Trip Report Bonaire March 2024–Dead reefs

[tursiops]

I'm reminded of the joke where a bunch of shepherds are laughing at the guy humping the sheep, but only because it's the ugliest one.

All kidding aside, you guys really ought to read the context of which you write; better yet, understand it.

you are working too hard to be troll of the year.

 

[mbs]

Just a small sample of the negative reviews of diving in Bonaire. I haven't really mined any other related threads, though a quick glance reveals a lot of the same sentiments.

The positive rebuttals to these statements tend towards the, "Yeah, it's not great but it's better than diving the crap at home. Plus, if you're a noob, there's stuff to look at."

LOL.

Sorry, which part of this is funny? Root canals must really crack you up...

 

[DiveProKoko]

Please tell me the source of your optimism, as research does not know exactly what triggers this phenomenon, which has only been occurring for 10 years, nor does it know effective treatment options, and the reefs will take decades if not centuries to regenerate and probably no one writing here will live to see it.

And to all those who found the reefs in an acceptable condition a few months ago: SCTLD kills corals from 60% to 100% in just a few weeks to months. There is no need to get lost in pessimism here or cry about a ruined dive trip, but to call things as they are.

Sure. My optimism lies in the fact that precedence has been set with both SCTLD and bleaching. With SCTLD, it only affects certain hard corals and doesn't "kill off" entire reefs. They tend to be affected then new life takes it over and it comes back, much like it has done in parts of the Caribbean. As for bleaching, one only has to look at the largest living example of coral bleaching reversal in the Great Barrier Reef. It sucks, and it's a terrible phenomenon, but not a whole lot we can do about it. The Earth has been changing for millions of years. We're just passengers, I'm afraid.

 

[uncfnp]

We're just passengers, I'm afraid.

Just passangers that throw trash out the window and send fumes out the exhaust.

 

[Soloist]

Risking irreparable damage to the refined sensitivities and self-aggrandizing intellect of @Sure Squintsalot, here are some more infantile and frivolous pics...

 

[DiveProKoko]

Risking irreparable damage to the refined sensitivities and self-aggrandizing intellect of @Sure Squintsalot, here are some more infantile and frivolous pics...

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What a dump......LOL

 

[Charred]

Holy! Bonaire is over run with eagle rays! That can't be a good sign...

 

[tursiops]

Holy! Bonaire is over run with eagle rays! That can't be a good sign...

??

 

[Charred]

Soloist has some pics above of eagle rays. I mean, who wants to see those?

 

[Soloist]

Holy! Bonaire is over run with eagle rays! That can't be a good sign...

I wish that were the case, but sadly we only saw three during 30 hours of diving. On two different occasions (and locations) the rays swam into us head on. Fortunately they only made a slight coarse correction when they became aware of our presence. The other, pictured below with the pompanos, we saw on numerous dives having breakfast at Red Slave.