Diving

Are you an eager diver, looking to give back to the beautiful underwater world that has given you wonderful experiences? 

We at Beyond the Corals are very passionate about protecting the ocean and how to enjoy the fragile underwater world harmlessly. Along with the Reef Renewal Foundation Bonaire, we educate people from around the world about how they can help, and use the latest science and research to guide and shape our techniques.

If you’ve ever been diving with us, you will probably have seen our exemplary coral nursery tree hanging in our dive center. In collaboration with the Reef Renewal Foundation Bonaire, we have our own Coral Nursery at Bachelors Beach, which proudly has five trees in it! 

Reef Renewal Foundation Bonaire is a non-profit and non-governmental organization dedicated to resorting Bonaire’s coral reefs. With the help of 11 partner dive shops (one of those being us) and dedicated volunteers, Reef Renewal Foundation Bonaire has been able to outplant over 50,000 corals back to the reef! 

As we mentioned, we have five coral nursery trees. These trees have both ‘Staghorn Coral’ and ‘Elkhorn Coral’ fragments growing in them. Staghorn coral is a shallow-water, branching coral that can form massive thickets. This stony coral is one of the fastest-growing corals in the Caribbean and provides shelter to many fish species, especially juveniles. Staghorn coral is at high risk of extinction,  threatened by disease, bleaching, and geographic isolation. Elkhorn coral is also a shallow-water branching coral, providing shelter for both mature and juvenile reef fish species. Its strong branches assist in breaking the force of waves. A combination of disease and environmental impacts has caused this coral to significantly decline. Both staghorn and elkhorn corals are critically endangered and without action are at high risk of extinction. You can read more about these corals on the Reef Renewal website.

The staghorn and elkhorn corals fragments are hung and protected in our nursery and given time to grow (while being cleaned weekly). Once corals are reef-ready they can be outplanted back onto the reef on the outplanting site. Reef-ready entails that its size and health allow for it to have a good chance of surviving outside the nursery environment and back on the reef. The outplanting method is dependent on the coral species and reef environment.  

We offer the opportunity to become a part of this rewarding experience. Through either a Reef Renewal Discovery Dive or the Reef Renewal Diver Distinctive Speciality Course.

The Reef Renewal Discovery Dive offers you the opportunity to learn how to conduct a nursery/restoration site survey and participate in the site maintenance activities such as removing algae and predators, which can damage the corals and affect their growth. However, if you want to become a Reef Renewal Volunteer, the Reef Renewal Diver Distinctive Speciality Course is the one for you. This course includes three training dives and classroom sessions to learn all the techniques involved in the reef restoration process. You will participate in all the activities that need to be carried out in the nurseries and on the restoration sites. Below we have briefly outlined each dive: 

Dive 1: Nursery and restoration site maintenance by conducting a survey, cleaning, removing algae and predators, which can damage the corals and affect their growth.

Dive 2: Learn how to prune, tie and tag the coral fragments which will be hung on the nursery trees.

Dive 3: Learn how to outplant mature corals onto the reef to ensure their growth in the actual reef system.

After completion of this course, you will be a qualified diver for the Volunteer Program with the Reef Renewal Foundation Bonaire.

Let us know if you are interested in either discovering our coral nursery or becoming a Reef Renewal Volunteer, we would love to welcome you to the Reef Renewal Volunteer community. For those who are already Reef Renewal Volunteers, we would like to thank you for your contribution in protecting our ocean. Contact us if you are interested in joining us for a weekly nursery clean. We provide air tanks for volunteers.  

Bonaire is a small island located in the Dutch Caribbean, just north of Venezuela. The island is well-known for its gorgeous reef and has proudly earned the nickname Divers Paradise. This is not without reason, so let us give you our top 5 reasons why!

1. Protected marine life (STINAPA)

We believe that nature is a treasure. The foundation STINAPA ensures that we keep our ocean clean, untouched, protect our underwater wildlife and do no harm, by making everyone aware on how to dive/snorkel safely on the island.

