Shore islands want tabis and a tag. Drift islands want a SMB. Sleeves replace a lot of cream on pale shallows.
A lionfish spear is a licensed, argued tool, not a holiday souvenir.
Core kit
- Park tag / wristband — Bonaire and others list this as kit.
- Mask that seals — Hire after the brief if needed.
- SMB on drift boats — Cozumel, Cayman walls.
- Rash top — Sun on a wall.
- Tabis (Bonaire) — Entries.
- Card and log — Boats check them.
Optional
- Nitrox — Common on wall weeks.
- Pointer — Sand and wreck, not coral.
- Lionfish tools (licensed) — A local regulation, not a default.
- Compact housing — Cruise-cabin reality.
Care
- Rinse salt and sunscreen films — Skirts leak.
- Keep the tag visible — Rangers ask.
- No shells in the suitcase — Park law.
- Rinse Bonaire entry grit — It is volcanic-adjacent and sharp.
Budget bands
- Hol Chan day — Park fee, mask.
- Bonaire week — Tag, rental truck, shore kit.
- Cayman / Cozumel boat week — The ticket is the cost.
- Skip — A feeding bag.
Spend on the tag and the morning boat. The wall is already the product.