Trip Planner Secrets: How to Use the Bonaire Favorites Tool for a Custom Watersport Vacation

Planning a water-filled escape can feel overwhelming—so many reefs, bays, and boards to choose from. The Bonaire Favorites tool removes the guesswork by letting you save the exact dive sites, snorkel entries, bays, and experiences you want, then turn them into a day-by-day plan. In this guide, you’ll learn how to use the Bonaire Favorites tool step-by-step, plus proven tips for building a custom watersport itinerary around Bonaire’s signature offerings.

Bonaire is widely regarded for more than 85 marked dive sites and warm, clear seas. With consistent trade winds, protected bays, and snorkeling reefs just a few meters from shore, it’s easy to build a trip around the activities you love most.

What Is the Bonaire Favorites Tool?

The Favorites tool is your personal trip planner on the official island website. You can save what interests you—dive sites, hikes, dining spots, sightseeing, and watersport activities—and create an itinerary that’s entirely your own. Add items as you browse and return to your Favorites to organize your days before you travel.

• Build a custom list of places and activities
• Mix watersports with dining, beaches, and sightseeing
• Use your Favorites as a flexible day planner on-island

Tip: As you explore pages like Watersports, Diving, Beaches, Eco Adventures, Excursions, and Itineraries, add promising options directly to Favorites so nothing gets lost.

Step-by-Step: Build Your Watersport Itinerary With Favorites

1) Set your trip goals

Decide what matters most:

• More boat days or more beach entries?
• Time on the wind (kitesurfing, windsurfing) vs. underwater (diving, snorkeling)?
• Family-friendly shallow bays or advanced sessions with lessons and rentals?

2) Browse and save from key sections

Start with these pages and add anything that excites you to Favorites:

• Watersports – Overview of kitesurfing, windsurfing, kayaking, boating, fishing, and tow-sports
• Diving – Access more than 85 marked dive sites across the island
• Beaches and Eco Adventures – Balance active days with relaxed shoreline time and nature-focused outings
• Excursions, Itineraries, and the Blog – Discover themed days you can adopt or adapt

3) Add core watersport experiences

Use Favorites to assemble your “must-do” list:

• Snorkeling: Reefs lie just a few meters from shore. Follow yellow stones along the coastal road to named entry points—these stones mark the easiest places to get in the water. Expect turtles, rays, tropical fish, and even seahorses.
• Diving: Save a shortlist of marked sites to match your skill level. Bonaire is home to more than 85 sites and is renowned for the best diving in the Caribbean.
• Kitesurfing: Add the kitesurfing zone at the island’s south-west tip. It’s easy to find—just look for the brightly colored kites.
• Windsurfing: Save Sorobon on the east side, a protected bay with steady winds, warm shallow water, and sunshine nearly 365 days a year. Sorobon hosts numerous international competitions, and you’ll find on-site food and drinks after your session.
• Kayaking: Add Lac Bay for mangrove-tunnel paddling on the windward side, or save leeward-side kayak rentals to reach the uninhabited island of Klein Bonaire for a beach day or snorkel.
• Boating & Sailing: Favorite a sunset sail, a snorkel-from-the-boat trip, a visit to Klein Bonaire, or even a moonlit dinner on the water.
• Fishing & Tow-Sports: Save sport-fishing charters, plus options like wake-boarding, waterskiing, and tube riding with local operators.

4) Group by location and energy level

• By coastline: Plan days around clusters of snorkel/dive sites to minimize backtracking. Yellow-stone entries make shore days simple.
• By wind: Dedicate a high-energy wind day to kitesurfing at the south-west tip or windsurfing at Sorobon, then plan a relaxed paddle or snorkel the next morning.

5) Finalize logistics with operators

Bonaire hosts many operators for lessons, rentals, and guided experiences across diving, snorkeling, kitesurfing, kayaking, windsurfing, fishing, and more. As you confirm availability, keep related listings in Favorites and use them as your daily checklist.

