Bonaire Diver’s Paradise: 8 Days Caribbean Dive Adventure

Tour Overview

Itinerary Highlights

Day 1: Arrive Bonaire — The Diver’s Island

Arrive at Flamingo International Airport. Transfer to your dive resort near Kralendijk. Pick up your dive truck (included) — Bonaire invented the drive-and-dive concept with 86 marked shore dive sites. Gear check and orientation dive at the resort’s house reef. Bonaire’s entire coastline is a protected marine park since 1979. Overnight at dive resort.

Day 2: Klein Bonaire & Salt Pier

Morning boat dive at Klein Bonaire, the uninhabited satellite island. Pristine reefs drop to 30m with walls of orange cup coral, brain coral, and barrel sponges. Afternoon shore dive at Salt Pier — one of the world’s most famous shore dives. Schools of tarpon cruise between the pilings, sea turtles sleep on the sand, and eagle rays patrol the perimeter. Night dive at the house reef. Overnight at dive resort.

Day 3: Washington Slagbaai National Park

Full day exploring Washington Slagbaai National Park (5,643 hectares). Drive through desert landscapes dotted with tall candelabra cacti, past salt flats where flocks of pink flamingos feed. Visit the blowholes at Boca Slagbaai. Snorkel at Wayaka — a hidden cove with some of the Caribbean’s healthiest elkhorn coral. Lunch at Brandaris, Bonaire’s highest point (241m). Overnight at dive resort.

Day 4: Hilma Hooker & 1000 Steps

Morning dive at the Hilma Hooker, a 240-foot cargo ship intentionally sunk in 1984 that now lies on its side at 30m — Bonaire’s signature wreck dive, encrusted with orange cup coral and home to giant green moray eels. Afternoon at 1000 Steps (actually 67 steps carved into limestone), leading to one of Bonaire’s most dramatic dive sites with a sheer wall dropping into the deep blue. Between dives: visit the Donkey Sanctuary, home to 400+ rescued donkeys. Overnight at dive resort.

Day 5: Lac Bay & Mangrove Kayak

Morning at Lac Bay on the windward side — the Caribbean’s premier windsurfing destination with waist-deep water stretching for miles. Windsurfing lesson included. Afternoon: kayak through Lac Bay’s mangrove forest, a nursery for juvenile fish, seahorses, and queen conch. Visit the Bonaire Marine Park visitor center. Evening: sunset at Kralendijk’s waterfront promenade. Overnight at dive resort.

Day 6: North Coast Exploration & Cave Dive

Morning: drive the rugged north coast road to Rincon, Bonaire’s oldest settlement founded by the Spanish in the 1500s. Tour the Cadushy Distillery, the world’s only cactus liqueur distillery (made from Kadushi cactus). Afternoon: dive Barcadera, a dramatic wall dive on the north coast. Evening: cave diving orientation session for tomorrow’s adventure. Overnight at dive resort.

Day 7: Cave Diving & Final Reef Dives

Full day: cave diving at Bonaire’s unique karst caves — freshwater caves with crystal-clear visibility and stunning limestone formations. Optional for certified cave divers only; open-water divers can substitute additional reef dives. Afternoon: Andrea I (Turtle City) and Pink Beach — spots famous for numerous sea turtles. Farewell dinner at a dockside restaurant with fresh catch of the day. Overnight at dive resort.

Day 8: Depart Bonaire

Morning surface interval (no diving before flying). Transfer to airport.

Inclusions

• 7 nights dive resort accommodation
• Daily breakfast + 4 dinners
• 4×4 dive truck rental (7 days)
• Unlimited shore diving (tanks + weights included)
• 3 boat dives (Klein Bonaire, Hilma Hooker)
• Washington Slagbaai National Park entry
• Mangrove kayak tour
• Windsurfing lesson at Lac Bay
• Cadushy Distillery tour
• Marine Park tag fee
• Airport transfers
• English-speaking dive guide

Why Bonaire

• 86 marked shore dive sites — drive up, gear up, jump in
• Marine Park protected since 1979 — the oldest marine reserve in the Caribbean
• Hilma Hooker — one of the Caribbean’s premier wreck dives
• Klein Bonaire — uninhabited island with pristine reefs
• Flamingos — thousands of wild Caribbean flamingos in the salt pans