Friday, January 25, 2008

Bonaire, Diver’s Paradise

Happy 2008.

I can't believe how quickly time flies!
We have been in Bonaire, part of the ABC Islands (Aruba, Bonaire, & Curaçao) in the Dutch Antilles since December 7th. Our children Darryl and Erin flew to Bonaire to join us for Christmas. Darryl had to fly home December 28th to go back to work but Erin is still with us. She finished University in December and plans on cruising with us for a while, then she hopes to do some traveling in South & Central America before looking for a job back home.
What a neat island! Bonaire is 26 miles long and has a population of about 14,000 people. There is a strong Dutch influence but it is also very multicultural with influences from South America and the descendents of the African slaves that worked the salt ponds.
The north part of the island is the Washington Slagbaai National Park. It has several small mountains to hike and lots of interesting things to see. When Darryl was here we rented a little Suzuki jeep to tour the Park.



The tallest peak is Subi Brandaris

at 241 metres tall.



One morning, Erin, Pat & I enjoyed a challenging hike to the top to see the panoramic views.










Erin & Pat


Heading up the trail.









Rest Stop to enjoy the view.


We are still not at the top.




Looking up





Erin at the peak!



We enjoyed breath taking views of the whole island and the surrounding ocean.




The east coast of Bonaire is referred to as the Wildside with a rugged coastline & crashing waves while the west side or lee side of the island is calm & protected.

This is the Suplado Blowhole.




Views of Boka Kokolishi
The rest of the island is very desert like with lots of cactus & other vegetation as well as an abundant number of lizards and iguanas. It is also a birder’s paradise with 170 species of birds, including Flamingos & Parrots.
They refer to Bonaire as “Diver’s Paradise” and it is easy to understand why. The island is surrounded by an incredible coral reef system and crystal clear water. It is protected as a marine park and no anchoring is allowed. There is one area by the town of Kralendijk where moorings are provided. Our mooring ball is in about 25 feet of water and at the stern the depth drops dramatically to over 200 feet. The snorkeling and diving is incredible. There are mooring balls all along the coast for boats to use while diving or snorkeling.
On Christmas Eve Day we had one of the most incredible experiences ever, we went Scuba Diving! Best Christmas gift ever. Of course once you go that first time, you have to go again and so we were back in the water on Boxing Day. We took the PADI Discover Dive course so Darryl could experience the thrill of scuba. After New Years, Erin, Pat and I completed the course and we are now certified Open Water Divers. (which means we can rent equipment, get tanks filled, and go by ourselves rather than having to be accompanied by an Instructor or a Divemaster). I never thought I could do it and almost quit 3 times but I guess the stubborn streak in me prevailed and got me through the course. I am so glad I stuck it out, thanks to lots of patience and encouragement from our instructor and my family. I have experienced 7 dives since becoming certified and am completely hooked. (Now it’s time to re-evaluate the budget to see where new equipment fits in).

Bonaire is really an excellent place to visit, definitely in our top favourite & it will be hard to leave. We plan to head to Curaçao sometime in the next few days, but then plans are made in Jello and subject to change. Keep in touch,
Fair Winds,
Miriam
S/V Rhiannon 3
12°09.4’ W
68°16.8’ N

No comments: