By Bart Snelder
The name of the game for Bonaire as a dive destination is its fabulous shore diving. The practice is simple: load some tanks in the back of your pickup truck, arrange dive gear on top, pick one of the almost sixty marked shore dives, park, gear-up, fall out of your truck into the sea, and dive away. Change empty tanks, do it all over again, and the next day and next day. And since there is no such thing as a bad dive on Bonaire (and not a bad diving day either), the whole experience delivers a sense of freedom that is unrivalled. No nosey or bossy dive masters telling you what to do. Your choice, your way of diving, anywhere, anytime and anyhow you wish. Who needs a boat schedule?
And yet, there are some very good reasons to grab a boat dive or two (or six). There are simply quite a few dive sites left that one cannot reach from shore. We’re talking sensational dive sites, like Rappel. Sometimes, it’s just easier to fall off a boat and let others do the schlepping! And then there is our sister island Klein Bonaire …
Klein (little) Bonaire can be seen anywhere from the west coast of Bonaire — the closest distance about a mile off shore. It is the largest uninhabited and protected island in the Caribbean. It is absolutely pristine. And it almost got destroyed! Under private ownership, there were well developed plans to build a huge resort on Klein, complete with bridge connecting it to Bonaire proper, and even a helicopter platform. In 1996, a bunch of exceptionally diverse and concerned people formed a foundation to rescue it from certain ‘destruction’. Within 4 years, with sticker, poster and political campaigns, writing a gazillion articles including letters to the queen of Holland, and raising money, the FPKB (Foundation to Preserve Klein Bonaire) succeeded in arranging the buy-out of the private owner, and gave the sister island back to Bonaire on the last day of the millennium, as a park, to be protected as one of the articles said, “into perpetuity”. Thanks Dee, Bruce, Kitty, and Christie. Thanks Younces, George, Laura, and so many others — I am so damn proud to be part of you guys!
Oops, I got carried away. Anyway, the result of the success of the FPKB is that we have the continued opportunity to visit Klein Bonaire, which itself has 26 moored dive sites! That’s 26 dive sites allowing only one boat per mooring at a time, insuring each site never gets crowded. Klein Bonaire has the most beautiful beach of the entire country, where humans share the sand with a few crabs, lizards and nesting sea turtles. It’s a wonderful half day trip just to hang out, snorkel, swim and relax. Obviously, most of Bonaire’s dive shops organize dive trips to Klein Bonaire on a daily basis. Some operate large and very convenient boats with up to twenty divers. At Wannadive, we use a fast and relatively small boat for up to ten people — perfect for drift diving. Since the shore diving on Bonaire is so unrestricted, expect that same attitude on our boat. None of that strict stuff with us!!
Any diver will have a wonderful vacation on Bonaire, truly divers’ paradise, even if you never make a boat dive. But why miss the opportunity once you’re here? Besides, it’s the only way to see the unblemished perfection of Klein Bonaire!
(Editors Note – Wannadive Bonaire, owned by Bart Snelder and Roeland “Bob” Labots are experienced, dedicated PADI dive instructors and Bonaire veterans. Wannadive has oceanfront locations at Eden Beach Resort, in town on the harborfront next to City Café and at the new Windsock Beach Club — as well as a facility at their own small hotel, the Wannadive Hut. Their team’s casual way of providing world class service assures customers will have as much fun on their Bonaire dive vacation as Bart and Bob have working here.)
Contact us at www.BonairePros.com for a Wannadive vacation package.
