Diving Karpata Bonaire | The Shore Dive Collection | TropicLens - 4K

We missed out on Karpata when we visited in 2018. The place we were staying didn’t really want to take a boat there and we heard that it was a bit challenging. Now that we’re diving regularly, have strengthened our legs and improved our balance, we gave it a try and it is worth it.
Several deep grooves run up and down the reef creating sand chutes that go well past recreational diving limits. Turtles and squid increased the rating from Leslie’s perspective and there is a rich diversity of coral which I enjoyed. We haven't seen too many unique creatures here so far; but, hey, if we go a few more times, we probably will.
To be sure, the entry is indeed challenging; so at the very least, check out the site logistics in the video to what that’s like and set your expectations properly. Hope this helps!
We want to encourage more shore diving, so this video provides some guidance where the site is, how to dive it and what you may see there. If you want to skip to or review specific topics, the section timings are as follows.
0:35 Site Background/Description
2:34 Site Logistics
5:23 Dive Profile
8:30 Sea Life
11:36 Night Diving
Please add a comment and let us know what you saw there.

[@goulartnaturephoto]

Your channel is magnificent!!! Your information is 100% accurate. I dove into all the points you describe and it is exactly as you said. A necessary itinerary for everyone who wants to dive on Bonaire. Congratulations, beautiful work.

[@TropicLens]

Thank you for the kind words Carlos. We are so glad you found our videos helpful. :-)

[@butchbennett6877]

Your videos are some of the most informative I've found in my research on where to dive when we go to Bonaire for the first time next month. The details on directions, parking, entry, and what to look for are excellent. I'm an experienced shore diver, but my daughter is not, so your detail on entry/exit are great! Thanks!

[@TropicLens]

Thank you so much for the kind words Butch. Unfortunately, we had to get off island for three months as our long-term lease owners like to return during the high season...so we won't be back there until April. We hope you and your family had a great time on Bonaire and let us know what the highlights were. (We did read about dolphins down south.)

[@butchbennett6877]

@@TropicLens You are most welcome! We absolutely loved Bonaire! Each day when we planned our dives, we watched your videos to make sure we knew how to get there and the best ways to enter and exit. Your detailed videos, along with the reef guidebook, were great assets for us. We dove all 6 days - Salt Pier (3x), Angel City, The Lake, Cliff, Karpata, Jeff Davis Memorial, 1000 Steps, Weber's Joy, and Ol' Blue. Salt Pier was our favorite for the wildlife - saw just about everything in the book on all 3 dives there. Karpata was our favorite for the reef, mainly because it was so impressive with all of the sand chutes and interesting topography. The only one I'd skip next time would be The Lake, due it's depth and lots of air spent to not see as much as we did at other places. We did see dolphins when we dove the Cliff. Te Amo Beach and Lac Bay were nice visits as well - so the non-divers could enjoy a sandy beach. Thanks again for your great channel. Hope you survive your "exile".

[@davesdigitalnomadlife]

And another great video!!! This series is making me want to go to Bonaire so I am going to talk to my LDS and see if they can setup another trip to Bonaire next year! Keep on diving!!!

[@TropicLens]

Thanks Dave. Glad you are liking the videos. The plan is to get back to Bonaire as residents in December. Much more diving in 2023! :-)

[@willwork2travel]

Love it! Your voiceover inspired me to try adding some to our videos :)

[@TropicLens]

Glad you liked the video and we are humbled at the suggestion of inspiring more voice overs. Crisp videos with music are quite enjoyable; but narration provides a nice alternative for those intrigued by the content.

[@WOODY11780]

Dove there a few years ago ......The Anchor was Beautiful !!!

[@TropicLens]

Yea, that is once of our favorite sites. Can't wait to return in December. :-)

[@Chogogo717]

The fluorescent shot was awesome!!!

[@TropicLens]

Thanks Caleb. The fluoro diving is cool! Grab some blue lights and a yellow filter if you get the chance sometime.

[@Chogogo717]

@@TropicLens are you using the actual video lights that have UV elements? I was looking at the activated Galaxy II.

[@TropicLens]

I have been diving with Kraken lights for the last several years, Caleb. The 5000s has wide and spot in white as well as red and ultraviolet. Several months ago, I upgraded to the 8000 series which has wide and spot as well, but also dedicated red, green, purple and blue modes and the ability to dial through 60 different RGB colors. They also have some sort of disco mode that automatically cycles through those 60 colors while filming, but I can't think of any practical reason to use that mode! :-) Anyway, two other points that may (or may not) be useful. First, the 8000 series has a small LCD screen that shows exactly how much battery is left which is very helpful for management between dives. Second, check out this Nightsea article about the difference between UV and blue lights for fluoro diving. Kind of geeky, but very interesting. nightsea.com/articles/blue-light-for-underwater-fluorescence/ I could talk about lights all day. Long time Light & Motion Sola fan as well. :-) Let me know if you have any other questions. Hope that helped.

[@Chogogo717]

@@TropicLens thanks for the article. I thought a bought the sola lights, but I like the ability to change batteries out and not worry about recharging until later. I know having them factory sealed is beneficial since you’re reducing your risk of flooding the light.

[@gijspullens6048]

Dus you guys notice the turtle at 6:27 wandering around?

[@TropicLens]

Great eye Gijs! No, we did not notice that, but it wouldn't be the first time we were filming something and something else surprised us after viewing the footage. :-)

[@MikeCarr07]

The one sign is hidden by the bushes lol

[@TropicLens]

Which sign is that? The vegetation there can get a bit unwieldy. I kept thinking I should bring some garden shears for the bushes at the bottom of the stairs. :-) We just landed in Curaçao for a four month stint, but will be back on Bonaire in June. Karpata will definitely get a visit!

[@MikeCarr07]

@@TropicLens I think I am not able to leave links to Google Photos here? The one-way sign as you are approaching that part of the road. For tourist, if you don't know, it's very easy to miss.

[@TropicLens]

Indeed....as we missed it. We would have loved to include that in the video. Perhaps we can for an update. Can you post it to FB or Instagram or DM me. I'm TropicLensVideos on IG.