Cai

22 Feb 2017. The were westerly winds the previous day and light northerly the dive day which knocked down the customary 1 meter plus swell to 0.3 meters wave height, so a rare ideal day to try this east side dive. The dive was timed around the top of the tide to minimize current in the channel. The entry beside the most seaward pile of conch shells was easy but n those conditions. Before submerging, set your compass bezel to 170 degrees to follow the channel out into the sea. It is pretty obvious which direction to go while in the narrow part of the channel, but the compass becomes important later. The channel visibility was 15 feet, but it revealed the only live conch seen on Bonaire so far and a den of a dozen juvenile lobsters. The channel widens and deepens into a sand bowl 45 feet deep where 80-100 tarpon idled about with a school of sennet mingling. Then continuing in the 170 course, you cross a shallower reef, 25 feet, then reach the drop off. Total time at a lazy pace, with a couple of stops for pictures, to transit out was 18 minutes. It helps now to get an unmistakable reference landmark so you know where to turn in to find the channel on the reciprocal track. There was virtually no current so could go either way, but I turned right, heading south and went as deep as 95 feet and up to the shoulder of the reef at 35 feet. Perhaps it was too good a day, with no current to attract sharks, rays, turtles or other pelagics. But the reef was very good and there were 4 large green morays sighted.