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Trip Reports: Scott's Trip Report Pt. 5: Final Thoughts
Bonaire Talk: Trip Reports: Archives: Archives 2006-2008: Archives - 2006-08-31 to 2006-12-31: Scott's Trip Report Pt. 5: Final Thoughts
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Scott Phillips (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #515) on Saturday, November 25, 2006 - 10:04 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

After 10 trips to Bonaire, it always feels like coming home in a way. I could go there any time, and could stay for as long as my life and budget allow. This trip was just fanastic, and for most of the usual reasons: great diving, diving freedom, nice people (both tourists and locals), good food, etc., etc.

I can't really say that I've seen much in the way of any major change on the island in the last year. It's still pretty mellow (except for a few of those kids zooming around on the really loud motorcycles), and it may be coincidence but I did see quite a bit more visible police presence this year (actually passed police vehicles quite a few times) which I think is a good thing. Knock on wood, but in ten trips we've never experienced or seen any crime; don't get me wrong, I KNOW very well that it happens, especially to locals. Buddy Dive Resort feels even safer to me; yeah, this may be a superficial illusion, but the security guards are always around at night, and are even checking cars entering the resort after dark. The opinions I got from folks regarding the upcoming effect of closer ties to Holland were mixed, but I think generally people are hopeful that things will improve.

One thing I noticed this trip (and please bear in mind that I have absolutely no training in marine biology or anything remotely resembling it), was that there was what appeared to me to be some negative things going on under the seas, specifically more red algae than I can recall from the past, and a bit of what appears to this untrained eye to be coral bleaching going on in spots. Nothing super-widespread or anything, but noticeable. My hopes and wishes for solutions both local (sewage/runoff prevention) and global (CO2 emissions/warming) are out there, but my optimism is not high.

As always, the people in Bonaire were a wonderful part of our experience. We have come to know quite a few kind, warm folks who live on the island, and met a few more on this trip (dive guide Bas, Eddie the Wildside divemaster, many proprieters of establishments, a few new divemasters at Buddy's). We also ran into some BTer's from the states (particularly Seb and Mare, who were nice enough to pop in a Buddy's to say hi) and met lots of folks from North America and Europe (particularly Nevis and Dejan from Ireland by way of Slovenia, with whom we broke bread few times).

The weather was superb, no windless days so it felt relatively cool, temps seemed to be more like high 80's instead of low 90's, typical "rainy season" precipitation (brief 2-5 minute showers, sometimes pouring on one part of the island and absolutely dry and sunny only a few miles away), although we did have quite a bit of rain one night followed by a little more than the usual amount of brief showers the next day.

We've been back for 5 days now, and yes, there's a bit of PBD and more than a bit of what I always experience after a dive-intensive trip (lots of "the boat is rocking" feeling, some fatigue, and what I can only describe -- probably inaccurately -- as "still off-gassing/too much nitrogen in my system"......but I'm ready to go back anytime. Bonaire is a wonderful place......

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By James T. McPeak (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #424) on Sunday, November 26, 2006 - 1:20 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

That was a msot excellent reflection Scott. I liked it very much. Thanks.

 


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