These are the animals we see on most dives. Not the highlight reel from a lucky day. The regular Tuesday.
We do not promise these. But they happen. Nurse sharks rest under ledges at deeper sites. Dolphins pass through a few times a month, usually in the morning. Whale sharks have been spotted from shore twice in the past year. Manta rays are rare but not unheard of.
The marine park entry at Invisibles once had a manatee for three weeks straight. Nobody knows why. That is Bonaire.
Bonaire's coral coverage is among the healthiest in the Caribbean. Hard corals dominate the shallow reef. Elkhorn and staghorn coral, which have disappeared from most Caribbean islands, are still growing here. The deeper walls are covered in sea fans, tube sponges, and barrel sponges big enough to sit in.
The reason is simple: protection since 1979. No anchoring on the reef. No collecting. No fish feeding. Dive centres enforce it. The marine park rangers enforce it. It works.
A different reef shows up after sunset. Octopus hunt in the open. Parrotfish sleep in mucus cocoons. Basket stars unfurl on the coral heads. And on specific nights around the new moon, ostracods (tiny crustaceans) light up the water column at certain sites. It looks like underwater fireflies.
We run guided night dives and ostracod dives. View guided diving options.
Tell us what you want to see. We will pick the sites where it lives.
Share your trip details and we'll build your dive plan within hours.
