by Kathryn Cullen, NAUI #7446
Photo credit: Bob Belcher, NAUI #3836
Thirty-one adventurers (mostly divers, some avid snorkellers and a few sun-seekers) set off for Bonaire on March 8, 2020 with our magnificent trip leader, Rebecca Metcalfe. We arrived at Captain Don’s Habitat, just outside the main town of Kralendijk, to beautiful sunny weather that lasted the entire week. Cooling sea breezes moderated the temperature of a consistent 31 degrees C. Water temperature was a comfortable 27 degrees C.
Bonaire is an island municipality of the Netherlands, as is Saba from our 2014 trip. Bonaire is just north of the Venezuelan coast in the southern Caribbean. Its reef-lined coast is protected by the Bonaire National Marine Park. Beyond the rich marine life, Bonaire has lizards, iguanas, donkeys, flamingos — and a variety of birds, most of whom were in attendance at the railing during breakfast time!
We had two scuba dives each morning with our guides, Ludson and Marco, and unlimited shore diving. The coral reefs were teeming with life — maybe not the dramatic pelagic creatures of some of our other locations — but seeing the healthy reefs with throngs of schooling fish, variety of colour and multitude of sea life was thrilling. Our favourite afternoon activities were snorkelling at various places around the island and off Captain Don’s dock, sightseeing and hanging out at the pool for happy hour.
Some of our sightseeing around the island included the towns of Kralendijk and Rincon, the cactus distillery, Washington Slagbaai National Park, Gotomeer, Thousand Steps, flamingo sanctuary, salt flats, kite surfing and wind surfing hot spots, and a snorkeling trip to the nearby island of Klein Bonaire with a gorgeous white sand beach and surrounding coral reefs. Another activity is HHUC’s burgeoning art scene. There are some talented and creative people on these trips!
As the week went on, we continued to hear news of the increasing danger of COVID-19. We felt very fortunate and grateful for our timing — a fantastic Caribbean vacation in a beautiful, virus-free location, returning to Canada just as the warnings came out from the Canadian government recalling all international travellers. We can’t party together right now, but we video conference to keep the memories alive and support each other through the 14 day self-isolation. (Update: We all emerged virus-free.)
Bonaire was beautiful, the diving superb and the company was the best!
