Bonaire · Caribbean Netherlands · Reef · Sand slope · Night
Something Special
Frogfish and snake eels on a shallow reef minutes from town
Photo: Roger Rittmaster · CC BY 4.0
Something Special is a shore dive on the edge of Kralendijk where a sand-floored reef holds the small stuff: frogfish, scorpionfish, crabs, lobster and shrimp among the anemones. Most of the life sits in the shallow section, so the dive does not need depth to work, and the density of critters is what makes it a night-dive standard.
Where it is and how deep
12.1590° N, 68.2810° WPublished position for this site.
Site maps published elsewhere
The dive
Enter from the shore by the mural wall and swim out across the sand until the reef takes over. The slope carries on to 35 metres, but there is little reason to follow it: most of what divers come for is in the shallower section, so the usual plan is to hold a modest depth and spend the time looking rather than covering ground. Boxfish and pufferfish are everywhere, and scorpionfish sit still enough that finding them is the point.
Turn north along the reef toward the marina, which is the obvious return point, and work back the same way, checking the anemones for shrimp and the sand for sharptail snake eels; the other name species here is the stary-eyed balloonfish. Frogfish, crabs and lobster are the regulars, and the shallow profile means bottom time is rarely the limit. The small critters are also why the site is recommended after dark.
Marine life and season
- Frogfish
- 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.
Know before you go
- Currents here can change direction; if one is running the wrong way, follow the reef south instead of north.
- The slope carries on to 35 metres well below the shallow section holding the life, so fix a depth limit before you get in.
Photos from Something Special
Paul Asman and Jill Lenoble · CC BY 2.0
Dive videos
Diving Something Special Bonaire | The Shore Dive Collection | TropicLens 4K · TropicLens on YouTube
Questions divers ask
Is Something Special a good night dive?+
It suits one well. Most of the life is in the shallow part of the reef, the entry is a short walk from the road in Kralendijk, and the macro subjects the site is known for do not need depth.
Sources
- Something Special dive site — PADI
- Bonaire National Marine Park — Wikipedia
Photo credits
- Ocean surgeonfish hovering close to the reef at the Something Special dive site by Roger Rittmaster, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Small brown chromis darting past yellow blade fire coral on the shallow reef by Paul Asman and Jill Lenoble, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
In The Logbook
- Frogfish: species, behaviour and where to diveMacro & muck · 12 min read
- Bioluminescence: why the sea glows at nightNight diving · 7 min read
- Night diving: the best night dives in the worldNight diving · 12 min read
- Why your ears hurt diving, and how to stop itBody & health · 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 safety stop spent inside a field of volcanic bubbles
Panglao's critter slope, five minutes off Alona Beach
A flat coral plateau at 12 m (40 ft) that drops sharply to 120
.jpg){kind=link}
A coral slope below the Jesus statue with a resident turtle.