BON BINI BONAIRE – Hello Bonaire

It’s wonderful being back in Bonaire again as it is so amazing to be able to jump off the back of your boat into your very own aqua blue aquarium filled with coral, fish, and amazing sea life.  Bonaire’s reefs team with various sea creatures such as seahorses, banded coral shrimps and sea cucumbers as well as tons of reef fish including parrot fish, angelfish, and puffer fish.  In addition, three of the world’s endangered marine turtles can be found in Bonaire’s waters: Green turtle, Hawksbill turtle, and the Loggerhead turtle.  We continue to keep our eye out for these rare sightings.

During our first few diving expeditions, right off the boat in 3-6 meters of water, we discovered a moray eel, three huge porcupine puffers, several giant parrot fish, powder blue tangs, angel fish and oh so much more!

Little turtle eating about 10 meters down.

Gorgeous Queen Angel

Didn’t seem to mind having us in his hood

The Ramsar Convention is an international treaty that protects the wetlands of great global importance, with emphasis on the significance of waterfowl.  In Bonaire, there are five Ramsar protected sites which tells you just how important their waters are to the locals and the world.

The terrain on Bonaire is managed by the marine parks and is mostly flat with scant vegetation, tons of cacti and salt.  You will find the Caribbean Flamingo, green iguana’s (which are born green and gradually fade in color as they age), and Bonaire Anole’s which live in the trees and camouflage easily into the brown branches.

Bonaire has a population of about 19,000 inhabitants which is a 20% increase from 2011. This 112-square mile island has been seized and ruled by the Spanish, Dutch, and English several times.  The Spanish were the first settlers, but they didn’t care for Bonaire, Aruba, or Curacao and deemed all to be “Islas Inutilas” or Useless Islands.  However, they used the natives as slaves to raise goats, sheep, pigs, and donkeys.

In 1636 the Dutch conquered Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao and found great use for the islands by mining the salt flats. Over the course of the next several centuries, the Spanish, English, and French tried to fain control over the island.  But the Dutch fought to defend and maintain control.

There is a lot of history crammed into this little island which can be found at the Terramar Museum and other local museums.

We look forward to sharing our experiences as we discover more about Bonaire.

Typical Bonaire sunset