They call it Angel City, but the devil in in the entry and exit!

So I’m heading back to the shop for post trip wash out, and I am asking myself, of all the dives I did this week, which was my favorite?  Was it Alice in Wonderland where we saw great schools of blue tangs, Oil slick with the awesome giant stride and abundant little critters, remote Karpata on the north end of the island with its coral encrusted anchors or maybe Buddy’s reef with its beautiful cup corals and octopuses? The truth is, each one was my favorite.  

I often praise shore diving for the fact the it gives on-your-own-schedule freedom and affords more night diving, but the main thing is I guess I just like the challenge the comes with shore diving; the requirement to plan your own profile, figure out the logistics of your entry and exit.   You are essentially taking the roles of divemaster and boat captain.  

Take for example the site, Angel City. In our guide book it was rated for all levels of divers and divable by boat or shore. Part of Bonaire’s double reef system, it was named for friendly angelfish known to be at the site.  As was our practice throughout the week, when we reached the site, we all piled out to plan our entry and exit strategies.  The first thing was noticed was the terrain leading to the shore.  It was rubble composed of bleached out pieces of coral, overlying volcanic rock.  Rough on the bottoms of your booties and not always solid underneath you when walking with full gear, this terrain demands close attention to where you are stepping.  Next we considered the surf rolling in, with waves crashing onto the shore.  We would have to keep an eye on the waves to avoid being knocked down and then dragged across the coral bottom.  In addition to the waves, divers also need to be aware of the random sand covered rock that is very hard to see in the surf and can trip you up as you make your way deeper.  It is ideal if you can scout out a sandy chute that will be a smoother and more predictable pathway into the water.

Realizing that this was going to be a challenge, we decided to enter one by one, with one of us, sans gear, helping the others navigate the shore.  For the photographers, we got them safely through the surf and then brought their cameras out to them.  It took some time, but we got in and were ready to start our dive.

We returned to the point of entry as a group to exit the reverse of how we entered, the problem was that even though we intended to wait our turn to exit so we could have help, the waves were pushing us in.  In addition, unlike when we were entering, the waves were coming to us from behind and it was hard to anticipate that larger wave and not be swept off our feet!  The one saving grace was that there were no sea urchins that we could impale ourselves on if we fell.

In the end, with team work, we were able to enter and exit without incident, but what about the dive?  It was worth the effort.  We did not see many angelfish, but there were plenty of eels, anemones and cleaner shrimp, trunkfish, trumpetfish and all my favorites, just waiting in the clear, aqua sea.

Thanks for tuning in. As always, follow us, share the blog and likes us on Facebook. Until next time, cheers.

Where's Waldo: The Eel Edition

When you don't want to trumpet your location,
it is a good idea to pretend to be soft coral!