A Slideshow of pictures from this trip is available at:
http://www.photodex.com/sharing/viewalbum.html?bm=90101

Photodex show...I think you'll like it!

Dates:
November 25 – December 1, 2005

Accommodations:
Black Durgon Inn. My wife and I loved the place…in fact, we enjoyed it so much that we booked a trip in July 2006 the day after we returned to Austin! That said, I’m not sure the Black Durgon is the best inn for everyone. It is a casual establishment; for example, there is a nice breakfast down in an open air kitchen by the water. Most likely Rick and Rona (the proprietors) will be around with their delightful little daughter. Al, Rona’s father and the fellow who established the Inn may be around as well. The overall feel is of hanging around with a group of friends. In addition, because the Inn is small, you will also have a lot of interaction with the other guests. So, if you are a laid back and social person who doesn’t stand on ceremony, I think it may be a good place for you. If you are looking for a more refined level of service, maybe not so much.

Our room, while a bit small, was spotlessly clean.

Diving
While Kenzie and I enjoyed Rick and Rona’s hospitality, I don’t think it takes anything away from them to say that the very best part of the Inn is the fabulous access to two great dive sites: Small Wall (south of the dock) and the Durgon House Reef (north of the dock). The access is easy (although you will need to haul tanks up and down from the streetside entryway) and having the cage right next to the dock is a very nice setup. There is only one rinse tank; no problems with the small number of divers at the Inn when we were there, but it could pose problems for bigger groups.

Of 14 dives that Kenzie and I did in 5 days, 12 were off of the dock at the Black Durgon. After a short coral rubble shelf, the sharply sloping reef runs down to a sandy floor at 40 meters with garden eels. Along the reef and wall are a nice collection of sponges and corals and an interesting cave at around 16 meters. By varying your rate of ascent and descent you have a great variety of dive profiles to choose from.

With the exception of several encounters with the resident tarpon, most of the life we saw was fairly small. Many types of eels (including a fight between two large spotted morays), squid, schools of trumpetfish and a common octopus being bothered by a soapfish were among the interesting critters.

Transport:
Uneventful in both directions from Austin, Texas. We were constrained a bit by using frequent flyer miles, so we flew on American into Curacao on the 24th and returned from Bonaire on the 1st. Got a last minute deal at the Kura Hulanda, which was nice. Flew from Curacao to Bonaire on Divi Divi Air, which I would HIGHLY recommend. (Call them up and they put your name on a list. When you go to the counter the day of the flight you pay. Easy as pie…and a much better experience than the sullen line at Bonaire Express!) Had a long layover in San Juan, so we took a bit of a trip to Old San Juan.

Rented from AB Car Rental. Decent vehicle, no complaints, although it is a bit of a pain to have to drop keys rather than check in with a human for the early morning flight to San Juan.

Food:
Ate several meals at the Lost Penguin. My wife, foodie and with a master’s in hospitality, was VERY impressed with the quality of the restaurant. We took a trip with Rick, Rona, and some guests to Maiky Shack, which we liked. On our last night we splurged on a tasty pizza at Pasa Bon.

[url=http://imageshack.us][img=http://img71.imageshack.us/img71/7271/dscf03820xp.jpg][/url]

Thanks for the report and glad you had a nice time at the Black Durgon.
I couldn't view the slide show. The screen comes up but nothing plays on it. Am I doing something wrong? I'd love to see it

George, nice report. I can't wait to look at the pictures! No remora off the Durgeon dock eh?

Darlene, try clicking on the center of the image under Photodex slide show. Very well done. Hope to see you this summer at the NE BT BBQ!

George -

Thank you for taking time to prepare and post your trip report. And we are delighted you had a good time and plan to return.

You say you flew on AA into Curacao from Austin. I assume that was not a direct flight, but I may be mistaken. Since we're in Dallas, we are always interested in alternate routes into BON from Texas. Would you please elaborate your travel route?

Gracias.

Charles Poteet
Dallas

George - Nice report. I tried twice to see your slide show, but both times it hung up my PC - and I had to close out an unresponsive application. I've stayed at the Black Durgon 6 times, and totally agree that if its atmosphere suits you, then it is the perfect place. One year my husband and I did all but a couple of dives right off the dock, as you did. His opinion was - why go anywhere else when we had everything right there!

We'll be back in July also!

Hey all...

The Photdex shows are pretty big, so if you have a slow connection it probably won't work right.

Dallas, we went from Austin-Dallas-San Juan-Curacao.

George,
We just missed you on our fourth trip to the Black Durgon in 2005. We feel like part of their family each visit. We may meet you in July if you are there during the first part of the month. It only gets better each visit. I am jealous you got to eat so many times at the Lost Penguin. My wife usually restricts me to one meal a trip there. Something about I should only order one serving of waffles, not three.

HI George and everyone,
Nice report, and thanks for such a rave review...I am glad you enjoyed yourself and our hospitality on your first trip (MacKenzie's 2nd) to the island and the Black Durgon. We really enjoyed having you and MacKenzie with us at the Inn and are thankful you choose to stay with us! We look forward to your return to Bonaire.

One nice thing about the place, is that my dad converted it from a guest house to an Inn, so no 2 rooms are the same, part of the charm some guests say; and I have to agree. You and MacKenzie will get to try out another room upon your return.

Cyn, I am happy to report, that unlike the resident Tarpon George wrote about, the famous remora has chosen to take up his residence in deeper water...Mike as well as another guest have spotted him on an eagle ray off the Wall.

Thanks again George,
Rona

BTW - Just wanted to clarify that Al is still the proprietor while Rick and I have the pleasure of working here and managing the place.

Rona, I'm still thinking seriously about writing a childrens book "Rona and the Remora"...If I actually get my act together, next time I'm on island I'll have to take a pic of your snorkeling for the cover ;-)

Thanks for the clarification of who is the "proprietor." I was thinking maybe your dad retired!

Cyn, it truly is a catchy title! A picture, fine, but a reenactment is out of the question.

Dad is still an active part, just has more time to enjoy himself. Rick does most of the Instruction, dive guiding, maintenance, etc. (Dad does the Scuba Instructor training.) I handle the day-to-day and computer "stuff". Emily, our 2 year old, with her personality and smile, has earned the title of "Director of Guest Relations". Now, she is a much cuter option for the cover of your book!

Rona, what, no "reenactment"? Probably a good idea, that might scare the little kiddies! LOL! You need to have a name tag made for Emily "Director of Guest Relations" tee hee

Excellent job! What great talent on this board!
This is one of the reasons why I do NOT do underwater photography.

George

Excellent slide show! We were able to feel like we were diving right alongside you. We too have found the Black Durgon Inn and have returned there many times. We have found the laid back atmosphere particularly suited to our vacation needs and Doris makes a mean breakfast! We have made friends with some of the other guests at the Inn during our stays and still keep in touch with them. Unfortunately due to the hassles of traveling between Boston and Bonaire we will not be returning this year, but we still visit this site frequently to avoid extreme PBD!