Field note ·
Bonaire vs Curaçao for diving, counted site by site
Shore sites, boat-only sites, beginner sites, water temperature, visibility and park rules for Bonaire and Curaçao, side by side from our mapped data.
Kralendijk and Willemstad, the main towns, are about 70 km apart as the crow flies, and both islands are known for diving straight off the beach. Our maps cover 15 sites on Bonaire and 10 on Curaçao. Counted side by side, they lean in different directions.
| Bonaire | Curaçao | |
|---|---|---|
| Dive sites on our map | 15 | 10 |
| Shore entry | 15 | 7 |
| Boat only | 0 | 3 |
| Rated beginner | 7 | 5 |
| Rated advanced | 3 | 3 |
| Stays with a site inside 1.5 km | 8 of 8 | 5 of 8 |
| Water | 27-29 °C | 27-29 °C |
| Visibility | Usually 18 m or better, often over 30 m at many sites | Usually 20 to 30 m; often over 30 m from January to September, 20 to 25 m from October to December |
| Best months | Year-round. Bonaire lies outside the main hurricane belt; coral spawning chances are best April to October. | Year-round; the island sits outside the hurricane belt. January to September brings the calmest seas and clearest water, and corals spawn around the full moons of August to October. |
Shore diving
On Bonaire, 15 of 15 mapped sites have a shore entry and none of them needs a boat. On Curaçao it is 7 of 10. The 3 boat-only sites on Curaçao are Mushroom Forest, Watamula and Klein Curaçao:
Mushroom Forest
Giant star coral heads eroded into mushroom shapes form a maze of crevices off Santa Cruz, with morays, stingrays, turtles and nurse sharks. Boat only; currents can be strong, and the Blue Room cave is next door.
Watamula
Dense hard coral fields at the island's western tip, fed by converging currents that can switch direction and turn the dive into a drift. Boat only; shore entry is unsafe.
Klein Curaçao
Uninhabited islet about 1.5 to 2 hours by boat each way, with reef dropping to deep blue and more pelagics than the mainland sites. Current is common enough to make most dives drifts.
Sleeping next to a dive site
8 of the 8 Bonaire stays we list have a mapped site within 1.5 km. On Curaçao it is 5 of 8. These are the Curaçao stays with a shore-entry site inside that radius:
Blue Bay Curaçao Golf & Beach Resort: Blue Bay (The Wall and The Garden). Check dates
Lagun Blou Resort: Playa Lagun. Check dates
Marazul Dive Resort: Playa Grandi (Playa Piskado) and Alice in Wonderland (Playa Kalki). Check dates
All West Apartments & Diving: Playa Grandi (Playa Piskado) and Alice in Wonderland (Playa Kalki). Check dates
Nos Krusero Apartments: Alice in Wonderland (Playa Kalki) and Playa Grandi (Playa Piskado). Check dates
Rules that differ
Bonaire: STINAPA nature fee and diver orientation. Every diver and snorkeler pays a STINAPA nature fee of 40 USD per person per calendar year (valid January 1 to December 31), which covers the Bonaire National Marine Park and Washington Slagbaai National Park; children under 13 are exempt. Independent divers must complete a mandatory orientation, a short briefing plus one supervised check-out dive, before diving on their own. Dive gloves, touching coral or animals, taking anything from the water and anchoring are prohibited, and reef-safe sunscreen is required.
Curaçao: Bring a surface marker buoy for shore dives. Island dive operators require a surface marker buoy and reel (or dive flag) on every shore dive, deployed for the whole dive, because fishing and private boats run close to shore. Operators also ban dive gloves and solo diving and enforce a zero contact rule with coral and animals, and they ask for proof of certification plus a refresher if your last dive was more than 18 months ago.
How to choose
If most of your dives will be self-guided from the beach, Bonaire's numbers are hard to argue with: more mapped shore sites, and more of our stays within walking range of one. If you want boat days in the mix, Curaçao's list has them, including the long run out to Klein Curaçao. Each island has its own page with every site and stay on one map: Bonaire and Curaçao.