BonaireNo Compass Necessary

46 M AY 2 0 1 5 | S P O R T D I V E R . C O M M AY 2 0 1 5 | S P O R T D I V E R . C O M 47

With plus-size corals exploding with life, and shallow-starting walls opening onto the great big blue, it’s no wonder these easy-to-navigate sites have been a favorite of die-hard divers for decades

By Tara BradleyPhotography by Jennifer O’Neil

M AY 2 0 1 5 | S P O R T D I V E R . C O M 49 48 M AY 2 0 1 5 | S P O R T D I V E R . C O M

Fashion trends aside, Bonaire — located off the north coast of South America in the “ABC Islands,” along with Aruba and Curaçao — seems custom-built for divers, with beach-ready pickup trucks, drive-through tank fills, and plenty of easy-to-navigate reefs marked by Bonaire’s iconic yellow stones.

Navigation here is a cinch. Accessible dives right off the sand mean you can skip the dive compass but not your booties — entry and exit points can be rocky — and dive until your computer calls you in for a timeout. By removing the challenge of navigating a new site, you’re hitting shore diving at its finest.

Equipped with a rental truck from Buddy Dive Resort, my boyfriend, Jamie, and I have dive sites pegged out on our road map. Acting as a travel itin-erary, the folded piece of paper is our dive bible. And we aren’t short on options. Buddy Dive caters to divers, evident from the on-site dive shop, photo center, drive-through tank-fill stations, and house reef. While it’s tempting to stay put, our home base is

conveniently located on the western side of the island, so we decide to save Buddy’s Reef for later in the day, and start off with dive sites 1,000 Steps and Karpata.

Easy navigation doesn’t mean the underwater landscape is restricted to spur-and-groove formations. A short distance from the shoreline at Karpata, a wall delivers small treasures: a sea-horse performing a tightrope act on a gorgonian sea fan; the arms of an anemone re-enacting a number from Fame; blennies darting about at the first sign of being discovered. On our way back to shore, a sharptail eel slides through crevices, tailed by a hungry snapper waiting for scraps. Even eels in search of prey seem less intimidating here.

On our next dive, at 1,000 Steps, the long limestone staircase that leads from the road to the shore (in reality, only 64 steps) is our only encounter that’s even slightly intimidating. In the water, the big boys here aren’t sharks, rays or whales, but the coral reef itself. We cir-cle a massive, healthy forest of elkhorn coral thick enough to provide a protec-tive home for spastic sergeant majors, schooling schoolmasters, and the laziest of all finned creatures, the soapfish. The Guinness World Records-worthy web of corals warrants a longer look and reveals a lobster reaching out to read the waters, while his neighbor, a spotted moray eel, peeks out from the safety of his den.

Back at Buddy Dive Resort’s house reef, our coral questions are answered when we’re given the chance to par-ticipate in its coral-restoration project with on-site PADI instructor Francesca Virdis, Coral Restoration Foundation Bonaire coordinator.

CLOCKWISE: A sea fan stands strong on the reef at La Dania’s Leap; Karpata features gorgeous walls and the occasional hawks-bill sea turtle; a barracuda stands guard at the Hilma Hooker; tube sponges grow wild off Klein’s Rock Pile.

ne of my father’s favorite dive trips was with my uncle in Bonaire about 30 years ago. Since then, they’ve been on a logbook’s worth of dives, but they still reminisce about the easy diving, healthy reefs, pink-sand beaches, cold Amstel Lights and, of course, my uncle in his neon Speedo. (It was the ’80s.)

DIVERS GUIDE TO BONAIRE

50 M AY 2 0 1 5 | S P O R T D I V E R . C O M M AY 2 0 1 5 | S P O R T D I V E R . C O M 51

“Being able to participate in the coral-restoration program not only makes people aware of the real situation of our reefs, but it also contributes to their personal development as divers, learn-ing the proper skills and applying them toward one common goal: restoration of our reefs,” says Augusto Montbrun, dive operations manager at Buddy Dive.

The coral-restoration program itself is like an underwater Christmas-tree-trimming party (with a tree made of PVC pipes). Ensuring our buoyancy is in check, we hang small pieces of elkhorn and staghorn corals from fishing line, where they can thrive and feed in the open water. A few weeks later, after new coral fingers have grown, staff and vol-

unteers replant them in their new home on the reef, among larger pieces of cor-al. As a result, the coral nursery has also become a nursery for fish, making the whole scene buzz with life.

“I invite divers to join me to share the beautiful experience of diving in a cor-al nursery or in a restored site,” Virdis says. “Corals are growing so healthy and quickly in our nurseries that it’s hard to catch up with them: We have at the mo-ment more corals than hands! In less than two years Bonaire transplanted more than 3,000 staghorn and elkhorn colonies on degraded portions of the reef. There is no limit to what can be achieved when divers join forces.”

