The coral reef around uninhabited klein bonaire is well conserved, and it draws divers, snorkelers, and boaters to experience its beauty. Although almost all of bonaires dives are accessible via shore, the tiny, uninhabited island of klein bonaire sits about a mile off the west coast and is worth a visit by boat. May 22, 2019 exploring the beautiful island of bonaire, in the dutch caribbean near aruba and curacao and part of the kingdom of the netherlands. These dive sites are accessible by boat only, and dive operators on bonaire frequently make trips to the pristine island. Reef collapse at keepsake dive site, klein bonaire. Klein bonaire 2020 all you need to know before you go.
The caribe water taxi cruises a half mile from bonaire to klein little bonaire. On the morning of january 20 th, 2017, stinapa personnel investigated the site and made their assessment. Of those, 54 are shore diving sites, which means they can be accessed from the beach instead of by boat. A potential danger of diving is the decompression or decompression sickness. Dive guide bonaire now available from bonaire pros. A small island with a desert landscape, bonaire is not for everyone but it is for divers and snorkelers who want to immerse themselves in that vibrant world under the sea.
Book your tickets online for klein bonaire, bonaire. Friends or relatives of divers who want to snorkel or swim also have the possibility to come along. Boat diving in bonaire is another attractive option since you can visit beautiful klein bonaires reefs small island off the west of bonaire and marine life. Night dives to klein bonaire head out regularly, too. Klein bonaire is a small uninhabited island that lies about half a mile from the west coast of bonaire. Bonaire has some of the best reef diving this side of australias great barrier reef. We are going to bonaire in june and the friends we are going with all are bonaire veterans told us to get it to study ahead of time to pick out dives that interest us and mark them. We took the water taxi from shore which first took us to eden beach to quickly transfer to a catameran then we headed to klein bonaire. There is a public water taxi that also stops at buddy dive wharf on the way to klein bonaire. In other words, dont plan a trip to this island unless you want to get friendly with some of bonaires magnificent sea dwellers. Boat diving also offers expert dive master to point out frogfish and seahorses.
Klein bonaire is tucked away on the westcentral coast of bonaire, just a few minutes by boat from buddy dive resort. Dive friends bonaire offers a kids snorkel course, monday through saturday from 9. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Many bonaire dive packages offer the option of including some boat dives along with unlimited shore diving. You can find websites that describe the dive sites, but the descriptions in this book go much deeper and blow every other book out of the water. Delfins beach resort bonaire is located on a 200m long stretch of coastline in southwestern bonaire. Another highlight is the wealth of information on major resorts and dive operations. Bonaire is the cool caribbean island you didnt know. Sand dollar condominium bonaire dive resort padi travel. The island has 63 official dive sites, with an additional 26 sites on klein bonaire.
Is the book worth it or should i just print out dive sites from the internet. The team at beyond the corals dive center bonaire would be happy to arrange a private charter boat so that you can have bonaire scuba diving adventure off the shore too. Exploring the beautiful island of bonaire, in the dutch caribbean near aruba and curacao and part of the kingdom of the netherlands. It takes only 525 minutes to reach many sites, the current is usually mild, and although some reefs have.
Dive guide bonaire is a comprehensive guide for divers and snorkelers of all skill levels with detailed descriptions of 103 dive and snorkel sites around bonaire including klein bonaire, washington slaagbai national park and bonaire s east coast. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading diving bonaire. If you want a guided tour of bonaires amazing fringing reefs and sea life, we also offer several options for guided shore diving. Mike has over 20 years experience diving in bonaire and this years trip portends to be a terrific adventure. Bonaire is the cool caribbean island you didnt know you were missing out on breanna wilson contributor opinions expressed by forbes contributors are their own. Bonaire dive connectionsscuba divingcharlottesville. Klein bonaire is a haven for divers, offering the chance to see turtles, since the island is now a reserve and. You will be able to find free maps on the island that may suit your needs just fine. Feb 24, 2017 at keepsake on the southern side of klein bonaire, a large section of the reef recently collapsed in an underwater landslide. Lac bay in the south has near perfect windsurfing conditions, making the area ideal for beginners and advanced windsurfers alike, whereas the hilly landscape in the north is every mountain bikers dream.
