{"id":13160,"date":"2016-02-09T15:51:26","date_gmt":"2016-02-09T20:51:26","guid":{"rendered":"\/inspire\/?p=13160"},"modified":"2021-12-17T18:15:52","modified_gmt":"2021-12-17T18:15:52","slug":"salt-pier-magical-dive-bonaire","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.travelocity.com\/inspire\/salt-pier-magical-dive-bonaire\/","title":{"rendered":"Salt Pier, the Most Magical Dive on Bonaire"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ready to dive into an aquatic paradise? We\u2019ve partnered with travel enthusiast and writer Angie Orth from the blog Angie Away<\/a> to get a peek into her recent diving excursion in Bonaire. <\/em><\/p>\n

Confession time: I\u2019m not exactly the most accomplished scuba diver in the world.<\/strong><\/p>\n

While I love scuba, I\u2019m not one of those folks who makes an effort to dive on every trip. If it\u2019s a particularly famous dive destination, then I\u2019ll go for it, but I definitely don\u2019t dive enough to be considered any kind of expert. In all my travels, I\u2019ve only been diving in a handful of countries: The Bahamas<\/a>, Fiji<\/a><\/strong>, Egypt<\/a><\/strong>, Greece and now, Bonaire.<\/a><\/strong> Don\u2019t tell anyone, but I rent all my equipment and I regularly forget to strap-on essentials like a weight belt and you know, oxygen.<\/p>\n\"DCIM101GOPRO\"<\/a>\n

Test, test … is this thing on? Photo Credit: Camels and Chocolate<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Knowing that I\u2019m still quite the baby diver, you can imagine how intimidated I was at first when I was invited to visit Bonaire<\/strong>,<\/a> one of the world\u2019s top destinations for underwater exploration. Seven dives in seven days was more dives than I\u2019d completed in that past few years!<\/p>\n

I was definitely the diver with the fewest outings under my belt in our posse of aquatic blondes. Fortunately these advanced, masterful divers happen to be some of my best friends <\/a><\/strong>– whew!<\/p>\n

At least they could make sure all my hoses were attached properly, right?<\/strong><\/p>\n\"Bonaire_380-copy-600x362\"<\/a>\n

Mermaid, mermaid, mermaid … guppy. At Salt Pier, Bonaire. Photo Credit: Alex in Wanderland<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Bonaire\u2019s dive scene was a whole world of firsts for me \u2013 my first shore dive, first dive with no guide and the first dive with 50 sea turtles! With more than a hundred convenient shore dives on offer, you don\u2019t have to set foot on a boat to access great diving, which is particularly nice for the seasick-prone.<\/p>\n

It only took one peek under the surface to see why DIY shore diving is so popular on Bonaire \u2013 the whole island is fringed with vivid color and sea life.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Whether you stop at a yellow marker indicating a known dive site, or you just pull over and jump in anywhere like we did with VIP Diving<\/a><\/strong>, you\u2019re bound to experience some of the best diving in the world.<\/p>\n\"Screen-Shot-2015-12-23-at-2.36.25-PM-600x335\"<\/a>\n

And speaking of VIP Diving \u2026 over the course of a week, we\u2019d been out with resort dive operations and other shops, but considering my need for literal hand-holding and general fanciness & undivided attention, VIP Diving<\/strong><\/a> fit my needs just right.<\/p>\n

First, the dive shop reminded me of a swanky, Balinese spa, with cool colors and bright cushions \u2013 perfect for this apprehensive, semi-novice diver. Second, we had our own dive butler \u2013 yes, a DIVE BUTLER. His name was Steven and he was everything you\u2019d want a dive butler to be.<\/p>\n

Frankly, I found some of our shore dives a little challenging \u2013 the rocks and waves were tricky for my jacked-up knees with the added weight of a scuba set-up, but having Steven the dive butler there to guide me in ensured I didn\u2019t get toppled over like a turtle in the waves.<\/p>\n\"Bonaire-449-1024x768\"<\/a>\n

Our dive butler helps me over the rocks at Salt Pier. I blame a recent knee injury and a heavy tank, but also, I’m a dive diva. Photo Credit: Camels and Chocolate<\/a> <\/em><\/p>\n

While our first dive of the day was perfectly lovely,<\/a><\/strong> I wasn\u2019t blown away. I\u2019m the type of diver who gets really excited about big sea life \u2013 turtles, rays, dolphins, giant squid, Krakens and of course, any type of shark. (You already knew that though!<\/a><\/strong>) Our first dive was flush with colorful fish and coral, but nothing super thrilling.<\/p>\n

And then we went to The Salt Pier.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Y\u2019all, the whole dive, from start to finish, was spectacular \u2013 and get this, I didn\u2019t even see sharks! The only biggish critter we encountered was a turtle, and we met him on our short swim out to the pier.<\/p>\n\"Screen-Shot-2015-07-29-at-9.58.37-PM\"<\/a>\n

Less than two minutes after hauling myself into the water with Steven’s help, we encountered a gorgeous turtle in the shallows. I was pinching myself \u2014 it was my first close-up encounter with a turtle on a dive. WIN! <\/em><\/p>\n

Between the volume of schools of fish and the general splendor of the towering, coral-crusted pillars, the dramatic scenery had me entranced for over an hour \u2013 and I\u2019m the gal who\u2019s usually ready to head back to the surface after 20 minutes!<\/p>\n\"Bonaire_343-1024x682\"<\/a>\n

Little Mermaid on repeat in my mind. Photo Credit: Alex in Wanderland <\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

The Salt Pier is still an active pier owned by the Cargill Salt Company, so you can only dive there when there\u2019s not a ship docked.<\/p>\n\"GOPR4564-1024x768\"<\/a>\n

 <\/p>\n

I only took a GoPro with me on this dive and it was the best of all our dives that week for that particular photo setup. Cinematic shots without too much detail are the GoPro\u2019s speciality.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\t\t