Snorkeling in Bonaire

[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?

[Miss Vickie]

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.

http://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.