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Trip Reports: On Island, Having a Blast!
Bonaire Talk: Trip Reports: Archives: Archives 05-01-10 to 08-31-10: On Island, Having a Blast!
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Debbie B.~ Jersey Gal(*) (BonaireTalk Deity - Post #12537) on Tuesday, August 17, 2010 - 12:48 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

This trip has been really special since it is the first time due to knee surgeries that I have been able to dive. The time finally came and whoa! Yowya! It has been incredible!!!

Kinda romantic as hubby and I hold hands going in, just to be on safe side with the new knee. :)

First dive, as we descend on the reef, we are greeted by three tarpon strolling by. Nice! Then well, it was just awesome, saw my first lionfish too.

Huge schools of jacks, and OMG! today we went and guess what goes by, yup! you guessed it! A pod of dolphins!!!!! WooHoo! Did a happy dance on that one! And middle of the dive, we got to see a goliath grouper, that boy was huge!!! I think it's mouth could have swallowed my head! :) Lots of the schools of all sorts to add to the dive and lots of cool little creatures and fish on way back. I almost forgot my tank was leaking air, but my buddy had my back and made sure we got to shore before I ran out. :)

Diving has been so really cool as well as sitting on the beach in the morning watching a flock of flamingos go by low on the water heading south. I just love watching them. The iguanas and lizards here have been putting on a show and we got Lornas this year (parrots) that hang out and sing for us.

Just a really cool start to vacation.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By KOB (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #123) on Tuesday, August 17, 2010 - 1:18 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Debbie -- wow, you saw a lot on first dive !! What was the dive site ?? Enjoy your trip. 32 days & counting !!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Carl (*) (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #1863) on Tuesday, August 17, 2010 - 1:46 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

WTG DEBBIE!!!! Nice return to the Ocean!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jerry (BonaireTalk Deity - Post #28133) on Tuesday, August 17, 2010 - 2:42 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

We should all go visit Debbie:)

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Yo MO (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #5921) on Tuesday, August 17, 2010 - 3:11 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Debbie - this sounds so nice....I'm not jealous. OH wait - yes I am. ENJOY! It think we'll just call you the Bionic Woman - they did re-build you yes?

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Debbie B.~ Jersey Gal(*) (BonaireTalk Deity - Post #12538) on Tuesday, August 17, 2010 - 5:12 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Should clarify, not all on one dive, but three. :)
All I can say is the south side rocks!

Smack stopped by today, it was so great to give him a hug and meet him in person. :)

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Lori Mulhisen (BonaireTalker - Post #88) on Tuesday, August 17, 2010 - 7:45 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

If I recall from your previous posts, you have been blessed with dolphin sightings multiple times before. We should call you the "dolphin whisperer!" I think I would loose the regulator from dropping my jaw if I saw just one dolphin while I was submerged! Enjoy your island time and may you whisper to many more dolphins (but not so many lionfish) on this trip.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Debbie B.~ Jersey Gal(*) (BonaireTalk Deity - Post #12539) on Tuesday, August 17, 2010 - 8:18 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Lori, yes I have! And usually this time of year you don't see dolphins, so it was really cool that they are still hanging around. :)

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Debbie B.~ Jersey Gal(*) (BonaireTalk Deity - Post #12540) on Tuesday, August 17, 2010 - 8:24 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Patrice outdid himself at Bistro de Paris tonight.
Gregg had the lamb shank, cooked to such tenderness for over 7 hours and I tried the Chateau briand, but first started off with the french onion soup. Everything was delish. I just love his rosato.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Debbie B.~ Jersey Gal(*) (BonaireTalk Deity - Post #12541) on Tuesday, August 17, 2010 - 8:26 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

KOB, saw them going south, at Angel City this morning.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Nancy Klune (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #132) on Tuesday, August 17, 2010 - 9:10 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Debbie, you really need to relax and learn to have fun!
LOL LOL LOL

We'll be there tomorrow. Yeeeeehaw

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Dave Goodwin * (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #671) on Tuesday, August 17, 2010 - 11:47 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

"...it was so great to give him a hug and meet him in person..."

Really?? Seriously?? Smack??




 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By dfwtravler (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #203) on Wednesday, August 18, 2010 - 3:14 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Debbie,So glad you and Gregg are back on island and you are able to "DIVE AGAIN". I know it has been a long road of recovery and rehab. Hold on tight to Gregg and no knee twist. Enjoy your time and many blessing to you both:)

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By elaine sculley (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #1602) on Wednesday, August 18, 2010 - 9:33 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

debbie
have a fab time. so glad ur knee is alll better
es

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Eric M. "CamMan" (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #1301) on Wednesday, August 18, 2010 - 12:07 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

It seems like all of a sudden there are a lot of Goliath Grouper sightings. Is it just me or is this kind of new? I think the largest grouper we saw in December was maybe a foot long. Perhaps these big boys will develop a taste for lion fish. I know that the reports of grouper eating lion fish are not really well founded but would be nice to have a natural predator controlling them.

Did you report that lion fish debbie?

