Snorkeling in Bonaire

[nato00]

My wife and I will be in Bonaire on the Princess on 5/2/07. We are looking to snorkle there. I can do a shore excursion through the ship that will ferry us over to Klein Beach. Should I do that or is there something better for the two of us. This is going to be our main snorkling stop as I have heard this is the best place to snorkle. Both of us are experinced snorklers and just want to see some cool marine. Please let us know. Thanks!

[10X]

We were in Bonaire earlier this year and enjoyed our short stay very much. I'm a scuba diver but my wife is not, although she very much enjoys snorkeling.

We had arranged for her and two friends to do a snorkeling excursion with Renee, but due to surgery, Renee could not make it. The three of them approached a gate guard and asked if he knew where they could snorkel and he said he heard the "Windsock Beach" was good. It was a $10 one-way cab ride to the beach where they had some of the best snorkeling of our 14 day cruise. They saw two Octopus, eels, and a variety of fish. My wife came back with some excellent photos of the octopus. The original excursion was going to cost them $25 each, for $75 total. The cab rides totalled $20 and the snorkeling was great. If you want to save some money, I would recommend that you explore this option.

To see some of my wife's photos while snorkeling, go to:

www.sunfield.smugmug.com
Select "Cruise 2006"
Select "Bonaire Snorkeling"

[gizmo]

Try Renee. I used her last year. She will take you to a couple of places to snorkel off shore. Your things are locked up in her van so there is no worry about having your shoes disappear.

[Library Chick]

My husband and I had a snorkeling tour with Bob Ram and his crew aboard the Mushi Mushi. We booked throught the ship, but he can be booked via the Internet, too.
The water was the best we've ever snorkeled in, too. We were talking about when we could go back to Bonaire before we even got back to the cruise ship.
After snorkeling, Susan brought out the Polar Beer and the wonderful rum punch (made with an orange punch). We became wonderfully loopy almost immediately, so be careful.
Thank you to the delightful eagle ray who came and swam near us two different times during the hour we were in the water. It was one of the highlights of our 13 day cruise.
Library Chick

[saltymalty]

10X was there any restaurants or facilities where your wife went snorkeling?

[andreak1041]

We walked to Bongo's Beach (the tourist guy said it was 1 mile, but it's definitely 1.5-2 miles). There is a restaurant and bar and snorkle equipment for rent. They are building a new bar, so it would maybe be better in a few months. There were many fish right off the shore. Taxi is $9 one way for 4 people, and snorkles, masks and fins were I think also $9 for as long as you want. There are probably better reefs somewhere, but for us, this was very nice. Got crowded on the beach though, as this seems to be the only place the tourist booth recommends as a place to rent equipment.

[10X]

saltymalty,

My wife said there are a few trees and the ocean - that's it.

She said she initially had some misgivings about going there when she saw the place but it ended up being the best snorkeling she's ever done.

Denny

[swom]

My wife and I will be in Bonaire on the Princess on 5/2/07. We are looking to snorkle there. I can do a shore excursion through the ship that will ferry us over to Klein Beach. Should I do that or is there something better for the two of us. This is going to be our main snorkling stop as I have heard this is the best place to snorkle. Both of us are experinced snorklers and just want to see some cool marine. Please let us know. Thanks!
Have you joined our roll call nato00? Please come on over and sign up. It sounds like we have a wonderful group of people going this time. Here's the link:
http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=247579
Susan

[swom]

Hi again, LOL
10X can you tell me if it's easy to get to Klein Beach by yourself and how to get there?
We are thinking of doing that, but don't want to pay the high fee that the ship charges, so was wondering how difficult it is to get there on your own.
Thanks!

[10X]

vawoods,

Sorry I can't help you but I've never been there. We will be visiting Bonaire only for the second time in February.

