The reefs in Bonaire are not dead

[Morg111]

I have had the privilege and great sadness to have visited Bonaire 7 times over the past 37 years. My first time there was in 1987, I did my checkout dives, getting my original open water certification on that trip. I have been back on average every 5-6 years since. I originally stayed at the long-gone Bonaire Beach Hotel and ate lunch every day at the almost as long gone Green Parrot.

Anyway, I have seen all the changes as they progressed both above and below the water. To settle the is Bonaire's reef system and wildlife destroyed to the point of Florida. Answer is 100% yes. Sure, it doesn't look like Florida, but where it had started from compared to florida to where it is today, would horrify you. What I saw in 1987 was unbelievable compared to 4 years ago; fish in schools everywhere the eye could see. Mountains and I mean mountains, 20 feet high of single coral structures EVERYWHERE. There was litterally not a single spot where coral wasn't, and huge corals, the colors blew your mind. It truely felt like you were in a forrest because of the density of coral structures, their massive heights and girths entraping you like you were in a maze. The double reef south of town, think one of the sites is called Invisibles is now just two long mounds of rubble. Back then, 100% alive with so many fish you couldn't see sometimes the next mound of coral over. Every dive you saw rays, and eels, there were so many parrot fish, you couldn't find a 1 second moment where at least few were with 2 feet of you. Something else... you barely heard waves crashing at night. The staghorn coral was so thick along the shore, there litterally were no waves.

 

[tkaelin]

When has our environment not changed. It does and constantly so. For many reasons and many causes. Some man made some not. If the changes are too negative for you then you can decide to stop diving. I have seen the changes but still see the beauty and experience the awe and wonder.

 

[tursiops]

I have had the privilege and great sadness to have visited Bonaire 7 times over the past 37 years. My first time there was in 1987, I did my checkout dives, getting my original open water certification on that trip. I have been back on average every 5-6 years since. I originally stayed at the long-gone Bonaire Beach Hotel and ate lunch every day at the almost as long gone Green Parrot.

Anyway, I have seen all the changes as they progressed both above and below the water. To settle the is Bonaire's reef system and wildlife destroyed to the point of Florida. Answer is 100% yes. Sure, it doesn't look like Florida, but where it had started from compared to florida to where it is today, would horrify you. What I saw in 1987 was unbelievable compared to 4 years ago; fish in schools everywhere the eye could see. Mountains and I mean mountains, 20 feet high of single coral structures EVERYWHERE. There was litterally not a single spot where coral wasn't, and huge corals, the colors blew your mind. It truely felt like you were in a forrest because of the density of coral structures, their massive heights and girths entraping you like you were in a maze. The double reef south of town, think one of the sites is called Invisibles is now just two long mounds of rubble. Back then, 100% alive with so many fish you couldn't see sometimes the next mound of coral over. Every dive you saw rays, and eels, there were so many parrot fish, you couldn't find a 1 second moment where at least few were with 2 feet of you. Something else... you barely heard waves crashing at night. The staghorn coral was so thick along the shore, there litterally were no waves.

Distant memories, greatly embellished by time. Completely understandable.
1987, which was his first trip to Bonaire, was also his first open-water dives; we ALL have amazing memories of those first dives. Some of them might even be accurate.

The destruction of all that along-shore staghorn and most of the towering coral structures he refers to was due to Hurricane Lenny in 1999; not to STLD, not to cruise ships, not to overfishing, not to hordes of incompetent divers, not to climate change, or to whatever else you want to say made all the fish and coral die.
Firstly, all the fish and coral did NOT die. Yes, there are fewer really large parrotfish, but according to the REEF.org surveys, parrotfish are seen on every dive.
In fact, the first 5 years of REEF surveys (1993-1998) compared to the most recent 5 years (2018-2023) suggest little to no change in fish families sighted, and on their abundance. The largest changes (from the first five years to the most recent five years) are: more turtles, more porcupine fish and filefish. Abundances of parrotfish, puffers, and grunts have increased slightly. Mostly, there is little change is families and abundances over those 25 years.
Yes, Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease DID kill some corals; there are lots left. The disease affected only a few species.
Yes, Bonaire is not what it used to be. Neither is nostalgia. And, apparently, hyperbole will never die.

 

[Morg111]

There isn't very many photos of Bonaire's reefs from back in the 70's and 80s online. I had bought a dive bonaire book while I was down there in '87, it was filed with at least 60-100 underwater photos, including vista shots of the reefs, I'd say those photos would be the best examples of what it was.

 

[Morg111]

There isn't very many photos of Bonaire's reefs from back in the 70's and 80s online. I had bought a dive bonaire book while I was down there in '87, it was filed with at least 60-100 underwater photos, including vista shots of the reefs, I'd say those photos would be the best examples of what it was. And yes, I did go through my photos from '87. I didn't have an underwater camera so it is a lot of shots of the horn and other flat corals in the shallows.

 

[Diver-6873]

At the moment - bleaching is devastating hard and soft corals on the reefs. We need rains and cooler temps before things can’t recover.