We chose this option and added 6 boat dives to our dive package. As you drive around the island, youll see cacti, salt ponds, mostly flat. It is about half a mile from bonaire at its closest point. At keepsake on the southern side of klein bonaire, a large section of the reef recently collapsed in an underwater landslide. The shore diving is exceptional, but some boat dives as well because some sitesincluding all on klein bonairecan only be reached by water. Diving bonaire overview one of the three dutchowned caribbean islands off the coast of south america, to many visitors, bonaires attraction is shore diving, not only in front of their hotels but also via rental car to one of a score of marked sites but keep nothing in those cars and never lock them as many get broken into while you are underwater. Klein bonaire no name beach in addition to the popular beach spots on the main island, klein. You can find the most beautiful beaches on klein bonaire.
For those who have been to bonaire, the little island of klein bonaire located just off the west coast, has proved to be a favorite. There are two different books on best snorkel spots dont buy them they are crap. Bonaire is famous for these hard to find creatures. The island is renowned for its shore diving and dive friends bonaire offers a house reef for you to enjoy, in addition to regular boat access to klein bonaire, the flat, small, uninhabited island off the central west coast of bonaire. When i was searching for them to buy online, i bumped into the full reef smart book with description of every dive site in bonaire and more. Farsighted pioneers, led by captain don stewart, ensured decade. I read about this on trip advisor and it is the best way to spend the day before you fly out, when you cant dive anyway. The development of klein bonaire was attempted a few times prior to its establishment as a marine preserve. However, the lack of sand and runoff is what makes bonaire scuba diving so spectacular. I really like this guide its nice that it is compact but still has each dive site on a separate page and lots of room for notes. And when you feel like exploring one of bonaires many other shore diving sites, there are. B yoour bnudadieis roen dive connectionsscuba diving. Klein bonaire, a small deserted island a mile off bonaire s coast, is a well known turtle. As the largest uninhabited island in the caribbean, and being completely protected from development, it offers an unforgettable underwater experience with 26 moored dive sites and great snorkeling.
Is the book bonaire shore diving made easy, worth purchasing before we go. Concerned locals rallied to save klein bonaire and raise funds to do so and the foundation for the preservation of klein bonaire fpkb was born. Precautions should be taken when diving and snorkeling at keepsake. Regularly new dive books and dive guides are introduced with beautiful underwater maps and recently described dive sites of bonaire. Mondaywednesday focuses on instruction and skills at chachacha beach in front of the dive inn location in town, followed by boat trips thursday and friday to andrea i and ii and klein bonaire. Klein bonaire all you need to know before you go updated. Easy access and calm waters make bonaire perfect for snorkelers. Mondaywednesday focuses on instruction and skills at chachacha beach in front of the dive inn location in town, followed by boat trips thursday and friday to andrea i. We were on a cruise ship but did not take an excursion. I recently bought frankos guide map of bonaire on amazon that i think will pair well with bonaire shore diving made easy. Our crew are always happy to recommend their favorite dive sites and keep you informed about recent underwater sightings. The final development plan in 1995 was also unsuccessful and led to finally preserving it.
Jan 17, 2018 bonaire is the cool caribbean island you didnt know you were missing out on breanna wilson contributor opinions expressed by forbes contributors are their own. The beauty of bonaire is that the coral reef, designated a national park, is just a few feet from the shoreline. This deluxe guide written by marine biologists is the most comprehensive book on bonaire. I used to bring my fish id books with me but with airline baggage restrictions and the weight of printed books, who can do that. Diving bonaire overview one of the three dutchowned caribbean islands off the coast of south america, to many visitors, bonaire s attraction is shore diving, not only in front of their hotels but also via rental car to one of a score of marked sites but keep nothing in those cars and never lock them as many get broken into while you are underwater. Jan 10, 2010 i recently bought frankos guide map of bonaire on amazon that i think will pair well with bonaire shore diving made easy. If boat diving is more your thing, theyve got you covered with one or twotank morning boat dives and onetank afternoon boat dives. You can explore the beauty of the underwater life by diving or snorkling.
