Advanced≤30 m

Hilma Hooker

Dive site in Bonaire

A 1984 cargo-ship wreck lying on its starboard side on a 30 m sandy plateau, its holds reachable through large openings.

Usual dive: 30 m
Deepest point: 30 m
Level: Advanced
Best months: Apr–Nov
Entry: From shore, By boat
Current: Moderate

Photo: Kris Mikael Krister, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The story

Towed into Kralendijk with engine problems in mid 1984, the Hilma Hooker was found to hold 25,000 lb (11,000 kg) of marijuana behind a false bulkhead. On the morning of 12 September 1984 she took on water, rolled onto her starboard side and sank.

Source: en.wikipedia.org

The dive

A wreck and artificial reef dive from the shore. Known for barracuda and crustaceans.

Who it's for

Advanced≤30 mSource: sunwisebonaire.com

Recommended minimum: Advanced (PADI Advanced Open Water, N2).

DepthThe usual dive goes deeper than lower certifications allow.

Conditions

Dive type: Wreck, Artificial reef
Entry: From shore, By boat; Source: sunwisebonaire.com
Current: Moderate; Estimated
Environment: Open water
Water: Sea water

What you might see

Barracuda
Crustaceans

Best time to dive

Best
Good
Possible
Closed
Not documented yet

Best months: Apr–Nov.

Where is Bonaire?

View on OpenStreetMapLocation: Bonaire (Wikipedia)Map: Natural Earth

The point shows the Bonaire area, not the exact dive site.

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Andrea II

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Buddy's Reef

Buddy Dive Resort's house reef, perfect for beginners, where black crinoids perch on coral heads and a resident tarpon greets most night divers.

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Cai

East-coast reef for experienced divers with a guide, where turtles, eagle rays and moray eels thrive and large schools including tarpon roam.

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Playa Funchi

Washington Slagbaai National Park site where horse-eye jacks cruise the blue and the shallows teem with small, curious fish.

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Salt City

Part of Bonaire's southern double reef system, with a good chance of seeing turtles and eagle rays.

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Willemstoren Lighthouse

Advanced-only site at Bonaire's southern tip with lots of schooling fish, lobsters under the corals and the occasional turtle or tarpon.

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Everything about Bonaire

About this page

Values marked “Estimated” come from our original catalogue and are being checked against published sources one by one. Sourced values link to where they come from. Conditions change with the season, the weather and the tide: confirm with a local dive centre before you dive.

Find destinations that match your level and dates

Photo credits

Andrea II dive site, Bonaire, LASZLO ILYES from Cleveland, Ohio, USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Buddy's Reef dive site, Bonaire, (c) Jay Brasher, some rights reserved (CC BY), CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Cai Bonaire dive site, Lac Cai, Bonaire, Paul Arps from The Netherlands, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Playa Funchi dive site, Bonaire, SNORKELINGDIVES.COM, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Salt City dive site, Bonaire, LASZLO ILYES from Cleveland, Ohio, USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Willemstoren Lighthouse dive site, Bonaire, García-Hernández, J.E., de Gier, W., van Moorsel, G.W.N.M. et al. The scleractinian Agaricia undata as a new host for the coral-gall crab Opecarcinus hypostegus at Bonaire, southern Caribbean. Symbiosis 81, 303–311 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13199-020-00706-8, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons