Is Klein Bonaire or shore snorkeling better?

[lovcruisin]

Hi- Has anyone done both?

I'm trying to decide if we shoud go with Woodwind to Klein Bonaire or try to go with Renee for a shore snorkel. Are the currents strong with the drift snorkel? Is the water deep enough so you don't get cut on the coral? ( I cancelled one in the the south pacific for this very reason) I read that both would point out things that we may not see by ourselves. Which one would we see more?

Also, how deep do you have to go if we should decide to go alone from the shore( I'm not a strong swimmer and don't have a vest )

Do you need water shoes to walk in the water?

I have closed fins.

Any help will be appreciated.

[beemerrider]

you don't need to do either. just go next to the pier to divi flamingo resort. there is no current, the reef is just a short swim away and the bext thing is that they do not charge for you to snorkel. Divi is literaly a 5 minute walk from the ship. enjoy!!

[lovcruisin]

Thanks for the info.

Have you ever done the drift snorkel?

[simonv]

Thanks for the info.

Have you ever done the drift snorkel?

 

Not in Bonaire, but drift snorkel is great fun. My most favorite form of snorkeling. The faster the current, the better. But I seriously doubt any tour will take you to anywhere too fast to be unsafe. The operators got insurance to worry about. The only danger I see is your fellow snorkelers. Inexperience ones might get too close to crowd you in.

[BlueC5Kitten]

Klein Bonaire is awesome diving...snorkeling would also be good.

 

As for shore snorkeling, I would recommend the pier by Bonaire Dive and Adventure (next door to the Sand Dollar Condominiums). They have steps on the pier or a little sandy beach you can walk directly into the water from...easy entry/exit for folks who aren't comfortable on ladders.

 

As for drift snorkeling...didn't really have too much surge anywhere I dove/swam on Bonaire, so that would be more challenging to do there with no current on which to drift. :)

[lovcruisin]

Thanks for great info -Did you need water shoes?

[BlueC5Kitten]

Thanks for great info -Did you need water shoes?

 

I actually went diving, but no, you don't really need water shoes...as one of the ladies in our party did snorkeling from the shore there and walked out on the sand to get in. There are rocks...and then can be slick, but she put full foot fins on when she was partly in the water and had no problems.

 

Happy Cruising (Diving and Snorkeling too!) :)

[cruznbuddies]

We have only done the drift snorkel there, but it was EXCELLENT! Not a lot of brightly colored fish, but we saw turtles and lots of other great stuff. It's a great experience. The only cost is getting there. You do not need a guide, unless you've never snorkeled previously or are not very sure of yourself. The coral is a bit tricky. Just pay attention to the people who drop you off. For us, that meant walking up the beach from where you are dropped off for about 200 yards then finding a break in the coral, then just drifting back down to the drop-off point. The current is not bad. You get back to the starting point fairly quickly, but for us (April 2009), we were never in danger of being pushed into the coral. We did not use water shoes.

 

The water taxi's is just down from where our ship docked, although I did hear it wasn't the normal docking point. They have a eatery/bar/coffee place there. Hope this helps. We loved this! Have fun.

[jimw]

As a manytime visitor to Bonaire, I've seen great reviews for both Woodwind and Renee--either would be a good choice. That said, consider a water taxi over to Klein and take your WATER SHOES or dive boots--it's very rocky most everywhere.

 

Most resorts on Bonaire have stairs or a ladder to get in, a few have a little sand to walk in on. Most of the resorts allow free access, some charge a few bucks. The Divi Flamingo Beach Resort is quite close to the pier. A $10. taxi will get you to most of the resorts on that side of the island.