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Dive Review of Wanna Dive/Bellafonte Chateau de la Mer in
Bonaire

Wanna Dive/Bellafonte Chateau de la Mer, Jun, 2009,

by Elaine Morse, MA, USA ( 1 report). Report 5149.

No photos available at this time

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Accommodations 5 stars Food N/A
Service and Attitude 5 stars Environmental Sensitivity 3 stars
Dive Operation 4 stars Shore Diving 5 stars
Snorkeling 2 stars
Value for $$ 5 stars
Beginners 5 stars
Advanced 2 stars
Comments [None]We were not with a dive operation. This is the third time that we have gone to Bonaire for shore diving. There has been several years between each trip, and while four years ago I thought that the corals still looked good, there has been quite a decline. I was very disappointed. Still, you can't beat Bonaire for cheap diving. We stayed at the Bellafonte and walked next door to the Wanna Dive. We loved the Bellafonte. Not only were the condos nice, but so was the management. The people at the Wanna Dive were also very nice. One day there were no tanks availble, so we had to drive to their shop north of town. We just went on North and dived Witches Hut, which was pretty good and easy. Mainly we dived from the Bellafonte. We were windsurfing also, so we were sort of lazy divers. On our last trip we dived from the Belmar, which is fairly close, and thought it was great. While this reef is supposed to be protected we saw a number of fishing boats trolling along it. Since there are no big fish, and since it is supposed to be protected, this is disappointing. The best things were seeing my first seahorse (with help from Wanna Dive) and huge schools of either Bogas or Bigeye Scads (not sure which. Also saw a snake eel. There is a good variety of fish in Bonaire, although a night dive that we did was terrible. There don't seem to be any crustaceans night or day. We did see some turtles. Don't eat at The Ribs Factory. The Sunset Bar and Grill at the Den Laman was good, but sit away from the beach because of sand fleas. Will's is always good. We've loved Bonaire because we can windsurf and dive, and because we can dive for about $130.00 for the entire week, but since I love beautiful coral, I was truly disappointed on this trip. People there mentioned the hurricane that hit the lee side of the island, which is unusual for Bonaire, and there is some bleaching, but not a lot, so I'm not sure why the decline. Still, when we save up enough frequent flyer miles, I may want to go there again.

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience 101-250 dives
Where else diving Caymans, Grenada, St. Lucia, Florida, Tahiti,
Bahamas, Cozumel, St. Croix
Closest Airport Getting There

Dive Conditions

Weather dry Seas no currents
Water Temp 70-80°F / 21-27°C Wetsuit Thickness
Water Visibility 50-60 Ft/ 15-18 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile yes
Enforced diving restrictions [Unspecified]
Liveaboard? no Nitrox Available? N/A

What I Saw

Sharks None Mantas None
Dolphins 1 or 2 Whale Sharks None
Turtles 1 or 2 Whales None
Corals 2 stars Tropical Fish 4 stars
Small Critters 3 stars Large Fish N/A
Large Pelagics N/A

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Subject Matter N/A Boat Facilities N/A
Overall rating for UWP's N/A Shore Facilities N/A
UW Photo Comments [None]
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Note: The information here was reported by the author above, but has NOT been reviewed nor edited by Undercurrent prior to posting on our website. Please report any major problems by writing to us and referencing the report number above.

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