Diving in Bonaire

There are more than 50 dive sites along the coast of the island of Bonaire. We had booked a dive trip to the island of Klein for Saturday morning, but when we arrived at the dive shop they informed us that they did not have enough divers to warrant taking the boat out. It seemed it was just Jens and I. They couldn't get hold of us to tell us. This is the problem with not having a local phone and now that we have decided to stay in one location for longer than a day or so, I will start investigating how to get some kind of phone service.

Since we had nothing else planned for the day, and I was desperate to get in the water, we decided to do some dinghy dives. Well, snorkeling actually. We could rent dive gear and go along the coast with our dinghy and may still do that, so we thought we would check it out first. We wanted to see if we could get in and out of the dinghy from the water and with gear on, and whether or not the dive site moorings were safe and easy to use.
We set off with snorkels, mask, flippers and our dive flag. Jens tied the dive flag to one of the oars and hoisted it using the engine handle. That worked perfectly. The dive moorings are easy to find. They are like a string of pearls along the coastline. The southern coast of Bonaire has a short and shallow beach which is mostly rough rock and coral, with some sand beaches. After about 20 meters, the sea drops off suddenly creating a wall which makes for great diving. Shore diving is popular and many tourists rent a small truck and dive gear and spend the week exploring the dive sites.
Bonaire is also popular for wind surfing and kite surfing. There always seems to be a nice breeze. If you are into water sports and activities, this is a good place to visit. Also, because much of the island has been designated as a nature reserve, there has not been the influx of the big hotel chains. Mind you, tourist prices are finding their way here nonetheless.

The other tourists to Bonaire arrive on the cruise ships. This week, there was a new ship in port every day. They usually arrive at night and come into port in the morning. The passengers have the day to explore the island before heading off to their next destination. Hardly enough time to get a feel for the place. We notice that some of them come off the boat in the morning, find the closest bar, sit with a view to their ship and have a few, head back to their boat for lunch (I guess because these cruises are all inclusive) and then walk along the harbor front in the afternoon heat before they have to be back on the boat for a 6 pm departure. Some are smart and take the option of an island tour, but they still only really skim the surface of what there is to see.