Well we've been here since Jan 31st and with the exception of our bags being 3 days late it's been great. I thought I would post some pictures from time to time. We had our best dive of the trip yesterday at Margate Bay. The vis was incredible and I have never seen up to 15 filefish schooling with the tangs and trumpetfish. We spent 1 hour 11 min's on the dive. What a day.

I am having trouble posting my pic's. Cutting and pasting doesn't work. Any suggestions?

Give this link a try.
http://www.oldbonairetalk.com/cgi-local/bbs/discus.cgi?pg=formatting

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Ok Bill.
\ image {name of pic}

When you do it do not have any spaces.

Note: {}, not [].

Thanks Jerry. I'll try that. The above attempt was trying to download from my photo site which didn't work either

Bill - even so the link works to the Ritz site where you have 10 pics. Love the yellow sea horse - great find.

When you do upload images here keep the file size under 100K.

Excellent pictures there Bill. Love the turtle and Golden Tailed Eel.

thanks. I sure enjoyed taking them.

Bill, if you would like, I can post them for you?

That would be great Gary. For some reason I can't get it to work.

Bill, I have done everything I can, the Ritz program will not alow me to copy your pic's. just email them to me at jerry@bonaire.me

Ritz is a PITA.

thanks for the posting Jerry. I couldn't have done it without you

You are welcome Bill.

Great pics Bill. Keep up the good work

wow very nice Bill very nice indeed!!!

fantastic!!!!! the shot of the goldentail is beautiful! What kind of camera did you use?

Great photos Bill! My vote goes to the shot of your companion with the turtle. Excellent. I like it!

YES - your buddy behind the turtle is exceptional. What a challenge to capture that "pose". Great work.

Bill - great shots! Thanks for sharing. My favorite is the spotted moray....I just love his (her?) expression....sums up my feelings at work today!

Good pics!!! I'm jealous....

Also I'm curious about the snap shackle on your right index finger......

great photos ! thanks

I'll try to answer all the questions:

1. Thanks for all the comments.
2. Carl the camera is a Sea Life DC500 with wide angle lens and external flash. It's very easy to use.
3. Vince that's no companion. That's my eternal dive buddy and life partner Peggy. She's a good model.
4. Glen the snap shackle on my right index finger is my tank banger.

Thanks again and especially to Jerry for posting them. I hope to see you all at Gibi's next week

I knew there had to be a good reason; didn't think you shackled your hand to something!!! TKS.

And when you use the camera you do what with the shackle???? Always curious about how the other guy does things; many times he has had better thoughts than mine. :–)

Would that I could meet at Gibi's!!!!



(Message edited by glenr on February 12, 2009)

Bill, most excellent dude...wow...doesn't make me miss Bonaire at all...nope, not one little bit, not even a teensy weensy bit (Glen, no grammar lessons...ok? lol)

wow...rock on dude

Crush



i just finished watching finding nemo

Oh....OK.

Sorry Bill, not this year. Enjoy the goat stew.

To answer your question Glen on the shackle, I don't do anything special with it when I'm taking pictures. I just use it in general to get my buddy's attention when I need it.

Well we had a couple of good dives yesterday. We did 1000 steps and Karpata. There seemed to be a lot of damage at 1000 steps however Karpata looked pretty good. I was disappointed that several of the large elkhorn coral I had remembered in the shallows were destroyed and laying on the bottom. However one of them remains and is in the pictures I'm posting.

Also forgive the 3 missteps on posting Jerry. I finally did figure out how to post the images.

If you think this thread belongs in the another section such as trip reports just move it and let me know.

thanks for your help

Yes Bill I am moving it to trip reports great photos... and I will clean up the thread a bit too...

Bill you don't have to write the WHOLE photo description down,, { Your throw aways are better than most others' keepers } just a brief description so you know what photo you want to up load..also if you have a PC rather than an Apple you can scroll over the photos to see the description ie: Spider Crab at Karpata would have been fine.. it hsould look like this when you post it \image{Spider Crab at karpata} mind the slash and sqiggly brackets.. or you could simply put \image{1} in it as well


(Message edited by scubahb on February 13, 2009)

thanks for info Freddie. That will save some time in the future.

Here's one I missed.

Lookin' for the "green flash" and a glass of wine on the waterfront

More great pics Bill - thanks.

excellent pics bill. i'll be diving with the photo class this morning (who knows??? maybe i can get pics like that too)...just me and marge, mary and ernie aren't doing the class. i'll look for you at blachi koko when i'm done.

bill, you are killing me here...

on the last pic of your wonderful wife, I thought it looked like turtle flippers sticking up behind her head, then i realized it's part of her bandanna...lol...

