Boka Bartol is the northernmost dive site on Bonaire, at the back of Washington Slagbaai. The bay is shallow and there is still real elkhorn coral, which elsewhere along the coast has largely vanished. The drive there takes longer than the dive.
Boka Bartol is an advanced shore dive in the north-west of Washington Slagbaai: a shallow bay with elkhorn coral at three to six metres and a slope to thirty metres.
A shallow bay with fields of elkhorn and finger coral at three to six metres, where juvenile fish shelter. Beyond the bay mouth the slope runs to thirty metres with sea fans and sponges. Rays rest on the sand; outside the bay, jacks pass.
Only in flat water and early in the day: the park gate closes at five and the drive there takes an hour. In north-west swell the bay closes out.
Far away, over an unpaved road that is heavy after rain. Park entry on top of the Nature Tag. In swell the entry over the rocks is impossible. No shade, no water, no toilet, no help nearby.
Decisions on diveability, technique and health belong with STINAPA, a dive school or a doctor. This page only describes the conditions.
The elkhorn coral in this bay counts as one of the last healthy fields on the island. Since the disease of the 1980s this species has almost disappeared along the inhabited coast; here it still stands because there is hardly any visitation.
No commercial interest in this site. Report a correction.