Denny

[Emelie]

10X,

Thanks so much for all the pictures. They are wonderful. Do you know the name of the beach or bay where you snorkeled in St. Kitts? I've heard that the snorkeling isn't very good there, but your pics look great. Will be there on the Crown week after next. Thanks so much again for your very professional postings.

P.S. I'm also looking forward to airport beach in Bonaire.

[10X]

Emelie,

The bay we were at has an unusual name and since this board would probably reject the spelling, I'll modify it some. It's called $hitten Bay. The snorkeling isn't out of this world but it's not bad either.

We're going to be in St. Kitts again in February and according to the Princess website they have dropped all snorkeling excursions in St. Kitts, except for a catamaran cruise to Nevis. However, the word on the board here is that this excursion is long on the drinking and short on the snorkeling so we cancelled our original reservations. We're now looking for a snorkleing excursion there.

Denny

[nancycara]

I heard Cockleshell Beach had some good snorkeling in St. Kitts. We are going to try out in 2 weeks

[10X]

nancycara,

Let me know what you find out, please. We leave in 12 days for our cruise, but because we're doing back to backs, we won't be in St. Kitts for about 3 weeks. If the snorkeling is good, we'll try it out. I can get your reply on ship's Internet if I don't hear from you before we leave.

Thanks.

Denny

[nancycara]

Will be home on the 28th in the evening. Will try to reply then or the next day. Enjoy!

[jimw]

vawoods, You may know this by now, Klein Bonaire is a small island offshore Bonaire. It is uninhabited and reachable by water taxi. Bonaire is boomerang shaped with Klein in the crook. The auto license plate slogan is "Divers Paradise". It is a desert island, hence little runoff and the good visibility diving and snorkeling.

[nancycara]

Just got back last night. Wanted to let you know that Cockleshell had some good snorkeling over by the shack to the left as you enter the beach. It is not as good as Bonaire, where we went to Airport Beach and had incredible snorkeling, but it was good. Had the beach to ourselves for most of the time.

[OOM]

Nancycara,

Did you take a taxi to Airport Beach or did you use a local snorkel operator? If you used a taxi, was it easy to catch one back to the ship?

OOM

[nancycara]

If you have your own equipment, don't use a tour operator for snorkeling in Bonaire. We took a taxi to Airport Beach ( Windstock) and asked him to come back at a specified time, which he did. There was a tour that came from the ship there, but if you know what you are doing, that was a waste.

[OOM]

nancycara,

Thanks for the prompt reply. Did you leave your cabin key and ID on the beach or carry them as you snorkeled?

[nancycara]

There were 3 of us and only 2 snorkeled so we didn't even think about that, though I don't think I would have been concerned. The only other people there were from the ship.

[OOM]

nancycara,

Thanks for all your help. It reaffirms 10x's opinion as well.
Do you know another spot to go to in Bonaire or where the ship excusion went for their 2nd stop, if they had 2 stops?

[nancycara]

The groups that came to Airport Beach, came by land, not sea so I don't think they had another stop.

[british betty]

We stopped at Bonaire last February on the Sea Princess. If you walk along the sea front you will see some charters. We were a bit sceptacle at first but we chose a battered looking catamaran, as we hadn't pre booked anything this was a "you might never get this opportunity again " situation. Eventually, there were about six of us, plus the two crew. They were the lovliest of people, the catamaran has a "glass bottom" so we could go below and see anything that swam by. They gave us the history of the islands and obviously loved their world. They knew where to stop for the best snorkelling. As I was a "Virgin Snorkeller" I wouldn't have known the difference, but I plucked up the courage and once I had mastered how to breathe properly, I found the undersea world. I only wish that we could have had more time there. The others on our trip were experienced snorkellers and thought it was great. Sorry but I can't remember how much it cost, but whatever it is, its much less than purchasing from the ship.Enjoy!

