The whole island has been a marine park since 1979. The reef starts in a few feet of water and drops away close in — which is why the coral here is in the condition it is.
Bonaire protected its entire coastline in 1979, before almost anyone else, and it shows. Something in the order of eighty named dive sites ring the island, most of them a short swim from the shore, and the coral is in better shape than nearly anywhere else in the Caribbean.
It is a quiet island, and deliberately so. Kralendijk is a small capital with galleries and a handful of good restaurants rather than a resort strip. The interior is arid — salt flats, cacti, and flamingos in numbers on the southern pans.
For a charter, that makes it a water week. Klein Bonaire sits uninhabited a mile offshore; Lac Bay on the windward side is a shallow mangrove lagoon and one of the best places in the Caribbean to learn to kite or windsurf; and the Hilma Hooker and the Salt Pier are two of the better-known dives in the region.
An uninhabited islet a mile off Kralendijk, ringed by reef and protected. No development, no shade and no one else after the day boats leave. The best single anchorage on the island.
A shallow mangrove lagoon on the windward side — flat water, dependable trade wind, and the reason Bonaire turns out windsurfers. Kayaking the mangrove channels is the quiet version.
Flamingos in numbers, the old slave huts along the shoreline, and Pink Beach. Sobering history and remarkable birdlife in the same short stretch of coast.
The national park at the northern end — rugged trails, hidden coves, caves, and Brandaris to climb for the whole island laid out below.
A small, calm capital with art galleries, a market and waterfront restaurants. Enough of a town for an evening, and not a scrap more.
A week in Bonaire is organised around the water, because that is what the island is for. The lee shore is sheltered, the sites are close together, and you can dive or snorkel two or three of them in a day without moving far.
Snorkellers get the same reefs as divers here, which is unusual — the coral starts shallow and the drop-off is close in, so nobody is left on the boat. Klein Bonaire is the anchorage most crews use twice.
Ashore is a change of pace rather than a competing attraction: the salt flats and the flamingos, Washington Slagbaai in the north, and Kralendijk for one relaxed evening.
Dive a wreck lying on its side in eighty feet, drift the pilings of a working salt pier, kite a flat lagoon on the windward shore, and anchor off an island with nobody on it.
Protected since 1979 and the reason the coral is what it is. Roughly eighty named sites around the island, reef starting in a few feet of water and dropping away close in, so snorkellers and divers work the same ground. No spearfishing, no anchoring on coral, and a park fee that goes back into it.
A flat, uninhabited islet a mile offshore, ringed by reef. Turtles in the shallows, no shade and no facilities — which is the point. Best late in the day once the day boats have gone.
The two dives everybody asks for. The Hooker is a freighter lying on her starboard side between two reefs; the Salt Pier is a working industrial structure whose pilings have grown into coral columns, and it is as good on snorkel as on scuba.
Shallow, flat and reliably windy — the best water in the southern Caribbean for learning to windsurf or kite, with schools ashore and mangrove channels behind for anyone who would rather paddle.
The southern end of the island is salt production and a flamingo sanctuary in the same landscape, with the restored slave huts along the shore. Pink Beach and good snorkelling on the reef in front of it.
Eight days out of Kralendijk, built around the marine park. A guide only — the captain will move things for wind and for whatever you want another day of.
Board in the afternoon, a short sail down the lee shore to settle in, and the first night at anchor in a quiet bay south of town.
Across to the islet for the day. Snorkel or dive the coral gardens, spend the afternoon on the sand, and stay for the evening once the day boats have gone.
Round to the windward side. Windsurfing and kiting on the flat water, or the mangrove channels by kayak, and a beach lunch out of the wind.
South along the coast for the flamingos, the slave huts and the reef in front of Pink Beach. A quiet anchorage and an early evening.
North to the national park. Ashore for the trails and the coves, Brandaris for anyone who wants the climb, and dinner on deck afterwards.
The two headline dives, both on the sheltered west coast and both close together. Divers and snorkellers get the same day.
Back into the capital for a relaxed last full day — market, galleries, and dinner ashore or a final one aboard.
Breakfast on deck in the harbour and a late-morning disembarkation, with transfers to Flamingo airport arranged.
There is no closed season — Bonaire is outside the hurricane belt and warm all year. November to April is the driest and steadiest for sailing; the rest of the year is quieter with the occasional shower.
Bonaire is famous for shore diving, but a yacht gets you Klein Bonaire, the northern coast and the quieter southern sites without a truck and a tank rack — and lets you stay at a site after everyone else has left.
Very much. The reef starts in a few feet of water and the drop-off is close in, so snorkellers see essentially the same coral and fish as divers. The Salt Pier in particular is outstanding on a snorkel.
Flamingo International (BON) takes direct flights from the United States and Europe and connections through the neighbouring islands. Kralendijk is a few minutes from the airport.
Not for snorkelling. Scuba requires a recognised certification — bring the card — and the dive operators on the island run courses and supervised introductory dives.
No spearfishing, no anchoring on coral, no touching or standing on anything, gloves only with permission, and a nature fee per diver that funds the park. Your crew handle the fees and the briefings.
Line fishing is possible in permitted areas; spearfishing is prohibited island-wide and several species are protected. The captain will confirm what is allowed where you are.
The US dollar is the official currency, so no exchange is needed. Dutch and Papiamentu are the official languages and English is widely spoken.
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