Smurf City

The Spelonk area drift dives: Smurf City, Schiphol, Boka Canoa and Boka Rincon

If conditions allow it, it is the most spectacular diving Bonaire has to offer. Breathtaking from beginning to end. Smurf City is named for its stunning coral garden. It is made up of huge brain and star coral formations all packed very close together and situated on a rolling hill. Like a village of large mushrooms on a hill.

As part of a drift dive it is a breathtaking view when you approach this garden of coral. It is home to many large Spiny Lobsters as well as a lot of fish life. Being in the Spelonk area the drop offs are steep macro algae covered walls ending on a large sand plateau. The coral formations are in separate gardens at the bottom of the walls between 60 and 100 feet. Between each coral garden you generally find a rock covered bottom with many Giant Barrel Sponges and the occasional huge boulder that broke off the shore line above. Or find yourself drifting along one of the walls checking holes and cracks until we get to the next coral garden.

It is possible to make several spectacular different drift dives in the Spelonk area.

Doing drift dives in this area you will see breathtaking coral formations, spacious views of steep drop offs and walls, really big Giant Barrel Sponges, big Lobsters and many unusual species of fish like Queen Trigger, Ocean Trigger, High Hats, large Grouper, Mutton Hamlet and Hog Fish. But also huge caverns to swim into, large cracks in the walls and even a real cave to explore.

All entries are a giant stride, 2 feet for the lowest and about 15 feet for the highest. We lower camera's down by rope. Exit is either inside Boka Spelonk or at another point along the shore line where it is possible to climb out and retrieve the gear with a rope. Although this sounds really wild and crazy it is actually very easy to do. Not any more difficult than climbing out the swimming pool without use of the ladder.

Because most of the dive time is spent at or around 60ft/20m you must have Nitrox for this dive. A full wetsuit and good booties are recommended.