[Merv1]

Nancycara...we will be in Bonaire end of October on a Princess cruise. How crowded did Airport Beach get when the cruiseship passengers arrived? We will be looking to do a full day of snorkeling outside of the cruiseship excursions, but don't want to go to a place with 75 other snorkelers...we somewhat want seclusion and quiet and have not yet decided if we need to leave the island (take a boat or catamaran) to get that. Or, if we can just taxi someplace and not waste the time on a boat and get some awesome time in the water right from a local beach. Your thoughts? Thanks! Mary :)

[lauriedun]

10X

thanks for all of the great info an pictures...a few questions

1. Was it easy for your wife to get a cab back to the pier from Airport Beach?

2. Was it crowded?

3. Were there facilities?

Thanks so much!

[JNCRUISEBUMS]

We stopped at Bonaire last February on the Sea Princess. If you walk along the sea front you will see some charters. We were a bit sceptacle at first but we chose a battered looking catamaran, as we hadn't pre booked anything this was a "you might never get this opportunity again " situation. Eventually, there were about six of us, plus the two crew. They were the lovliest of people, the catamaran has a "glass bottom" so we could go below and see anything that swam by. They gave us the history of the islands and obviously loved their world. They knew where to stop for the best snorkelling. As I was a "Virgin Snorkeller" I wouldn't have known the difference, but I plucked up the courage and once I had mastered how to breathe properly, I found the undersea world. I only wish that we could have had more time there. The others on our trip were experienced snorkellers and thought it was great. Sorry but I can't remember how much it cost, but whatever it is, its much less than purchasing from the ship.Enjoy!
Great..what was the name of the catamaran???? Do you have a contact number? Thanks! Nancie

[Paula B]

We went to Bonaire in April with Princess. We booked a 2 hour snorkeling trip with Renee http://www.infobonaire.com/reneesnorkeltrips were she met us at the dock. She only takes up to 5 people at a time and will supply your equipment. That day there was only my husband and I so it was like a private tour. We went to 2 different spots and she will explain everything you see. It was wonderful and we saw a small octopus, moray ell, barracuda, puffer fish, shrimp, angel fish, some many things we saw I can't remember. I will be booking her again the next time. I think we paid like $30 each just check out her website and she has all the information and tours there.
Paula (Southern Indiana)

[10X]

lauriedun,

Sorry for the slow reply but we've been out of town and without Internet access for the last two weeks.

There are no facilities at the beach. My wife did not complain of any trouble getting in and out of the water. The friends she snorkeled there with in February were not the die hards that she is and they got in and out several times.

As for a cab, my wife made arrangements with the cab driver, who brought them, to pick them up at a specified time. This worked well in both 2006 and 2007. You won't find cabs at the beach waiting for someone who needs a ride, so make advanced arrangements.

I'll be loading the 2007 photos on to the website soon. I'm glad you liked what was there.

Denny

[pnut362]

We were in Bonaire earlier this year and enjoyed our short stay very much. I'm a scuba diver but my wife is not, although she very much enjoys snorkeling.

We had arranged for her and two friends to do a snorkeling excursion with Renee, but due to surgery, Renee could not make it. The three of them approached a gate guard and asked if he knew where they could snorkel and he said he heard the "Windsock Beach" was good. It was a $10 one-way cab ride to the beach where they had some of the best snorkeling of our 14 day cruise. They saw two Octopus, eels, and a variety of fish. My wife came back with some excellent photos of the octopus. The original excursion was going to cost them $25 each, for $75 total. The cab rides totalled $20 and the snorkeling was great. If you want to save some money, I would recommend that you explore this option.

To see some of my wife's photos while snorkeling, go to:

www.sunfield.smugmug.com (http://www.sunfield.smugmug.com)
Select "Cruise 2006"
Select "Bonaire Snorkeling"

I was just curious as to what type of camera you used to get those underwater pics.. they are great!

[10X]

I use an Olympus C5050, a 5MP point and shoot type camera. It is housed in an Olympus underwater housing and has an external underwater flash, wide angle lens, etc. attached. The camera is no longer made but I liked it so much that, when they were still available, I bought a second camera and a second housing so that I have backups.

