Bonaire, Netherland Antilles

Dates: August 1996, September 1992, March 1990

Bonaire usually appears near the top of everyone’s favorite dive destination list, and for many good reasons. Sundivers has made three trips there and we have never left disappointed.

Diving: Obviously, the diving has to be good, and it is. Bonaire is just about as far south in the Caribbean as you can go and it is well below the hurricane belt. I’ve heard about storms hitting the island, but they must be few and far between. So, with consistently good weather on your side, you can also expect great visibility, calm water with little if any current, and lots of little critters.

There is probably no more numerous, better, easier, and accessible shore diving available than you will find in Bonaire. Dozens of well-marked sites are available along the beach road which extends almost the length of the leeward side of the island. Just look for the yellow-painted rocks with the site name and match them to your dive site map. In addition to the yellow rocks, many locations also have a mooring buoy easily visible from shore. (Okay, a few sites require some work to get to and you may have to navigate around some coral as you walk a short distance out to waist-deep water.)

The other main dive area is Klein Bonaire, a small island a quick boat ride away. It is literally surrounded by great dive sites.

Expect to see huge purple tube sponges along with typical Caribbean life. It’s fun to spot seahorses and frog fish, but we have always had to rely on a dive master taking us to their usual hangouts. Think small and take your time around the coral heads to find critters. We have not seen much in the way of "large."

Two other dive sites are worth mentioning: the town pier and the north end of the island in Washington National Park. The town pier is a "famous" dive, particularly at night. It’s best arranged through your dive operation, as coordination with the harbor master is required. It’s basically a "dump" (old tires, bottles, shoes, etc.), but at night it is alive with color and macro photography subjects. Some love the dive, others could do without, but it’s one to try at least once.

The north end of the island has some great diving but it is subject to wildly fluctuating currents. We have done it through our resort and had to abort a dive due to a heavy current and we have tried it from shore successfully. Ordinarily, for advanced divers, I would recommend diving one or more sites a try.

Dive Operation: Although the typical Sundiver likes variety, we have been in a rut while visiting Bonaire. All three visits have been with Sand Dollar Resort and Divers. It’s a bigger operation than we usually gravitate to, but the operation is professionally and smoothly run. They have a number of boats with two morning and two afternoon departure times to specific locations. All you do for boat diving is choose a time and a destination, then write your name on the chalkboard. (Some destinations may change if another operation’s boat is tied up to the mooring buoy.)

Dive packages may include no boat diving, 6 boat dives for the week, or 12 boat dives. We have always done the 6 boat-dive option, using one of them for a night dive. Unlimited shore diving is available in the package, so after a morning boat dive, we have done one or two shore dives in the afternoon.

Recommendations:

• Rent a car to try the shore dives as well as explore the island. It’s worth it.
• As long as you now have a car, use the boat dives to visit only Klein Bonaire—too many good sites there and it’s almost the only good diving you can’t drive to.
• Do the Hilma Hooker dive from shore one morning. The mooring buoys are visible from shore, and although it is a fairly long snorkel out there (take your time), I would prefer to save the boat dive for Klein. After burning your deep bottom time exploring the Hooker, you can easily dive back to the shore at progressively shallower depths. With your computer, this could be an hour dive or more as you spend much of your time in the soft corals at 20 feet or so.
• On the other hand, the shore diving at Sand Dollar is excellent and admittedly easier than lugging tanks anywhere. A patient and observant diver will see just about all there is to see in Bonaire right there. In fact, we do almost all our night diving off the resort pier. Car or no car, you can’t go wrong.

Resort: The Sand Dollar Condos are the nicest and most comfortable accommodations we have experienced at a resort, and they are reasonable priced especially when you reserve a 3-bedroom unit and divide the cost by three couples. The kitchens are well-stocked with utensils and appliances, so cooking becomes a real option if you are so inclined.

Also at the resort are a swimming pool and tennis courts (although few in our group have every used them). The grounds are well-maintained and there are lounging areas over-looking the ocean.

Meals: The Green Parrot Restaurant is the local watering hole and eatery. Situated next to the dive store and operation and right on the water, it has good food three meals a day. The Parrot burgers are standard fare, but I still can’t figure out how many parrots it takes to make one of those burgers. Meal plans are available although we have never partaken.

There are a number of good restaurants in town to try. Town is a five minute drive away, but some have walked it. At the time, I never had the foresight to record restaurant names, but I could still find them. We have always done a combination of cooking, visits to the Green Parrot, and trying other places. Overall, the food has been very good.

Value: We have always thought this trip to be of exceptional value when you factor in condo sharing, preparing some meals in the condos, and the truly unlimited shore diving. You can't go wrong here!

Postscript: Let me re-emphasize a point already made. Plan time to tour the island in a rental car. Head south for a view of the salt works, slave huts, the old lighthouse, and perhaps wind surfing at Lac Bay (Sorobon). The trip north takes you to Lake Goto, the inland village of Rincon (ice cream store!), and to Washington-Slagbaai National Park. The park is extremely rugged but beautiful. There are numerous turnouts to beaches. There are no services, so be sure to take plenty of water, food, and top off the gas tank before entering. You can easily spend a day to the north and at least a half-day to the south. Flamingos can be spotted either direction. On either or both trips, take the road which bisects the island on the way back to Kralendijk. You will be treated to a scenic overlook of the capital, Klein Bonaire, the airport, the salt mounds in the distance, and many of the resorts lining the shore.