Photo Gallery: Scuba Diving in Bonaire
Jennifer O'NeilSalt Pier is just one of the amazing dive locations in the sparkling gem that is Bonaire.
Jennifer O'NeilThe iconic slave huts are a historical reminder of Bonaire’s resilient people.
Jennifer O'NeilColorful tube sponges adorn the island’s largest and most dived wreck, the Hilma Hooker.
Jennifer O'NeilLarge sponge formations thrive on the reef at Red Slave.
Jennifer O'NeilA secretary blenny in its brightly colored Caribbean home.
Jennifer O'NeilAn octopus emerges from its rocky lair in search of a meal.
Jennifer O'NeilOne of the highlights of diving the Salt Pier is watching the wavelike ballet performed by the striped grunts around the pilings.
Jennifer O'NeilThis particular French angelfish was photographed at Red Slave, but these towering purple tube sponges and bright Caribbean fish are typical Bonairian underwater sightings.
Jennifer O'NeilPack your macro lens for small critters like this arrow crab.
Jennifer O'NeilConstructed in the early 1900s, the Boca Spelonk lighthouse still functions as a marker for ships along Bonaire’s rocky coastline.
Jennifer O'NeilSalt Pier offers a wide array of critters, like this pair of shy banded butterflyfish against a vase sponge.
Jennifer O'NeilIn the sand flats off the island’s southern coast, large stingrays scour the bottom for mollusks.
Jennifer O'NeilA protected species, flamingos are Bonaire’s national bird.
Lost in a tornado of fish, I find myself having trouble determining up from down. Thousands of silvery scad are swirling around me as tarpon, jack and snook herd them into an ever-tighter circle in hopes of a meal. The sun streams through this massive baitball as I shoot photos from every angle, hoping to capture some of the magic.
It’s summertime in Bonaire, and schools of baitfish have come closer to shore, like they do every year. One incredible dive is all it takes to remind me that, even though I have been coming to Bonaire for 20 years, the diving here can still leave me in awe. On my first trip to this small Caribbean island, I fell in love with the things that keep me coming back today: friendly people, great food and, most important, pristine diving.
Some of my earliest memories of diving in Bonaire include the way divemasters offered to point out frogfish and seahorses as though they were commonplace, and the eerie way large tarpon would use my lights on a night dive to hunt for small fish. The excitement of never knowing what incredible underwater adventure Bonaire holds keeps me just as interested now as I was on my first visit. Will today be filled with turtles or will it be an octopus safari along the rocky shore? Every dive offers wildlife opportunities, which has earned this island the nickname “diver’s paradise.”
Ready to Dive Bonaire? Visit the destination page for more info and travel deals:
http://www.sportdiver.com/destinations/bonaire
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