Oil Slick Leap is a reef named for the oil storage terminal once proposed for the spot, a plan that left the area free for divers instead. It is recommended as a boat dive, though a steel ladder gives shore divers a way in, and large schools of barracuda are often seen.
Where it is and how deep
12.2000° N, 68.3092° WApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
A boat is the recommended way in; divers coming from shore climb down a steel ladder to the water. The reef runs from about 6 m (20 ft) to 24 m (80 ft), and large schools of barracuda are often seen over it.
Marine life and season
- Barracuda
| 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.
Photos from Oil Slick Leap
Josh Noseworthy · CC BY 4.0
Dive videos
Diving Oil Slick Leap Bonaire | The Shore Dive Collection | TropicLens - 4K · TropicLens on YouTube
Questions divers ask
Can Oil Slick Leap be dived from shore?+
Yes. It is recommended as a boat dive, but a steel ladder leads from shore down to the water for divers entering on their own.
Sources
- Oil Slick Leap — Tourism Corporation Bonaire
- Oil Slick Leap (20) — ScubaGo
Photo credits
- Pale limestone shore with a small wooden platform and a steel ladder down into calm blue water, a yellow buoy offshore under a cloudy sky. by dronepicr, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- A fish with a pale grey front and dark rear half swims over rubble and soft corals in clear blue water. by Josh Noseworthy, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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