Why Bonaire? My friend Ann and I were dreaming of a dive vacation. I suggested Belize and she mentioned Bonaire. Since I’d never heard of Bonaire I had to go!
Flying to Bonaire is a challenge, but we finally made it on American. We chose a resort called Divi Flamingo for its good dive operation and proximity to the town of Kralendijk, which I still can’t pronounce. Divi Flamingo is a great resort with friendly service and a wonderful location, but no night life. However, August is the off season in the Caribbean.
Bonaire is known for having the best shore diving in the world. We warmed up with a couple of boat dives off Klein Bonaire (uninhabited island) boasting 23 dive sites. Next we headed off on our own with a truck and our dive equipment. The western shore of Bonaire has 63 dive sites each marked with painted yellow rocks. Dive site recommendations are the topic of all conversations on the island. It’s very independent diving. People head off in white rental pick-ups with dive site maps, pull off the coast road and head out into the surf with a buddy or a few friends. Ann and I had never been diving without dive masters in the group -- we felt very adventurous!
We checked out a few of the popular resorts: Captain Don’s, great food & divers bar where the dive instructor made me an interesting offer involving Saran Wrap… and Eden Resort, had the best tropical beach bar and restaurant. The coolest dive site entry was Oil Slick Leap where we jumped off coral boulders into the water. Ann went first! My favorite sightings were a sea horse, sea turtle, and a spotted eagle ray. The tropical fish were amazing, painting the water with a riot of color. The coral was also spectacular.
Bonaire is certainly a diver’s paradise, but there were many other things to do too. We loved the eastern side of the island where we learned to windsurf at Sorobon Beach. We were taught by a local Olympian, so my poor form is certainly not from his instruction! We hit a BBQ at the Wind and Surf Beach Bar one night dancing in the sand to a reggae band with Dutch boys. We walked around the pink salt pans looking for the 40,000 Flamingos who live there and snuck a few salt crystals from the massive white piles waiting to be loaded onto freighters for export. We also drove through the mangroves by the donkey sanctuary to a new butterfly habitat.
Each day in Bonaire ends in a spectcular sunset and I hope to get back to see that heavenly sight again soon!
