Salt Pier
Industrial loading pier of the Cargill salt works on the south-west coast. Its concrete pillars are covered in sponges and coral and shelter fish schools, with a natural reef beyond the pier: shallow shore reef 3-8 m, pillar labyrinth 6-15 m, deep reef 20-30 m.
Facts
- Region: Bonaire – West Coast & Kralendijk
- Area: South Bonaire & Salt Pier
- Depth: 3–30 m
- Level: advanced
- Current: moderate
- Type: reef, shore, pier
- Coordinates: 12.08359, -68.28246 (approximate)
- Highlights: pier pilings, sponges, schooling fish
- Permit: Bonaire Nature Fee (Marine Park tag) is mandatory for every diver in the Bonaire National Marine Park (all water within the 60 m depth line around Bonaire and Klein Bonaire), shore dives included. bonaire.com lists US$40 per person per calendar year (1 Jan–31 Dec; QR code by e-mail, carry it with an ID), bought online at stinapa.bonairenaturefee.org or at dive shops; the 2026 fee period opened on 16 Dec 2025, so confirm the current amount with STINAPA. Rules: do not touch or stand on coral, take nothing, no anchoring on reef.
- Issuer / contact: STINAPA Bonaire (Bonaire National Marine Park manager)
- Phone: +599 717 8444
- Email: info@stinapa.org
- Website: https://stinapabonaire.org/contact/contact-information/
- STINAPA HQ, Barcadera 10; after hours / WhatsApp +599 777 8444; fee payment: https://stinapa.bonairenaturefee.org/. Fee amount per bonaire.com (https://bonaire.com/en/travel-info/nature-fee/).
- Tips: Entry is a jump from about 3 m up the pier; exit over sharp rocks (boots). The pier is still used commercially: watch boat traffic and check with the operator or Marine Park. Carry an SMB; north wind gives the best conditions. bonaire.com lists beginner but the text calls it suited to advanced divers.