Bonaire travel and diving (new protocols and 10 dive sites)
Bonaire island is a part of the Dutch Caribbean, the island covers 111 square miles and has a population of just over 30,000 people. Kralendijk is the capital.
Bonaire is open for international visitors, you will have to fill out a health declaration, which you can find here:
https://bonairepublichealth.org/en/form. The protocol for visitors to bonaire is available at: https://www.tourismbonaire.com/includes/2020-covid19-tourist-protocol-nov.pdf.
You can either stay in a resort or hotel, or rent a apartment or villa for your stay in Bonaire. You can find over 200 places to stay here, and save up to 60% on your accommodations.
Bonaire is a year round destination, mid-February to May is the best time, from May to October is sultry, although the trade winds make the heat more bearable. October to January sees the most rain, but they are never really excessive.
Hurricanes and tropical depressions are not impossible, but the ABC Islands get rarely affected compared to the rest of the Caribbean.
Average temperatures:
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Min (°C) | 23 | 23 | 23 | 24 | 24 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 24 | 23 |
| Max (°C) | 29 | 29 | 29 | 30 | 30 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 30 | 29 |
| Min (°F) | 73 | 73 | 73 | 75 | 75 | 77 | 77 | 77 | 77 | 77 | 75 | 73 |
| Max (°F) | 84 | 84 | 84 | 86 | 86 | 88 | 88 | 88 | 88 | 88 | 86 | 84 |
Average precipitation:
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prec.(mm) | 50 | 25 | 20 | 25 | 20 | 25 | 40 | 35 | 30 | 95 | 105 | 95 | 565 |
| Prec.(in) | 2 | 1 | 0.8 | 1 | 0.8 | 1 | 1.6 | 1.4 | 1.2 | 3.7 | 4.1 | 3.7 | 22.2 |
| Days | 9 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 11 | 11 | 72 |
Average water temperatures:
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Temp (°C) | 27 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 27 |
| Temp (°F) | 81 | 79 | 79 | 81 | 81 | 82 | 82 | 82 | 84 | 84 | 82 | 81 |
Bonaire diving ;
Bonaire is often called the shore diving capital of the world.
You can find about 20 PADI dive shops, SSI, NAUI, CMAS and SDI are also available.
Many Bonaire resorts offer shore diving on their house reefs.
Dive sites Bonaire
Nukove
This dive site is located at the Northern end of Bonaire and has a max. depth of 100 ft, Many species live in area that consists of Corals and sand bottom. Huge gardens of Staghorn Coral cover the reef. Nurse sharks, Scorpion-, Lizard-, & Butterfly fish can be seen as well as Turtles.
Bonaire 1000 steps
It is ideal for all level divers.
Massive Gorgonian fans, Hard and Soft Corals form this reef that is teeming with Trumpet fish, Butterfly fish, Surgeon fish, Wrasse and turtles.
Marie Bahn wreck
The Marie Bahn sank on December 7th 1912.
This 239 ft long iron barque requires training and experience with mixed air, it lies at 200 ft, the port side is accessible at 160 ft.
The foremast is reached in 35 ft of water and leads to the wreck.
Among the century old corals you'll find a wide array of invertebrates. Large pelagic fish can be observed at the deeper part of the ship.
Rappel
The wall starts at a plateau reef at only 15 ft, it drops all the way to 165 ft, the wall is covered in beautiful Sponges, Corals and Sea Fans with abundant micro life.
Seahorses, Frog fish, Mackerel, Groupers, File fish, made this there residence.
On the steeper slope you can observe Barracudas, Black Durgons and even Mantas that pass by.
Turtle city
Schools of Tarpons, a few Nurse Sharks and plenty of Large Green Sea Turtles are all part of this very special site, also called the white hole.
Hilma Hooker
This 240 ft long wreck is encrusted with Corals and rests at a depth from 60 to 100 ft.
The Hilma Hooker (originally named Midsland) actually sunk in Samana, Dominican Republic in 1975. It was refloated and after a serving a while for Seacoast Shipping Corp. got her final name in 1979.
In Bonaire 25,000 lbs of marijuana was found in the false bulkhead, she was confiscated and started taking on water and was towed to an anchorage and sunk in 1984.
You'll see massive schools of fish around the wreck, among them; Fusiliers, Butterfly fish, Rays and the occasional turtle.
Karpata
Karpata is one of the finest dive spots in Bonaire,
Depth is from 20 to 100 ft, Anchors are embedded in pristine corals, Karpata is the home to many Turtles which are usually seen between 15 and 45 ft depth. , Frog fish, Parrot fish, Blue Tang and Perch made Karpata their home. Divers will enjoy beautiful panoramas and good visibility.
Bari reef
This easy and shallow reef is often done as a night dive. It has many Seahorses, Octopus, Lizard fish,Tangs, Angel fish, Grunts and Snappers living in the healthy corals.
Many of the different schools of fish hide under the jetty on the Northern side of this reef.
Bari reef has a maximum depth of 100 ft, but starts at 30 ft only.
Salt pier
The maze of pillars covered in Purple, Pink and Yellow sponges are the home to Grunts, Barracudas, Parrot fish, Scorpion fish and Snapper.
Among the Corals you'll see Spotted Trunk fish.
Lac Cai
On the South-Eastern side of Bonaire, this spot can be done as a shore or boat dive.
Eels, Turtles and Eagle Rays thrive on this Coral reef.
In the channel, out of the bay, large schools of Tarpon can be observed. the maximum depth at Lac Cai is around 65 ft.
Comments
Post a Comment