Ron Scholte's dive at Salt Pier on May 7, 2010

Description

Holiday Banaire Salt Pier is an iconic Bonaire shore dive, famous for its unique location as a working jetty where ships load and transport salt from the Cargill Salt Works. Although the reef may not be as spectacular as other dive sites, the marine life has colonized the pillars supporting the pier and the surrounding waters, providing great photo opportunities in the morning and afternoon light. This site offers a mix of hard corals and gorgonians on a white sand bottom, covered with a variety of juvenile reef fishes. The reef slope starts at a depth of 32 feet (10 meters) and is filled with low-density hard corals, sponges, and gorgonians. Salt Pier is known for its cryptic species, including seahorses, frogfish, octopuses, moray eels, and nests of territorial damselfish, making it a must-do dive while in Bonaire. In addition to the diverse marine life, Salt Pier is also known for its larger marine species, including barracuda, sea turtles, schools of grunts and snapper, and even cubera snapper weaving through the upper sections of the pillars.