By Walter Mosley
In May 2025, I took a fantastic 10-day trip snorkeling in Bonaire, staying at the Delfins Resort. The trip offered diverse and vibrant underwater experiences suitable for all skill levels, from beginner to expert.
Key Locations and Spots Visited While Snorkeling in Bonaire
I spent several days exploring the small, adjacent island of Klein Bonaire and dedicated the remaining time to snorkeling various locations along Bonaire’s entire western coast.
Notable West Coast Snorkel Sites
- Red Slave
- Vista Blue
- Salt Pier
- Andrea I
- 1000 Steps
- Karpata
Pro Tip for Entry: Generally, entering the water from shore is significantly easier along the southern coastline beaches compared to the northern coast, which features small cliffs.
Washington Slagbaai National Park
I dedicated one day to a 4×4 tour of Washington Slagbaai National Park. My guide and I had two excellent snorkels within the park at Wayaka and Boca Slagbaai, where we also spotted a flamboyance of Caribbean flamingos nearby.
Marine Life and Environment Highlights
Bonaire’s waters are exceptionally clear, a testament to the local appreciation and preservation of their beautiful marine environment. The western coast boasts healthy soft and hard corals, swaying sea fans, and colorful blue tube sponges.
Memorable Sightings
- Klein Bonaire: Discovered wonderful colors hidden among fire coral in the shallow waters. I had the privilege of swimming alongside a large, slow-moving four-foot loggerhead turtle.
- Common Encounters: Frequently saw large porcupinefish, spotted trunkfish, squid, turtles (loggerhead and hawksbill), honeycomb cowfish, peacock and eyed flounders, spiny lobsters, chain eels, French angelfish, triggerfish, and trumpetfish.
Equipment Note: Be mindful of the hard corals; wearing shorter fins (“shorties”) can help prevent accidental reef disturbance while snorkeling.
Overall, Bonaire was a pleasant surprise as a snorkeling destination, offering endless opportunities to explore a thriving and vibrant ecosystem. While I didn’t venture to the rougher east side of the island, the western coast alone provided more than enough adventure.
Hello Walter, thank you for sharing your experience snorkeling in Bonaire. We are glad you enjoyed yourself.
Folks might notice quite a difference between your positive report and our experience of seeing decline there. That is likely due to snorkeling experience (where you’ve snorkeled before) and also repeat trips to see the changes.
Yeah this was my first trip to Bonaire so I couldn’t compare to prior trips there. Unfortunately most coral reefs around the world are in decline. I noticed this on return visits to snorkel spots in the Great Barrier Reef which I originally visited in 2017 and returned to snorkel some of the same spots in 2022. Most notably some of the giant clams had died and much of the coral was bleached and dead.
I tend to agree with Galen and Nicole. We went for a week and snorkeled every day. We tried the National Park, Karpata, Tolo, sites near the Airport and by Buddy Dive, Cliff. There were myriads of fish, including one oversize parrotfish that was the largest I have seen, eel and turtles. But the corals were mostly dead with a few exceptions.
That being said, we had a good time. The snorkeling from our apartment at One Ocean View was as good as anywhere else and convenient. The weather and the restaurants were good, the people were friendly, it was clean. So, it is not a vast wasteland but cannot compare with the Coral Triangle or even Belize or Roatan for snorkeling.