With a New Perspective |
Countless travel articles appear year after year about the tiny desert
island of Bonaire, just 80 kilometres (50 miles) north of South America in the Caribbean Sea. We often hear how warm
and unusually clear the water is. And the people, how they always cater to the dive clientele with open arms and a friendly laid back island mentality. Yes, that's all fine and helpful, but to myself, the traveller who is bringing a couple kids, several virgin warm-water divers, a few relatives, not to mention playing tour guide at the same time, "Who makes the best Rum Punch?" is at the top of my list! Of course ideas on how to entertain the kids, from 12 to 40 years old, would probably rank a close second. What can I say, not long after I found myself on a plane flying from Seattle to Bonaire for a week of quality family time, destined to answer these questions.
As our plane approached, Paradise may not be the best word to describe the outline of light blue water and serine sandy beaches, perhaps heaven would be more suitable. Gathering up my luggage, being sure to leave the laptop, cell phone and piles of work at home, Jimmy Buffett's Steel Drum music silently played in my head. Even the cheerful sunbaked Customs agents and resort representatives picking us up, seemed to move to Jimmy's groove. After settling into our two-bedroom cabins at Captain Don's Habitat, it didn't take our group of twenty-two long to hear the call of the water. Yes, it was night, but remember, being from the Northwest on a first warm-water dive-excursion, is a bit like attending your first DEMA, the largest dive related trade show in the world! Nightly snorkel swims and dives quickly became a regular endeavour. Our group was mixed, including one physically challenged diver, a couple of spicy seniors and my thirteen-year-old daughter whom I home school. As any home schooled child will tell you, "There is no such thing as a day off for us, especially if there's something to learn." Guilty as charged We found all kinds of information on the World Wide Web (Internet). History, wildlife inhabitants (including locations), information about Bonaire's Marine Park and where all the shore diving and snorkelling sites were! Although most resorts on Bonaire incorporate boat diving as part of a package, some include a buffet breakfast and offer in-water scuba experiences for non-divers. We had available to us - an assortment of water-related rental gear, a full-service dive facility, a professional photo lab, an outdoor restaurant and refreshment bar, and an auto rental agency. Talk about self-sufficient With a touch of group teamwork, and a suitable boat provided by the Habitat, we were all able to enjoy an abundance of pristine sites appropriate for any certification level. How nice it was to leave our dry suits and thirty to forty pound weight belts behind! Donned in a lycra bodysuit (to keep the sunburn off) and a 2ml shortie we were ready to take on the 27.8 degree Celsius (82 Fahrenheit) water! Hearing, "I can't believe I only need 8 pounds of weight!" And "Sorry, I lost my return ticket!" brought on a smile of satisfaction as I too gathered up my cameras and entered the water at Thousand Steps. Personally, I'm sure exploring this site from a boat is far easier than attempting what looked like a thousand steps as a shore dive Visibility was an easy 27 meters (90 feet). Giant sea fans swayed in a gentle surge accompanied by schools of tiny neon fish throughout the white sandy shallows. Sparse white anemones with lavender tips provided shelter for purple-striped cleaning shrimp. Continuing down life seemed to explode at 9 meters (30 feet). Sponge, hard and soft corals, fish (of every color in the deluxe crayola box), and sea turtles came to parade their unique appearance. Shooting through both wide angle and macro exposures far to quickly, I found it time to make an out of film emergency swimming ascent! I wish I could say every dive was equal in life, scenery and photographic
opportunities, but it wasn't. We saw yellow and black Sea Horses at some sites: Frog Fish and Barracuda at others. A school of skittish juvenile Black-Tip Reef When we weren't in the water, we usually ventured out with the non-divers for a self-guided tour. Pink flocks of flamingos, mountainous pyramids of salt, herons, osprey (sea eagles), slave huts from long ago and a lighthouse were at one end of the island. At the other: the lush 13,500 acre park of Washington-Slagbaai, more exotic birds, wild free-roaming donkeys and goats, and great hiking trails! Shore diving and snorkeling sites were labeled on bright yellow rocks all around the island. The Hilma Hooker (William Express), north of the Salt pier is an excellent shore/boat dive requiring several dives for full examination. Lying on its starboard side in 30 meters (100 Feet) of water, the 70.5 meter (235 foot) steel-hulled freighter, is encrusted with a good 17 years of growth. Great for photographic, video, or naturalist exploring, a dive light is advisable. In the sand next to the ship, a field of Garden eels can be found with a variety of topical fish and corals climbing up a steep slope.
Night diving was an extra special treat! Although some enjoyed beautiful sunsets by the pool and feeding wild Iguanas at breakfast time, I thought watching odd-looking red dragonflies and photographing birds drinking from stainless creamers was an extra special treat. Seeing my 13 year old with a bright green Iguana on her head was also an unexpected ordeal. As a visitor to Bonaire you also have cycling, bird watching, kayaking, windsurfing, parasailing and deep sea fishing to look forward to. A relaxing evening dinner sail was our choice to cap such a memorable trip Oh yes, in my opinion the best rum punches can be found A special thanks to AB Car-rental N.V. for loaning me a truck for our topside adventures. (599) 717-8980. Information: www.interknowledge.com/bonaire has some great pages to explore. Tourism Corporation Bonaire's telephone number: (599-7)-8322 or 8649 through the International Operator. Email: Tcbinfo@bonairelive.com |
Sharks, a sleeping Nurse Shark and some awesome black feather stars at even another! As a photographer, I have learned over the years to consult the resort's divemasters for everything from where to find a particular fish, to
what restaurant serves the best local cuisine. Our divemasters proved to be extremely knowledgeable in locating both above and below water critters as well as locating a rental motorcycle for one of our divers.