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Bonaire National Marine Park - ACTIVITIES Swimming The waters of Bonaire are marvelous for swimming: refreshingly cool but not cold, and so clear that from the surface you can see marine life moving underwater. Bonaire’s reef starts right off the shoreline (fringing reef), so always enter the water with caution and do not step or stand on top of living coral. If you are swimming for physical fitness we recommend swimming parallel to shore rather than away from shore and back. If you chose to swim to the drop off be aware of fast-moving boats beyond the mooring buoys. You should also be sure of your physical condition, since strong winds and currents can make swimming back to shore a challenge. We do not recommend that anyone swim to Klein Bonaire without a boat following along. Each year there are two swim competitions on Bonaire. One, held in early October, is a fundraising event for Jong Bonaire (“Young Bonaire”), the after-school program for teenagers. The other swim event, Eco-swim, is organized in early November by the hotel association Bonhata. The event includes a swim to Klein Bonaire and also shorter courses; competitors include internationally known swimmers. Snorkeling Bonaire is famous for its calm waters and fringing reef, which starts right from shore, making snorkeling easy. You don’t have to swim out too far to enjoy the marine life. You can also visit shallow reefs on dive boats or off your resort’s dock. Where coral formations grow within three feet of the surface, swim around the formation rather than trying to swim over it. If the surge is strong it can push you onto the coral, which will hurt both you and the coral. Always avoid holding on to any of the underwater formations. They are often much more fragile than they appear. The beauty of underwater life can transfix you, while winds and currents carry you away from your entry point, or even from shore. This can make swimming back a challenge, so be aware of where you are. Begin snorkeling against the wind or current when possible, so they’ll push you back to where you started. If there is strong surge, it can knock you down when you are leaving the water. The best way to exit the water when there is a strong surge is to sit low in the water, remove your fins and put your mask around your neck. Look behind you. Watch the surge move back and quickly step on shore. SCUBA diving SCUBA diving can be done from shore or from a boat. Before a diver can enter the Bonaire National Marine Park, he or she must receive an orientation from their dive operator (the center providing air tanks or with which they will dive). The orientation consists of a ‘dry’ part and a ‘wet’ part. During the ‘dry’ part the dive staff will inform you of Bonaire National Marine Park rules and how you have to behave underwater to protect the marine environment. The best way to protect any underwater environment is to have good buoyancy control, which you’ll check in the ‘wet’ part of the orientation, the check out dive, which is always done in front of the dive operation. Repeat divers will have to take a dive orientation and do a check out dive every time they are back on island. At all times, divers should keep from touching coral. It is important to understand that each time anything makes contact with a coral, which is a colony of living animals, the coral is injured by the contact. Make sure that your consoles are attached to your gear and are not dragging along the reef. We do not have particularly strong currents in Bonaire so extra long fins are not necessary. With extra long fins you may be brushing the corals without knowing; divers with such fins should stay farther away from the reef. Since our waters are nice and warm, gloves aren’t necessary for warmth and their use is prohibited in the BNMP. If you are required to use gloves for a medical condition, you will need to bring a doctor’s declaration, not older than 30 days, to the headquarters of the Bonaire National Marine Park at Barcadera to get a permit allowing you to use gloves. Your dive master is required to remind you if you are not following Marine Park rules; for example, if you are touching corals or harassing animals. If your behavior does not change he or she will report you to the Park Authorities. Other divers report misconduct of shore divers to us; reports include the plate number of the vehicle the diver is using and a general description of the diver. We track down the person and he/she will receive a warning. A second report of misconduct by the same person can lead to denying entrance to the Marine Park, or even a citation. When SCUBA diving at the dive site Atlantis in the South, take notice of the kite surfers. That area is their preferred kite surfing place. If you shore dive from this dive site, make yourself known to the kite surfers when exiting the water. We recommend sticking your fin up and waiting a few seconds before putting your head up. Underwater photography Our calm, warm waters have made Bonaire famous to well known professional underwater photographers as well as amateur photographers. A great shot taken in the Bonaire National Marine Park is one that is taken with perfect buoyancy control, without the photographer contacting coral or disturbing sand. Behind a great shot there is always a story, let the story be “… and I took this shot being perfectly neutrally buoyant.” Do not handle, torment, manipulate, or feed marine creatures. Only take a few photos. Repeatedly flashing a strobe stresses underwater photo subjects. Being a preferred underwater model may cause blindness, since marine creatures do not have eyelids and have no way to protect their eyes from the light. Seahorses and frogfish are particularly vulnerable to this since they are favorite photo subjects. To better understand this, imagine holding your camera two feet away, keeping your eyes open, and taking a flash photo of your own face. Please take your batteries home for proper disposal. Bonaire does not yet have adequate facilities to dispose of hazardous waste. Kayaking Kayaking is becoming popular around Bonaire. There is kayaking in the mangroves at Lac and ocean kayaking. Kayaking in Lac may only be done with a certified guide and the kayaker needs to follow the code of conduct. Trained ocean kayakers even travel from Bonaire to Klein Bonaire, and back (the “and back” being the tricky part, since it’s against the wind!). Kite surfing Bonaire’s calm waters make kite surfing popular for beginners. The kite surfers have made a part of Peliké, in the South, off the dive site Atlantis, their preferred site since kite surfing was banned from Lac. When kite surfers enter or exit the water it is very important to avoid collision with SCUBA divers who may be ascending. The best way to see if someone is SCUBA diving in your area is by paying attention to their bubbles, which flatten the surface of the water in a circular area. We recommend that SCUBA divers hold a fin out of the water before they stick their head up. Please look out for a fin (or a head) sticking out of the water and change your course immediately. Windsurfing Lac has been proclaimed as the best place to windsurf by international magazines. It is perfect for beginners since they can easily stand, and since the wind pushes them toward shore rather than away from shore. It’s also perfect for experienced windsurfers, since the wind is usually strong. Protect the bay’s sea grass beds by taking care not to walk on them or drag your board across them. Fishing Bonaire is popular for fishing. We recommend targeting blue water fish and leaving our reef fish on the reefs. Trolling along our protected west coast often attracts tuna, wahoo, barracuda or mahi mahi. The best places to bone fish are Lagun or the Sorobon side of Lac, in the area called ‘Aw’i Meuchi”. Bone fishing or any type of fishing activity is not allowed in the salt flats. Fishing can only be done with line and hook. We recommend practicing catch and release at all times. Taking sea turtles or conch, or using a spear gun or hand spear is prohibited by law. The local fisherman you see fishing on our reefs have been doing so for generations. To many it is their only source of income. Please do not cut their fishing lines! Boating Click here to view the Boating brochure Water skiers and wake boarders enjoy the protected waters along Bonaire’s West coast, too. Boats may travel at speed only seaward of the yellow mooring buoys (the drop-off line). Inside the mooring buoys vessels must travel at no-wake speed. At all times boat operators must look out for SCUBA divers. Inside the drop-off line the SCUBA divers themselves are easily seen, in addition to their bubbles. Watch as you go. Do not pass within 50 m (150 ft) of a boat on a mooring. Jet skis and water skis are prohibited in Lac. Anchoring is restricted on Bonaire; always use a mooring buoy.
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