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Snorkeling Bonaire: Are the reefs near shore still good post Omar Hurriccane?
Bonaire Talk: Snorkeling Bonaire: Are the reefs near shore still good post Omar Hurriccane?
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Omar Jaffrey (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #1) on Tuesday, January 5, 2010 - 12:41 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Hi guys, I had gone to Bonaire many times in the 90s but have not been in 10 years. now have 2 little girls that I wanted to take snorkeling as I remember you could see amazing stuff in 3 feet of water. Dont know if that is still the case and whether its worth going now post the Omar hurricane.

would love to get some feedback on recent snorkler's experience.

Thanks very much

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Patrick Matthew White (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #105) on Tuesday, January 5, 2010 - 9:17 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Omar:
We were in Bonaire last January. We were with friends who did not dive and they thought that there was plenty of great stuff to see. We dive and also snorkel. I have to say that many of the shallows, especially those with huge tangles of staghorn coral were greatly impacted by the storms. The soft coral were still in abundance and there were lots of fish and creatures to see in the shallows. We are returning this week. I will post our experience at the end of the month.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Omar Jaffrey (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #2) on Wednesday, January 6, 2010 - 12:45 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Thanks so much Patrick. Enjoy the trip and I look forward to your report. Best, O

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Nick Simmonds (BonaireTalker - Post #11) on Wednesday, January 6, 2010 - 8:44 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Hi Omar,
I had my first trip to Bonaire last September. Snorkeled 2, 3 or 4 sites every day and was mesmerised by the quantity and variety of marine life - fish in particular.
At every site there are fish to see as soon as you stick your mask through the surface. The shallows (say up to chest deep) have an abundance of interesting fish, some in just ankle depth water. At Wayaka II in the national park we had french angel fish coming to see us while sitting in the edge putting our flippers on, and at Bari reef there was a 5ft tarpon yards from the shore. (Just a couple of memorable examples - there are so many fish to see)
On the west side of the island, as you will probably recall, it's usually fairly calm, so as your girls gain confidence, they will probably get comfortable with snorkeling out to the drop-off, which isn't essential, but does give you a bigger variety of fish to pester.
Not having been to Bonaire pre-Omar, I can't comment on the changes. Some of the sites we visited (e.g. Andrea I and II) had a lot of coral rubble inshore, but the reef seemed in good shape at the drop-off and beyond. 1000 steps had a good variety of coral to see.
Access at some sites can be a bit rocky, but there are plenty with easy access.
Could ramble on for ages, but you get the idea - I loved it.
If your girls are keen on the water, sunshine and fish, I'm sure they will too and it will be a fantastic experience for them.
Enjoy! Nick

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Omar Jaffrey (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #3) on Wednesday, January 6, 2010 - 12:27 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Thats fantastic Nick. Thanks so much for your feedback. Best, Omar

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By tina hardy (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #9) on Friday, January 8, 2010 - 1:20 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

We were there Dec. 12-19th. Found a sea horse and an octopus with the help of Renee! On our own we saw squid, many parrot fish, turtles, eels, etc. The coral is dead but the sea life is still in abundance, thank goodness.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Elizabeth Bennett (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #9) on Monday, January 18, 2010 - 8:20 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Shallows have been damaged. Snorkeling is not the same as in the 1990s, but there are still great places to view sealife in the shallows. Get "Bonaire Shore Diving Made Easy" and you will be able to discern where the shallows are still lush. The fish (and the octopus!) like the rubble, even if it isn't pretty to the eye.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By David Ingram (BonaireTalker - Post #56) on Tuesday, January 19, 2010 - 3:49 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

The "southern sites" were not as impacted as the "northern sites" Oil Slick - well it's just sad!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Patrick Matthew White (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #106) on Monday, January 25, 2010 - 9:02 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Hi Omar:
We have just returned after two wonderful weeks of diving in Bonaire. I had posted earlier this month and had told you that I would get back with a report. I decided to consider the snorkeling experience at each site during our entry of each dive. Did not do this at exit as we enjoy extra dive time gassing off in the shallows. I also asked snorklers that we had randomley met (this was not a scientific survey) during our trip. Mostly people that I had talked to were enjoying their snorkeling on Bonaire. There were 3 out of the 13 people that I had talked to that expressed disappointment in the condition of the hard coral in the shallows. All but one of the 13 said that the overall experience was good due to the fish and critter life. I personally did not get to see Bonaire before Lenny; but, saw it before Omar. While I enjoyed the experience; I do have to agree that the shallow hard coral have taken a beating. There seems to be some regrowth of fire coral at many of the sites; the staghorn coral appears almost gone. There are some good specimens at 20+ feet at some of the sites. I hope that this helps you with your plans.

 


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