Bachelor's Beach

Octopus in the shallows out swimming/spotted Eagle ray

You can park right next to the entry. Looking North, keep your eyes open for the entrance. The entry was built for divers. Parking is on a hard limestone base. It's a short walk to the beach. Looking East, the entrance to Bachelors Beach is to the right, and Boca Grandi is to the left. You'll note that conditions are not right for diving in this picture. But, when the winds are cooperating, a short kick will take you out to the reef edge. Entry is best made off the sandy patch in the background.

The over development taking place in the Belnem to Punt Vierkant neighborhoods on Bonaire have negatively affected dive sites in the area, including Bachelor's Beach. I first visited this site some 20 years ago and could easily observe abundant macro life and healthy schools of fish in water with great visibility. But not now. In August 2018, I did several dives on Bachelor and adjacent area reefs on different days but found them consistently so-so with below average vis. (The inland waterway development to the north of the airport probably doesn't help either)

Snorkeled here in July, 2012. Very easy entry. Calm water. Very healthy coral right off shore. Great visibility, although the reef drops off dramatically. Probably very good for diving.

Recent storm brought up some sand, and recent rainfall increased particulate. Orange frogfish atop an orange sponge at 3 meters, 20 meters south of buoy. Wonderful find!

Very easy entry, with a good swim out to the reef. It's about the easiest entry on the island, with a nice small sandy beach.

This is a lovely sandy beach at the base of a 10 foot cliff with stairs leading down to it. You can park right next to the stairs and be in the water in seconds. It can't get much easier to enter, just watch your step on the last rock/step! A bit of surf when we were here but not too bad and great visibility without current. A short trip across a sandy bottom to the drop off in about 25 ft brings you to a lovely and healthy reef system filled with life. Saw lots of the usual including 3 adult spotted drums. Not much else to say, just get in the water and enjoy a very easy and relaxing dive! I just hope the construction going on around this beach doesn't block shore access any time soon. Construction is inching southward on Bonaire.

This is my favorite site on Bonaire for several reasons. One ease of parking and entry. Abundant fish life starting at the waters edge. My first solo dive was here and a great first dive of the day due to wonderful visibility and fish life. An added bonus is the view north after the dive. You can see the entire coast and the Park.

Only did this dive once. It was a pretty average dive, nothing unusual. We were staying at the Bel Air Apartments, which is just south of Bachelor's Beach, and we did a half dozen day dives and a couple of night dives right out in front of the apartments. The rest of this review is actually for the Bel Air Apartments to Bel Mar Apartments area. We enjoyed those dives more than the dive at Bachelor's Beach. Saw morays, queen angels, tiger grouper, cowfish, tiger tail sea cucumber, lots of peacock flounder, lots of brittle stars, barracuda, spotted drum, porcupine fish, tarpon, white spotted filefish, firework, etc. Saw a large mama blue spotted coronet fish with her little 3 foot baby, and they were nice enough to hang around so I got several good photos. Saw the coral spawning on the second night dive we did here.

This dive is not actually Bachelor's Beach, but about 100m further south at BelMar, their house reef. Gradually sloping reef after a 2 min swim though coral rubble. Since not many dive this reef, things are IMHO in pretty good shape. Bottom of reef at 110ft, hard corals, free swimming gold spotted eel at dusk in the shallows.

Very easy entry. Saw lots of fish and an Octopus.

Easy to reach and park. The stairs make your entry easier. The reef is about 5 minutes of easy swimming. Good dive about 45-60 feet (15 - 20 meters). I and my son did 2 twilight dives at Bachelor, and we appreciated it!