Trip Report Bonaire 2017 trip report, slideshow, & video

[wwguy]

Good observation but is that the OP in the video or someone else?

I don't think it matters. (It doesn't to me anyway.) The OP is obviously an experienced dive instructor and dive shop owner, and was likely the trip leader for this visiting group. I think he should be discouraging this behavior, rather than promoting it in videos branded with his dive shop logo etc.

 

[jorgie6]

Didn't mean to start a thread about "touching the coral" Nazis and all. Just wanted to know about pointer sticks. I haven't been to Bonaire since 2004 and just wanted to catch up on the latest marine park rules. I practice good buoyancy control..but don't get too over the edge... I mean ...have you seen what a turtle does when he sits on the reef..and not to mention the Giant Wrasse in the Pacific..they munch the hell out of the reef. So yes! Let's be careful and not wallow all over the coral. So...are pointing sticks "banned" ??? Is lionfish hunting allowed?

 

[Dave & Leslie]

Didn't mean to start a thread about "touching the coral" Nazis and all. Just wanted to know about pointer sticks. I haven't been to Bonaire since 2004 and just wanted to catch up on the latest marine park rules. I practice good buoyancy control..but don't get too over the edge... I mean ...have you seen what a turtle does when he sits on the reef..and not to mention the Giant Wrasse in the Pacific..they munch the hell out of the reef. So yes! Let's be careful and not wallow all over the coral. So...are pointing sticks "banned" ??? Is lionfish hunting allowed?

One of the problems is that too many people DON'T "get too over the edge" when it comes to buoyancy control. Much easier, I guess, to just be sloppy.

And seriously, comparing yourself to reef inhabitants? That's the most ridiculous reason I've ever heard for touching coral......

 

[jorgie6]

Touchin is Touchin...just sayin! One of the best dive photographers and former owner of one of the largest shops in Micronesia made that observation. He had the best buoyancy control ...loved to watch him hover over the sand/coral controlling his movements when just the slightest change in breath...steady as a rock with that camera. Great guy.!

So what is the rule about pointer sticks. Are they allowed or not? Can I bring my own mini polespear?

 

[salth2owannabe]

I believe, once you become "certified" you are allowed to spear.
All of the STINAPA rules I could find still read that no spear fishing is allowed.
This from the VIP diving web site:

The only legal option to hunt lionfish on Bonaire is through a dive operator and only when using marine park authorized spears (for which we have a special contract). The Lionfish Hunter Specialty consists of a knowledge development session, practice using the hunting tools and two training dives actually hunting lionfish. You will receive a PADI Lion Fish Hunter specialty card recognized by STINAPA Bonaire (National Park Foundation Bonaire) and more importantly: you will contribute to keeping our reefs healthy. We teach the Lionfish Hunter Specialty in small groups of maximum 4 people, so you will get all the personal attention you need before, during and after the course. The entire course takes one full day.

 

[jorgie6]

Thanks for the info! Very similar to our last trip to Roatan. We hunt them all the time up here on the Florida panhandle. And yes I can understand the need for training...that's another way to do some reef damage.

 

[wwguy]

Here's a before & after shot of the former home of a little froggie I found at Something Special in 2014.

Before (during my morning dive):

Later, when I returned to show with my wife, the froggie was gone and a large chunk of sponge had been torn away by an errant handhold.

Another firsthand experience: In 2011 I exited Andrea II after a late afternoon dive and encountered a friendly couple with a fancy camera rig just entering the water with dive gear. Still feeling the thrill of the seahorse I had just observed on a coral head at 75', I gave them directions so they could take photos. Early the next morning I returned to find the coral head damaged and the seahorse gone.

There's no valid reason to hang onto the reef while taking photos. Ever. It's a selfish act performed by myopic divers who prioritize their desire to capture better photos above any professed desire not to harm their subjects or their habitat.

Bonaire's delicate and increasingly stressed marine park receives 40,000+ divers a year. It's a resource to be treasured and protected, not consumed by a steady stream of divers looking to "do Bonaire" and add another destination to their dive and photo logbooks before moving on.

If my criticism makes me a "don't touch the coral Nazi" then I guess I'm probably okay with that moniker. Whatever it takes.

 

[jorgie6]

Nice pictures!

 

[oldschoolto]

You may only hunt lionfish if you are living on Bonaire.. You may go on a guided hunt after the lionfish class with a special guide using there ELF.. Only ELF's "leased" from STINAPA for $100 dollars are aloud on Bonaire... So the answer to your question is.. No, you may not shoot lionfish on Bonaire...

Jim

 

[jorgie6]

Thanks for the info.