Diving

Our blog with some fun diving information.

Dive Friends Bonaire

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Dive Friends partner Villa Lunt

Bonaire is well known as a diver’s paradise. When you arrive on Bonaire, you may question which dive vendor you should work with. We recommend Dive Friends Bonaire, with  7 full-service locations, assistance is always nearby & tank exchange is a breeze. They are a PADI 5- Star IDC Dive center, and cater to divers of every skill level and all ages.

All Dive Friends facilities are fully equipped with rental gear, should you require any. They offer the Bonaire Marine Park orientation during normal business hours. And, they offer Villa Lunt guests a 10% discount. When you reserve your vacation at Villa Lunt, we will contact Dive Friends Bonaire on our behalf, with your permission. After the initial contact, they will create a voucher for your group, and assist you with any reservations you would like to make.

What we admire most about Dive Friends is their commitment to the health of the reefs and sea life on Bonaire. Dive Friends plans quarterly cleanup dives – these well advertised, well attended events are coordinated for the purpose of keeping Bonaire blue and beautiful. Below is a video from their April 2018 clean up dive. If you are interested in participating in one of their cleanup dive, please let us know.

 

Dive Friends Bonaire Octopus Dive Video

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octopus dive video

Amazing octopus dive video, courtesy of the Dive Friends Bonaire Facebook Page

“The Octopus has an amazing body design. They are able to defend themselves in a variety of ways. The most common is flight since they can use jet propulsion to quickly move through the water. Their flexible body has no bones so they can escape into small cracks, rocks, crevices, and even into bottles and cans that have found their way into the bottom of the water. Check out the encounter with the Damsel fish! “

I find their videos fascinating, they keep me dreaming of coming back to Bonaire and staying in Villa Lunt of course.

 

The Octopus has an amazing body design. They are able to defend themselves in a variety of ways. The most common is flight since they can use jet propulsion to quickly move through the water. Their flexible body has no bones so they can escape into small cracks, rocks, crevices, and even into bottles and cans that have found their way into the bottom of the water. Check out the encounter with the Damsel fish! #Octopus #Cephlapods #fishbehaviour #fishid #octopuses #bonaire #bonairediving #divebonaire #scuba #scubadive #observation #divefriendsbonaire #letsgodiving

Posted by Dive Friends Bonaire on Saturday, March 31, 2018

 

Manta Ray Video On Bonaire

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Manta Ray Video On Bonaire

Reposting this exciting video from Dive Friends Bonaire of a manta ray spotted, originally posted on their Facebook page.  Dive Friends Bonaire is the dive vendor we refer our guests to. With many locations throughout Bonaire, you can easily exchange tanks on your shore diving days.

On March 16, DFB Instructor Caitlin was out taking photos of an Open Water Course in front of our Yellow Submarine location when in came the manta ray! Dive Friends would say she is a little excited at the sighting and for capturing this moment on video.(she apologizes for the screaming, but wouldn’t you be too?) Note: the first seen mooring block is that of DFB’s very own boat the Pelican! 

Manta Ray in front of Dive Friends Bonaire Yellow Submarine

Today DFB Instructor @Caitlin Hale was out taking photos of Daniel Shu Scheulen's Open Water Course in front of our Yellow Submarine location and in came the manta ray for a return visit! We'd say she is a little excited at the sighting and for capturing this moment on video.(she apologizes for the screaming, but wouldn't you be too?) Note: the first seen mooring block is that of DFB's very own boat the Pelican! #divefriendsbonaire #mantaray #manta #rays #DFBYellowSubmarine #Bonairediving #divebonaire #underwatervideo #itsbetterunderwater #diversparadise #STINAPA #marinepark #saverays #underwater #DFB #happybubbles #scubadive '#scubadiving '#caribbean #abcislands #diveeveryday #letsgodiving

Posted by Dive Friends Bonaire on Friday, March 16, 2018

Travel Tip created by Merrill in association with Vacation Soup

1000 Steps Dive Site

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1000 Steps

There are not nearly 1000 limestone steps descending to this fantastic dive site – however, when returning to your vehicle, the 65 ish steps feels like 1000 with the weight of your dive gear.

Described by Tourism Bonaire, “Immediately under the boat mooring are some outstanding formations of star coral. These have grown into high rising pagoda-like structures whose hollow cores provide homes for many reef creatures. Look inside for bluish of eggs guarded by the slate colored male sergeant majors. These ”pagodas” are found in a few other places. Keep an eye out for handbill turtles and manta rays. Passing whale sharks have been spotted here. Depth 20-100 feet (6-30 meters)”

The shore accessible site 1000 Steps is #16 on your Bonaire Dive Map, and very close to Villa Lunt. With a small beach, 1000 Steps is a great, and easy to access site to snorkel. We have lightweight chairs in the garage you may bring to enjoy your time at 1000 Steps.

Travel Tip created by Merrill in association with Vacation Soup

Scuba Diving on Bonaire

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Scuba Diving on Bonaire

Bonaire is indeed a scuba diver’s paradise, receiving 11 awards in the 2018 Reader’s Choice Awards from Scuba Diving Magazine for the Atlantic and Caribbean region. With over 86 dive sites to explore, your only question each day will be where to start your day!

1st Place Awards

*Best Healthy Marine Environment

*Best Macro Diving

*Best Shore Diving

*Best Beginner Diving

*Best Freediving

2nd Place Awards

*Best Visibility

*Best Advanced Diving

*Best Snorkeling

*Best for Underwater Photography

3rd Place Awards

*Best Overall Dive Destination

*Best Technical Diving

Over the coming weeks, we will post information about the different dive sites on Bonaire on our website. For now, we hope you enjoy the video below of a quarterly clean up dive sponsored by Dive Friends.  Guests at our villa benefit from discounts provided by Dive Friends, with multiple locations over the island for quick and easy tank exchange.

Travel Tip created by Merrill in association with Vacation Soup

Bonaire Dive Sites

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From the shore, Bonaire dive sites are marked by name on yellow stones, as shown in the picture below. The yellow markers make it easy to find the path to any of the sites.

Bonaire Dive Sites Villa Lunt Bonaire Vacation Rental

Bonaire has 86 dive sites, which are all labelled on the Bonaire dive maps.  You can pick up a map at any dive shop and most car rental companies. Many of our guests enjoy exploring the many shore dive sites of Bonaire over several days during their visit. In order to enter the Marine Park, and to transport your gear from site to site, a pickup truck is the most requested & useful form of transportation. We recommend taking a water taxi, or hiring boat to visit Klein Bonaire, where you will find many more amazing Bonaire dive sites.

The Andrea Bonaire Dive Sites (both I & II) are in the Sabadeco development, just a short distance from Villa Lunt. The Bonaire dive sites Oil Slick and 1000 Steps are nearby as well.

When home at Villa Lunt, you will find several books detailing the sea life in the Caribbean. We hope you find the time to relax in the evening and identify all the different species you spotted.  Bonaire is home to over 350 recorded fish species.

We love to post pictures of our guests adventures while diving the beautiful waters of Bonaire. Please feel free to send us a picture or video you would allow us to share on our website or on Facebook. Enjoy!