Karpata — Bonaire National Marine Park

Planning a trip?

Hotels, dive operators, gear, and how to get here are on the Bonaire National Marine Park location page.

Overview

Northwest-coast shore dive famed for elkhorn coral standing several feet tall just below the surface, fronting a steep drop-off that walls down past 30m to a sand plateau. Old ships' anchors lie encrusted across the reef, with a centuries-old anchor tucked on the southeast side. Resident hawksbill and green turtles, schooling tarpon, barracuda and moray eels are regulars, and visibility often reaches 40m. The northern current means it is usually run as a one-way drift from La Dania's Leap back to the Karpata mooring.

Briefing note

Diving Bonaire requires a STINAPA marine-park nature tag. Karpata is usually run as a one-way drift from La Dania's Leap to the Karpata mooring because of the northern current, so arrange a car shuffle. Rocky ironshore entry via concrete steps, no facilities on site. The wall continues well past recreational limits to roughly 60m.

What you'll see

5 species curated

Hawksbill turtle
year-round
Green turtle
year-round
Tarpon
year-round
Great barracuda
year-round
Spotted eagle ray
seasonal

Conditions

Month	Water	Visibility	Current
Jan	25–26 °C	20–35 m	mild
Feb	25–26 °C	20–35 m	mild
Mar	26–27 °C	25–40 m	mild
Apr	26–27 °C	25–40 m	mild
May	27–28 °C	25–40 m	mild
Jun	28–29 °C	20–35 m	mild
Jul	28–29 °C	20–35 m	mild
Aug	28–29 °C	20–35 m	mild
Sep	28–29 °C	15–30 m	mild
Oct	27–28 °C	15–30 m	mild
Nov	26–27 °C	20–35 m	mild
Dec	25–26 °C	20–35 m	mild

Season calendar

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Peak season highlighted · current month outlined

Gear for this site

Beyond the basic kit

Surface marker buoy — Drift profile and surface boat traffic on the northern coast.

Next step

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Hotels, liveaboards, dive operators, gear recommendations, and travel logistics for the whole region.

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