Diving
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Exploring Bonaire's Tropical Seas
Diving in an undersea wonderland
Whether you’re an experienced diver or you’ve always wanted to learn, Bonaire offers untouched dive sites that are among the last truly unspoiled places on earth.
We require visitors to purchase a Nature Tag for all water activities to help us keep the island pristine.
Keeping Bonaire’s reefs healthy is critical to keeping the Caribbean healthy as well. And while we’ve spent generations protecting the reefs, it was the vision of Captain Don Stewart that really made it happen. As early as 1962, he was the first to recognize the importance of our reefs. In that year, Captain Don not only established the first dive operation on Bonaire but was instrumental in organizing Bonaire’s Marine Park.
Today, we use all we’ve learned about our reefs to keep them healthy for generations to come. Thanks to Captain Don’s leadership and our unwavering dedication, today you’ll find over 85 dive sites beneath our turquoise seas, with 54 of them easily accessible from shore. Once under the surf, you’ll find thriving reefs teeming with more than 350 species of fish and 57 species of coral. And thanks to our tropical climate, you can dive 365 days a year, seven days a week, 24 hours a day.
Diving Adventures
For Every Skill Level
Our calm, crystalline Caribbean seas offer spectacular underwater scenery and unparalleled visibility. And, our multilingual diving instructors, representing more than a dozen countries, are among the world’s best. You’ll also find a range of international certifying agencies throughout the island.
For beginners, dive operators offer snorkeling, one-day introductory courses and open water SCUBA certification. Seasoned divers can learn intermediate and advanced specialities such as NITROX, wreck, navigation and night diving. Many dive operators also offer dive leader training, including dive master, dive control specialist, assistant instructor and full instructor training. Truly adventurous divers can take Technical Diving courses, including Extended Range, Decompression Procedures and Tri-mix.
You’ll also find many dive courses for those with a disability through IAHD (International Association for Handicapped Divers). For more information click here.
For additional information on dive course certification, visit the PADI website at www.padi.com/scuba or the NAUI website at www.naui.org.
Diving for Children
On Bonaire, we believe a love of the sea should extend to children, where diving is a sport for the whole family. Here, you’ll find dive operators who’ll teach the basics of SCUBA to children as young as 10*. Many offer full snorkel certifications, one-day introductory SCUBA classes, as well as junior and full, open water certification classes. Ideally, it give youngsters a life-long passion for the sea.
*Age and skill requirements vary by certifying agencies and individual Dive Operator standards. Refer to Dive Operators for individual menus of courses.
Technical Diving
Beyond the shallow reefs ideal for SCUBA, Bonaire also offers deeper dive sites for both novice and experienced divers, including the world famous Windjammer wreck. Divers can reach these sites with technical diving operators offering courses taught by highly experienced instructors. These operators offer the necessary instruction, techniques, equipment, and gas mixes to help manage the increased risks of deeper diving. For more information on technical diving, check with Bonaire’s dive operators.
In the event of diving emergencies, Bonaire has a Recompression Chamber.
Freediving
Those who seek a more natural way to experience tranquility beneath the waves can also try freediving. Whether you’re a beginner or an accomplished free diver, you’ll find many knowledgeable diver operators offering both education and training to help you learn the sport or improve your skills. To learn more about free diving on Bonaire, check with one of the island’s many diver operators to find out if they offer lessons.
