Bonaire in December?

[oregondiver]

Anyone been there in December?

We want to go in February again....but hmm....I can use our airline miles if we go in December ( hmm...1 airline ticket instead of paying for 2?) Or I could be be smokin suptin and should stick to telling tall tales instead.

Seems it rains a bit more, ergo more mosquitoes?
Rain all the time?

(on our boat dive, they were telling us about a couple who came to Bonaire for 2 weeks and didnt' see the sun once as it rained their whole trip)

Thanks!

[WylerBear]

We went the first week of December last year and had great weather and not many mosquitoes. Don't know if that is usual. It rained the morning we got there, was sunny all week, then rained on and off on our deco day. I do know they had had a couple of months of rain prior to us arriving and had a couple of weeks after we left. So I guess that time of year may be iffy. Tom Nic may have a better idea.

[Tom Nic]

It seems to me that weather has been varying quite a bit of late, with lots more rain than usual, thus the report that you heard. Bonaire has had much more rain than usual, (it is typically desert) but it's to soon to "pattern" it, IMO. Even with more rain there is rain, then sun, rain, more sun, more sun, etc etc.

My solution is to be underwater all the time then I don't care what the weather is!

Typically the main Bonaire weather variable is the wind - 10 months out of the year the east-west trade winds blow at about 20 MPH non-stop. In September and October they tend to die down, which means you feel the heat alot more.

I emphasize feel because Bonaire average temp doesn't vary by more than a few degrees year around, being a few degrees north of the equator.

If it's been raining alot, and if you're in an area with lots of standing water you might get some mosquitos in the evening, and should prepare accordingly. Unless you're really sensitive don't worry about it, just be prepared. If you react to mosquito bites make sure you're prepared to deal with them.

OH, and with ticket prices as of late, a mileage ticket is worth a LOT! Prices have gone up quite a bit recently.

You should have a wonderful time in December, or any other time you visit Bonaire!

[-Aaron-]

I was there in December 2010 for a week. This video was shot then: http://vimeo.com/19023350.

Overall the weather was great. Water temps 86, air temp 85-90. We had two days where is rained, but in both cases it just rained in the morning and cleared off in the afternoon. The rain didn't effect our diving or the visibility. We had a fairly consistent wind / breeze for the whole time we were there, which helped with the heat.

On evening dives especially if the wind calmed down the mosquitoes were voracious. The resort only had a shorty to rent, so my legs were open season. Even one night in town at dinner I got eaten up pretty good. When diving basically it is only an issue in the few minutes gearing up between the car and the water, still though they can be relentless and frustrating. I brought DEET along, though you hate to put that kind of stuff on for a few minutes relief.

Also, for us, the fact that it had rained meant the northern road around the national park was closed. I don't think it was really that wet, but once it rains they close it out of precaution. So something to think about if you were wanting to drive through the park on your off day.

[deep diver]

When we were in Honduras diving a few years back we used bug off, which is all natural made from catnip and lavender and others things. We were the only ones that didn't look like connect the dot with bug bites. Others were using deet, cactus juice etc. but were still being bit by no see ums and mosquitos. The only time we got bit was when we forgot to put it on before our night dive. I'm told it doesn't work for everyone, but it sure worked for us and they usually always use me as their buffett.