Here at ScubaGirl we came across another mermaid – Scubagal! She has a website set up to combine all of the important information that scuba divers need before they head off on their next dive holiday! This way we don’t have to slug through the multitudes of travel and dive websites trying to find all the information we need. The basic information of country currency, accommodation, food, transportation, etc. and of course, all the best dive locations are in one spot..finally!
We reached out to Scubagal to ask her about her favourite dive spot..and like any diver, her response was, “picking a favourite is super hard!” Not to worry, she chose one of her favourite locations and provided us with this awesome article about some of her top dive spots in Bonaire. Enjoy her article, and then head on over to her site to plan your next trip to Cozumel, Cayman, or Belize, among others!
You may not have heard of Bonaire, it’s part of the ABC Islands (Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao) right above Venezuela. What’s wonderful about Bonaire scuba diving is the location, being that it’s out of the hurricane belt and not impacted by severe weather. The ABC islands are owned by the Netherlands, so the main town areas have a great European feel while being culturally between the Caribbean and South America.
So, how’s the diving? Imagine being at one with the ocean. As scuba divers, we love the anticipation of jumping into the great blue ocean and looking down immediately to see what lies beneath. Well imagine you could do that several times a day – you simply walk from the shoreline and glide into the ocean. Go as far as you want, as deep as you would like and no one is going to be clinking at the oxygen tank telling you to turnaround and go back. Just you and the ocean.
For some, scuba diving in Bonaire can be a scary feeling, no rules, no teacher, no safety blanket. But if you’re like me, and enjoy a good adventure, have dived so much that you’re a mini mermaid and enjoy creating your own limitations – Bonaire scuba diving is for you.
Bonaire Scuba Diving
When I arrived, I had no idea of what to expect. The dive shop provided a map, my gear, and well wishes – “on your way, happy diving.” It was really that simple.
You hire a 4WD, load up with air tanks in your boot, take you BCD, regulator, mask, fins, a computer watch, map of Bonaire and head out on the road. Its anxiety filled with liberation. Each shore dive spot is clearly marked on the street and most entrance points are from a sandy shore.
Based on where you stay the facilities cater for divers, after all it is the main reason people visit and scuba dive in Bonaire.
Salt Pier
I remember gearing up for my first dive at the Salt Pier. I checked my gear several times making sure I had everything. I looked up towards the ocean, how on earth will I ensure I come back to the same spot? I entered in from one end of the pier and started descending, immediately I was surrounded by schools of fish between the piers, the sun vibrantly shining through and creating magical shadows against the beams of the piers. It was spectacular. Like driving a car, I went right into “diver ready” mode.
I found the coral on the beams pretty, the random pockets of schools of fish so pretty and the calmness of the ocean so relaxing. The best part about Bonaire scuba diving is that very few divers are at the same location at the same time making it easy to enjoy a dive, explore what feels like unchartered territory and get great snaps without a photobomber in sight.
The Salt Pier is a wonderful place to start the first dive, it’s got great marine life, corals, and because of the beams it’s easy to know where you came in and how to get back out at the same spot – helps with the initial nerves of diving alone.
Alice in Wonderland
This scuba diving site lies right next to the Salt Pier. All you need is to change out the air tank and you’re set for the next dive. Wait. Stop. Don’t forget a good surface level interval time. A little bite to eat and we’re off again. Alice in Wonderland is all about the amazing Bonaire scuba diving reefs that line the shoreline. The dive itself isn’t deep, maybe 40 feet. This time I went in with complete excitement and a turtle friend who came to join in the diving fun! It’s special when the marine life and human life can be symbiotic, coexist without fear. This is Bonaire scuba diving.
I wasn’t prepared for how symbiotic the experience would be. I was turned into a mermaid.
While on this dive, by happenchance I made my first friend. She was my Dory if we were in Finding Nemo. “bam, bam, bam,” I kept getting poked in the leg. Looking down, I see this black and white fluttering fish (about 10 inches long) perpetually hitting into me. I got this feeling she wanted me to leave, I was bothering her. So, I swam away and sure enough she followed – “bam, bam, bam …. Suck.”
I would later find out that this was a remora fish, but in the meantime, she was suctioned to my leg and didn’t want to let go. So, I took her along the dive. If she decided I was a shark, turtle or whale, then I proclaimed her my Dory. Remora fish often suction onto those fish to travel, remove parasites and dead skin from them. It appeared that my Dory wanted to exfoliate me.
I tried to say bye to Dory by gently pushing he off as I came to the surface. Dory wasn’t ready to leave me. I started talking to her rationally like Nemo would, “you’re going to die if you follow me, best you stay here.” The things you do as a scuba diver that make complete sense to you but others would label you crazy. I imagine Dory has forgotten me and found another love affair, but that day, she made me a mermaid.
There’s plenty of other dive locations in Bonaire, you could visit several times and not complete all. Further, you could complete all and still find new things in the ones you went to first. That’s why it’s a divers paradise, an island designed just for us and our community.
