Here's Part 2 of our trip report:
Mike was very pleased with Toucan Diving. He went on several one-tank dives to different sites on Klein Bonaire, and thought it was great that the divemaster would choose their destination each time after polling the divers to find out where they’d already been, to avoid re-runs. There was no problem finding a dive buddy; if no other "single" divers were on the boat, the divemaster was Mike’s buddy. The cost for diving, either packages or a la carte, was quite reasonable at Toucan Diving; we’ve paid more for snorkeling trips at other locations. The boats were not crowded, and the entire dive operation seemed very well organized, with helpful, engaging personnel. The dive shop is nice, with a decent selection of merchandise including shirts, books, fins, masks and the like.
As for the snorkeling… I was in heaven every day. When the week was over, I’d identified over 50 species of fish and critters, and had taken nine rolls of film with our underwater camera (my husband managed to wrestle it away from me for a couple of his dives, though.) Most of the time I wore a bathing suit with a T-shirt, although I did wear a shortie when snorkeling later in the afternoons and at night. I think I would have roasted in the shortie during the middle of the day. Besides snorkeling off the Plaza’s Beach, we went to Pink Beach, Windsock and 1,000 Steps. Also drove over to Lac Bay, but it was really windy that day, no one else was around, and we weren’t clear on the best point of entry for snorkeling there, so we skipped it.
The beach at Pink Beach was the largest beach we visited on Bonaire, with fine, powdery white sand. The snorkeling there is good, but you must swim out a distance beyond the sandy bottom before there’s anything to see. There are lots of soft corals and purple sponges here, but everything is kind of spread out, and in rather deeper water. Lots more blue chromis here than I saw elsewhere. The day we were there, the current wasn’t a factor, but I understand that it sometimes can be. Windsock is a terrific site, chock full of corals and fish, and it all begins right at the water’s edge. Here’s where we first found a few huge rainbow parrotfish, much larger than the queens, princesses and stoplights. We went to 1,000 Steps early one morning, hoping there wouldn’t be much current, and it was great. Schools of black durgons were here, the only place I found them when snorkeling. Found an octopus here, which changed color instantaneously several times as we photographed it. A dog came out from the beach and snorkeled with us a little – well, he just swam, actually. We had no idea where he belonged, as we were the only people there at the time, but he was quite friendly.
I did most of my snorkeling right off the beach of the Plaza Resort, and every day was a revelation. My first night snorkel was quite a revelation, as well, when this 5-foot tarpon decided to become my newest best friend. He probably wanted us to spotlight some dinner for him, since he stayed right with us the whole time we were in the water. I’d typically spend a couple-three hours snorkeling in front of the Plaza each morning, and then do it again in the late afternoon. Got to know where an octopus lives, just offshore a bit toward the northern end of the beach. Found the home of a schoolmaster, under a coral ledge, with his neighbor, a spotted drum, living just behind him. There were always several barracuda around the inlet to the lagoon, alert for a passing tasty morsel. Lots of opportunities for close-up photos, with orange cup corals, purple anenomes, feather dusters, Christmas trees, and red-lip blennies popping up everywhere. Protective damselfish would come up to investigate the camera and shoo us away. A trio of French angelfish played with us every day, coming right up to our outstretched fingers and following us everywhere. Saw a couple of small moray eels, a huge porcupine fish, and a fabulous scorpion fish (who’ll probably look like a rock in the photographs, but hey, that’s his intention!) I could go on and on, describing all the fish, corals and other critters – suffice it to say that snorkeling in Bonaire is tops. I found that snorkeling in the Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, and in Curacao is good, but it seems to me that the variety of fish is considerably greater on Bonaire, and maybe I’m nuts, but the fish seem friendlier and much more approachable. I was fortunate to observe and learn more about fish behavior, and "a day in the life of the reef" on Bonaire than I ever had done anywhere before.
I know I’m probably leaving out lots of information, so if anyone has any specific questions, feel free to e-mail me directly at Deb0224@aol.com. I know Mike and I will return to Bonaire, again and again we hope!
--Deborah
P.S. There's a picture in my profile -- not of me, but of my friend "Smiley" from Curacao... He's good for a smile or two! |
By Deborah Campbell on Tuesday, September 28, 1999 - 4:58 pm: 