Apr 16, 2007 i really like this guide its nice that it is compact but still has each dive site on a separate page and lots of room for notes. The clear warm waters are easily accessible from the. If shore diving with a rental car, look for the yellowpainted and numbered stones along the shore that mark the entry point for each site. Bonaires marine park offers a total of 86 named dive sites and is home to over 57 species of soft and stony coral and more than 350 recorded fish species. We also have several bonaire dive guide books available. We are going to bonaire in june and the friends we are going with all are bonaire veterans told us to get it to study ahead of time to. For underwater explorers, whether serious scuba divers of just holiday snorkelers, a primo destination is bonaire. This guidebook, written by a marine biologist with more than 40 years experience in the field, describes the very best dive sites on bonaire and klein bonaire, and tells you exactly how to get to each one and what youre likely to find there. Other sites require a short boat ride and divers also visit uninhabited klein bonaire daily. The island is virtually uninhabited, and is surrounded by 26 pristine scuba diving sites.
Bonaire is very famous for its shore dives, but there are also some dive sites that are only accessible by boat, for example, the small inhabitant island klein bonaire. Klein bonaire is located right off the shore of bonaire and many boat rides to the dive sites are only about 1020 minutes, depending on the site. Protecting the reefs of klein bonaire scuba diving. Water taxi klein bonaire bonaire tour and vacations.
Worth spending the day to swim and snorkel but be sure to bring some snacks and drinks. Bonaire has been widely recognized for many years in the diving community as one of the worlds best shore diving destinations. Lynne m sullivan we travel to grow our adventure guides show you how. Klein bonaire is a small uninhabited island located just off the coast of bonaire. The driver dropped us off, told us to walk along the beach until we came to a yellow board in the sand. Turtles, shrimp, blue spotted eagle rays, frog fish, octopus and many more creatures are regularly spotted on the resorts house reef. The clear warm waters are easily accessible from the shoreline in front of the resort. Most of bonaires scuba diving sites are located on the west coast of the island, including 26 dive sites on the satellite island klein bonaire. Experience the places you visit more directly, freshly, intensely than you would otherwise sometimes best done on foot, in a canoe, or through. Take a water taxi to klein bonaire, and uninhabited island just 20 minutes away that has some of the best snorkelling bonaire has to offer. Bonaire marines park offers a total of 86 dive sites, it is home to over 57 species of soft and stony coral and more than 350 recorded fish species.
Klein bonaire 2020 all you need to know before you go with. On bonaire, the main attractions lie beneath the waters surface. And when you feel like exploring one of bonaires many other shore diving sites, there are truck rentals available at the resort, too. This 264 page fullcolor book details bonaire s deserved status as diver s paradise. In this case we look for a dive site where divers and snorkelers can enjoy the beautiful reefs. I looked at the website, it doesnt appear there are any maps of the dive sites or anything like that. This disease can reveal itself when divers rise to the surface too quickly. Sites that are particularly good for snorkelers are highlighted.
Read all about scuba diving, shore diving and boat. Dozens of exceptional dive sites are easily accessible. Klein bonaire or little bonaire is an undeveloped island a short distance from the pier. Sure, there is no amenities on the island, but the snorkling was great.
Jan 20, 2016 we had a day off while working in bonaire, so we rented snorkel gear and went out to klein bonaire which in dutch means little bonaire. Of those, 54 are shorediving sites, which means they can be accessed from the beach instead of by boat. The development of klein bonaire was attempted a few times in the past. Enjoy a comfortable boat ride to klein bonaire, view the beautiful coastline of bonaire, and maybe be joined by dolphins on the way. On an island of fairytale dive sites, sampler is perhaps the most surreal. The reef that encircles bonaire and klein bonaire is populated with hundreds of species of fish, from queen angels to spotted drum, from french grunts to barracuda, from the venomous scorpionfish. A site and field guide zona tropical publications by jeffrey v.
This bonaire excursion is ideal for visitors interested in a relaxing day in a pristine, tropical setting. On this uninhabited island, you can lounge on no name beach, explore the 1,500 acre island, or swim and snorkel. It was 8 bucks and shows the location of the dive sites as well as the common fish found in bonaire and the street names for kralenjik. Bonaire is also recognized as one of the best destinations for snorkeling. We had a day off while working in bonaire, so we rented snorkel gear and went out to klein bonaire which in dutch means little bonaire.
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