Bonaire National Marine Park

Bonaire National Marine Park
IUCN category II (national park)
Underwater life of Klein Bonaire. Composite of 8 photos from snorkeling on a flat coral reef off the islet Klein Bonaire.
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Location	Bonaire, Caribbean Netherlands
Nearest town	Rincon
Coordinates	12°10′18″N 68°17′37″W / 12.1717°N 68.2937°W / 12.1717; -68.2937[1]
Area	27 km2 (10 sq mi)
Established	1979
Operator	STINAPA Bonaire
Website	Bonaire National Marine Park

The Bonaire National Marine Park or BNMP is one of the oldest marine reserves in the world. It includes the sea around Bonaire and Klein Bonaire from the high water line to a depth of sixty meters (approximately 200 feet). The park was established in 1979 and covers 2700 hectares (6700 acres) and includes a coral reef, seagrass, and mangrove vegetation.^[2][3] The Lac Bay lagoon is also part of the underwater park.

In 1999, the underwater park received the status of national park from the Netherlands Antilles. The uninhabited island Klein Bonaire was added to the underwater park as a legally protected nature reserve in 2001. The west side of Bonaire teems with diving sites that are easily accessible from the shore. The dive sites around Klein Bonaire are accessible by boat for divers. With the exception of a small area, the BNMP is completely open to divers with a total of 86 public dive sites.

Due to an infiltration of Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD), scuba diving is currently prohibited at the dive sites located off the shores of Bonaire’s Washington Slagbaai National Park. SCTLD has also resulted in Klein Bonaire being closed to visitors in the afternoon. Signs posted at the island’s dive sites and dive shops instruct divers and snorkelers on how to sanitize their gear to help prevent the spread of SCTLD, with most dive shops offering sanitizing rinse bins. Snorkelers heading to Washington Slagbaai Park are required to stop at the ranger-run sanitizing stations just inside the park. Dive sites can close without warning, so check with your dive shop or STINAPA prior to heading out to dive. ^[4]