STINAPA has (among other things) arranged for there to be yellow stones placed at all dive sites. Maybe you’ve seen them before, not knowing what they were? These are the entrance and exit locations for divers, snorkelers, and swimmers. These yellow stones are there to ensure the damage done to the reef while entering and exiting the water is kept to a minimum, so be sure to look out for them. They also mark the safest and eastiest entry and exit points.

STINAPA is a non-governmental, non-profit foundation dedicated to the protection of our marine park and the Washington Slagbaai National Park. Its mission is “to protect and manage the island’s natural, cultural, and historical resources sustainably.” Therefore, as you come explore Divers Paradise with us, we want to do so in the most aware way.

To ensure STINAPA can continue managing and maintaining the parks, there is a mandatory nature fee for all users of the marine and the national park. As we have mentioned in our Tips for Shore Diving blog post, there are a few important rules outlined while diving in Bonaire’s marine waters to allow for a great and aware diving experience, one being the required orientation dive. Book your orientation dive on Bonaire with us now!

Therefore, we put this as our first reason as to why Bonaire is the perfect diving destination. When you come dive here, you can expect an abundance of species, clean waters, and more.

2. Marine life

Following the protection of our marine park, our marine life! Being surrounded by a great variety of marine species, it is hard to keep track of the abundance of life you see in one dive.

”Did you see that rainbow parrotfish, or that squirrelfish hiding under the corals? And what about those two butterfly fish, the small school of surgeonfish, or that free swimming spotted moray eel?” Not only is there always a long list of things we saw, but sometimes a diver isn’t even quite sure what species they’re looking at while underwater. We don’t blame you, Bonaire has over 350 fish species and close to 50 different corals across our dive sites. Every dive (whether at the same or a new dive site), is different, you come across new species each time. So, this is only the beginning, after every dive you will start to recognize more marine life species and learn their names step by step. Before you know it, you will have extended your fish identification list to unimaginable numbers. 

3. Shore and Boat dives

While on the topic of dive sites, Bonaire is a true snorkeling and diving mecca, as it has more than 85 official dive sites. Whether you are a complete beginner or already have many dives under your belt, the reefs of Bonaire amaze divers from all experience levels. Most of Bonaire’s dive sites can be entered from shore, allowing divers to easily drive around in a rented vehicle and explore the dive sites along the coastline. Nonetheless, for the ones that would love to explore the dive sites by boat, Klein Bonaire offers many great diving opportunities that can only be accessed by boat. Keep your eyes peeled for a future blog post on how to prepare for your dive vacation on Bonaire!

4. All year-round diving

Any time is the best time to go diving in Bonaire. Throughout the year there is only a slight change in water temperature, ranging from 26 degrees Celsius (79 degrees Fahrenheit) in February to 29 degrees Celsius (84 degrees Fahrenheit) in September. Dependent on the person, during the colder months, you might want to switch to a slightly longer or thicker wetsuit to make the dive as comfortable as possible. As for marine life, this remains unchanged and allows divers to adore the beautiful marine life and its unique species at any time.
 
For those who love to combine diving with beach time, Bonaire’s dry season would be the best time to visit the island, due to there being less rainfall. Dry seasons run from the months April to September. As our little island is located outside the hurricane region, it is at a lower risk of being impacted.

5. Relaxing Vibe

With approximately 20,000 citizens, the vibe of Bonaire can most likely be compared to one of a village. In comparison to its vibrant neighboring island Curacao, Bonaire is the perfect destination to relax and unwind. Most visitors love to combine diving and other water sport activities in the morning with a laidback afternoon chill session under the sun, which is the perfect combination of spending your time on the island.
 
Although we could list many more reasons why Bonaire is the perfect diving destination, these are our top 5. We hope to welcome you to our little island soon, we would love to show you all the underwater sites!

If you have any questions feel free to contact us or send us a direct message on Instagram.

Bonaire is called Divers Paradise for a good reason. Snorkeling and diving off the coast of Bonaire are among the best in the world and even the most experienced divers are amazed by the beautiful underwater world. Only a few steps from the shore, the fringing reefs provide a variety of shallow soft corals and steep reef walls covered in sponges and hard corals. Besides, the diversity of reef creatures guarantees amazing dives, every single time.

