not my favourite site there, but the turtles were amazing along with flounder and many other fish. It was a bit noisy as workers were hammering on the structure while we were underwater.
Trumpet Fish
Plenty of trumpet fish around. It simply was some of the most relaxing diving I have ever done.

We were incredibly fortunate to see and swim with two massive schools of fish they call bait balls. From the shore line you think you are looking at a pile of rock or coral, then you realize it is moving. Being able to swim in it and watch the interaction of barracuda and tarpon with the thousands of bait fish is something I will never forget, it is truly breath taking. Nature in motion.

Here is a overview of just a bit of what we enjoyed during our week diving in Bonaire…Enjoy.

 

 

Welcome to our travel blog. Have you ever wondered what it would be like to say, "I'm out of here?" Well we did, and in 2013 we made it a reality. We sold or gave away all of our possessions other than what fit in our luggage and we set off on an endless adventure. Part of our goal is to share our experiences with others and hopefully provide some information, motivation, or just a moments escape. The general idea was to look for a place that would be ideal to settle down in. However in the meantime it is about experiencing life in different countries amongst different cultures and learning how to understand and appreciate each other. A large part of our time is spent housesitting which provides an excellent opportunity to experience more of the "normal" neighbourhoods as opposed to the tourist locales. Though we make sure to enjoy those as well. So through plenty of photographs and a running commentary come and share with us our life on the road.

2 comments on “Diving Bonaire

  1. Paul Reshetylo

    If the Lion fish does not belong there, any idea how it got there in the first place?

    Paul Reshetylo

    GFID

    Four things you can’t recover: The stone…after the throw. The word…after it’s said. The occasion…after it’s missed. The time…after it’s gone.

    • The best theory is that they were released/dumped or somehow escaped from captivity in Florida and have spread through the Caribbean unchecked as they have no natural enemies in those waters. They are native to the South Pacific.

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