CT Sean
Contributor
Wow - hope it all settles and the viz clears by next Saturday
Bonaire today
- Thread starter oldschoolto
- Start date
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OP
oldschoolto
Contributor
Well the water is starting to settle down.. I went for a dive off windsock.. Reef is fine but covered in sand.. it'll take sometime before it's all cleaned up.. Visibility has zero 15-20 feet from shore and at 50 feet maybe 20'-25' at 50+ depth
Jim
Back in the hammock with a new rum and coke....
Jim
Back in the hammock with a new rum and coke....
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OP
oldschoolto
Contributor
Today was much more like normal Bonaire diving.. Visibility getting better.. still not great ... A few more days and it should return to the wonderful Diving Bonaire is known for..
Jim..
Jim..
I was there for Omar; lots of docks disappeared. Our first dive post-Omar was at Andrea II; it looked like it was covered in snow. We spent a lot of the dive blowing sand off the corals.
@fmerkel, in fact there was plenty of east-side diving 12 years ago. Larry was running his custom-built RIB in 2004, and maybe before that.
@fmerkel, in fact there was plenty of east-side diving 12 years ago. Larry was running his custom-built RIB in 2004, and maybe before that.
fmerkel
Contributor
OP
oldschoolto
Contributor
They are asking divers to fan away sand from the Coral...Docks are missing boards and the shore rocks are piled up from being pushed in from the waves...
Jim..
Jim..
Hey Jim,what is the water temp.?
We were there several years ago when a big storm threatened but missed the island and we saw the owners purposefully removing boards from piers. I asked someone about it and he said that "removing boards gives the water someplace to go" so that hopefully it won't lift the entire pier and break it up. He said that it was a lot easier and cheaper to replace the missing boards later than cleaning up the mess and building a whole new pier. That makes sense but I had never thought about it before.
The benches mounted on piers for the convenience of shore divers were also removed and stored away for safe-keeping.
I also learned that hard wood boards can be expensive and hard to get on the island and that long, continuous lengths of sturdy wood are quite rare and pricey. There was a story in the local news at the time because new utility wires were being installed near the airport; someone with a big truck and heavy moving equipment came in during the night to steal some of the big tree trunk posts that were lying on the ground waiting for installation. I remember thinking, how could you hide something like that?!
OP
oldschoolto
Contributor
Water to 86° a chilly 83°at 120'. Just back from a dive and the water is clearing out nicely... Fixed a few overturned Corals that were knocked over.. Nature is doing a wonderful job of cleaning the sand from the live Coral.... Bonaire is getting back to normal...
Jim...
Jim...
A long time ago (way back in 1999!) we were on Bonaire in early November and the weather and diving had been great, but not long after we left Hurricane Lenny formed in the southern seas and it was a major storm and spread havoc across the Caribbean. It never made landfall on Bonaire but the winds and waves were very destructive. I couldn't believe the "after" pictures that were so different from the place we had just left looking bright, pristine, and intact.
Many dive ops lost docks and some shops and restaurants located on the water front were destroyed. The reefs were badly damaged and there was debris and sand everywhere. Even the landscaping and vegetation disappeared overnight.
It took a long time for the island and reefs to recover and some things were never the same - but in a few cases, some things ended up better than before!
There used to be a really nice restaurant called Den Laman on the site of the current Den Laman condos. It had a large salt-water tank behind the bar with a big green moray as the star attraction. I remember wondering what happened to the moray when the storm struck.
A restaurant called the Green Parrot at Sand Dollar was also destroyed and never rebuilt. The pier and dive shop for Bonaire Dive & Adventure used to be located at Sand Dollar but they were wiped out and the new pier and shop were built at the site of Den Laman to provide service for divers at both Sand Dollar and the new DL condos. I am sure that it why Andre became so proprietary and protective of his pier after Dive Friends began servicing the divers at Sand Dollar.
Below is an article from Undercurrent about the impact of Lenny. I guess my point (no surprise to anyone) is that although we recognize that the ABC islands are generally "safer" Caribbean destinations during hurricane season, and it is rare for strong storms to brew late in the season - there are still no guarantees!
