Well, we're back from 9 days of wonderful Bonaire again. Stayed at the Sand Dollar (second time around) in the 3 bedroom F21. It was great. The location with the seawall right there is just mag!
Got great sunset pix. I personally ended up diving Bari 3 times this trip. Honestly, it is ALMOST the best dive I've had on the island. The only better one is Oil Slick - can't top that entry (we jump off the platform backwards )
Anyway, as usual Mary at Sand $ took good care of us and got us a top notch condo. Truly enjoyed it!
We finally dove 1000 steps - will never do it again! Not even due to the steps! The dive was about the worst viz wise and saw nothing good or new for that much hassle!
The boys went fishing again this year.. Skunked again! Pecatur is either have a bad two years - or there are really no fish for the catching! Glad I didn't partake this year - I would have been mad getting up at 5am and spending over $100 pp to ride around on a stinky boat for 6 hours. NO THANKS!

All in all - was a great trip. Minus the bugs that were extremely bad this year - it was near perfect!

What do you suggest doing to minimize the hassle with the bugs?

Bonaire is only 17 days away. But who is counting <grins>

Well, we went through 3-4 cans of deep woods off (there were 9 of us) and several of us still were covered. I had them on my head and fingers even! The locals were saying they were really bad this year for some reason.
I don't have a great cure for you, it's pretty miserable. Just be sure to cover yourself at night - they are worse. One of the group ended up at the hospital one night with "Dengay?" fever - although we're not sure that is what he really had. This is from the mosquito bites, but only from the ones during the day!
We asked several locals and they said they have just gotten used to it - so no sure fired answer there either.

Good luck and hopefully they won't like to bite you!

During the summer I drank 1+ tablespoons of apple cider vinegar each day (added to a 1 liter nalgene bottle I keep at my desk). Someone in my backpacking group suggested this before our annual trip earlier this year. I found this natural bug repellent worked very well, even at the buggy Jersey shore (where they sell t-shirts that the NJ state bird is the mosquito!). I plan to start this routine 3 weeks before we leave for Bonaire early next year.

Sue, how do you get that stuff down?

Tami, glad you had a good time, Bari is one of my favorite reefs as well.

Tami, I think you mean dengue fever. I've read about one case on Bonaire from a tourist a couple years ago. Do you know if that's what the person had?

Cyn,

Thanks for the correction. The hospital said that's what they "thought" he had, but he only saw a nurse there. His wife is also a nurse back here in Oklahoma and she was pretty sure it wasn't that. But, he had all the symptoms! Bad aches, 105 degree fever - but he wasn't the one getting bit! Anyway, it took him about 2 days to get back to normal (which if it were dengue fever they said it would be a week). So, we assumed it wasn't the fever - but never really know what it was. He's a trouper, so he didn't let it get him down too bad.
I now have some scaring from the bits I got while there, so I'm excited to see the natural way to do this. I will sure try it next time.

Thanks all!

My niece in Aruba got dengue fever and was pretty sick for a couple of weeks. Fortunately her mom is a nurse and she's pre-med so she stayed home through most of it. It's usually takes a few weeks to get through it.
My sons got eaten alive with mosquitos in Aruba and ended up at the Pediatrician's, but I rarely get bit. We joke it's because the mosquitos know I was born there. It worked for me in Bonaire this year also. They did not bother me in Bonaire either. I was thrilled, but should I be offended??? Most of my friends and family that come with me use something with Deet but I've heard about Sue's remedy about Apple Cider Vinegar from friends who camp a lot. They swear by it.

Tami, nothing worse than begin ill on holiday...and in a foreign country!

I use Avon Skin So Soft. It has worked best for me. I have to remember to spray it on often. They even have towelettes that you can take to dinner and give the legs and ankles a quick swipe. I make sure I take benedryl anti-itch cream with me too. I always end up with a few coming home, but I do have a friend that get's eaten alive regardless of what she does...you gals must be the naturally sweet and tasty one's ;-)

I tried the Avon stuff last year and it didn't work for me either. But nothing works too well at home... So I think it's just me
Seems the women get more bites than the men by far!
We always take "After Bite" and benedryl - it's a life saver for sure. The benedryl really saved me when I got the bite on my forehead!
So, BIO - good luck! Take some of the aforementioned.

