Klein Bonaire Snorkeling Guide [Rated + Reviewed]

We have snorkeled all over the world, so I’ve come up with a rating system to help differentiate all the sites we have visited, including Klein Bonaire.  

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!

After exploring dozens of snorkeling sites across Bonaire, we’ve narrowed it down to our 14 favorites.

Save this snorkeling list. You’ll need it.

Klein Bonaire is a small, uninhabited island about half a mile off Bonaire’s western coast.

There’s actually an annual swim to the island from Eden Beach, so yes, you could technically swim there. But for safety reasons, no one really does it outside of that event.

The main draw for a lot of visitors is No Name Beach, which is one of Bonaire’s best beaches. Some people take a boat over just to chill on the beach for the day.

Just a heads up. There are no restrooms or facilities out there, aside from a few basic shade huts.

So you’ll need to bring everything you want with you: water, snacks, chairs, cooler, reef-safe sunscreen… all of it.

But the real reason to go? The snorkeling.

It’s absolutely stunning and easily one of my top 11 things to do on the island.

Here are your two options for getting there:

Two companies run the 25-minute boat ride to Klein Bonaire:

→   Caribe Watersport

→   Epic Tours

Both have solid reviews and include the popular drift snorkel drop-off at Klein Bonaire as part of the trip. No extra charge for that, which is awesome.

Just a heads up: the drift snorkel is only offered at specific times during the day, so it’s worth checking their schedule before you book.

We went with Caribe Watersport when they were still operating out of Eden Beach and had an awesome experience. These days, they run trips from Karel’s Beach Bar.

If you’re trying to pick between the two, I’ve put together a blog post comparing them side by side to help you decide what’s best for your trip.

Another way to get to Klein Bonaire is by joining a snorkeling tour.

The big perk of going with a tour is having a guide who can point out all the cool sea life you might otherwise miss. Some tours even include tasty snacks and drinks, which is always a nice bonus.

If a guided experience sounds more your style, here are three top-rated companies that consistently get great reviews:

If you go with the free drift snorkel drop-off, the water taxi takes you straight out to the reef so you can just float along with the current. Super easy and relaxed.

You’ll end your snorkel at Buoy A, right at No Name Beach.

If you don’t book a time that includes the drift snorkel, no worries. You’ll still get dropped off at No Name Beach.

From there, you just walk a short distance to a yellow marker on the beach (the crew will point it out for you). That marker shows you where to swim out to the reef, and then you drift snorkel back to the beach from there.

That said, the direct drift snorkel drop-off is definitely easier and gives you a bit more reef to explore.

If you go with a guided snorkeling tour instead, they’ll bring you to specific parts of the reef and help point out all the cool stuff along the way.

Super easy.

Both the water taxi and snorkeling tours drop you off right where the reef action starts!

Snorkeling at Klein Bonaire is pretty chill.

The current does most of the work for you. Just drift along like you’re tubing down a lazy river. It’s super relaxing and gives you plenty of time to take in the scenery.

The snorkeling experience is mostly shallow with some dramatic drop-offs that make things interesting. Stick to the outer edge of the reef as you drift along toward No Name Beach for the best views.

You’ll spot all kinds of coral out there, like tube sponges, brain coral, lettuce coral, elkhorn, and sea rods.

On our snorkel, we saw a turtle cruising near one of the deeper drop-offs, plus an eel, banded coral shrimp, black durgon, blue tang, sergeant majors, trumpetfish, parrotfish, French angelfish, a peacock flounder, a scrawled filefish, and a foureye butterflyfish.

It was an awesome mix of reef life!

Oh, and if you’re into turtles, definitely don’t skip Salt Pier and 1000 Steps.

Both spots had awesome close-up turtle sightings when we were there!

Snapped all these pics using my favorite snorkeling camera. Can’t recommend it enough.

We spent our time in Bonaire driving all over the island, checking out snorkeling spots from Wayaka 2 in the north to Red Beryl down south and even Lac Bay over on the east side.

Out of all of them, Klein Bonaire easily ranks as one of our favorites.

I loved the mix of coral and marine life. There’s so much to see in both the shallow areas and along the steep drop-offs.

And the best part? The current does most of the work for you, so you can just float and enjoy the reef action!

REACH OUT, FOLLOW, OR SHARE THIS POST WITH A FRIEND!

Questions about our Klein Bonaire snorkeling experience?

Let me know in the comments below!