We will be in Bonaire late Jan, early Feb., I see that there will be heavy cruise ship traffic at that time. Can someone give me info on best places to snorkel to avoid lots of other snorkel groups when the ships are in port. Robin

I could make a day of snorkeling out of NuKove...take a picnic and hang I don't think they go up there, do they? And I sure see a lot of unusual stuff up there.

My mother-in-law was from Choteau....

where's NuKove? if you dont mind my asking, we are going on only our 2nd trip to Bonaire in feb.

Somebody correct me if I get it wrong....I only found it on my last trip, and I loved it. Everybody says it was eons better before Lenny, but I saw so much good stuff.

The best description of how to get there is in....."Bonaire Shore Diving Made Easy", of course; we read about it there and went looking. I'd take three tanks; it takes a little time to get there.

Drive toward BOPEC, and right before the gate, turn right and follow the fence up over the hill and around to the shore on the other side of the facility. Keep going north. You'll pass my other favorite northern site, CandyLand, on the way...AMAZING coral.

Keep going, don't get discouraged. Pull off into the little marked parking lot. Unless it's changed, the best entry is to the far right as you face the beach. You can hold onto the rock for balance...there's lots of coral to negotiate, and I wouldn't describe it as my most dignified entry and exit.

Susan Porter does a better job of describing it in BSDME. Somebody correct me if it's changed or I'm wrong.

Oh, heck, I wrote that the best entry was to the far right. It's to the far LEFT as you face the beach on shore.


Give me a few beers and I'll talk backwards too....

like CB says, don't get discouraged...you'll eventually get to it. the road is pretty rough getting back there but it's worth it.

also, 1000 steps has decent snorkeling, especially at the north end of the beach area. cruise ship passengers usually don't get beyond the road. they don't want to climb the steps (it's a real joy when you're climbing the steps after a dive and have to work your way through a crowd there taking pictures).

most of the cruise ship snorkelers seem to go to donkey beach, yellow submarine, and other places close to town.

ditto to what CB and Pat have said. OR, go way south and snorkel Soft Coral Gardens, watch the kite surfers, drive the long way to Lac Bay, take some pictures, and then stop at the Windsurf Place for a burger and beer and dig your toes in the sand.

oh my, I've just given myself very bad PBD...lol..

one of the last places you want to be on a cruise ship day is at sorobon ... far north/south sites will have no one from the ships .. the snorkelers are all part of tours that use the closer sites and klien bonaire ... you might want to take time to visit the market in the Whillamina plein .. its very nice with lots of local items and food ...

haha...yea, forgot about lac bay and the cruise ship folks...skip that one...what was i thinking? lol!

We stayed at a resort north of town so when the ships were in, we stayed north. When the ships were gone, we dove the southern sites. My wife and I are divers but we did plenty of snorkeling with our 9 yr. old daughter on Bari and Buddies Reefs...didn't have any problems with crowds either place.

Robin,

There are maps of Bonaire on line at <http://www.bonaireislandinfo.com/index.html> . Click on 'Island Map' at the top of the page and then on the small map for a full size, readable version.

Nukove is the '7' site on the west side; all the sites are listed further down on the map with their numbers. The small blue and white symbols designate official snorkeling sites.

This map shows roads, restaurants and lots things. I believe you will find it in paper form on island. If not that one there others that are similar.

When I looked on the map, Nukove looks like it is on a road marked for bicycles. Is it safe to drive a car on that road? I usually get a car rather than a pickup, but haven't booked a vehicle yet.

jean, when we dove there last march i think the road might have been passable for cars...if you drove really slow. i guess it also depends on how much use it gets during rainy season. what was true last march could be way off base now.

Pat, there are houses further back that NuKove, aren't there? How do those folks get in and out year round?

i'd not want to drive a car on that road. could you yeah maybe but it seems pretty tough on a truck! If you plan on going that far north get a truck.

The folks who live at the end of the road are fisherman.
The road is a dirt road that you access to the right, just before the BOPECK(oil company) gates at the end of the paved road north.
It is a steep climb up and then a rough but not hilly, drive.
A truck handeles it better than a car.Cann't see a bike at all.
I would say it is the same as the roads in the park.
Not for a person with back problems, quite bumpy, to say the least.
Curiously, there is a white street sign that marks it, also yellow stones on the right hand side of the road.

Just drive slow and you will be fine