My wife uses a Canon A95, also a 5MP point and shoot type camera and it is housed in a Canon underwater case. She does not scuba dive so she does not have any of the additional equipment that I use.

Our daughter dropped her camera and cracked the case and, although it still works, it isn't quite right so I'm thinking of upgrading her to the Canon A710IS or the A720IS.

I have recently added "Cruise 2007" to the website where some new diving and snorkeling photos are posted. I'm glad you enjoyed the photos.

Denny

[cruisefar]

I checked out Renee's website. What is her boat like? She has lots of pics of fish and none of her or her boat. Can you please provide me with some additional information. Was 2 hours enough? Will she take you to a beach afterwards? Thanks for your help!

[LALAFRANCE]

Renee does shore snorkling. no boat

[MICHE99]

I have emailed Renee twice and have not received a reply. Perhaps she is already booked for the date that we will be in Bonaire. Can anyone recommend another tour operator? I am inclined to book on my own rather than through the cruise line. Thanks.

[Stevesan]

I previously snorkeled with Dive Inn Bonaire. We went to Klein Island with both scuba and snorkelers on board. There were a total of only about eight. Very good experience and shop located across the street from the cruise dock.
http://www.diveinnbonaire.com/index.htm


My next trip's port times don't match up with Bonaire, so I booked with Sea & Discover. The come highly recommended and have a special trip for cruise pax. Wanda responded that it's a 2 site guided snorkel trip that starts at 1:30pm. They pick up and deliver to the cruise ship pier. They take a minimum of two and a max of six. The fee is $42 -p.p, including the Marine Park fee, You can make a reservation by e-mail.

http://www.bonairenature.com/seandiscover/#Bonaire%20Marine%20Education%20Center

[luv2travel2beaches]

I have emailed Renee twice and have not received a reply. Perhaps she is already booked for the date that we will be in Bonaire. Can anyone recommend another tour operator? I am inclined to book on my own rather than through the cruise line. Thanks.

I'm glad to know I'm not the only one having difficulties contacting Renee. I finally got a response from her and answered her questions about our docking times and she didn't respond again. I e-mailed again and now she is saying she didn't get my e-mail and she is already booked. I am also looking for a similar alternative. Frustrated!!!

[MonumentMafia]

Terrible experience with this undependable company and it ruined our day in Bonaire. Never showed up, left us hanging for 1 hour before they finally told us their tour had sailed and we were NOT on it. The owner is rude, obnoxious and never once said he was sorry for the mix-up. Our group was livid and angry that this guy gave us the runaround.

Just stay away, find another more reputable outfit. Others have posted thumbs down ratings too!

[Sunny AZ Girl]

We are more than a year away from our cruise to Bonaire so I have plenty of time to research! We are avid snorkelers and the reason I booked this cruise is the many fine snorkeling opportunities it presents. However, we only have a half day in Bonaire, from 7 - 1. I like private excursions, but since we have limited time I am inclined to go with a ship excursion here. With such a short time frame would there be aadaquate time to go and enjoy Airport Beach? Without knowing this island at all I am a bit nervous about the time frame, yet want a significant snorkeling experience!:)

[10X]

We are more than a year away from our cruise to Bonaire so I have plenty of time to research! We are avid snorkelers and the reason I booked this cruise is the many fine snorkeling opportunities it presents. However, we only have a half day in Bonaire, from 7 - 1. I like private excursions, but since we have limited time I am inclined to go with a ship excursion here. With such a short time frame would there be aadaquate time to go and enjoy Airport Beach? Without knowing this island at all I am a bit nervous about the time frame, yet want a significant snorkeling experience!:)

My wife and friends pre-arranged with the cab driver to return to get them at a specific time and he was there early. The beach is only a couple of miles away so you could walk it in a pinch.

