Bonaire · Caribbean Netherlands · Artificial reef · Reef · Sand slope
Salt Pier
Fish schooling in the shade under a working salt pier
Photo: amanderson2 · CC BY 2.0
Salt Pier is a shore dive under the loading pier of Bonaire's salt works, where the pilings carry sponge and coral growth and hold reef fish in the shade beneath. The reef sits on sand at no more than 18 metres, which keeps the profile shallow, and the site closes to divers whenever a ship is alongside taking on salt.
Where it is and how deep
12.0828° N, 68.2835° WPublished position for this site.
Site maps published elsewhere
The dive
You walk in from the beach beside the pier and follow the sand out to the first of the pilings, which stand within easy reach of the surface and run down to the site's maximum of 18 metres. Each column is encrusted with sponge and coral, and the shade the structure throws holds reef fish that pay divers no attention. The pier, not the reef, is what people come to photograph, and the easy entry is why new divers end up here too.
Keep a little distance from the columns as you work along them: the edges are sharp and there is no reason to swim right up to them. Follow the line of pilings out and come back the same way, finishing over the sand and coral between the pier and the beach, where turtles are a routine sight on the way in. Octopus, squid and barracuda use the structure, and eagle rays and stingrays cross the sand around it.
Background
The pier belongs to the solar salt works on Bonaire's southern coast, operated today by Cargill, and part of the facility extends into the Caribbean Sea to form the dive site. It is an industrial structure first: divers share it with the ships that come alongside to load, which is why the site closes when one is in. The water beneath it lies inside the Bonaire National Marine Park, which STINAPA manages along with the island's dive moorings.
Marine life and season
- Barracuda
- Sea turtles
- Stingrays
- Eagle rays
- Octopus & cuttlefish
- Squid
- Reef fish swarms
| 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.
Know before you go
- The pilings have sharp edges; hold a comfortable distance rather than swimming in against the structure.
- The site is closed to diving whenever a ship is docked at the pier, so confirm before making the drive south.
Dive videos
Diving Salt Pier Bonaire | The Shore Dive Collection | TropicLens - 4K · TropicLens on YouTube
The Dazzling Marine Life of the Salt Pier in Bonaire · Smithsonian Channel on YouTube
Questions divers ask
How deep is Salt Pier?+
The maximum depth is 18 metres (59 feet). The pilings run from just below the surface down to the sand, so most of the dive can be spent shallow.
Can you dive Salt Pier on any day?+
No. Diving is not allowed while a ship is loading at the pier, so check the situation before driving out to the site.
Sources
- Salt Pier dive site — PADI
- Bonaire — Wikipedia
- Bonaire National Marine Park — Wikipedia
Photo credits
- School of small silver fish weaving between the wooden pylons of the salt pier by amanderson2, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
In The Logbook
- Where to dive in every month of the yearTrip planning · 14 min read
- Cheapest places to scuba dive, and the catchTrip planning · 15 min read
- The best shore dives in the worldShore diving · 8 min read
More dive sites in Bonaire
A staircase entry onto a reef that tips over at 9 metres
A shore dive across Bonaire's double reef system
Reef
Plate coral on a shallow slope you can walk into
Reef
A big, quiet shore reef with parking right by the entry
Reef
Two parallel reefs reached from one beach entry
Easy shore entry onto a sloping reef often dived at night
Reef
Over 300 fish species recorded, the most in the Caribbean
Wall
Elkhorn and pillar coral on a bank above a deep reef drop
Similar dives elsewhere
A sunken tug in 5 m of water, straight off the beach
A wreck and a platform on sand, 15 metres at most
Planted restoration structures at 6 metres, shore entry
.jpg){kind=link}
Connery's escape freighter, 30 m of hull in 12 m of water