So jealous of your dolphin encounters. Maybe next time.

e.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jerry (BonaireTalk Deity - Post #28143) on Wednesday, August 18, 2010 - 6:27 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

No pic's, Yah, I swam with a frog fish school.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Judy T (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #5670) on Wednesday, August 18, 2010 - 6:38 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Debbie - fantastic news on the knee :) Bonaire is truly a magical place :) You've seen such cool stuff so far :) And got to see/swim with your dolphin buddies - I think they've been waiting for you :) :) :) :) :)
Wishing you many more great days on our favorite island.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By "Barbie"Ruth******Ken's forever love (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #4786) on Wednesday, August 18, 2010 - 7:23 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Debbie!!! So happy that you are enjoying diving again! Love that you are seeing so much and that the romance is back ;)

Ken and I had the same exact dinner that you and Gregg enjoyed at Bistro! It was awesome as well!

Enjoy your days and nights! Keep up that hand holding :)

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Debbie B.~ Jersey Gal(*) (BonaireTalk Deity - Post #12544) on Thursday, August 19, 2010 - 7:50 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Eric, tagged and reported. :)

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Debbie B.~ Jersey Gal(*) (BonaireTalk Deity - Post #12546) on Thursday, August 19, 2010 - 8:00 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Jerry, maybe some pics next week, this week I am just working on staying upright! LOL! Ya know I have learned how to post them now too!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By K & J Green (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #7) on Thursday, August 19, 2010 - 9:40 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Debbie - We are so jealous - but we are next. Wishing we were there. Packing and re-packing. Don't want to forget my can opener.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Debbie B.~ Jersey Gal(*) (BonaireTalk Deity - Post #12548) on Thursday, August 19, 2010 - 11:52 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Ah, Karen, we got a can opener here. :)

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Debbie B.~ Jersey Gal(*) (BonaireTalk Deity - Post #12549) on Thursday, August 19, 2010 - 4:35 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

OMG! Today's last dive was just the bomb! I am now walking in and out of dive sites with gear on and Gregg just holding my hand. Knee is doing great.

I am so happy I could just bust!!!!! We submerge on the reef and hubby asks me which way left or right? What? I get to choose? Oh Boy, so we go left, good choice!

Cruising along and note viz is just about 80 feet, that's o.k., still plenty to see. Lots of soft corals and I am determined to find a frogfish or maybe, just maybe a seahorse this time around. I am deep into studying each nook and cranny when Gregg is trying his darnest to get my attention, I look up and he is pointing down the reef, o.k., I look, I don't see anything, and he is waving and waving, like WTH, don't ya see it?

So, I look harder and this huge rock I thought was a rock was a turtle the size of a VW for gosh sakes covered in barnacles. His fins were so big, I think if it swatted us, we would have been airborne, it was so big.

All I kept thinking is ~ Gosh, they do get that big, they do exist! Mast flooded half mast due to my smiling so much. Didn't care, watched that big boy for a long time till he went back in the blue.

Continued on and tagged a lionfish, which I actually spotted all on my own, Gregg spotted the other one the other day. We get to our turn around point and start our journey back, well, you know the feeling of coming up on an eagle ray and it's like WOW!, right? Well, we had two, not one do that to US! Pretty cool, and they swam alongside of us just cruising along. Came upon a channel where lots of sand was and a southern ray gets into the act and flys up at us. COOL! He was fast moving too.

Never did see the frogfish or seahorses I was looking for, but waht a dive, we get to our decompression stop and Gregg waves me on to get to the shore and I was like NOooooooo, I don't wanna go, still have air, but did so being a good dive buddy knowing he did not have a much air as I did.

Life is good and Mother Ocean has been smiling a lot on us lately. :)

And, no, Jerry, no camera, I don't think I could have taken a picture with mask flooding anyway from all the smiling I was doing, darn laugh lines do it every time.

Till the next dive and oh yeah, there is gonna be lots more! WooHoo!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Diane and Bea (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #726) on Thursday, August 19, 2010 - 4:39 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

love to see the Dolphins . what an experience

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By "Barbie"Ruth******Ken's forever love (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #4798) on Thursday, August 19, 2010 - 4:45 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Debbie, I felt like I was there with you...thanks for bringing your dive to life for us!

Happy diving, my friend, happy diving! :)

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By T-Shirt Divers John and Sue (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #845) on Saturday, August 21, 2010 - 12:44 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Debbie, where did you see the grouper & big turtle? Was it way down south?

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Debbie B.~ Jersey Gal(*) (BonaireTalk Deity - Post #12550) on Saturday, August 21, 2010 - 1:07 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Yup!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Debbie B.~ Jersey Gal(*) (BonaireTalk Deity - Post #12554) on Saturday, August 21, 2010 - 4:20 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Sue, YGM. :)

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Debbie B.~ Jersey Gal(*) (BonaireTalk Deity - Post #12571) on Saturday, August 28, 2010 - 7:33 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Our time on island has flown by as always here. Sad to bid adieu today.

Water temps have been a steady 85 degrees this time around, nice!

Had some awesome diving and really enjoyed all Mother Ocean had to offer us. :) Beauty of a day here, no wind and skies are so blue.

Till next time...and yes, there will be next time!

 


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