[Sunny AZ Girl]

My wife and friends pre-arranged with the cab driver to return to get them at a specific time and he was there early. The beach is only a couple of miles away so you could walk it in a pinch.

Thanks! I wonder if the beach snorkeling there is as good as the snorkeling that goes out on a boat? I like the idea of having a little longer to snorkel on the beach as the excursions look like they're only 2 1/2 hours long.

[10X]

I can't say if the snorkeling is better there than anywhere else because my wife has only snorkeled there, twice. I went scuba diving both times.

Snorkeling anywhere is greatly affected by weather, since rain and wind can stir up the shallow water, reducing visibility and/or by causing the fish to move into slightly deeper water. The day and the location you go to can be good or not so good for a variety of reasons.

The second time my wife went to the beach was not as good as the first but then we were dealing with higher wind levels than the first time.

You can compare her photos from the two times she was there by visiting our web site and see what it was like for yourself, then make your decision.

www.sunfield.smugmug.com
Select "Cruise 2006" or "Cruise 2007"
Select "Bonaire Snorkeling"

Denny

[ddr1948]

I would suggest Renee or someone like her as she is a wealth of information. She would be able to identify what you are seeing and answer questions if you have them. That said, snorkling from the beach is great almost anywhere on the island. You really do not need to venture far from the cruise dock.

[kates70]

I have been to Bonaire twice .. and returning again next week. First time we rented a car and drove up and down the coast, snorkeling in 5 different shore locations. Second time we took the ship excursion (water taxi) to klein bonaire. I thought the snorkeling on klien bonaire was superior to other shore locations. We are repeating this trip again next week. I will post me review when i return.

[Sunny AZ Girl]

Have a great trip, Kate! I will look forward to seeing your review.:)

[wa.mama]

We are more than a year away from our cruise to Bonaire so I have plenty of time to research! We are avid snorkelers and the reason I booked this cruise is the many fine snorkeling opportunities it presents. However, we only have a half day in Bonaire, from 7 - 1. I like private excursions, but since we have limited time I am inclined to go with a ship excursion here. With such a short time frame would there be aadaquate time to go and enjoy Airport Beach? Without knowing this island at all I am a bit nervous about the time frame, yet want a significant snorkeling experience!:)

We love snorkeling also, and Bonaire was a treat! Our group of 6 hired a suzuki van from hertz at the Divi Flamingo and drove to pink beach, invisibles, and airport beach. Easy to do in the time frame you've mentioned, if hertz is open that early. Driving is so easy (basically a 2 lane road around the island) and it's more convenient and cheaper than taxis. Shore snorkeling and diving is excellent, and it is simple to do on your own if you're reasonably experienced. We kept a person on the shore at pinks and invisibles to keep an eye on the weaker swimmers (8 and 74 yr old) as the current that day was strong.

[carib4us]

Who is Renee and how do I contact her? I have seen several people mention her.
thanks

[Paula B]

We have snorkeled with Renee Leach both times we have been to Bonaire. She is very knowledgeable and is full of information and will point out different types of fish, coral, and sea life. She only takes about 5 people on a trip that way she can spend the time with everyone. The first time we went with her it was just my husband and myself it was wonderful and Bonaire is a must for snorkeling. She books up fast so it is important to book her as soon as you know that you will be in Bonaire. Here is her website and if you have any questions feel free to ask.

http://www.infobonaire.com/reneesnorkeltrips

Paula B

[carib4us]

Paula, thanks for the info. My DH and I will be in Bonaire Jan 09. Hopefully we will be able to make some reservations with her.

[simonv]

For avid snorkelers, and if you are on land vacation in Bonaire and have time, don't miss the Mangroves in the Lac Bay. The Lac Bay is on the eastern side of the island, and might be too far for cruise passengers. You enter water from a fisherman's pier and swim inland. Among mangroves you'll find lots of upside-down jellyfish. Unusual and beautiful creature, looks like a gigantic flowers, and no, they don't sting. Where else could you see upside-down jellyfish, short of going to Palau?
Night snorkel at the city pier is an unforgettable experience. Snorkeling there requires a permit I believe.

