pword
Registered
Just returned from our first trip to Bonaire and all I can say is wow! What a great place. The reefs were so healthy and the fish life abundant. The visibility was 50-60+ feet and I snorkeled while my husband dove and we had a great time. Here is a synopsis of the sites we visited and just a few things I saw, which are way too many to name.
Aug. 11 -- husband's check-out dive that a.m. with Photo Tours out of Port Bonaire and I snorkeled along with him. Saw a school of squid right there in the harbor. Surely a sign of good things to come.
Dove and snorkeled at the Bellafonte Chateau de la Mar house reef (where we stayed). Immediately saw a snake eel, which I’d never seen before and thought was a sea snake.
Aug. 12 — Husband took two-tank dive with Photo Tours to Klein and I went with Renee (local guide) snorkeling. First to Yellow Hut at Windsock and then in front of Yellow Submarine in town where she showed me everything I wanted to see on my list, and much to my husband’s disappointment everything on his list too — seahorse, octopus, frogfish, eels, scorpion fish and two huge tarpons. I could have ended the trip there!
Later to Tori’s where we both snorkeled. The visibility was not great and we stayed shallow, good but not great.
Aug. 13 — Went early to Thousand Steps. This was my favorite site on the island! It looks like a forest and the visibility was outstanding. We were the only people there and just three got in as we got out.
Then to Karpata, also outstanding — my husband’s favorite site. I saw a huge Hawksbill swim right around him while he was diving but he didn’t see it. The turtle was tagged on both flippers. My only complaint at this site was there was heavy surge, which got tiring even just floating. For the rest of the day I felt like I was still moving. And it wasn’t the beers!
I also saw one thing at Karpata that I didn’t want to, a jellyfish pulsating near the surface. Later learned he wasn't too poisonous.
Later walked from Bellafonte to Windsock where we both snorkeled back to Bellafonte. Saw a small green turtle around North Belnem.
Aug. 14 — Another snorkel with Renee at Andrea II & I, where I really enjoyed the shallows with tons of stuff hiding in the elkhorn, and then Front Porch, where she showed me a nursery. Another great time! Snorkeling with Renee is like having a living, talking fish ID book with you. Husband did two more dives at Klein with Photo Tours.
Aug. 15 — We snorkeled at Wayaka II in the Washington Slagbaai National Park and later at Bellafonte for a dive / snorkel at our house reef.
Aug. 16 — Headed south to snorkel/dive Margate Bay. The visibility was way down with lots of particles near surface and I couldn’t see my husband diving and I got a little vertigo looking into the deep too long. I also got stung on my leg by something floating on the water that pricked, turned a little red and then went away shortly after with no itching or other effects.
Also there was a kiteboarder cruising up and down the coast, well north of Margate, and I had to keep an eye on him while snorkeling and I stayed close to the dive buoy. He came real close!
Then headed north to Andrea but it was quite crowded so we continued to Weber’s Joy/Witch’s Hut. It wasn’t as crowded and I really enjoyed this snorkel. Much like Thousand and Karpata.
Since it was husband’s last day to dive we did another at Yellow Hut. I saw another jelly here, the same kind as Karpata, and a tarpon hunting the bait ball at the Windsock pier.
Aug. 17 — Took the 9 a.m.-1 p.m. tour on the Woodwind (trimaran tour) to Klein Bonaire. We did what was supposed to be a drift snorkel from Ebo’s to No Name but there wasn’t any current that I could tell and we had to kick pretty much the whole time. While we did see about 10 turtles, mainly small ones, on this snorkel it was otherwise just OK. I did see Black Durgons and a Queen angelfish I hadn’t seen on Bonaire but I thought the reef was really trashed and there were a lot of tires along the way. It was disappointing for me.
Then we motored over to Andrea and did a brief snorkel, which I wish had been longer. The Woodwind is a good time for an off day of diving and they treat you well with lunch and drinks.
Summary: We had no problem with theft from our rental truck while shore diving but I took our sunglasses, keys, etc. in a small dry bag around my neck while snorkeling. We also never felt unsafe walking around town at day or night and driving around.
Bonaire is a great island with incredible underwater life and we certainly will go back and stay at the Bellafonte again. There are few other islands on our list first but I can see Bonaire becoming our Caribbean mainstay. What a great place!
P.S. Here is a link to our tons of pics if interested. The first seven days are Bonaire http://picasaweb.google.com/kword1962/
Aug. 11 -- husband's check-out dive that a.m. with Photo Tours out of Port Bonaire and I snorkeled along with him. Saw a school of squid right there in the harbor. Surely a sign of good things to come.
Dove and snorkeled at the Bellafonte Chateau de la Mar house reef (where we stayed). Immediately saw a snake eel, which I’d never seen before and thought was a sea snake.
Aug. 12 — Husband took two-tank dive with Photo Tours to Klein and I went with Renee (local guide) snorkeling. First to Yellow Hut at Windsock and then in front of Yellow Submarine in town where she showed me everything I wanted to see on my list, and much to my husband’s disappointment everything on his list too — seahorse, octopus, frogfish, eels, scorpion fish and two huge tarpons. I could have ended the trip there!
Later to Tori’s where we both snorkeled. The visibility was not great and we stayed shallow, good but not great.
Aug. 13 — Went early to Thousand Steps. This was my favorite site on the island! It looks like a forest and the visibility was outstanding. We were the only people there and just three got in as we got out.
Then to Karpata, also outstanding — my husband’s favorite site. I saw a huge Hawksbill swim right around him while he was diving but he didn’t see it. The turtle was tagged on both flippers. My only complaint at this site was there was heavy surge, which got tiring even just floating. For the rest of the day I felt like I was still moving. And it wasn’t the beers!
I also saw one thing at Karpata that I didn’t want to, a jellyfish pulsating near the surface. Later learned he wasn't too poisonous.
Later walked from Bellafonte to Windsock where we both snorkeled back to Bellafonte. Saw a small green turtle around North Belnem.
Aug. 14 — Another snorkel with Renee at Andrea II & I, where I really enjoyed the shallows with tons of stuff hiding in the elkhorn, and then Front Porch, where she showed me a nursery. Another great time! Snorkeling with Renee is like having a living, talking fish ID book with you. Husband did two more dives at Klein with Photo Tours.
Aug. 15 — We snorkeled at Wayaka II in the Washington Slagbaai National Park and later at Bellafonte for a dive / snorkel at our house reef.
Aug. 16 — Headed south to snorkel/dive Margate Bay. The visibility was way down with lots of particles near surface and I couldn’t see my husband diving and I got a little vertigo looking into the deep too long. I also got stung on my leg by something floating on the water that pricked, turned a little red and then went away shortly after with no itching or other effects.
Also there was a kiteboarder cruising up and down the coast, well north of Margate, and I had to keep an eye on him while snorkeling and I stayed close to the dive buoy. He came real close!
Then headed north to Andrea but it was quite crowded so we continued to Weber’s Joy/Witch’s Hut. It wasn’t as crowded and I really enjoyed this snorkel. Much like Thousand and Karpata.
Since it was husband’s last day to dive we did another at Yellow Hut. I saw another jelly here, the same kind as Karpata, and a tarpon hunting the bait ball at the Windsock pier.
Aug. 17 — Took the 9 a.m.-1 p.m. tour on the Woodwind (trimaran tour) to Klein Bonaire. We did what was supposed to be a drift snorkel from Ebo’s to No Name but there wasn’t any current that I could tell and we had to kick pretty much the whole time. While we did see about 10 turtles, mainly small ones, on this snorkel it was otherwise just OK. I did see Black Durgons and a Queen angelfish I hadn’t seen on Bonaire but I thought the reef was really trashed and there were a lot of tires along the way. It was disappointing for me.
Then we motored over to Andrea and did a brief snorkel, which I wish had been longer. The Woodwind is a good time for an off day of diving and they treat you well with lunch and drinks.
Summary: We had no problem with theft from our rental truck while shore diving but I took our sunglasses, keys, etc. in a small dry bag around my neck while snorkeling. We also never felt unsafe walking around town at day or night and driving around.
Bonaire is a great island with incredible underwater life and we certainly will go back and stay at the Bellafonte again. There are few other islands on our list first but I can see Bonaire becoming our Caribbean mainstay. What a great place!
P.S. Here is a link to our tons of pics if interested. The first seven days are Bonaire http://picasaweb.google.com/kword1962/
