Hi ya'll. First time poster although I, like others, have lurked for weeks. My wife and I are making our first trip to Bon early in march and I have two unrelated questions. 1) We will be doing a couple of sunset and night snorkels and she is concerned about the water temp. Will she want a wet suit at least on top? Does the water temp feel like it drops when the sun goes down? 2) We will have a car, but not a truck or 4WD. Will we have trouble or is road access normally ok for cars? thanks!

Most of the Snorkel/Dive sites are off road. Travel with your car at your own risk! 4WD is not needed, at most sites, but a truck has clearance, as a car dosen't. The water temp is going to be 80/82d. If you snorkel alot, after a few days/nights, your body will become mildly Hypothermic. If you wear a wetsuit it will protect you from the sun, or scrapes, and give your body the warmth that it needs. It is not fun to be cold all the time, when on holiday!

Thanks Ron. We will try to switch to a truck and wetsuits it shall be! After 1384 posts, you qualify as an expert, so here is one more. By all accounts, we would love to spend some time on Klein (I know to bring everything with us). What are the options for getting there?

dmac Welcome to BT,,There is water taxi right in town which I believe leaves every hour or so to Klein. Not much shade so cover up

Klein is nice, but you will spend a few hours there and will head for the mainland. Make sure that you start your adventure on Bonaire first. It is a good idea to get used to the sea in an area that you are comfortable with first. When you go to Klein, bring a cooler with lots of water, some food, and more water! Have a good time and be Safe!

I am going to disagree with Ron about the vehicle. We've never had a problem at any snorkel site using a sedan, and I think we've been to every site outside the park. At most of the northern sites you even park on pavement. The southern sites and some of the northern ones have rubble access, but it's still relatively smooth - no big rocks reaching up for your differential. If you wish to visit Washington Slagbaai Park, then you will need a vehicle with extra ground clearance, because the dirt roads there have uneven surfaces.

I will, however, agree about wetsuits. Water at 82°F is below body temperature and you will lose heat. My wife and I use 3mm long-sleeve shorty wetsuits, which allow us to extend our in-water time as well as giving sun/bug/scrape protection. Both of us also have thin hair. After trying various make-shifts for head coverings, we finally bought "tropical" neoprene foam hoods from Bruce Bowker. Really great in the water; more warmth and excellent sun protection.

For night snorkeling, we ask our guide for full wetsuits (we haven't gone off by ourselves at night).

David

Thanks folks. Ron: we are planning to explore various spots on our own and have also booked Renee before we head to Klein. We both just love quiet spots and are looking forward to it. As it turns out, we do have a pickup so the water access won't be an issue. Thanks for all the info.

dmac, buy Susan Porter's Bonaire Shore Diving Made Easy for Divers and Snorkelers, you can buy it directly from Susan at www.bsdme.info, or you can order it through www.bonairestuff.com, and most of the dive shops on island carry it as well. She rates the snorkel sites, beginner, intermediate, advanced.

Ebby is also a great snorkel guide. I have his info at work, so if you need it let me know.

Also, full foot fins may be an issue if you have them, the entrances are coral rubble and most folks use booties with fins.

Thanks BC. Already purchased the guide and it should arrive in a few days! And Susan is very nice as well. Please do send me Ebby's info since it appears that we will only get Renee once. However, the bootie vs full foot issue has many folks on both sides (I have reviewed this on other parts of the site). I have never found booties to offer enough protection when walking across sharp stuff and my wife is really particular about fin fit. So...we were going to go with heavy duty sandals then toss them ashore to collect when we return (or I would carry in a dive bag if we drift). Several folks suggested that this would work as well. Thoughts?

That will work fine, unless you have an emergancy, and have to get out of the water NOW! If something happens and one of you needs to exit, and you have your shoes in a bag, or left them at your enterance point, you may be asking for more trouble then you can handle. Boots with open heel fins can be fit very well. Go to your local Diveshop and ask for help. Thick sole boots provide protection to your feet when walking on the iron shore, and if the boots are comfotable, the fins should be as well... Ron

dmac, you will probably be fine with what you have planned (JMHO). I have very hard soled booties, so the type of bootie does make a difference.

You can contact Ebby at ebbyjules@msn.com. I've dove with him twice, and he can find the coolest things!

don't believe Ron just because he has lots of posts....he gets a little windy and excited every now and then...jmho...your buddy..Macho

OK MACHO, You got me riled! Your windy all the time, and don't have enough expereance to give an opinion! LOL

Now now boys. Its all about the fish not how big your number of posts is. Seriously, thanks for all the info.