BONAIRE DIVING: My First Experience Shore Diving and How to Dive in a Fish Tank

Two-Tank diving Bonaire, The Lake - our favorite site to date

Diving Bonaire: A Little Piece of Magic Beneath the Surface

Have you ever stood in front of one of those enormous cylindrical aquariums? Crystal-clear water, yellow and blue tropical fish gliding effortlessly through it, and you find yourself completely mesmerized? That's what diving in Bonaire feels like.

We were on a Virgin Voyages cruise, and one of our stops was, you guessed it, Bonaire. Our dive with Vipdiving had been arranged in advance, so all we had to do was disembark and make our way to the dive shop. A representative from the shop met us at the port, and after a short drive, we were there. We got fitted for our gear, loaded up, and off we went.

Bonaire is a small Caribbean island and a special municipality of the Netherlands. It's a well-known destination for snorkeling and shore diving, with around 80 dive sites. It's also home to one of the world's largest populations of wild flamingos, including the beautiful pink Caribbean flamingo. The island sits outside the main hurricane belt and enjoys warm temperatures year-round, making it a wonderful diving destination.

But back to our adventure!

We climbed into a small crew-cab pickup with another couple from the ship. One was a dive instructor, accompanied by his wife, a former student. After a relatively short drive around the island, we pulled over at one of the dive sites. We geared up and headed toward the water.

This was my first shore dive, and I was a little anxious. I wasn't quite sure what to expect or how I would manage walking into the water with a heavy tank strapped to my back and flippers on my feet. As it turned out, it wasn't quite that complicated. You actually put your fins on once you're waist-deep in the water (I'm sure you knew that!).

And then... WOW!

Almost immediately, as we descended into the water, we spotted a sea turtle. There it was, effortlessly gliding through Bonaire's impossibly clear turquoise water, with the brilliant white sand below. It seemed almost suspended in midair, moving with that beautiful, unhurried grace that makes turtles so mesmerizing to watch.

But the dive site that really stayed with me was called The Lake.

As you swim farther from shore, the underwater landscape is covered in coral, rocks, and all sorts of marine life. Then, gradually, the terrain begins to open up. The surrounding slopes seem to fall away, revealing something completely unexpected: a broad, pale sandy bowl or channel, sitting at around 20 meters deep.

Suddenly, there are no more rocks or coral beneath you. Just this enormous expanse of white sand, surrounded by the underwater slopes. Almost like someone had carved out a lake right in the middle of the ocean.

It's difficult to describe the feeling of being there. The stillness, the open space, the incredible clarity of the water. It was breathtaking. And it's one of those underwater landscapes that has stayed with me long after surfacing.

With visibility of at least 65 feet, sunlight filtering down through the water, and those beautiful rays illuminating the white sandy bottom, the whole place seemed almost otherworldly. There was something incredibly peaceful about it.

Diving itself is a little magical. Once you get comfortable and find your rhythm, there's a certain zen to it. You slow down, your breathing becomes steady, and you become part of this completely different world. No noise, no distractions, no rush. Just you, the water, and everything living beneath the surface.

The Lake added something special to that experience. It was one of those rare places where you find yourself simply hovering in the water, taking it all in, wishing you could stay a little longer.

We dove with Vip Diving, and they took excellent care of us from beginning to end. Everything was easy, welcoming, and well organized. We will absolutely be back to Bonaire, and we'll happily dive with them again.

Some places are beautiful above the water. Bonaire is something else entirely beneath it!