Bonaire


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		Bonaire
		Why Go There? Bonaire, in the Netherlands Antilles, an autonomous part of The Netherlands, offers some of the best diving and relaxation in the Caribbean, with enlightened environmental and diving policies, and GREAT dive sites with critters you don't see in the northern Caribbean. Add to that great food, people and topside sites to explore and you've got a MUST DO diving/relaxation destination. Also, with a Dutch heritage Bonaire is very clean for an island destination and generally quite safe. (Tim's comment) Tim's Trip Notes from 2/2005
	Last updated: 9/4/07
	Netherlands Antilles November 18, 2006 COUNTRY DESCRIPTION: The Netherlands Antilles is an autonomous part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands comprised of five islands: Bonaire, Curaçao, Saba, St. Eustatius (aka Statia) and St. Maarten (Dutch side). Tourist facilities are widely available. Read the Department of State Background Notes on the Netherlands Antilles for additional information. ENTRY/EXIT REQUIREMENTS (for US Citizens): The effects of 9/11 has changed requirements for travel to all destinations outside the U.S. Although it is still possible to travel to The Netherlands Antilles on a birth certificate and Photo ID, it is NOT possible to re-enter the US without a valid US Passport so effectively you must have a passport to vacation in Bonaire. Tourists may be asked to show onward/return tickets or proof of sufficient funds for their stay. Length of stay is granted for two weeks and may be extended for 90 days by the head office of immigration. For further information, travelers may contact the Royal Netherlands Embassy , 4200 Linnean Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20008, telephone (202) 244-5300, or the Dutch Consulate in Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, Houston or Miami. Internet. Visit the web site for the Embassy of the Netherlands at http://www.netherlands-embassy.org for the most current visa information. See our (US Dept of State) Foreign Entry Requirements brochure for more information on the Netherlands Antilles and other countries. Bonaire Departure Tax: There is a US$20.00 departure tax for Bonaire that must be paid by the traveler at the airport when departing. Tim’s recommendation – In today’s world, an American citizen traveling outside the country should strongly consider the additional protections of a passport.	Where is Bonaire? Bonaire is located about 75 km/45 miles north of Venezuela (see map below). At 288 square km/175 miles, it’s big or small depending on how you feel. The island is part of the Netherlands Antilles (Curacao, St. Maarten, Saba & St. Eustatius), politically very stable and relatively crime free. Because of its location the island is located below the hurricane belt, which means good weather the year round. No storms or hurricanes, just some clouds and showers in the rainy season. The average temperature is about 28 C/ 84 F, which is the same as the water! Getting There Air service to Bonaire The best (most convenient) air service to Bonaire from the U.S. is probably Air Jamaica, through Montego Bay. Second would be American Airlines through Puerto Rico to Bonaire or to Aruba and then via BonaireExel, the new inter-island airline to Bonaire. If you're traveling from the U.S. West Coast, you should plan to overnight in Miami and then travel onward, either through Montego Bay or Puerto Rico.

	Where is Bonaire?