I am also someone who gets horrible allergic reactions to mosquito bites (they mulitply days after I've been eaten alive), so the vinegar was a huge relief.

I put 2 caps of apple cider vinegar in 1 liter of water. It's diluted and gives the water a mild apple cider taste - not unpleasant. Another option is to add one of the individual packets of crystal lite ice tea.

Sue, I think I could stomach it with the crystal lite. I'm going to forward this to my friend who gets eaten alive. She was going to even check with her doctor. This last trip she was covered. So, you start drinking that 3 weeks before your trip? and is it 1 liter a day?

Hi Tami! I love Bari Reef as well. When we do Oil Slick we jump from the cliff. Our nephew has a blast there. We were going in one time and these people were over on the platform climbing down the ladder. They thought we were nuts. It is by far one of the best entrances. Glad your trip went well.

In 1990 I flew into Cannouan and the small shack / airport terminal had a sign saying "Welcome to Cannouan, we have Dengue Fever"..can you imagine? My friend from Aruba had it..it's quiet bad over there from what she has told me.

Tami...I think more women get bit because they usually put lotion and/or perfume on after a shower. Men just don't do that stuff. Bugs love that!

I'm the type that just never gets bitten..even when everyone else does. But after a bad rain and staying near the puddles one time on Bon...even I got bitten all over my legs by the no-see-ums.

I think mosquito attraction must be inherited. When my dad was around, everyone else was fine. Now that he's gone, I'm the one in the family they go after (my husband's family doesn't have issues). My son seems to be carrying on the Ryan family tradition - he gots eaten alive when I'm not around.

I try to drink at least 1 liter of water a day at my desk. I just fill up the bottle in the morning and drink it all day.

I started 2-3 weeks before my backpacking trip to the White Mountains in July and kept it up until after Labor Day.

I've heard mosquitos are attracted to certain scents & I guess my unaltered sweat is what they like. Drinking the vinegar makes your sweat/scent less appealing.

I am definitely going to try the vinegar trick. Last year I started getting eaten alive as soon as I got off the plane. Thanks for the great tip.

Tami - regarding the poor fishing trip - maybe you might want to try a different guide - we went out on the 15th with "Chris" and caught a LOT of fish - 5 Wahoo, 3 Barracuda, and lots of pan size Black Tuna. Had a GREAT time! Try him out next time - you can find his boat next to Vespucci's by the marina, next to Bongo's beach.

(Message edited by raygai on November 20, 2006)

Tami - regarding the poor fishing trip - maybe you might want to try a different guide - we went out on the 15th with "Chris" and caught a LOT of fish - 5 Wahoo, 3 Barracuda, and lots of pan size Black Tuna. Had a GREAT time! Try him out next time - you can find his boat next to Vespucci's by the marina, next to Bongo's beach.

Mosquitoes are attracted to CO2 (Carbon Dioxide). The more your body "breathes", the more they are attracted. Respiration and sweating are two different things.

Jersey Devil

Bo, welcome to Bonaire Talk. How can we get our bodies to "breathe" less on Bonaire so we don't get bit?

Ray...So as to avoid confusion, Captain Chris & Piscatur are one & the same.

Yep, we've used Chris the past two years. Not a thing! Spoken to lots of locals and they say he's the best, so if you don't catch something, then it's just not there to catch. It's nothing against him or his operation, but I won't waste my money there again!

Cyn, In answer to your question.
Avoid any sweaty activities, especially at "night"-LOL

Carter, I start dripping the moment I get off the plane, and don't stop till I get back on the plane...I am "heat intolerant" so regardless of what I do I sweat (oh, excuse me, women "glow")...then add a hot flash to the top of it and it's all over with!