Start at Kralendijk with a check-out dive, then work north over two days and south over two days, and keep one day free for a north-westerly swell. Plan Salt Pier and the Hilma Hooker in the morning; do Karpata and Oil Slick Leap only in flat water.
A dive week on Bonaire hinges on two things: the wind and the car. The sites sit along one road, so you can plan them by distance, but the sea decides which entry works that morning. This schedule assumes the ordinary situation, an easterly wind, and says per day what you do if the swell comes from the north-west.
Why the first day belongs at the hotel
Anyone who hasn't dived Bonaire for over a year first does an orientation dive with a dive shop. That's not a formality: it's how the park passes on its rules. Do that dive on a house reef, where you get out of the water next to your gear, and use it to check your weighting. Whoever drives to Karpata on day one climbs a steep stair with too much lead.
Bari Reef and Calabas Reef are within walking distance of the centre and are the calmest way to begin. They're also where you notice the difference between an eleven- and a twelve-litre tank — something you'll need the rest of the week to plan the deeper sites.
Day by day, with the wind
| Day | Site | Why | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bari Reef | Orientation, check weighting and air consumption | Beginner |
| 2 | 1000 Steps | Sheltered, wide reef top, a short climb in the morning | Beginner |
| 3 | Karpata | Only in flat water; steep stair, anchors on the top | Advanced |
| 4 | Salt Pier | Morning, provided no ship is berthed | Advanced |
| 5 | Hilma Hooker | First dive of the day, deep and short | Experienced |
| 6 | Angel City | Double reef, calm, good after a deep day | Beginner |
You don't combine the north and the south on one day. Not because it's too far, but because you'd then change your tank twice in the hottest part of the day and cut the second dive short. Two days north, two days south, and keep the fifth day open.
WHAT YOU DON'T DO. The Hilma Hooker as a second dive after a morning at thirty metres. Karpata in a north-west swell. Salt Pier while it's loading. Red Slave without a plan for the current. All four go fine once, and then not.
What stays in the car and what doesn't
- Two litres of water per person, per dive. There's no tap at a dive site.
- A jerry can of fresh water to rinse your gear; salt eats reservations.
- Shoes you can keep on over sharp coral, not flip-flops.
- Nothing of value: leave the car empty and the windows open — that's the custom here.
- A long-sleeved shirt instead of more sunscreen; oxybenzone is banned.
The week isn't made by the finest site, but by the day you decide not to dive.
The day you keep free
One day without a plan is no loss. In a north-west swell everything shifts to Klein Bonaire or the sheltered spots near Kralendijk; in a hard easterly, Lac Bay and the east coast are the ones out of reach. Whoever kept that day free moves their week around without cutting a single site.
Sources
- STINAPA, rules of the Bonaire National Marine Park, accessed 18 July 2026
- Our own field observations at the six named sites, May to July 2026
- Public Entity Bonaire, road map, 2024