	Captain Don's Habitat (Some of their Web-site copy) The Home of Diving Freedom Whenever the whim... Oh, imagine the feeling: it's another perfect day, the aqua blue water is right in front of you calling "relax, enjoy, experience the wonders of the tropical sea". Who cares what time of day it is, you grab your equipment from the dockside locker, step off the dock, and you're already soothed by warm, clear waters and delighted by schools of colorful fish. Diving Freedom means exciting boat dives, unlimited 24 hours a day shore diving, without any hassles, or regimentation. Honest! You are free to plan your own dives and dive your own plan. Of Course our friendly divemasters are always available to show you some underwater moments should you wish. Non-divers will love the snorkeling, bird watching, nature trails and on property guided mountain biking and kayaking. Accommodations include: 2 Bedroom Cottages set in lush tropical gardens. Oceanfront Villas with simple bedrooms upstairs and luxurious suites downstairs and our extremely popular poolside Junior Deluxe Suites with ocean view - Habitat "where diving freedom first started!"	Tim's Trip Notes 2005 - My first trip to Bonaire In February 2005 I made my first diving trip to Bonaire. It was wonderful! -- OK, the 'get-there-in-one-day' travel model kind of sucked, but I'll split it into two days next time. I live in California, and getting to Bonaire can be done in one day, but I recommend flying into the Eastern time zone (e.g. Miami) and over-nighting before going on to Bonaire. You just have to get your head 'into' letting the first and last days of your vacation be travel days. Getting There This year I did a 'red-eye' from SFO to DFW (12:30 a.m), endured a 4 hour layover and then flew out to San Juan, P.R. I had a couple hour layover in SJ and then caught a smaller American partner plane to BON. I arrived at about 9:15 p.m. I was WHACKED; took the stuffin' right out of me! I barely had enough strength to lift my first island beer, but I did rise to that occasion! As I mentioned above, If you're traveling from the U.S. West Coast, you should plan to overnight in Miami and then travel onward, either through Montego Bay or Puerto Rico. My friends Bob and Lynda, that I met up with on Bonaire, live in Maryland and if I overnighted in Miami, I could meet their Air Jamaica connection in Montego Bay and we'd be on BON by 3:30 p.m. Where Did I Stay on Bonaire? Captain Don's Habitat, Bonaire P.O. Box 88 Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles Tel: 011-599-717-8290 Fax: 011-599-717-8240 What I liked/not liked about Habitat Topside: They are located on the west shore of Bonaire just across from Klein Bonaire (small Bonaire) where there's great diving and it's only about 10 minutes away by boat. They are not far from town and several good restaurants. They have their own good restaurant and bar on the property. There is a covered seating area just above the dive lockers, and near the bar, where you can watch shore diving, boat traffic sunsets, rain showers, et al. Rooms are clean and pretty modern. They have A/C and many have patios/balconies where many have an ocean view. They have Satellite TV too, but that's probably a distraction. We enjoyed the resort dog. Although I can't remember her 'official' name, I re-named her "Hard Roll" because while she immediately ate everything else fed to her when she begged at the restaurant tables, she wouldn't eat hard rolls if you gave her one. She'd gingerly take it in her mouth and immediately wander off into the shrubbery near the bar and bury it. Only then would she return to begging from the guests. STRANGE DOG. 'Stanley', the resort Scarlet Macaw, was a hoot. The first time I stood by his cage I couldn't figure out who kept saying, "hello" to me. <g> Although the on-resort restaurant had gotten poor reviews from my colleagues in past years, it either has improved or the fact that my friends ate off-resort so much in the past means they'd not given it a chance. It proved quite acceptable when we ate there. Of course, the off-resort fine dining surpassed it, but what do you expect of a diving resort. I can't decide if the fact that the resort has Internet connected computers in the lobby, or that they have free Wi-fi on the property is a good or bad thing. Normally I reject all computer technology when I'm on vacation, but when Bob decided to check his email because he'd told his staff to message him if anything crucial came up, I kind of relented. Maybe it's a good thing. It's certainly the next big thing at vacation destinations. The Dive Operation: They have a 'house reef' in front of the resort where you can dive 24 hours a day; just grab a tank (free) and jump off the small dock! One dive boat trips – Short trip to the dive site and afterwards right back to the resort for a shower or just chillin' until the next dive. Nice BIG Nitrox fills (3300+) from their on-resort Partial Pressure Nitrox fill installation. Boat boards – By mid-afternoon there are chalkboards for each dive boat and dive times listing the dive sites and min/max number of divers. You simply write in your dive number and show up at the appointed time; easy. Short