Bonaire · Caribbean Netherlands · Reef · Coral garden
Andrea I
Plate coral on a shallow slope you can walk into
Area photo: Michal Strzelecki, Wojtek Strzelecki & Jerzy Strzelecki · CC BY 3.0
Andrea I is a walk-in reef on the leeward road about 0.8 kilometres north of the desalination plant, immediately down the beach from its sister site Andrea II. It is best known for its plate coral formations, on a reef that runs from a snorkellable shallow shelf down to 30 metres. Seahorses have been found on both Andrea sites.
Also known as Andrea 1.
Where it is and how deep
12.1879° N, 68.2972° WPublished position for this site.
The dive
Get in from the beach and swim out over the shallows, which are the part snorkellers use as well. All three of the big parrotfish turn up here and are easy to tell apart once you have seen them together: the blue, the midnight and the rainbow, each a different colour and all of them over three feet long. This shallow stretch is worth working slowly before you drop onto the slope.
Further out the reef tips over and the plate coral formations the site is best known for take over, carrying the dive down towards 30 metres. Seahorses have been found on both Andrea I and Andrea II, so it pays to slow down and look at the coral edges and rubble rather than swim the site as a distance dive. Turn while you still have gas for the shallows and finish over the same reef top you came out across.
Marine life and season
- Macro critters
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good |
Season follows Bonaire: The sea stays diveable all year; the water is at its coolest in late December and January.
Questions divers ask
How deep is Andrea I?+
The site runs from about 6 metres in the shallows down to 30 metres on the coral slope, so most divers choose a turn depth on the surface and work back up towards the beach entry.
Is Andrea I good for beginners?+
Yes. The official tourism site lists Andrea I and II as ideal for beginning divers and snorkellers, and the entry is a straightforward walk-in from the leeward road.
Sources
- Andrea 1 & 2 dive site — Bonaire Island
- Andrea I (23) — Scubago
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