Bonaire 2009 Slideshow

Diving in Bonaire

I've finally finished processing most of the underwater pictures. They're now in an album of their own on the photo page (use the link at the top left of the page). The reef around the island was very healthy and had all sorts of marine life. We saw turtles, eagle rays, stingrays, eels, crabs, shrimp, lobster, nudibranchs, a seahorse and countless types of fish and coral. We even stumbled across two octopi settling a territorial dispute with a wrestling match across the top of the coral. If only we had had the camera with us that day. We could probably have sold that picture to National Geographic.

Exploring the Island - Part 2

When we finally made it to Washington Slagbaai National Park on the northern tip of the island, we found a desert packed with huge cacti and scrub brush. The 'roads' were nothing more than rough trails. There were a bunch of goats wandering through the underbrush, but not much else to see. Eventually we got through the desert to the coast, and the views from there were definitely worth all the driving.

Cactus Fences

The Bonairians make the best fences I've ever seen. They use cacti uprooted from the desert and set them wherever they want the fence to be. The cacti take root and continue growing there. Interestingly, transplanting only seems to work if the cacti are uprooted during a full moon. No one knows exactly why that is, but one man thought it had something to do with the level of pollinating insect activity being higher during that time.

Exploring the Island - Part 1

Bonaire's coral reefs are definitely its main attraction, but we decided to drive around and see what the island had to offer topside. The first stop was a cave on the west coastnear Barkadera. There were a few interesting rock formations inside, but it was more of a hole in the ground than an extensive cave system.

As we continued to drive North, we passed a bunch of ponds full of flamingos. The locals told us that most of the flamingos are actually in Venezuela now and won't come back until the wet season begins in September, but there were plenty left on the island for us to look at. Colors varied from white to almost red. I didn't realize that their color comes directly from their diet. The pink comes from an algae. Shrimp eat the algae, then flamingos eat them. I guess the white flamingos aren't very good hunters.

Dive Trip to Bonaire - The Beginning

Our plane arrived in Bonaire around 5am. We managed to rent a truck and get to the condo in time to get an hour and a half of sleep before getting up to start our diving. That doesn't sound like enough sleep, but Dad and I both agreed that it was the most refreshing 90 minutes of sleep either of us has ever had. Apparently it wasn't quite enough for Dad though, as he had a bit of a rocky start gearing up for the first time (see picture below). Once I got him straightened out, we had a great first day of diving, including a night dive off the dock by our condo. In the evening we relaxed on our balcony and enjoyed the view (see picture on the left).