One dive you can’t miss on Bonaire is Salt Pier, which is one of the most famous shore dives on the beautiful island.
There are over 60 shore diving sites surrounding Bonaire.
And while all of the coral reefs surrounding Bonaire are incredible dives, you don’t want to miss the dive at Salt Pier.
Diving Salt Pier formerly required a dive guide, but the regulations have recently changes to allow all certified divers access to the beautiful underwater scene at Salt Pier.
The Salt Pier diving site is situated, as you would expect, close to the salt pier and is one of Bonaire’s finest dive siters. Large schools of fish, such as barracudas and tarpons, gather under the platform. Salt Pier is also a nice dive site for photographers, the prettiest macro and wide-angle shots are made at Salt Pier.
The easy entry at Salt Pier makes it a popular shore dive, and its crystal-clear water and shallow depth make it an even more popular spot for underwater photography. Once you’ve reached the end of the pier, which is a relatively quick surface swim from the shore, you’ll head north or south along the pier. Both directions offer an incredible dive, so base your decision on the current.
Diving Salt Pier takes you to depths between 30-60 ft/10-18m, where you’ll dive throughout a maze of sponge-covered pillars in vibrant shades of purple, yellow and pink. Barracuda, schooling grunts, snapper and parrotfish are just a few of the resident species hanging around the white-sand bottom, and on the corals you’ll see spotted trunkfish flitting around the colorful tube formations.
Bonaire Scuba Diving Conditions:
Weather: 29-32 degrees C year-round
When to go: Year-round
Water Temperature: 28-degrees from June through December, and between 26-27 from January through April.
Visibility: 80-100+ ft/25-30 m year round
Depth: 35-60 ft/10-18m
Experience required: Open water diver and completion of the Bonaire National Marine Park check-out dive.
Gear to bring: Remember to bring boots if you dive from shore! And an underwater camera to capture the underwater views. Most divers wear bathing suits, skins or 2 mm wetsuits.
Be aware! Diving is only allowed if there is no boat at the pier. Ask for permission at the guard house (yellow shack) under the pier, just to be sure.
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