Beautiful Bonaire....Let's Dive!

After our week of desolate islands the crew was delighted to hang out in beautiful touristy Bonaire, known for its incredible coral reefs, crystal clear water, and world renown dive spots. The entire coastline of the island is part of the Bonaire National Marine Park whose boundaries extend from the high water mark to 200 feet below the surface. 
The Park maintains public moorings as there is no anchoring allowed so as to protect this beautiful yet fragile environment. Nick and I immediately signed up for some diving with a local dive company while the rest of the crew spent their first days becoming open water certified so they could join us. Meanwhile the Captain has spent his shore leave trying to figure out how to have a new autopilot shipped in with our next round of guests due to arrive in another few weeks. Repair in exotic places....the mainstay of the cruising life!

Being dive certified is not a necessary requirement for enjoying Bonaire. These underwater photos were taken snorkeling directly under the Starship in less than 20 feet of water. 


Made up mostly of soft corals, the reef drops off at a 45 degree angle to the seafloor, with visibility up to at least 80 feet and so much sealife my camera has been in continuous use.

This French angelfish, one of my favorites, came right up to my camera begging for a picture and conveniently posing for the best angle!

What to do after a week of diving? Road trip!


Bonaire being only 24 miles long and 3-7 miles wide made it an easy one day scooter ride encompassing the entire island.
Loaded with road trip supplies and ample amounts of sunscreen all hands set out to see what beauty was above the waterline.


The island of Bonaire has been settled by Spanish, Dutch, as well as the British throughout history and finally after 1814 remained a Dutch settlement, populated by slaves brought in for the salt trade. While the official language is Dutch, Papiamentu is spoken by most of the locals. Papiamentu is an interesting creole mix of Dutch, Spanish, Portuguese, and West African dialects, sounding harsh yet musical with an occasional familiar word or phrase. Of course being a tourist mecca and a popular European vacation spot, everyone speaks English as well. 

The leeward side of the island is calm and beautifully turquoise and this is where most of the dive sites, beaches, and resort areas are located.


Setup for shore dive excursions, there are pathways and stairways leading down to the tropical warm water and coral reefs.

In contrast the windward or Eastern shore is harsh and rough, dotted with cactus, donkeys, goats, and fossilized coral and limestone.

Driving along the wind swept southern shores where the many salt ponds are located we were lucky enough to spot the famed Bonaire flamingos at rest bathing and grooming themselves.

Saying goodbye to our youthful crew is difficult, Don and I have enjoyed their exuberance, sense of adventure, and boundless energy. Thank you Shawn, Chase, Dylan, and Nick.....you are welcome crew anytime!


Now time to strip the bunks and make way for the next wave of company arriving in a week. We need more rum!