Last Day on Bonaire

My apologies dear reader for the lack of posts since Mid-Weekend on Bonaire. Unlike our cruises where there is plenty of time to relax, our dive vacation is more active with lots to do.

As we sit here this morning on our balcony, our friends Tim, Jody, Kelsey and Jerry have departed for home. Our three-bedroom suite now seems so empty without them.

We woke up today at 4:00AM to see them off to catch their 7:30AM flight. Neither Dona nor I could sleep after that, so we sat on our balcony to watch the sunrise:

This past Thursday we did three dives, the first being a deep dive to 130 feet - the maximum for recreational divers. We felt the increased pressure at that depth, along with our symptoms of gas narcosis. For me it was the same feeling of slight intoxication, just like after having one drink.

The second dive was Dona and I toodling around the reef, just exploring. Our third was our final dive here on Bonaire. All six of us dove together, spent most of our time at around 30 feet, taking our last look at this magnificent reef. The sheer abundance of life, and seeing how it thrives is quite frankly very humbling. Nature works in the most wonderous ways. We saw a couple octopus, frog fish, lion fish, a massive moray eel, numerous angel fish and sergeant-majors. We spent 68 minutes on this dive, knowing it would be the last time we see this beautiful reef - for two years. Yes, we the Aquanuts made a pact to return here two years hence and experience again this beautiful Bonaire Marine Park.

So what are the accommodations like here at Buddy Dive? Quite good. Not as fancy as say a Sandals Resort, but we paid far less than what they would charge. We were happy. Here is the front view of our building:

A picture of the foyer. Up the stairs to the right on the second level was our room and Tim & Jody's room was to the left:

Here you turned left and followed Tim to the common area:

Right behind you is the kitchenette. Jody is grabbing some water and juices from the fridge:

Up to the second floor. This is the room Dona and I stayed in. Note our travelling companions hanging out on the bed:

And here is one of the bathrooms:

All in all, they are nice rooms.

Yesterday (Friday) was a compulsory day off from diving prior to our departure today. We must not dive the day before flying in order to give our bodies the chance to get rid of the excess nitrogen we've built up in our bodies over the last few days. Since a typical airline cabin is pressurized to the equivalent of 8,000 feet, we really don't want excess nitrogen to come out of our blood and form tiny but painful bubbles - the bends.

Instead we went to the Washington Slagbaai National Park on the north end of Bonaire. This used to be the last plantation on Bonaire until it was turned over to STINAPA - Bonaire's parks authority. The landscape is more arid than the rest of the island. It really reminds me of Arizona: 

Of course, there is always the Caribbean Sea and this happy couple: 

At one of the stops in the park is a lake with several pink flamingos hanging out. You may be able to see them in the background: 

We returned to Kralendijk in time for the end of the first FIFA World Cup match, this between Netherlands and Spain. Netherlands won handily 5-1. Being a former Dutch colony with a significant Dutch population, the entire island went nuts: 

This is El Mundo, a popular sports bar in Kralendijk shortly after the game ended. Orange is the national colour of the Netherlands:

To sum up, this was an amazing trip. We had the good fortune of traveling and diving with four of our dearest friends. You could not pick a better group of six people to travel with. Dona and I also achieved a number of diving milestones. Dona did her 50th dive, and we all saw a seahorse on that dive. I did my 50th dive not long after with my life and scuba buddy Dona; we just toodled up and down Buddy Reef marvelling at the sheer abundance of marine life. Both Dona and I earned our PADI Deep and Wreck Diver Specialties. I completed my PADI Underwater Navigator Specialty after a set of very challenging dives. And I met the qualifications for PADI Master Scuba Diver.

But most important of all we got to experience Nature in all her beauty. The Bonaire Marine Park, along with all of Earth's other coral reefs and marine life is something we need to protect so that future generations can enjoy it. It's been said that two thirds of our planet lies underwater. That's two thirds that remains largely unexplored. 

It is our wish that someday you are able to feel that same sense of awe, of wonder, and of humility as you explore what Nature or your Creator has given all of us.

Mid-Weekend on Bonaire

Well, we've passed the half way point of our stay here in the paradise called Bonaire. The weather here doesn't change much from day to day. +30C, feels like +41C, with the trade winds from the east blowing at 30 to 45 km/h. The only real variation is whether it will be sunny or partly cloudy. We've had a couple sprinkles of rain, usually early in the morning.

On Friday we did dive #2 for our PADI Deep Diver Specialty, and we completed the last two dives of the PADI Wreck Diver Specialty course. The first dive that day was to go down to 90 to 100 feet, note the change in couloirs at that depth, watch for symptoms of gas narcosis, and perform some basic skills to see if our thought processes are affected by gas narcosis. Gas narcosis ("getting narked") generally occurs at depths of 100 feet. The air you are breathing is entering your body at such a high pressure that it causes a feeling of euphoria or intoxication. As you can imagine, impaired judgement at that depth can be dangerous if something goes wrong and you need to think your way through the problem. This dive was intended for us to observe these symptoms under close supervisor of our instructor. Me, I felt no symptoms; neither did Dona.

The second dive Friday were to search for and locate the wreck on a 30-foot boat that lies in 34 to 52 feet of water on the house reef here at Buddy Dive. I was navigating, Tim monitored our depth, Dona sketched a map of the wreck site, and Jody noted the depth of the stern of the boat. It was upside down and pointing roughly toward shore.