Wow Bill, great photos. Thanks you for posting so many!! Love them!

I also love that you have so many photos of LIVE EELS

awesome!!!!! keep those fabulous pics coming!!! 20 weeks til Bonaire for me!! can't wait!!

thanks for all the comments.

Tink she isn't my wife but maybe one day if she doesn't get sick of me that may happen. Actually you could say she has sprouted flippers. She's probably the only other person I know that loves diving, Bonaire, etc. as much as I do.

Krispi, I love the eels. There are so many varieties and I never get tired of watching them. our first day diving we had a green eel swim with us up and down the reef for 10 min's at Red Slave. I've never had one do that before. Red Slave never disappoints

Another couple of great dives today. The first was at The Cliff and the second at Margate Bay. Margate Bay continues to be my favorite site so far this trip. The reef is the best I've seen on this trip and the fish life is really abundant.

/image{Scorpionfish}
/image{Sharptail Eel}
/image{Banded Coral Shrimp}
/image{Lobster}

fabulous
es

ok..that does it...bill, i'm calling you tonight about diving tomorrow...you're finding all the good stuff.

Bill...oops on the wifey thing...lol!

Still excellent photos....keep em' coming..even though it is NOT helping my PBD!

Hi Pat....WAVE!

WOW; That lobster does look yummy...
**Cynde** That photo of you & Annie is hilarious LOL

Love the pictures! I hope I'm lucky enough to see so much great stuff when I return to Bonaire in May. Glad to see pics from the DC500 since I've been contemplating getting a new camera before my trip.
Thanks Bill

***Tink- I'm watching Finding Nemo right now! My 3 mo old son seems to love it all most as much as I do!

-Chris

Now THATS what i call a trip report!!! love the pictures. keeps me on my mental vacation while im stuck out here in Kosovo
Thanks BILL
Mitch

Bill, these are wonderful shots. Thanks for sharing. We are heading back to Bon in about six weeks and it cannot get here quick enough. Your photos are a nice way to get through the wait

Where were you when you captured the sunset photo with the catamarans? Salsa? (Did you see the green flash?)

Thanks for the comments Mitch and Liz.

Liz I'm not sure what the name of the restaurant was but it's across from and just to the south of the bar/restaurant that extends out over the water. It's an open air patio with lots of coconut palms.

We had a couple of good dives yesterday one at Margate Bay and the other at the Invisibles. We dove with our good friends and fellow BT'rs Mary and Pat Murphy and our visitors from Miami Susan and Dennis.

Vis seemed a little better. I'm posting a few pictures but there is one critter that I see all the time but don't know it's name. It's about an inch long and you see it hanging out around sea fans and coral heads. Any help would be appreciated. It is the 3rd picture posted.

Fireworm on the double reef at the Invisibles


Spotted Eagle Ray at Margate Bay


Unknown fish at the Invisibles

Bill.. Looks like you're having a terrific vacation..Excellent photos. Those of us "back home" are all enjoying the photos & vicariously enjoying your dives.

It's the least I can do for my fellow BT'rs Vince. I know you would do the same

thanks

Sharpnose puffer!!! I love those little guys! Your photos are amazing. Thanks for posting them (keep em coming!).

And a bearded fire worm hanging out around the corals and fans as usual. They come in a variety of colors. Check this link...

http://www.deepseaimages.com/dsilibrary/showgallery.php?cat=753

or this link ......

http://www.marinelifeimages.com/photostore/search.php

And keep those pics coming. Like Pat - I'm diving with you for all the good stuff.

Any "calamari on the hoof" yet ??

mary saw two reef squid the other day at front porch. marge and i were busy doing our macro thing for our class so we didn't see them. tomorrow is the final review of our photos then we can dive just to dive again.

I haven't seem an Calamari yet but several people we know have. Our neighbors saw them mating at The Wall but we can't figure out a way to get in there without a boat.

Great pics. Thanks for sharing. I especially like the scrawled filefish... They're my favorite but never saw so many together at once.

Great job Bill excellent photos! Glad to see the marine life with all the variety is still doing well. Looks like you are having better dives down south rather than up north from what you are commenting on. Would you agree? Land on the island sat. morning and even though we are staying up north sounds like we need to spend more water time down south.. Safe diving to you and your partner and keep the pics coming....

