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East Coast Adventures

Instruction & Courses / Fish Eye Photo & Video / Technical Diving


What is it really like to dive the wild waters of Bonaire?  Imagine it all while reading this narrative describing a day of diving with DUI Instructor Benji!

Our guests decided they were ready for a new experience, and physically and mentally prepared for what they imagined would lay ahead. After contacting Benji of Caribbean Gas Training, they met about an hour later to discuss the next days dive options. Should they go north, south or east; what should they expect in terms of a different reef structure and marine life; what might the sea conditions and currents be like, and other considerations necessary to match the divers interests and capabilities with the more challenging environs of Bonaire's.

On the morning of the dive they meet at 7:45 and settle on going north to explore the area around Malmok Point, as the weather conditions are somewhat calmer than normal. Benji tells them to expect large animals and pristine reefs, but also clarifies that there were no guarantees since the divers will be going into an area that is quite likely previously uncharted territory.

They arrive at the Harbour Village Marina and are met by Capt. Menno, an experienced dive instructor who is fiercely safety conscious, but also a lot of fun. Tanks are loaded and set up, gear is stowed, and they are off. Heading north they pass Karpata, and approach BOPEC.

On the morning of the dive they meet at 7:45 and settle on going north to explore the area around Malmok Point, as the weather conditions are somewhat calmer than normal. Benji tells them to expect large animals and pristine reefs, but also clarifies that there were no guarantees since the divers will be going into an area that is quite likely previously uncharted territory.

They arrive at the Harbour Village Marina and are met by Capt. Menno, an experienced dive instructor who is fiercely safety conscious, but also a lot of fun. Tanks are loaded and set up, gear is stowed, and they are off. Heading north they pass Karpata, and approach BOPEC.

Things get pretty rough around the Windjammer dive site and the BOPEC oil terminal; because the wind has the longest fetch here to kick up chop, but the boat handles extremely well, as it was built to withstand much more chop than this. Benji reassures the divers beforehand that the limiting factor will always be the divers, not the boat! They continue past the beautiful cliffs of Nukove, Playa Frans and then on to Slagbaai/Washington Park where the old plantations colonial houses are visible on the beach. Throughout the journey, Benji entertains the divers with background information and the history of the island and the Park, as well as his past memories of dive stories in this area.
Roughly around Boca Bartol, just before reaching the northernmost point of the island, equipment is donned the divers make final preparations for the dive. The plan calls for the establishment of limits, which the team is expected to stay within: 50 min. max dive time, 70’ max depth. Due to the remoteness of the dive, everyone is breathing Nitrox 32 for extra safety. After 50 minutes, the plan calls for an ascent to 15’, at which time Benji will deploy a marker buoy to let the boat know where they are. He uses a 6’ tall surface marker so the boat will see us even in the highest swells. The ascent profile will account for the almost square bottom profile by including a series of deep stops which Benji times for the divers.
Capt. Menno takes the boat around Malmok Point, and the divers realize the land north of them is Puerto Rico!! The roaring waves crashing into the iron shore cliffs here are huge but the inflatable gently rides the swells. The excitement builds as Capt. Menno keeps the boat at a safe distance from the coast though, and Benji looks into the water below and concludes from earlier shore dives in this area (wow!) that it looks to be around 65’ of water.
The divers all do a backward roll in rapid succession, while Capt. Menno keeps the boat on the spot. Once the divers are all in, he backs the boat away to a distance of about 30m and begins his vigilant watch of the divers, who begin their planned descent. Their first impressions are: vastness, panoramic, rugged, far side of the moon, desert. There are barrel sponges the size of small cars on the rugged, seaweed encrusted rock plateau they’re looking onto. No sand, no reef, quite a little bit of current into the right direction (good!) and really nice visibility. They have the feeling that anything could swim by at any time.

After about 7 minutes of gently drifting over this area, a shadow appears to their right. Benji motions the divers to follow him, and there’s a wonderful high-profile patch reef at about 75’, where they see a giant slipper lobster strolling by, seemingly guarded by a huge Yellowfin and Nassau groupers. The coral is completely pristine; they cannot see any damage on this reef whatsoever. No wonder, since Benji has suggested that this may be the first time anyone has seen this area since the times of Capt. Don’s first explorations with the dives that led to the establishment of the Marine Park in the 70’s.

The coral profile is somewhat lower here than on the West Coast, since there’s usually plenty of water movement which flattens the growth profile of the Star Coral somewhat. Still, this reef rises about 10’ above the plateau, and behind it, towards the open sea, they see a massive drop-off that plunges into great depths. Benji estimates a depth of 250’-300’, which he has mentioned he hopes to explore one day.

After 10 minutes go by, another ridge-like patch reef appears, which gradually gives way to a completely developed reef that covers the whole area as far as they can see.
They are 30 minutes into the dive when Benji grunts excitedly, and points into the blue ahead of them to the single largest Green Turtle they have ever seen.
Benji executes this dive like clockwork, with Inspiring Precision (true to the company motto!), and after exactly 50 min. it is time to ascend. He deploys the spool and surface marker, and after a few moments they hear the engines of the inflatable engage and are reassured once again, that they are in good hands.
The ascent in the blue is petty challenging, but since using Benji and their depth gauges as references, it becomes an adventure in itself. The boat is right there upon surfacing, and everyone bursts into excited chatter about the dive long before they are even back on board.
With the ladder locked securely in place and expert directions being offered by Capt. Menno, getting back on board is a breeze. At the same time they realize that Benji was spot-on in his discussion and assessment of their physical abilities, as not everyone would have been physically fit enough to have made this exit comfortably.
Back on the boat, they’re greeted by a jealous captain, who’s being an expert and enthusiastic diver himself, has had to sit on the boat watching the others explore. But he’s a good sport and shows the divers the GPS coordinates he has sampled. Since he knows exactly where they went in and surfaced, he can now either completely reproduce this dive or modify it, whatever is needed for his future trips.
After everyone is dried off and the gear is prepared for the next dive, Capt. Menno breaks out the fruit, he’s brought some delicious watermelon and orange slices. Everyone gets rested and rehydrated, and before they know it, it is time to head out for their second dive!
 
For more information on diving the north or east coasts, divers are urged to contact Benji in advance at  benji@caribbeangastraining.com or visit his web site at http://www.caribbeangastraining.com

Reservations: 1-800-382-1094

Email: Denlaman@diveres.com

Den Laman Condominiums
Kaya Gobernador N. Debrot 77 Bonaire, Netherlands, Antilles

On Bonaire: 599-717-1700

Email: info@denlaman.com

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