Best beach for snorkeling far from crowds

Hello, we will be visiting Bonaire during our cruise next week. We love snorkeling so after touring the island with a tour (hope to fine a guide as we exit our ship) we 'd like to stay on the beach for 2-4 hours. What beach is the best for snorkeling and not too crowded with fellow cruisers? We have our own gear. Many thanks!

Am wondering if you considered renting a golf cart (there are some posts on this topic) for the day. The cost is $90 (including more then enough gas, insurance, etc). With the cart you can drive yourself around part of the island and stop where you please to snorkel, relax, etc. When we did this (2 weeks ago) the rental place gave us a decent island map and marked several snorkel spots. Just scroll down and read the thread titled "So Much Fun."

Hank

Am wondering if you considered renting a golf cart (there are some posts on this topic) for the day. The cost is $90 (including more then enough gas, insurance, etc). With the cart you can drive yourself around part of the island and stop where you please to snorkel, relax, etc. When we did this (2 weeks ago) the rental place gave us a decent island map and marked several snorkel spots. Just scroll down and read the thread titled "So Much Fun."

 

Hank

Thanks for the advice! I will check with my husband.

Thanks for the advice! I will check with my husband.

I HIGHLY recommend renting the golf cart, as you can go all over the island and do as you please, when you please. We stopped many times to take in the sites and take pictures. Every once in a while, we saw divers/snorkelers in very small groups. There was no place that was crowded. We loved Bonaire and would love to return. I think that the golf carts enhanced the trip 10 fold. Worth every penny, and believe me, I am cheap! Lol Read my thread "So much Fun" for info.

I should have mentioned that there are a few decent snorkel spots on the Southern side of the island in the area between the airport and salt works. The beaches (if there is a beach) are nothing to shout about and entry into the water can be tricky in some of the places. With the golf cart it made it easy to simply drive along the road and stop where it just seemed right. On our journey we stopped at one snorkel spot (south of the airport) which the cart rental place had marked on the map...and met a local American couple (they own a condo on Bonaire) who were experienced SCUBA divers. They quickly pointed us to a decent entry point (not too many rocks) and the best section to snorkel. Bonaire is like that....with just about everyone being friendly and knowing the waters. We were also told to snorkel around the large salt pier (where they load the big ships with salt) but there was a ship being loaded...and signs warning not to go in the water if a ship was docked (so we skipped the place). But its a long pier and apparently there is lots of sea life in around the piers (supports)...which is a pretty common thing since coral will often start to grow on the piers. The Northern side of the island is gorgeous, but we did not see many spots where we wanted to enter the water (and because of time we did not go in the water).

So my suggestion (which is what the rental folks suggested) is get a golf cart as early as possible and head south. The golf carts have room in the back for snorkel gear and back packs...and we brought a luggage cable lock which we used to secure our gear to the cart(worried more about it falling out on a bump....then theft). You would also want to bring along a bottle of water since parts of the drive are not near places where you can grab a drink. We had also heard about some decent snorkel spots in Lac Bay (on the southeastern side of the island) but didn't try any spots because of the lack of time (we wanted enough time to explore the northern part of the island).

I should also mention that we will be back in Bonaire in about 3 weeks and are doing our usual snorkel excursion on the Woodwind. I have previously posted about the Woodwind which we think is a terrific excursion (which generally needs to be booked months in advance...on their own web site). While snorkeling off beaches and piers is rewarding, being on a boat lets you drift snorkel in the terrific slot between Bonaire and Klein Bonaire.

Hank

I should have mentioned that there are a few decent snorkel spots on the Southern side of the island in the area between the airport and salt works. The beaches (if there is a beach) are nothing to shout about and entry into the water can be tricky in some of the places. With the golf cart it made it easy to simply drive along the road and stop where it just seemed right. On our journey we stopped at one snorkel spot (south of the airport) which the cart rental place had marked on the map...and met a local American couple (they own a condo on Bonaire) who were experienced SCUBA divers. They quickly pointed us to a decent entry point (not too many rocks) and the best section to snorkel. Bonaire is like that....with just about everyone being friendly and knowing the waters. We were also told to snorkel around the large salt pier (where they load the big ships with salt) but there was a ship being loaded...and signs warning not to go in the water if a ship was docked (so we skipped the place). But its a long pier and apparently there is lots of sea life in around the piers (supports)...which is a pretty common thing since coral will often start to grow on the piers. The Northern side of the island is gorgeous, but we did not see many spots where we wanted to enter the water (and because of time we did not go in the water).

 

So my suggestion (which is what the rental folks suggested) is get a golf cart as early as possible and head south. The golf carts have room in the back for snorkel gear and back packs...and we brought a luggage cable lock which we used to secure our gear to the cart(worried more about it falling out on a bump....then theft). You would also want to bring along a bottle of water since parts of the drive are not near places where you can grab a drink. We had also heard about some decent snorkel spots in Lac Bay (on the southeastern side of the island) but didn't try any spots because of the lack of time (we wanted enough time to explore the northern part of the island).

 

I should also mention that we will be back in Bonaire in about 3 weeks and are doing our usual snorkel excursion on the Woodwind. I have previously posted about the Woodwind which we think is a terrific excursion (which generally needs to be booked months in advance...on their own web site). While snorkeling off beaches and piers is rewarding, being on a boat lets you drift snorkel in the terrific slot between Bonaire and Klein Bonaire.

 

Hank

Many thanks, Hank!