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Imagine a swimming pool more than 20 miles long with a coral reef growing right along the edge that's Bonaire. Even the rental cars tell you this island is all about diving: Most of them are four-passenger pickups with a tank rack in the back. Maybe someday you won't even need a passport to visit Bonaire just a C-card and a logbook.
As you might expect, diving is a 24/7 proposition in Bonaire. You always have two choices: boat diving and shore diving. The boats generally stick to the usual schedule of morning, afternoon and the occasional night dive, but you can always grab some tanks and march in at any of the shore dives around the island. Expect to buy a $25 marine-park tag for your BC.
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Park it Take a day trip to Washington-Slagbaai National Park. Bring your snorkel gear and plenty of drinking water. |
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1 Town Pier 2 The Hilma Hooker 3 Thousand Steps 4 Red Slave 5 Salt Pier |
Diving conditions are usually benign in Bonaire. The reefs begin at or near the shore in flat, calm water, and slope gradually to a drop-off point that's 25 to 40 feet deep before tilting over to near vertical and heading for deep water. Most of the dive sites are spread along the island's leeward coast, along with dozens of additional spots all around nearby Klein Bonaire. Wreck divers can explore the Hilma Hooker, a freighter that sank on the edge of a reef in 1984 and rests on its starboard side in about 100 feet of water. This site also makes a haunting night dive.
With its thickly coated pilings and plethora of sea life, the Town Pier is a perennial favorite. Safety restrictions are in place because the pier is active, so sign up for this and the similar Salt Pier as soon as you arrive. Other outside-the-norm Bonaire dives include the Windjammer, a tec dive with a minimum depth of 150 feet, and cave snorkeling, available only with a guide.
Topside, Bonaire has world-class wind- and kite-surfing, kayaking, mountain biking and even rental Harley-Davidsons.