Having experienced just a section of

what Buddy’s Reef has to offer, we decide to gear up and explore it again as a dusk dive. Upon entry, we pleasantly discover the nursery extends far beyond the safe-ty of the PVC trees. The corals keep little secrets, like mini filefish, a juvenile spot-ted drum and a bobbing baby trunkfish. Even the wrecks here are on a smaller scale. When we reach La Machaca, an upside-down fishing boat lying at about 50 feet along the wall, its small frame is speckled with a pair of coupled-up angelfish accompanied by a slow-moving grouper. Above us, casting watchful eyes, three tarpon bask in the open blue. At dive’s end, the final curtain closes with a glorious wall of tiny silversides.

When it comes to wrecks, Bonaire’s

MUST DIVE:Karpata A short swim brings you to the dramatic wall that makes up this northwestern shore dive. After taking in the panoramic views of the abyss, keep your eyes open for the massive elk-horn corals that hide critters like octopuses and eels.

Hilma Hooker

Bonaire’s beloved wreck doesn’t disappoint with 100-foot depths and a massive 240-foot artificial reef waiting to be explored. Minimal pen-etration opportunities make this great for newer divers.

Buddy’s Reef Located right off the dock at Buddy Dive Resort, this ac-cessible spot boasts a nursery of coral and fish, a majestic wall dive, and even a wreck, La Machaca — a former fishing vessel that sits at about 50 feet.

Buddy Dive Resortbuddydive.com

Divi Flamingo Beach Resort & Casinodiviresorts.com

Plaza Resort Bonaireplazaresortbonaire.eu

Toucan Divingtoucandivingbonaire.com

Average water temp 78 to 81 degrees F >> What to wear 3 mm full wetsuit >> Average viz 70-plus feet >> When to go It’s a perfect year-round destination because it lies outside the Caribbean storm belt. >> For more information, go to sportdiver.com/bonaire

Buddy Dive’s coral-restoration project creates an environment where coral can thrive and return to the reef. Even bet-ter news: Other islands are work-ing on implement-ing this model. IL

LUS

TR

AT

ION

: GA

RY

HO

VL

AN

D

M AY 2 0 1 5 | S P O R T D I V E R . C O M 53 52 M AY 2 0 1 5 | S P O R T D I V E R . C O M

showstopper is the Hilma Hooker, at the top of our agenda the following day. The 240-foot former cargo ship lies on its side in 100 feet of water, making its innards accessible to divers, and even better for photographers. The surrounding reef and its perimeter, tightly patrolled by cu-rious tarpon and barracuda, also prove worthy of exploration.

Moving to Plaza Resort Bonaire for the second part of our week grants us superclose access to Hilma Hooker, so we spend the better part of the day taking in all of its angles. Since dive profiles here don’t hit much deeper than 100 feet, we are well within our limits, and can take advantage of the shallow swims back to shore that work double-duty as a safety stop and impromptu critter hunt. We’re stoked to spot an octopus under a coral head, but when it begins bouncing be-tween coral heads, displaying what can only be described as a light show of cos-tume changes, we hit our video jackpot. All of this shore diving and — thanks to the island’s strong conservation efforts

— we still haven’t seen a lionfish.While shore dives — and the Hilma

Hooker — are part of Bonaire’s charm, we don’t miss the chance to check out Klein Bonaire, a half-mile boat ride from the mainland. Plaza Resort Bonaire’s on-site dive shop, Toucan Diving, fits

us in on its afternoon dive to Sharon’s Serenity, off the southwest end of Klein. Similar to the week’s previous dives, the site leads to a wall of healthy life, in swimming-pool-like conditions. After an energetic green moray eel joins us as a third dive buddy, I realize that the critters here abound, no matter how remote you get. As we start to surface, a parade of squid moves in  formation.

From a flamboyant octopus to a vivacious eel, the most remarkable con-stant here — aside from the healthy reefs — is the tranquility of the marine life. Like the divers who have flocked here for decades, the life below the surface seems to recognize that Bonaire’s waters are safe. Thankfully, the people of Bonaire have done their best to keep it that way.

At week’s end, we’ve used my father’s memories as our dive guide, so we de-cide to follow suit and continue along his tracks. We find the perfect place on Pink Beach’s signature sand, and toast the trip with a cold Amstel Light — without, of course, that neon Speedo.

Where to Drive Grab a camera and drive around the island; be sure to make a stop at the south side, where you’ll drive straight through salt flats with pink foamy waters on one side and the open ocean on the other.

Where to Windsurf You can find another photo op by spending some topside time parked on the sand watching the wind-surfers in Lac Bay. If you’re feeling brave, take a class and try it for yourself.

Where to EatLocal eateries aid in the fight against lionfish by adding it to their menus. Head to the Kite City Food Truck for a lionfish sandwich.

Where to StayBuddy Dive Resort caters to divers, with an on-site dive shop, photo center, drive-through tank fills and a reef. Plaza Resort Bonaire boasts all-inclusive plans, a massive pool, beauti-ful beaches and the oceanfront Tipsy Seagull restaurant.

Yellowtail snapper school near Salt Pier. OPPOSITE (FROM LEFT): Sponges and sea stars at Sharon’s Serenity; an angelfish coasts along Jerry’s Reef.