Diving Our Faces Off in Bonaire Tell a non-diver you're going to Bonaire, they'll say "Where's that?" Tell a diver, and they'll just nod with envy. Most people have never heard of the "B" of the "ABC" islands of the Netherlands Antilles—Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao—but almost every diver knows about this little slice of underwater paradise 50 miles off the Venezuelan coast. Case in point: the Top 100 Readers' Choice awards in the January 2007 issue of Scuba Diving Magazine rated Bonaire #1 for Top Dive Destination, Top Beginner Diving, Top Shore Diving, Healthiest Marine Environment and Top Underwater Photography. I couldn't agree more. During a week spent once again with Oceanblue Divers, I managed to log 22 dives, including a single day in which I packed in six dives (I didn't surface until after midnight that day). The health and diversity of the coral reefs—and the marine life in general—was what struck me most. On the very first dive of the trip, we found ourselves face to thousand faces with a gigantic "bait ball"—a school of fish so dense that it blocked out the light from above. We saw some sort of eel on just about every dive. And I can't even begin to count the number of different species of coral we saw. All this in 82-degree water and 100 feet of visibility. Take a look at the pictures below, and you'll see what I mean. [Click on pictures for larger-size photos (images will come up in a new pop-up window). You can also watch underwater video clips from this trip.] The "bait ball" on our first dive Close encounters Cassie plays ball Banded butterfly fish Green moray eel Another eel Hawksbill turtle Seahorse Sand diver Cassie Eric Aquaman (me) Annie, Grace & Lee Chuck stands guard astern Lil' Orphan Annie Our boat for the week, the Harbour Lady Hands Off, one of the dive sites on Klein Bonaire I consult the map to choose our next dive site Jang, Yian and Lee on a shore dive I'm ready for my giant stride at Oil Slick Finishing a dive at Ol' Blue The reclusive Buttcrack Coral Cassie makes a new friend Buddy Dive's iguana mascot The dock at Buddy Dive: look at that water! Why Bonaire is so shore diving-friendly: a drive-thru air fill station Oceanblue Divers took over Buddy Dive Resort When we were done diving... ...it was time for... ...cave snorkeling! Underwater stalactites The Cavers Our own private dock at Richard's Waterfront Dining Some photos contributed by Cassie Craig Back to Home Page Content, photography & design © 2001-2007 Michael Strickland All photographs digitally watermarked · Unauthorized use prohibited