Tolo (13) - Klein Bonaire
Paradise Point in Milne Bay always feels like a secret, even when you know exactly where you’re going. The wall drops away from a shallow reef flat, plunging past 40 metres, painted in soft corals and enormous gorgonian fans. We love drifting along here, keeping an eye on the thermocline where the water often shimmers with tiny critters. Look closely, and you’ll start spotting the good stuff: pygmy seahorses clinging to the fans, ornate ghost pipefish doing their best impression of a leaf, and nudibranchs we swear we’ve only ever seen in textbooks. It’s a site that rewards slow diving and a good torch. This is a macro lover's dream, no question. We'd suggest budgeting extra bottom time just for photography, especially between 15 and 25 metres. Even if you're not a photographer, the sheer concentration of bizarre and beautiful small stuff, like the famed snakehead cowries and various pygmygobies, makes it utterly captivating. It’s a gentle drift, perfect for advanced open water divers who appreciate the quieter magic of a reef.
- Location
- Klein Bonaire, Bonaire, Caribbean
- Coordinates
- 12.214700, -68.337700
- Type
- reef
Marine Protected Area: Bonaire
Best Time to Dive in Klein Bonaire
The warmest water temperatures in Klein Bonaire occur in October, averaging 29.6°C. The coolest conditions are in February at 26.8°C.
Monthly Water Temperatures
- January: 27.1°C
- February: 26.8°C
- March: 26.9°C
- April: 27.1°C
- May: 27.7°C
- June: 28.1°C
- July: 28.2°C
- August: 29.0°C
- September: 29.6°C
- October: 29.6°C
- November: 28.9°C
- December: 28.2°C
Nearby Dive Sites in Klein Bonaire
- 1000 Steps - 5-25m (reef)
- 18th Palm
- Alice in Wonderland
- Andrea I
- Andrea II (wreck)
- Angel City
- Aquarius
- Aquarius (46) (reef)
- Aquarius (46) (reef)
- Atlantis (reef)
- Atlantis
- Atlantis
- Bachelor's Beach
- Bakadera
- Barcadera
Nearest Dive Centres to Tolo (13)
- Beyond the Corals - PADI
- Bonaire Scuba School - PADI, EFR, DAN
- Deepsea Freediving - AIDA, PADI
- Dive Friends - PADI
- Dive Friends - PADI
- Dive Friends Bonaire - PADI
Marine Life in Klein Bonaire
Home to 202 recorded species including 150 reef fish, 18 hard corals, 6 other, 6 seagrass & algae, 5 crabs & lobsters, 4 sharks & rays.
Notable Species
- Hawksbill Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata)
- Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas)
- loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta)
- Boulder Brain Coral (Colpophyllia natans) - Hard Corals
- Sammy Johnson (Scarus taeniopterus) - Reef Fish
- Dark Green Parrotfish (Sparisoma viride) - Reef Fish
- Blueman (Scarus vetula) - Reef Fish
- Sea lettuce (Ulva lactuca) - Seagrass & Algae
- Lettuce Coral (Agaricia agaricites) - Hard Corals
- Blue Doctor (Acanthurus coeruleus) - Reef Fish
- Great star coral (Montastraea cavernosa) - Hard Corals
- Sheephead (Microspathodon chrysurus) - Reef Fish
- Gutong (Sparisoma aurofrenatum) - Reef Fish
- Butterfly (Chaetodon capistratus) - Reef Fish
- Schoolmaster (Lutjanus apodus) - Reef Fish
- Maze Coral (Meandrina meandrites) - Hard Corals
- Mustard hill coral (Porites astreoides) - Hard Corals
- Banded Cleaner Shrimp (Stenopus hispidus) - Crabs & Lobsters
- Spinythroat Scorpionfish (Pontinus nematophthalmus) - Reef Fish
- Cola (Ocyurus chrysurus) - Reef Fish
Recommended Packing List for Tolo (13)
Based on average water temperature of 28.1°C, currents 34 cm/s.
- Shorty or Rashguard - warm 28°C water needs minimal exposure protection
- Mask - essential for every dive
- Fins (stiff blade recommended for strong currents)
- BCD - buoyancy compensator
- Regulator - your most safety-critical piece of gear
- Dive Computer - tracks depth, time, and NDL
- Surface Marker Buoy (SMB) - essential for boat pickups
- Dive Torch - useful for crevices and colour at depth
- Underwater Camera - capture your diving memories