Bonaire, the area around No Name

Bonaire · Caribbean Netherlands · Reef · Sand slope

No Name

Jawfish and blennies in the rubble off Klein Bonaire

Area photo: Michal Strzelecki, Wojtek Strzelecki & Jerzy Strzelecki · CC BY 3.0

No Name lies directly in front of No Name Beach on Klein Bonaire, where the Klein Bonaire water taxi lands its passengers. Large coral heads are sparse in the shallows and much of the bottom is sand and coral rubble, which is what makes it a good site for burrowing fish rather than a coral showpiece. Depths run from about 9 to 30 metres.

Also known as No Name Beach.

Where it is and how deep

Depth profile of No Name: typical dive 9–30 m (30–100 ft) 18 m · Open Water30 m · Advanced40 m · Recreational limit9 m30 mtypical dive
Depths on a shared scale to 40 m (130 ft); dashed lines mark common certification limits.

12.1690° N, 68.3088° WPublished position for this site.

The dive

Drop in off the beach front and take the sand seriously, because it holds most of the dive. Yellowhead jawfish are everywhere in the rubble here, hovering above their holes and dropping back tail-first as you approach, and blackish sailfin blennies work the same patches of broken coral. Settle your buoyancy well off the bottom and let them come back up before you move on.

Large coral heads are sparse in the shallow water, so treat the reef as a series of small patches with sand between them rather than a continuous wall of coral. Follow the ground out and down to whatever depth you planned, up to 30 metres, then turn and come back shallow. Finish over the rubble, which is where the site keeps giving, and surface clear of the water-taxi traffic.

Marine life and season

  • Macro critters
Month-by-month season rating for No Name
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
PrimePrimePrimePrimeGoodGoodGoodGoodGoodGoodGoodPrime

Season follows Bonaire: Bonaire sits south of the hurricane belt, so conditions stay calm and diveable all year; trade winds pick up slightly June–November.

Questions divers ask

How do you get to the No Name dive site?+

It sits on Klein Bonaire, which has no road access, so you arrive by dive boat or on the Klein Bonaire water taxi, which stops at No Name Beach itself.

Sources

  1. No Name dive site — Bonaire Island
  2. No Name (A) — Scubago

More dive sites in Bonaire

Reef

1000 Steps

A staircase entry onto a reef that tips over at 9 metres

to 40 madvanced

Reef

Andrea I

Plate coral on a shallow slope you can walk into

6–30 mintermediate

Reef

Andrea II

A big, quiet shore reef with parking right by the entry

6–30 mintermediate

Reef

Bari's Reef

Over 300 fish species recorded, the most in the Caribbean

9–30 mintermediate

Reef

Forest

Black coral colonies and a cave at 23 metres

8–30 m · max 50 mintermediate

Wreck

Hilma Hooker

A freighter on her side at 30 metres, reached from the road

to 30 m · max 40 madvanced

Reef

Karpata

Steep coral buttresses and sand channels to 45 metres

to 45 m · max 50 madvanced

Similar dives elsewhere

Reef

Isla Aguja

Santa Marta & Tayrona · Colombia

Taganga's main training ground, with a deeper wall close by

2–20 mintermediate

Reef

One Finger Rock

Dominica · Dominica

A flat coral plateau at 12 m (40 ft) that drops sharply to 120

10.5–36.5 madvanced

Reef

Anegada de Adentro

Veracruz Reef System · Mexico

Sand slopes, low coral walls and a warship at 28 metres

5–28 m · max 40 madvanced

Reef

Angelfish Reef

RMS Rhone & Salt Island · British Virgin Islands

Sheltered canyons and ridges off the tip of Norman Island

to 25 mbeginner