Bonaire

Bonaire is part of the ABC islands. It is known as the "shore diving capitol of the world" and for good reason. Aside from a few pesky dive entries that necessitate a boat entry, all the rest were accessed from the roadside.  We were able to grab tanks, hop into a car, and go whenever we wanted. 

Which = 4-5 dives every day.

Very cool indeed.

Our only complaints about the diving? Sadly, there is noticeable coral bleaching due to warmer waters recently (although a couple of sites showed minimal bleaching). And with the rainy, stormy weather they've been having in Bonaire, the water was a bit murky, especially in the sandy areas. However,  murky for them is considerably different than for us in Montana. We're talking 75 ft visibility (usual 100+ ft) vs. 0-10 ft viz in our home state.




Coral bleaching



It was a trip to remember and one we are both glad to have survived. Yep. We encountered a few mishaps. But our goal was to DIVE and we weren't going to let anything stop us!

The first day, I managed to drop a tank on my left foot. Obviously, this was unintentional. My foot was a wee purple and swollen after that. I could walk on it (painfully), therefore I could still use my fins and dive.




Nasty



Matt ended up with food poisoning the second night. Our whole group ate at the same place that night, but he's the only one that had a different side dish. It knocked him down a night and part of the following day, but he was up and diving after some rehydration.

Matt can also tell you now what a jellyfish sting feels like. It happened during a mid morning dive. Didn't even see the little buggar. It was a virtually invisible jelly with a bell about the size of a thimble. The tentacles on this type average about a foot long.

Big ouch on the lip and chin for the rest of the day.

And since everything seems to come in 3's: Matt's last brush with death involved his BCD (buoyancy compensating device, ie: vest). All week, after every time he tried to inflate his BCD, Matt would hear a few extra bubbles. The rest of us thought it was some of the normal off gassing from tank pressure. After we got home and were washing his equipment, we opened a valve to rinse it. Lo and behold, the gasket was missing. He had been diving all week without one.

For those who dive, you can imagine our horror.

All we can say is-

The Lord knows us, and he most certainly is watching over us in all that we do.

 Even when we never realize it.

The rest of the trip was less tragically eventful. I did end up with a very swollen and infected ankle, but with a lot of care, it eventually healed none the worse for wear.

And Matt and I finally had the experience of diving "solo". Just the two of us. We've always been with a group before.

We're excited now to plan some dive trips of our own.

Where will we go? Who knows? A few places do cross our minds--The Galapagos, The Maldives, Raja Ampat, Lembeh Strait, Belize, Australia, Antarctica, Oregon/Washingon coast...

Without further adieu--

Get ready for a plethora of pictures!

We know most of you will not ever have the opportunity to see the underwater world like this. Some of the stuff down there is simply indescribable. You just have to see it (at least in pics)!




Sleeping Trumpetfish

 

Our divemaster said he had never seem so many together at one time!



Stove Pipe Sponge






Sand Diver (lizardfish). Awesome camo.

 

Hello! Another Sand Diver/lizardfish. These guys didn't move even when you got within an inch of them.



Top view of a Parrotfish.

Whitespotted Filefish

 

Matt on the prowl

Three-Rowed Sea Cucumber



Unusual natural design

 

Basket Star on a gorgonian. These are related to starfish.

Another Basket Star. They are balled up during the day, but uncoil at night to eat plankton.

 

Coral opened at night looks kind of "fuzzy"

 

Red Bearded Fireworm. Bad, bad, bad to touch!!!

 

Purple Vase Sponge

 

Spotted Eel in sponge



Reef. One of the dives with more haze.

Lionfish. Beautiful. Deadly to the reef. Spikes poisonous to humans. These are fish with massive appetites. A living death knell to the Carribean reefs, as they have NO natural predators, and do not appear to be affected by any fish diseases in the area. They are like rabbits in reproduction.Not good.