Watersports at a Glance (Use This Table to Fill Your Favorites)

Quick Answers for Trip Planners

• Where can I kitesurf on Bonaire? On the south-west tip—look for the bright kites along the shoreline.
• Where is the primary windsurfing spot? Sorobon on the east side, a protected bay with steady winds and shallow water.
• Can I watch pro windsurfing? Yes. Sorobon hosts numerous international windsurfing competitions each year.
• Are conditions good year-round? Yes. Consistent trade winds and nearly 365 days of warm sunshine support watersports almost every day of the year.
• How many marked dive sites are there? More than 85.
• How do I find snorkel entries? Yellow coastal stones display each site’s name and mark the easiest place to enter.
• Can I visit Klein Bonaire? Yes. Kayak or sail over for snorkeling, picnicking, or a deserted-island day.
• Is there help for beginners? Many local professionals offer lessons and rentals for activities like windsurfing, kitesurfing, and snorkeling.

Essential Requirements and Island Tips

• Nature Tag (mandatory for water activities): All visitors must purchase a Nature Tag costing USD 40 for any water activity. Funds help keep Bonaire’s marine and island ecosystems pristine.
• Visitor Entry Tax: Every visitor pays a tourist entry tax of USD 75 per person, per visit.
• Stay informed: Subscribe to the island’s e-newsletter via the official site by clicking “Stay Up to Date With Our E-Newsletter.” Enter your email to receive news, events, and travel tips.
• Need assistance on-island? Tourism Corporation Bonaire: Kaya Grandi #2, Kralendijk, Bonaire, Dutch Caribbean. Phone: +599-717-8322. Office hours: Monday–Thursday 8 a.m.–12 p.m. and 1:30 p.m.–5 p.m.; Friday 8 a.m.–12 p.m.

Practical Planning Tips to Power Up Your Favorites

• Balance your week: Alternate high-wind sessions (kitesurfing, windsurfing) with relaxed snorkeling or kayaking.
• Cluster your sites: Pick multiple shore entries in the same stretch of coast to maximize time in the water.
• Pair experiences: Combine a morning boat snorkel with a sunset sail, or a kayak through mangroves with an easy beach afternoon.
• Use internal resources: As you save items to Favorites, explore related pages like Watersports, Diving, Beaches, Eco Adventures, Itineraries, the Blog, and the Events Calendar for ideas.
• Lock essentials early: Add the Nature Tag and your Entry Tax reminders to your pre-trip checklist so you’re water-ready on day one.

Sample 3-Day Favorites Plan (Template You Can Tweak)

• Day 1 – Shore and Snorkel:

  1. Morning snorkel at a yellow-stone-marked entry near your lodging
  2. Relaxed beach time
  3. Sunset sail with a snorkel stop from the boat

• Day 2 – Wind Day:

  1. Morning windsurf session at Sorobon (protected bay, steady winds)
  2. Lunch and refreshments on-site
  3. Late-afternoon snorkel at an easy-entry site

• Day 3 – Kayak + Island Escape:

  1. Guided kayak through Lac Bay’s mangrove tunnels
  2. Leeward-side kayak rental or sail to Klein Bonaire for snorkeling and a picnic
  3. Evening stroll and dinner you’ve saved in Favorites

Use the Favorites tool to store each activity, beach, and dining choice under its respective day, then adjust as you confirm operator availability.

Conclusion: Make Your List, Then Make a Splash

The Bonaire Favorites tool turns inspiration into a plan—fast. Save your must-do snorkel entries, your wind days at Sorobon or the south-west tip, a kayak to Klein Bonaire, a dive checklist across more than 85 marked sites, and the dining spots you’ll celebrate at afterward. Add your Entry Tax and Nature Tag reminders, and you’ll arrive with a custom watersport itinerary ready to go.

Call to action: Open the Watersports and Diving pages, start adding items to your Favorites, and build the Bonaire trip that fits you—wave by wave.