[figgifumi]

I emailed Renee and found out that because we are on a cruise she only does a two hour tour that includes two stops that are in easy walking distance from the pier. I was really hoping to get out and see more... but we are in from 11-7 and I can't find a boat trip or shore trip that is longer. Any ideas?

[Sunny AZ Girl]

Because of our short time in port (1/2 day) I am considering the Samur Sail & Snorkle through the ship. It includes a float snorkle that is supposed to be wonderful. When the day is short I like the security of a ship sponsored tour. That is offered on Princess.

[Sunny AZ Girl]

I'd like to get this thread back to the top. We have ruled out the Samur Sail & Snorkel as we are concerned about the difficulty factor of getting in and out of the boat & the zodiac for the float portion. We will have my 79 yo mother with us. I am still curious if the snorkeling would be better from the shore with Renee or on a boat excursion through the ship? There may be 6 of us, so that could rule Renee out. Any advice?

[jlmolner]

We've got all our own gear, and what we've decided to do is book our ship's Kleine Bonaire beach break excursion for the water taxi transportation, and snorkel on our own over there.

[CarolinaColada]

Does anyone know how much it costs to rent snorkle gear at Klein Bonaire? We are planning on doing the ship's tour but need gear.

[BDKnel]

I can't say if the snorkeling is better there than anywhere else because my wife has only snorkeled there, twice. I went scuba diving both times.
Snorkeling anywhere is greatly affected by weather, since rain and wind can stir up the shallow water, reducing visibility and/or by causing the fish to move into slightly deeper water. The day and the location you go to can be good or not so good for a variety of reasons.
The second time my wife went to the beach was not as good as the first but then we were dealing with higher wind levels than the first time.
You can compare her photos from the two times she was there by visiting our web site and see what it was like for yourself, then make your decision.
www.sunfield.smugmug.com
Select "Cruise 2006" or "Cruise 2007"
Select "Bonaire Snorkeling"

Denny

Denny, can you tell me what type of camera you use to take those beautiful pictures

[ponygirl]

Mushi Mushi Catamaran Sail and Snorkel....awesome!! I had been doing alot of research before going on my cruise. I decided to book this excursion thru the ship and it was amazing. I was on the Queen Mary2 Nov21-29. The crew on the Mushi Mushi are wonderful, knowledgable, friendly people who are very caring. I had never snorkeled and loved every minute and it was easy with the inflatable vest and flippers.

[SuperLarz]

We will be in Bonaire in February, and have booked "Woodwind" for our snorkel excursion. http://www.woodwindbonaire.com/
Renee was full, and Woodwind was able to work with our schedule, since we don't arrive until 11:00. I also like the fact that their excursion includes lunch and an open bar. And they got great reviews on this site.

Have any of you gone with them?? I would be interested to hear your thoughts.

[princessmargaret]

I also recommend the Mushi Mushi sail and snorkel. My group of four, ages 51-71, had a wonderful time on Feb 2, 2009. I loved the snorkeling. I hadn't snorkeled it in 20 years, but the minute I saw my first rainbow-colored fish with green lips, I was hooked again. I am very nearsighted and do not wear contacts, so was always worried about being able to see anything. I could see just fine. Must have something to do with the water magnifying things.

Aside from the snorkeling, I was totally impressed by the fact that we actually sailed! On a similar trip in St.Maarten, they used the iron spinnaker (motor) instead of truly sailing. This was so much more fun and no fumes. On the way back, they availed themselves of the two acres of windage along side our ship, the Emerald Princess, and we flew! Sitting on the net, with the water rushing below you, it was even better than the America's Cup excursion.

The three-person crew couldn't have been nicer and the equipment was great. The rum punch is not strong. My aunt knocked back three and a glass of wine at dinner is her usual limit.