The second dive was to go back to the wreck and have a closer look at it. The goal being to determine what type of boat it is (was). Our best guess is it was a  fishing boat. At the end of the dive we practiced flowing a reel line and rolling up a line. These are critical skills for use when you are penetrating (entering) a wreck. In the event silt gets stirred up to the point where you can't see which was is out. Wrapping your thumb and finger around the line and following it out can save your life. So we are now PADI Wreck Divers! WooHoo!

Here's the view from the dock at Buddy Dive, looking back toward the resort. The large thatched roof structure is the Pool Bar & Lounge:

Friday evenings is the Manager's Rum Punch Party, followed by a pig roast buffet. Here is the guest of honour:

Cheers everyone!

A Day Off After Diving The Hilma Hooker

Well, yesterday was my and Dona's first wreck dive. It was a blast! The Hilma Hooker is an old cargo ship that lies in 100 feet of water. She's lying on her starboard side, so her port side is clearly visible from the surface 53 feet above. It's an easy wreck to dive on because of the amazing visibility of the Caribbean Sea, it is clearly marked with buoys tethered off her bow and stern, and because it is a very intact wreck. That is, the sea hasn't decomposed it to a point where it is unrecognizable.

The Hilma Hooker is a 200 foot general cargo ship. She encountered engine troubles during the summer of 1984. She put into port at Kralendijk, Bonaire, and was soon boarded by the local authorities. She had been under surveillance for some time by drug authorities, so the inspection was more thorough than usual. They discovered a false bulkhead behind which was 25,000 pounds of marijuana. The ship was seized and attempts began to contact the registered owners. For several months the authorities tried contacting the owners to at least maintain the vessel which was being held as evidence. There was growing concern that despite efforts to keep pumping water out of her hull, she would sink in the harbour and block the shipping channel. So they towed her to an anchorage south of Kralendijk. After a couple days she began listing to starboard. The list became more pronounced over the next several days until the morning of September 12, 1984, when water began entering her portholes. She sank and now lies against a coral reef.

We descended to a point amidship on her port side. Moving down to the keel we swam forward until we reached the bow. We descended to the bottom which is exactly 100 feet. Of course, we took the opportunity to hold our dive computers on the bottom until they reached that magic 100 feet. Yippee! We then proceeded along the fore deck and peered into the cargo hold. I saw the ship's bell, and what looked like part of a capstan used to raise and lower the anchor chain. I tried to imagine the crew moving about the vessel during her sailing days as they went about their duties. It truly is a glimpse into the past.

Moving aft, we swam above the bridge and the funnel, and slowly ascended to the stern. I saw the massive screw (propeller) and rudder. We returned to our starting point, then proceeded toward shore. The nice part about diving in tropical locations such as this is you can do your three minute safety stop while swimming toward shore at around 15 feet.

Climbing out was a challenge as the surf was washing us toward the rocks. It took a bit of effort to get our fins off, stand up, watch our footing, and not get knocked over by the waves as we walked on to shore. But we did it!

After a surface interval of an hour and fifteen minutes enjoying the sunshine and +30C (feels like +41C) temperatures, we dove on the Hilma Hooker again. We followed the same plan, but this time we penetrated the wreck. That is, we entered the cargo hold with the structure of the vessel between us and the surface. This is normally a higher risk maneuver, but we were being trained by our instructor Jerry as part of a Wreck Diver Specialty course. It was an amazing experience.

Exiting at the shore turned out to be more difficult this time because the surf was much stronger. We were pounded and battered around until we staggered out. We all had bumps, cuts and bruises, but it was a day to remember! I'll post some pictures from underwater in the next couple days.

Today we took the day off from diving. After four days we felt like touring the island a bit, and doing some shopping in Kralendijk. We visited the southern-most part of the island, which made it the furthest south Dona and I have ever been.

Driving further, we stopped and gazed in awe at the massive waves crashing ashore. The power of nature is very humbling.

Lunch, shopping, and a gelati treat was next. Here's a picture of downtown Kralendijk:

We had a great time.

Tomorrow we resume diving with a deep dive and a couple dives that will complete our Wreck Diver Specialty course.

First Days in Bonaire

Wednesday June 4, 2014

So, after arriving last Saturday we've been enjoying the first few days of our two-week vacation in Bonaire. Click in that link and you can see where we are. We're only 50 miles from the north coast of Venezuela. 

Check out the sunset last night:

We're on a scuba diving holiday with four of our close friends we met during our training over the past year. 

The weather here is, well, paradise. Daytime temperatures are +28C to +30C, feels like +41C. That sounds hot at first, but when you've been diving for 45 minutes, it's actually quite nice. Put another way, we could get used to this!

Tuesday after our morning dive we went for a drive south along the main (only) highway. We drove past the salt plains where they, yes, scrape salt off these flood plains once the water has evaporated. During this evaporation the salts sprays up like foam when the wind blows, and the water turns pink. This high concentration of salt is why the flamingos here are pink.

In the latter half of the 1800s, slaves were used as cheap labour to work the salt fields. They lived in these little concrete huts:

Today we're going to dive on the Hilma Hooker, a sunken cargo ship with a colorful history that lies under a hundred feet of water just off the coast of Bonaire.