Combining Shore and Boat Diving is the Best of both worlds.
Bonaire is a highly regarded destination for diving enthusiasts because of its exceptional diving conditions. What sets Bonaire apart from other diving locations is how easy it is to get to the exceptional reefs from the shore. With over 60 designated shore dive sites, Bonaire has become one of the world’s top shore diving locations. Here’s a tip – if you want to experience the best of Bonaire’s diving opportunities, combining shore and boat diving is the way to go. Bespoke Journeys Travel Specialists share their best tips with you below.
Shore Diving
Why you should combine both shore and boat diving when in Bonaire.
Shore diving and boat diving are both popular on Bonaire, but they offer very different experiences. While shore diving allows for easy access to the island’s many dive sites, boat diving offers the opportunity to explore further and discover hidden gems. By incorporating both types of diving into your Bonaire adventure, you can experience the best of both worlds. Let’s take a closer look at each type of diving, its benefits, and learn how to make the most of your Bonaire dive adventure.
What is shore diving and how do you do it?
Shore diving is where divers enter the water from the shore and swim out to the dive site. It is a great way to explore the shallow waters and coral reefs and is the most popular way to enjoy Bonaire’s spectacular marine life. The Bonaire reef system runs parallel to the island and close to the shore. The dive sites are well marked and in water depths as shallow as 15ft. A short 30-foot swim or less from the shore allows you to easily reach many shore diving sites.
What are the benefits of shore diving in Bonaire?
Cost-effective diving: With no need for a boat, shore diving offers a cost-effective means to explore Bonaire. It is best to hire a truck and drive yourself to each dive site location. This is why Bonaire’s “drive and dive” travel packages are a great option for your dive vacation. Besides driving yourself to dive sites, a truck is perfect for exploring the other activities on Bonaire, including wildlife viewing, beaches, and kite surfing for starters.
Dive at your leisure: Another advantage of shore diving is the flexibility it provides. You can dive on your own schedule, take your time at each dive site and return to shore between dives. There is no getting up early to catch the dive boat. You can sleep in, grab a lazy breakfast and dive when you feel like it, for as long as you want to.
What are the disadvantages of shore diving in Bonaire?
Shore diving is more physically demanding than boat diving: Shore diving requires you to load your gear into a truck, drive to the dive site, then gear up and walk into the water with your heavy dive gear on. When you return to shore, you get out of the water with your gear, including water weight from diving. If you have any physical considerations, for example, a back injury, you may find you are unable to handle this weight. If this is the case you may need to focus on diving those sites with easy access, or ensuring your dive buddy can help you with your gear. You can also do more boat diving and reduce the amount of shore diving. These are things that can be factored into your diving plan while on Bonaire.
Boat Diving
Boat diving in Bonaire
Most of the boat diving sites in Bonaire are around Klein Bonaire, a small uninhabited islet off Bonaire. It’s a short boat ride to these dive sites, most of which are close to shore. Of course, boat dives also visit dive sites off the coast of Bonaire. These dive sites include several wrecks, such as the very popular Hilma Hooker, a cargo ship that rests in 90ft of water. You can pick from several boat diving options on Bonaire to suit your dive requirements. These range from guided single-tank short trips to morning or afternoon 2-tank trips. You can do these with local dive operators or private charters.
What are the benefits of boat diving in Bonaire?
Local diving knowledge: Boat diving allows you to spend time onboard with diving experts who can help you navigate the dive sites and enhance your underwater experience with their local dive knowledge. You can learn more about Bonaire marine life and explore their favorite dive spots.
Dive gear assistance: Boat diving offers a change from driving yourself and organizing your own dive gear each day. All the dive planning will be taken care of for you, as will the transportation of your gear. You can sit back, enjoy the boat ride and the diving opportunities.
Access to more challenging dive sites: You can access the more remote dive sites on a boat, dive deeper, and encounter larger marine life you may not find in the shallower waters.
Recommended boat diving operations.
There are more challenging dive sites for experienced divers on the windward east coast with some Bonaire operators running specialized boats to access these areas. Our recommended dive operator in this area is East Coast Divers. This is an amazing dive option if you want to see turtles, sometimes up to 20 plus on a single dive! This is a very popular boat dive, and it’s unlikely you can get on their boat for a last-minute booking. We recommend you book this trip as soon as you know you’re coming to Bonaire. Bespoke Journeys Travel Specialists can talk to you about this option when booking to see if it’s a good fit for your diving skills as the swells can be big.
How do I combine both shore and boat diving in Bonaire?
Many dive operators offer package deals that include boat dives, equipment rental, truck rental and other amenities. Pick the dive travel package that best suits your needs when booking. Once you’re on the island and underway with your dive vacation, you can always add more boat dives if you feel like it.
Where can I get a map of Bonaire dive sites?
InfoBonaire offers an interactive dive site map at https://infobonaire.com/scuba-diving/dive-site-map/.
Let Bespoke Journeys book your vacation today.
Bespoke Journeys is a travel agency on Bonaire. With travel specialists permanently located on Bonaire, they can help you with all your Bonaire travel requirements for the ultimate vacation. For any additional information or advice, please get in touch.
(Source: Bespoke Journeys)
