Angel City Bonaire Snorkeling Guide [Rated + Reviewed] 

Having snorkeled all over the world, I’ve begun to compare our experiences.

A fun way of comparison is by assigning ratings to the snorkel sites. I’ve created my snorkel rating system to provide you with an idea of what to anticipate. All of my snorkel guides will incorporate these ratings, including Angel City.

Please see the rating key below.

OVERALL SNORKEL RATING KEY

🤿 🤿 🤿 🤿 🤿   =   World-class snorkeling and worth traveling just for the snorkeling alone!

🤿 🤿 🤿 🤿   =   Incredible snorkeling and should be on your list of top things to do!

🤿 🤿 🤿   =   Decent snorkeling and worth the effort!

🤿 🤿   =   Worth consideration if you are running out of things to do!

🤿   =   Not worth it!

As experienced snorkelers, my husband and I have explored nearly every corner of Bonaire’s reefs. These are our top 14 snorkeling sites. Each one is worth adding to your itinerary!

Angel City Bonaire is located 10 minutes south of Kralendijk, the capital of Bonaire.

As you are heading south, Angel City will be on your right marked by a yellow stone. Most dive sites will be designated by these markers.

Park in the sandy lot facing the ocean. While there are not many parking spots directly facing the ocean like those at Salt Pier, we have never had trouble finding a spot here.

Angel City has two exciting reef sections to explore.

Start by snorkeling past the shallow reef near the shoreline, crossing the sandy channel to reach the deeper back reef.

From there, head left (south) in the direction of Alice in Wonderland. We had one of our most memorable snorkeling experiences here … spotting several graceful eagle rays feeding in the sandy channel and along the back reef.

Being that close to them was absolutely unforgettable!

We also came across a school of massive tarpons cruising through the back reef, heading north toward the Hilma Hooker site.

After exploring the deeper areas, make your way back toward your entry point.

Then head north along the shoreline, where you’ll find shallow patches of elkhorn and lettuce coral. This area is a hotspot for garden eels and large schools of fish gathering in the reef.

The beach at Angel City has a bit of coral rubble to step over, but the actual entry point into the water is sandy and easy to manage.

We always wear dive booties to protect our feet, especially when navigating uneven or rocky areas like this.

We also always bring our own snorkeling gear. Over the years, we’ve tested a ton of different masks, fins, snorkels, and accessories across multiple snorkeling spots.

Here are all of our top gear recommendations that we bring on every snorkeling trip!

While we haven’t seen them every time we’ve snorkeled at Angel City, the highlight of our most recent visit was watching multiple eagle rays gracefully feeding along the sea floor.

We’ve snorkeled with eagle rays in places like Bora Bora, the Maldives, and the Seychelles, but those encounters were in much deeper water.

What made Bonaire so special was how close we could get in the shallows. We could actually see their adorable upturned noses as they flipped over rocks, searching for crustaceans to snack on.

Eagle rays are usually shy and quick to swim off, but these ones let us hover nearby while they fed. We kept our movements minimal, and in return, they gave us 5–10 minutes of pure underwater magic.

Riding that snorkeling high, we continued along the shoreline, exploring the shallow patches of healthy-looking lettuce and elkhorn coral. We spotted a few spotted moray eels peeking in and out of the coral.

Other highlights from our snorkel included vibrant parrotfish, schools of French grunts, sergeant majors, Bermuda chubs, blue tangs, bar jacks, and even a well-camouflaged scorpionfish (thanks to my husband’s eagle eye). We also came across a curious barracuda and a slow-moving bearded fireworm.

All of this in calm, shallow water!

Ironically, the only thing missing was the fish that inspired the site’s name: we didn’t see a single angelfish at Angel City!

All the photos below were taken with my favorite snorkeling camera, the one I bring on every snorkel adventure!

Some of our all-time favorite snorkel spots in Bonaire include Klein Bonaire, 1000 Steps, Wayaka 2, and Red Beryl, and Angel City definitely earns a spot on that list!

Snorkeling is hands-down one of my favorite things to do on the island, and you absolutely shouldn’t miss it while you’re here. 

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Questions about our Angel City snorkeling experience?

Let me know in the comments below!