Well done Bill

Hey DFWtraveler. I don't want to slam northern sites. We did Karpata today and it was excellent. I think the Brown Chromis were spawning. It was a very healthy reef and lots of fish. Unfortunately I slipped on some algae coming out and landed tank first on my back. As I speak I'm laying here with an ice pack on my foot and hoping I can still dive in a day or two.

Anywayyyyyy. The last couple of days the vis has really improved. My two favorite sites on this trip are Red Slave and Margate Bay so far.

I think the southern sites fared between from the storm but there is still plenty to see up north.

I'm not very objective though. I just love Bonaire.

We had two great dives yesterday, one at Red Slave and the other at Karpata. However on the exit from Karpata my foot slipped on some algae and I landed on my back on the rocks. Luckily I landed on my tank but my foot got hung in the rocks on the melee and I'm now nursing it with ice. It is a little better this morning but still prett stiff but I think the ice has helped. Pictures are attached.

A unique way of watching the green flash


Scorpionfish on night dive at The Invisibles


Anenome at Red Slave


Bait Ball in shallows at Red Slave


Porcupine Fish


Susan, Dennis, Peggy & Bill ready to dive at Karpata


Peggy and Seahorse at Windsock

Karpata Reef with Dennis in the background

Bill, thanks for the great pictures. What a wonderful rebuttal to those who rushed to write the obituary of Bonaire's reefs after Omar.

Thanks Leo,
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and it isn't hard to find here.

Recently I had a friend who spent a day here on a cruise and told me he didn't get what I loved about Bonaire. Being on a cruise he was looking for the glitz and I told him he needed to go underwater when in fact I love the topside on Bonaire just as much. Really a waste of some good energy to explain it.

We know though don't we

Does anyone know what kind of fish that were in the bait ball I posted today? It's the one entitled "Bait ball in shallows at Red Slave"

Thanks

Yup. To paraphrase Garrison Keilor: to expect to understand what Bonaire is all about, after a half day shore visit from a cruise ship, is the same as expecting to wake up a car mechanic, after you spent a night sleeping in a garage.

Hope the injured foot wont stop you from further dives.

Bill - Use the ice bucket your Polars come in - that way you don't have to walk to get refreshments :-)

These are great shots - I can't wait to get there...

who needs a doctor when have this kind of great advice. I like the 6 1/2 ounce Amstel high test myself but I guess the ice bucket will with either.

I like that saying Leo.. Nice quote..
Bonaire doesn't have the obvious topside beauty that many expect from a tropical island. Her allure topside can be more subliminal.

But rest assured Bonaire does grow on you. To quote a Phil Collins hit song, "She's an easy lover". We've been to many islands in the Carib but have always returned to Bonaire.

Bill-Sorry to hear about your fall sounds as if you may have gotten yourself an island tattoo Really hope the foot heals quickly and is not a problem so that you can enjoy the rest of your time on island. Great photos again and the bait ball may be a scull mottled mojarra?

Hey DFW diver we or from DFW and the 4 of us arrive this coming tuesday for 9 days it is our 8th trip to Bonaire and just love it . It will be our first attempt of under water photo do have a tip on a photo class.

What kind of camera do you have? There are a bunch of good photographers on Bonaire that do classes.

I would suggest that you look at the Photography thread and ask your questions there:

http://www.oldbonairetalk.com/newsgroup/messages/116771/116771.html?1234832739

Good luck

Mike
As Bill stated there are a number of great photographers on bonaire and all the major resorts offer some kind of class. With that being said I have to suggest that you check out Tim at fish eye photo in the Den Laman condominiums he is wonderful and very good!
There will be six of us on this trip and will be there from feb.21 through march1.

Well we spent our day yesterday topside due to rain and the fact that our friends were going home today and were offgassing yesterday. Only did one dive today but it was great. We did something special and I have to go back there for a night dive. Peggy spotted a yellow frog fish unfortunately in he was face down in a sponge and I couldn't get a shot of his face but thankful to have seen him anyway. I'm doing the easy entries right now due to the Karpata injury on my foot. I hope to get back to normal in a couple of days.

Enjoy

Juvenile Angelfish


Bristle Stars on Sponge


Golden Tail Moray


Juvenile Spotted Drum


Longlure Frogfish


Purple Anenome

Hey Bill I have a cannon g10 with a fisheye housing and 110a sea and sea storbe.Ihave heard of Tim at fisheye before so I think I will check it out.DFW diver maybe we will see you on the reef.We dive a lot on the south end of the island as our condo is at the Bellafonte and my wife is challenged by some of the shore dives. She likes the easiness of the boat dives or the house reef.Thanks Mike