Bonaire – North, East & Klein Bonaire

North of Kralendijk the coastal road leads to wall dives at Andrea I and II, Karpata and Tolo, and beyond them into Washington Slagbaai National Park, where the remote north-west coast (Carel's Vision, Playa Funchi, Boka Bartol) is dived with a 4WD and strong currents. The windward east coast (White Hole, Cai, Bisé Morto) faces Atlantic surf and is only for experienced divers with local guidance. Klein Bonaire, an uninhabited island 800 m off Kralendijk, offers a ring of boat-accessible reef; only Carl's Hill is included here because positions of the other Klein sites are not published in the sources.

Facts

• Bonaire National Marine Park & Nature Fee: The whole coast of Bonaire and Klein Bonaire is the Bonaire National Marine Park, managed by STINAPA; every diver and snorkeller needs the Nature Fee (Marine Park tag): US$40 per person per calendar year per bonaire.com (the 2026 period opened 16 Dec 2025; confirm the current price), paid online at stinapa.bonairenaturefee.org or at dive shops; you receive a QR code by e-mail and must carry it with an ID. Children under 13 and residents of the Dutch Caribbean islands are exempt. STINAPA: +599 717 8444, info@stinapa.org.
• Yellow-stone shore diving: Dive sites along the west coast roads are marked by painted yellow stones bearing the site name; most shore sites are dived straight from the road with your own tanks, usually from a rental pick-up truck. bonaire.com counts 96 dive sites on its list.
• Klein Bonaire: Klein Bonaire (about 6 km2, 800 m offshore, Ramsar wetland since 1980) is part of the Marine Park; its reef lies close to the beach and the current runs along the coast. Numbered yellow stones mark crossing points. Most Klein Bonaire sites are boat dives from Kralendijk.
• Washington Slagbaai National Park: The land park is open Tue-Sun 8:00-17:00 (last entry 14:30) per bonaire.com; STINAPA lists the park at +599 788 9015. The Nature Fee covers both marine and land park; 4WD advised for sites like Boka Bartol and Carel's Vision.

Season

• Best months: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun
• Acceptable: Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec
• Water temperature: 26–28 °C

Water is about 26-28 C and the west coast is sheltered all year; Bonaire lies on the southern edge of the hurricane belt. Per bonaire.com a 3 mm suit suits most divers; north wind sheltered the south coast but makes entries on the north-west coast harder.

Dive sites (21)

North-west coast (Andrea–Karpata–Tolo)

• Andrea I – 40 m, beginner
• Andrea II – 60 m, intermediate
• Jeff Davis Memorial – intermediate
• Karpata – 3–45 m, advanced
• La Dania's Leap – advanced
• Oil Slick Leap – advanced
• Tolo – 45 m, beginner
• Weber's Joy – intermediate
• Windjammer – intermediate

Windward east coast

• Bisé Morto – advanced
• Cai – advanced
• White Hole – advanced

Washington Slagbaai coast

• Boka Bartol – 40 m, advanced
• Boka Katuna – intermediate
• Boka Slagbaai – intermediate
• Carel's Vision – 6–30 m, advanced
• Nukove – 30 m, intermediate
• Playa Benge – advanced
• Playa Funchi – advanced
• Taylor Made – intermediate

Klein Bonaire

• Carl's Hill – 10–40 m, advanced

Operators (3)

• Buddy Dive Resort – resort_dive_center, Kaya Gob. N. Debrot 85, Kralendijk (house reef: Buddy's Reef)
• Dive Friends Bonaire – dive_center_chain, Kralendijk and resorts along the west coast (seven locations; e.g. Delfins Beach Resort at Punt Vierkant)
• Beyond the Corals ECO Dive Center – dive centre, Bloozz Resort, across from Bachelor's Beach, Kralendijk

Positions come from OpenStreetMap contributors and the island's yellow-stone markers and are for orientation only; many shore entries are tricky (rocks, ladders, currents) and current Marine Park rules and closures (e.g. coral disease) apply. Check with STINAPA or a local dive shop.