Bonaire has a narrow fringing reef, starting practically at the shoreline, that extends to a maximum of 200 feet (60m) depth. The whole area is protected as part of the Bonaire National Marine Park.  The Marine Park offers more than 85 dive sites, is home to over 57 species of soft and stony coral and more than 350 recorded fish species. Many of the dive sites have access by boat or shore. From the shore, dive sites are marked with names on yellow stones.

 

Expect to find colourful parrot fish of all varieties including the rainbow and blue parrot fish.  Inquisitive angel fish, feisty sergeant majors, and beautiful butterfly fish dot the reef.  Scrawled file fish sporting electric blue stripes along with grunts, gobies and groupers, along with large schools of blue tangs and jacks.  And keep an eye out for camouflaging frog fish. 

 

The coral life in Bonaire is truly diverse.  The shallow waters from shore to drop-off contain elk horn, stag horn, boulder star and dominant stony coral as well as a variety of gorgonia.  From the drop-off, the dominant coral species is usually boulder star coral, locally also lettuce coral.  At greater depths, the dominant species are the plate-forming corals like great star and blushing star coral.

 

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