Bonaire

Known as the shore diving capital of the world, Bonaire had often been recommended to us by fellow SCUBA divers and we were eager to see if it lived up to the hype. With 63 dive sites off the coast of Bonaire, this Dutch island offered the ultimate feeling of freedom as we were completely autonomous in controlling where, when, and how long we wanted to dive each day. Needless to say, Bonaire is extremely popular with other divers and we found all the popular dive resorts to be fully booked (in some cases up to a year in advance). With most dive resorts offering transport/tanks as part of their stay package, we had to scramble to piecemeal our trip together but quickly sorted out accommodation (Windhoek Resort Bonaire) and transportation (AB Car rental which offered an unlimited tank combo deal with their trucks). Since our bungalow was fully equipped with a kitchen for self catering, we were all set. Becky’s parents joined us on our SCUBA adventure and we had a blast, squeezing in 18 dives in addition to checking out the island. One week here flew by and wasn’t nearly enough time, so we suspect we’ll be back for a future trip. So happy Bonaire surpassed our expectations!

The helpful and friendly Tessa at AB-Dive Bonaire, a great place to get unlimited SCUBA tanks for shore diving Wall mural of two happy snorkelers "Bonaire...the place to be..." Cactus security fence Bachelor's Beach Ann next to a giant iguana statue at the entrance to Flamingo Airport, Bonaire's international airport Honeycomb cowfish Dogtooth snapper (schoolmaster snapper) hovering above a basket sponge School of mahogany snapper Dogtooth snapper hanging out at Salt Pier dive site Spanish flag snapper Rock beauty anglefish Tarpon Tiger grouper An iguana checks us out; Windhoek Resort Bonaire Private bungalow at Windhoek Resort The lovely pool at Windhoek Resort Bonaire A local fisherman shows off the catch of the day at Zarpin fish shop A lady selling homemade chicken curry puffs and pumpkin/raisin bread outside the Warehouse Bonaire Supermarket French grunt huddled together for safety Barracuda Glasseye snapper Spotted drumfish Spotted eagle ray Spotted moray eel Pretty flowers outside our bungalow A day of SCUBA is good for the soul! Ann and Robby enjoying some fresh coconut water Brown chromis over staghorn coral Caribbean reef squid with staghorn coral in the background; 1000 steps dive site Sergeant major fish guarding its eggs Bar Jack Green moray eel Driving through Washington-Slagbaai National Park 40 foot skeleton of a Bryde's whale on display at the visitor center; Washington-Slagbaai National Park French angelfish Juvenile French angelfish A pair of lionfish Lobster Bob watching over the descaling of our fresh fish; Zarpin Fish Shop Posing with our buddy from Zarpin Fish Shop - the best place to get fresh fish at great prices in Bonaire! One of the yummy dinners prepared at our bungalow. Self catering in Bonaire is the way to go - cheap and tasty Spanish hogfish A pair of Caribbean reef squid A Bar Jack shadowing an octopus Princess parrotfish munching on brain coral Green turtle Spotted trunkfish Greater soapfish Robby working on getting us coconut water Southern stingray Banded butterflyfish swimming around purple tube sponges Scrawled filefish Smooth trunkfish Sharptail eel Flying gurnard An aquarium reef scene - Spanish flag snapper, French grunt and Brown chromis Hawksbill turtle Decor at the Windhoek Resort Bonaire Flamingo wall mural Robby behind the wheel of our trusty truck from AB-Car Rental Ann, Bob and Becky in front of the colorful buildings of Courtyard Marriott Bonaire An iguana soaks up the sun by the water's edge "Once a visitor always a friend" - Bonaire "It's In Our Nature" - Bonaire tourism campaign Bonaire license plate Bonaire Tourism Office in downtown Kralendijk Flamingo wall mural Artwork for sale in Kralendijk The colorful buildings of Kralendijk, the capital city and main port of Bonaire Massive wall mural in Kralendijk Ann and Becky next to a "Dushi Bonaire" sign. (Dushi means nice, sweet or good) Divers Diner Colorful wall mural Entrance to Tiki & Co, a new tropical and exotic craft cocktail bar in the heart of Kralendijk The aptly named "Art Hotel" Mural of a girl eating grapes Bonaire street mural Colorful reef scene painted on a house in Bonaire Brightly colored house Ann and Bob in front of a 1500 square foot mural painted on the Trans World Radio building in Bonaire We loved the colorful wall murals painted on the buildings in Bonaire Street art; Bonaire Gorgeous mural on the wall next to the Something Special Dive site Bouys hanging from a tree at Playa Lechi Bonaire's shoe tree Not to be outdone, Bonaire also has a license plate tree! Villa Kas Koral - an oceanfront vacation rental in Kralendijk Locals hanging out on a dock in Kralendijk Plants that thrive in the arid landscape of Bonaire A cactus fence around a building in the capital of Bonaire The Salt Pyramids of Bonaire Posing in front of the salt pyramids White slave houses Bob next to our AB Car rental truck - the best way to explore Bonaire Flamingo in the salt flats of Bonaire Slave huts built on the southwest coast of Bonaire in the 1850s (near Bonaire's salt lake) Bridge at the southern end of Bonaire Popular swimming hole at the southern end of Bonaire Fish built out of driftwood Wall mural painted on an abandoned shrimp farm at Soroban; Bonaire Spectacular sunset at Bachelor's Beach Beautiful wall mural seen on our drive to the northwest dive sites of Bonaire Flamingos! We never got tired of seeing flamingos in Bonaire "Do it for them" artwork painted on a trash can Yield to SCUBA diver sign - only in Bonaire! The narrow road leading to the northern dive sites of Bonaire Ann at the top of the 1000 Steps dive site Robby at 1000 Steps, a must see dive site in Bonaire! Donkeys crossing sign Bob and Ann are sad to leave Bonaire! Goodbye Bonaire...until next time! video lightboxby VisualLightBox.com v6.1

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