The shoreline of Bonaire is filled with many beautiful dive sites, all worth the exploration. Nonetheless, as not everyone has the opportunity to explore all 87 dive sites, we are more than happy to share with you our favorite spots!

1. Salt Pier

Salt Pier is an iconic Bonaire shore dive. Although the reef is less spectacular than other sites, the structure or the pier easily makes up for it. Besides that, the pillars offer a great photo opportunity, marine life has also colonized the pillars that support the pier and the surrounding waters. Barracuda and sea turtles are commonly found at this site, as well as schools of grunts and snappers. Moreover, the pillars are encrusted with soft corals and sponges, as well as the nests of territorial Sergeant Mayors. Diving at Salt Pier is a must-do while in Bonaire.

2. The Lake

Don’t let the name fool you, the lake is a dive site located on the west shoreline about 0.75 miles (1.2 kilometers) after Bachelor’s Beach. The dive site gets its name from the ‘lake’ of sand that lies between the first and second reef slopes and should not be confused with an actual lake dive. The first reef allows great diving opportunities for divers from every level, while the second reef can only be explored by divers holding a Deep Diver certification. As you navigate through the dive site, keep an eye out for the transition from sand to the reef and (if qualified) make time to explore the second reef and its complex coral heads and sponges.

3. Margate Bay

While this dive site gets its name from the Black Margate, it is not always easy to find this fish around the reef. Nonetheless, Margate Bay is a beautiful dive site and is home to a variety of marine life. The reef slope starts at a depth of around 25 feet (8 meters) and reaches its ending at around 100 feet (30 meters). During the dive, do not only observe the corals beneath you, but also the marine life including black durgons, blue and brown chromis, and perhaps some hidden moray eels and lobsters.

4. La Dania’s Leap to Karpata

Karpata is perhaps one of the best-known dive sites of Bonaire and it ranks high on everyone’s list. The dive site offers a sharp reef drop starting at a depth of 25 feet (7.5 meters) and dropping down to 150 feet (46 meters). While many divers explore the reef of Karpata, only a few are familiar with the combination of La Dania’s Leap and Karpata. At Beyond the Corals, we like to amaze our divers by taking them out on this drift dive, allowing them to experience the best of both dive sites. As it is not possible to exit the water at La Dania’s Leap, this dive is only suitable for those who are well-trained and not fearful.

5. Red Beryl

Red Beryl is one of our favorite dive sites, due to the mix of hard and soft corals, in combination with the diversity of marine life. Snappers, parrotfishes, shrimps, crabs, anemones, and octopuses can be found on this dive site. As Red Beryl is closely located to the stretch of coast which is popular amongst kitesurfers, it is important to remain close to the bottom when you are heading out or returning from the reef. Moreover, it is highly recommended to bring along a Surface Marker Buoy to indicate your position underwater.

6. Bachelor’s Beach 

Besides it being one of the few sand beaches of Bonaire, Bachelor’s Beach is also a beautiful reef for both snorkelers and divers. It is known as a dive site that has something in stock for everyone, whether you are a coral lover or a huge fan of observing many species of reef fish. The complexity of the reef supports shelter for trumpetfish, pufferfish, parrotfish, creole wrasses, frogfish, and so on. Also, make sure you keep an eye out for our coral nursery trees, located close to the buoy. The dive site can be entered via small stairs, followed by easy access on a sandy bottom. Besides exploring Bachelor’s Beach by day, it is also a great dive site to explore by night. During a night dive, divers can expect huge tarpons by their side, as well as spotting some free swimming eels.

If you would like to learn more about our coral nursery, feel free to cross the street from Bachelor’s Beach and ask our staff for more information.

So far our favorite dive sites of Bonaire. Are you ready to explore the underwater world of Bonaire yourself? At Beyond The Corals we are more than happy to show you the beauty of the reefs stretching alongside the coast. This top 6 is only the beginning of what Bonaire has to offer and we would love to share our enthusiasm for other great dives sites.