Hurricane Lenny's Legacy
From the January, 2000 issue of Undercurrent
Seems like killer storms are brewing up later every year, and 150-mph Lenny, which wreaked havoc across the Caribbean in November, was among the latest. Lenny was odd in other ways, most notably in its freak easterly path, the reverse of the typical Atlantic hurricanes. Sounding like a minor variance, the net effect of the reversal was a storm that pounded islands where they were most vulnerable, producing what some lifelong Dominica residents called “the worst sea damage I’ve ever seen from a hurricane.”
Lenny’s range was wide, encompassing sixteen different Caribbean islands. Areas of Bonaire, Saba, St. Maarten, St. Lucia, Grenada, Martinique, and Dominica suffered extensive property damage, and deaths or missing persons were reported on Guadeloupe, Dutch St. Maarten, Puerto Rico, and Dominica. The storm also hit Antigua, Anguilla, St. Croix, the British Virgins, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, although damage there was moderate.
While Bonaire received almost no rain from Lenny, which remained 150 miles offshore, wave action on the normally calm western side was an attention-grabber. Waves in some areas were reportedly in excess of 10 feet in height, spray in excess of 50'. Most dive operations secured their boats in Harbour Village Marina, and only one boat owned by Black Durgon was lost. Dive operations themselves were not as fortunate. A substantial number lost their docks, among them Captain Don’s Habitat, Buddy Dive, and Bel-mar Oceanfront Apartments. Lion’s Dive lost their restaurant, while Eden Beach’s bottom floor was flooded and the storm left a foot of sand as a souvenir. The old seaside bar at Sunset Beach was destroyed, as was the Green Parrot. Bon Bini Divers lost their dock, and the building was severely damaged; Bon Bini is assessing whether it is reparable or must be rebuilt. A great deal of debris from damaged buildings ended up on the shallow reef, and a great deal of the reef ended up as debris on the beach, but underwater cleanups are proceeding. Many resorts also described themselves as undamaged, including Carib Inn, Divi Flamingo, Green Submarine, Dive Inn, Plaza Resort and Toucan Diving, and Caribbean Court and Photo Tours Dives. All resorts are reportedly operating either from undamaged buildings or alternate locations.
On Dominica, huge waves picked up rocks and boulders and pummeled the shoreline homes and hotels for four days, destroying seawalls, swimming pools, and steel reinforced concrete terraces & sun decks. In Roseau, the Anchorage and Evergreen hotels were severely damaged, as was the Castle Comfort Lodge. Evergreen and Castle Comfort are now open with a few rooms and spartan amenities, but Anchorage is struggling to repair and re-wire its rooms to a habitable condition, sending guests to other hotels in the meantime. Dive operations are operating at reduced capacity, but many dive sites were severely damaged. Coral Gardens near Scott’s Head peninsula is not expected to be diveable for months, with sponges and corals broken as deep as 60'. Only a couple sites in the Scott’s Head area survived with mild damage. However, land-based ecotourism sites including waterfalls, volcanic sites, and sulfur springs were unaffected.
Saba was battered for over 30 hours by winds gusting to 170 mph and storm surges of up to 30'. The airport terminal and tower were destroyed, although flights have resumed. The Saba Marine Park hyperbaric facility was severely damaged, but only one hotel, Scout’s Place, suffered significant damage. Dive operations weren’t spared, though loss was moderate with some buildings heavily damaged and some boats lost. Fortunately, Saba Marine Park reports only minimal damage to shallower areas of Tent Reef and Ladder Bay sites, while Saba’s deeper reefs and pinnacle walls were reportedly unscathed.
While most dive operations appear to be operating, divers venturing to Caribbean destinations hit by Lenny should contact operators and resorts to verify the situation prior to departure.
Many dive ops lost docks and some shops and restaurants located on the water front were destroyed. The reefs were badly damaged and there was debris and sand everywhere. Even the landscaping and vegetation disappeared overnight.
It took a long time for the island and reefs to recover and some things were never the same - but in a few cases, some things ended up better than before!
There used to be a really nice restaurant called Den Laman on the site of the current Den Laman condos. It had a large salt-water tank behind the bar with a big green moray as the star attraction. I remember wondering what happened to the moray when the storm struck.