boat rides - Whether to Klein Bonaire or to the North or South on the main island, I don't recall a boat ride more than 15 minutes; nice. There are dive lockers near the docks and rinse tanks where you can stow your gear for the entire duration of your stay. Nice convenience! They have latches but you must bring your own lock. The dive boats have low tank slots. If you're more than 5'5" you'll be uncomfortable. Probably a reason for it, but at 6'2" I'm not impressed. The divemasters were very good, but one of the local guys kept pounding the reef to show us stuff. And, one of the other divemasters has a real thing about doing it her way. I could adapt to her, but I'd rather she adapt to me. It was a non-safety thing, by the way. What I liked/not liked about Bonaire Topside: The Dutch influence - OK, I lived in The Netherlands for two years so much was familiar, although the island stuff is far different of course. The variety of restaurants - Some Dutch influenced, many not - Several very goods ones among the bunch Topside wildlife - Wild donkeys, wild goats and pink flamingos They have a Harley Davidson dealership! Underwater/Diving: Great variety of critters. Moorings so no boats drop anchors on the reef. Lack of crowds on the dive sites - One boat per mooring and widely spaced moorings. The variety of topologic on most dive sites. They make you buy a 'tag' to dive in the Marine Park (virtually all dive sites) - Helps keep the reef pristine, and let's divers know they pay for quality diving and why it's important to keep it that way! What we DID while on Bonaire: We took one day off from diving to tour the island - We saw wild donkeys, wild goats and pink flamingos. We toured Rincon, Lac Bay and Goto Meer. We had lunch at 'Casablanca', an Argentinean grill. With a name like Casablanca I'd have thought that we be eating North African. <g> Huge portions, good food! --- Recommended! We had dinner at Richard’s one night. Wonderful restaurant on the water. -- Recommended -- Richard is a Boston native, but fully island engaged now. As a picky California onephile I found his wine list very nice! We had a good Sterling Vintner's Collection Merlot. -- yea, I know one character in the movie 'Sideways' says, "...if anyone orders Merlot, I'm leaving. I am NOT drinking any f---ing Merlot!", but if you have friends at the table that aren't Cabernet or Pinot drinkers, you have to be flexible. It's vacation for gosh sakes; go with it! <g> What little 'extras' happened while on Bonaire: My second day there, one of two electricity generating stations had a major fire. Full power outage that day and rolling blackouts over the rest of our trip. Our resort staff did a GREAT job in managing around the blackouts. We always had air and Nitrox for diving. I mean, what else is there?! While enjoying cocktails before dinner one night at Richard's, near town, a Dutch frigate sailed into the harbor. Just one additional, fun event to mark the week! Even during the blackouts the resort staff did BBQ for us and even lit the bar and restaurant area with candles and Tiki torches A local music legend, Ralph "Moogie" Stewart, played several nights while we were there. Much fun! Friend Lynda got to ride 'Little' Karen's horses! Not seahorses either! While trying to night dive Salt Pier for macro-photography, our divermaster/guide discovered that there was a ship there (a no-no) that the harbormaster had not known was there. And we all discovered rollers coming into the beach, which would have made an enter and exit a bit more challenging for tourist divers. OK, the divemaster really wanted the $$$. We gave him 1/2 his fee for the aborted dive and packed it in for early beer back at the resort. Dive Sites Descriptions All boat dive sites on Bonaire have a chain mooring with a big white float. They accommodate only one boat at a time so you'll not have 30 divers descending on you while you’re enjoying your dive. The moorings also preserve the environment as on boat can drop an anchor on the reef. This is one way they keep their reef life pristine so it will be there for future divers and continue to provide tourist revenue for the people of Bonaire. (Go directly to my dive logs for the 2005 trip)
	General Bonaire Links: Captain Don's Habitat Bonaire dive site descriptions Bonaire Hotel & Tourism Association Bonaire Talk - Discussion Board Underwater Photography - Bonaire	To Contact Captain Don's Habitat use the phone numbers or e-mail (below), or click the resort name above for details: For General Resort Questions - Jack Chalk, General Manager - email him at jack@habitatbonaire.com - or call directly to Bonaire at +599-717-8290 ext. 105 For 'Habitat' Reservations from North America - email 'Maduro Travel' at cdh@maduro.com or call them toll-free at 1-800-327-6709
	A trip to Bonaire is a must for divers of any level. Please feel free to contact me (see below) to ask questions or advice. << Back to all dive locations
	Updated: 9/4/07	Tell me what you think. Questions or comments are always welcome! Email me at timboyd1 at yahoo.com (you know how to put this together - I list it this to way avoid SPAMbots)
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