Bonaire - Diver's Paradise

As the license plates on their cars proclaim, Bonaire is a Diver's Paradise. It is also referred to as the shore diving capital of the Caribbean. Our recent trip to this small island proved that both of these claims are true.

A small island just off the coast of Venezuela, Bonaire is a part of the Netherlands Antilles. This is the smallest of the ABC islands - Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao. While it doesn't offer a whole lot for the non-diver (click here if you'd like to read my thoughts on that), for those do love to scuba dive, it is pretty hard to beat Bonaire. If you aren't in love with the water, you'll probably do better staying on one of the other islands.

All three of these islands started out as undersea volcanoes. The current landmasses are actually the tops of these extinct volcanoes that have since been pushed up out of the sea by subsequent seismic activity. Long after the eruptions had ceased, coral began to grow on the tops of the shallowly submerged mountains. After the coral had been established, quite obviously for centuries, earthquakes and other seismic activity pushed the mountains up out of the water. This killed the exposed coral, but it also established a new zone for more coral to grow beneath the new waterline. As you travel around the island, it is possible to see where this has happened several times. High up on the bluffs overlooking the coast it is possible to see where wave action had undercut the rock, now many feet above sea level. You can also see old coral growths along the bluffs. And if you are looking for sandy beaches, you'll need to look elsewhere as nearly the entire coastline is made up of jagged old coral.

But this interesting geology is what makes Bonaire so good for scuba divers - especially shore divers. The steep slopes mean that the reefs and drop-offs are often a just a quick, short swim from the shore. But in some cases, getting into - and especially out of - the water can be a little dicey as there aren't many sandy beaches on Bonaire. For the most part, shore divers need to negotiate over sharp, rocky coastline made up of old coral covering volcanic rock. But once you get into the water, it is truly worth the effort.

Generally Easy Reef Access

As mentioned, once you actually get in the water, the reefs are usually an easy swim away. Most entry sites for the established shore diving sites are marked with yellow rocks, making them easy to locate. For example, near the resort where we stayed, Caribbean Club Bonaire, there is a dive site known as Oil Slick Leap. (Some of the dive site names are imaginative and need a defy explanation. A guide book is an invaluable aid.) You can either do a giant step entry from about ten feet above the water (which explains the Leap part of the name), or a deck and ladder have been installed that makes entry and exit very easy. Once in the water, you can be to the reef with ten or fifteen fin kicks. Other sites are further out, but few of them are very challenging.

Since there isn't a whole lot else going on, most of the resorts on Bonaire are tailored specifically to scuba divers. The vast majority offer what are called "Dive and Drive" packages. A vehicle is provided to get you around the island to the various dive sites, generally a small pickup truck with a manual transmission. Be aware that if you can't drive a stick, you will be in a tough spot. It may be possible to request an automatic transmission, but we didn't see any. But the actual driving in Bonaire is just as easy as the scuba diving and the dive sites are generally well marked and have plenty of parking. You just drive up to your site of choice, put on your scuba gear and walk a short distance into the water.

Most of the resort packages also include unlimited air refills. You simply start off your day with a couple of tanks for each diver, put them in the back of the truck and you're off. When you're done with a couple of dives, swap them for fresh tanks and head for your next dive site. It's as simple as that.

Another huge benefit to Bonaire is that many operators offer access to Enriched Air Nitrox as an upgrade - often at no extra charge. If you are Nitrox certified, and I would strongly recommend the short and easy course if you are going to Bonaire, it doesn't cost anything extra to grab a Nitrox tank instead of regular air. And with so many great dive sites so close and easy to access, the extra oxygen can be a great energy boost as you go from site to site. This is a great benefit, and can be a real money saver. By way of comparison, we also stayed a couple of days in Curacão, where it cost us nine dollars per tank to use Nitrox. That might not sound like much, but for two divers who each did four dives in a day, that was an extra $72 dollars, on top of the other costs. Without the free Nitrox upgrade, a week of intensive scuba diving on Bonaire - which is easy to do - could cost several hundred dollars more if you wanted to use Nitrox.

Boat Diving is Also Available

For an extra fee, there are many options for those who prefer to do their scuba diving from the comfort of a boat. Additionally. there are some dive sites that aren't accessible from shore, including several sites around the small daughter island of Klein Bonaire. Although Klein Bonaire is only ten minutes by boat from many of the resorts, you can't swim that far so these sites aren't accessible to shore divers. There are also sites that don't have shore access due to the bluffs, lack of roads or rugged terrain, and this is where the boat operators focus. They generally don't visit sites that are accessible from shore. But even if you decide to stick solely with shore diving, you won't be disappointed.

Bonaire is a Diver's Paradise

As their license plates proudly proclaim, Bonaire really is a Diver's Paradise. Easy access is combined with many resorts that cater specifically to scuba divers. Not having much of anything else to draw tourists, the government and private enterprise work closely together to protect the natural habitat, which results in healthy, fantastic reefs offering a great scuba diving experience. Without hesitation, I would heartily recommend Bonaire for one of your future scuba diving vacations.