A restaurant called the Green Parrot at Sand Dollar was also destroyed and never rebuilt. The pier and dive shop for Bonaire Dive & Adventure used to be located at Sand Dollar but they were wiped out and the new pier and shop were built at the site of Den Laman to provide service for divers at both Sand Dollar and the new DL condos. I am sure that it why Andre became so proprietary and protective of his pier after Dive Friends began servicing the divers at Sand Dollar.
Below is an article from Undercurrent about the impact of Lenny. I guess my point (no surprise to anyone) is that although we recognize that the ABC islands are generally "safer" Caribbean destinations during hurricane season, and it is rare for strong storms to brew late in the season - there are still no guarantees!
Hurricane Lenny's Legacy
From the January, 2000 issue of Undercurrent
Seems like killer storms are brewing up later every year, and 150-mph Lenny, which wreaked havoc across the Caribbean in November, was among the latest. Lenny was odd in other ways, most notably in its freak easterly path, the reverse of the typical Atlantic hurricanes. Sounding like a minor variance, the net effect of the reversal was a storm that pounded islands where they were most vulnerable, producing what some lifelong Dominica residents called “the worst sea damage I’ve ever seen from a hurricane.”
Lenny’s range was wide, encompassing sixteen different Caribbean islands. Areas of Bonaire, Saba, St. Maarten, St. Lucia, Grenada, Martinique, and Dominica suffered extensive property damage, and deaths or missing persons were reported on Guadeloupe, Dutch St. Maarten, Puerto Rico, and Dominica. The storm also hit Antigua, Anguilla, St. Croix, the British Virgins, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, although damage there was moderate.
While Bonaire received almost no rain from Lenny, which remained 150 miles offshore, wave action on the normally calm western side was an attention-grabber. Waves in some areas were reportedly in excess of 10 feet in height, spray in excess of 50'. Most dive operations secured their boats in Harbour Village Marina, and only one boat owned by Black Durgon was lost. Dive operations themselves were not as fortunate. A substantial number lost their docks, among them Captain Don’s Habitat, Buddy Dive, and Bel-mar Oceanfront Apartments. Lion’s Dive lost their restaurant, while Eden Beach’s bottom floor was flooded and the storm left a foot of sand as a souvenir. The old seaside bar at Sunset Beach was destroyed, as was the Green Parrot. Bon Bini Divers lost their dock, and the building was severely damaged; Bon Bini is assessing whether it is reparable or must be rebuilt. A great deal of debris from damaged buildings ended up on the shallow reef, and a great deal of the reef ended up as debris on the beach, but underwater cleanups are proceeding. Many resorts also described themselves as undamaged, including Carib Inn, Divi Flamingo, Green Submarine, Dive Inn, Plaza Resort and Toucan Diving, and Caribbean Court and Photo Tours Dives. All resorts are reportedly operating either from undamaged buildings or alternate locations.
On Dominica, huge waves picked up rocks and boulders and pummeled the shoreline homes and hotels for four days, destroying seawalls, swimming pools, and steel reinforced concrete terraces & sun decks. In Roseau, the Anchorage and Evergreen hotels were severely damaged, as was the Castle Comfort Lodge. Evergreen and Castle Comfort are now open with a few rooms and spartan amenities, but Anchorage is struggling to repair and re-wire its rooms to a habitable condition, sending guests to other hotels in the meantime. Dive operations are operating at reduced capacity, but many dive sites were severely damaged. Coral Gardens near Scott’s Head peninsula is not expected to be diveable for months, with sponges and corals broken as deep as 60'. Only a couple sites in the Scott’s Head area survived with mild damage. However, land-based ecotourism sites including waterfalls, volcanic sites, and sulfur springs were unaffected.
Saba was battered for over 30 hours by winds gusting to 170 mph and storm surges of up to 30'. The airport terminal and tower were destroyed, although flights have resumed. The Saba Marine Park hyperbaric facility was severely damaged, but only one hotel, Scout’s Place, suffered significant damage. Dive operations weren’t spared, though loss was moderate with some buildings heavily damaged and some boats lost. Fortunately, Saba Marine Park reports only minimal damage to shallower areas of Tent Reef and Ladder Bay sites, while Saba’s deeper reefs and pinnacle walls were reportedly unscathed.
While most dive operations appear to be operating, divers venturing to Caribbean destinations hit by Lenny should contact operators and resorts to verify the situation prior to departure.
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