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.