Bonaire – West Coast & Kralendijk

Bonaire's leeward west coast is famous for easy shore diving: sheltered, mostly gentle water with fringing reef a few metres from the beach, entered straight from the road at yellow-stone sites. South of Kralendijk lie the salt works with the Salt Pier, the slave huts and shallow reef gardens; around Kralendijk and Angel City the wreck of the Hilma Hooker rests on sand at 18-30 m; north of town the house reefs of the big dive resorts (Buddy's Reef, 18th Palm) offer long easy dives. All sites are in the Bonaire National Marine Park, so a Nature Fee tag is compulsory.

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.
• Hilma Hooker: 72 m cargo ship, seized in 1984 with about 11 t of marijuana and sunk on 12 Sep 1984; wreck dive for Advanced Open Water, penetration only with a local guide.

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 (35)

Kralendijk & Angel City

• 18th Palm – beginner
• Alice in Wonderland – 45 m, beginner
• Angel City – 5–18 m, beginner
• Aquarius – intermediate
• Bachelor's Beach – beginner
• Calabas Reef – beginner
• Chachacha Beach – 40 m, beginner
• Corporal Meiss – intermediate
• Hilma Hooker – 18–30 m, advanced
• Larry's Lair – intermediate
• Lighthouse Point – advanced
• Punt Vierkant – beginner
• The Lake – 3–35 m, beginner
• Windsock – 10–60 m, advanced

South Bonaire & Salt Pier

• Atlantis – intermediate
• English Garden – intermediate
• Invisibles – intermediate
• Jeannie's Glory – intermediate
• Margate Bay – intermediate
• Pink Beach – intermediate
• Red Beryl – 40 m, intermediate
• Red Slave – beginner
• Salt City – 3–40 m, intermediate
• Salt Pier – 3–30 m, advanced
• Sweet Dreams – 3–40 m, intermediate
• Tori's Reef – intermediate
• Vista Blue – beginner
• White Slave – beginner
• Willemstoren Lighthouse – advanced

North of Kralendijk

• Bari Reef – beginner
• Buddy's Reef – 8–30 m, beginner
• Front Porch – intermediate
• La Machaca – intermediate
• Something Special – 12–15 m, beginner
• The Cliff – 18–40 m, advanced

Operators (5)

• Buddy Dive Resort – resort_dive_center, Kaya Gob. N. Debrot 85, Kralendijk (house reef: Buddy's Reef)
• Captain Don's Habitat – resort_dive_center, Kaya Gob. N. Debrot 103, Kralendijk (house reef from the property)
• Dive Friends Bonaire – dive_center_chain, Kralendijk and resorts along the west coast (seven locations; e.g. Delfins Beach Resort at Punt Vierkant)
• Toucan Diving – resort_dive_center, Van der Valk Plaza Beach & Dive Resort, Julio Abraham Boulevard 80, Kralendijk (house reef 18th Palm)
• 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.