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Trip Reports: Mary M's October 7 - 14, 2003 Trip Report Round 2!!!
Bonaire Talk: Trip Reports: Archives: Archives 2000 to 2005: Archives - 2003-04-01 to 2004-02-05: Mary M's October 7 - 14, 2003 Trip Report Round 2!!!
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Mary Mueller (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #865) on Thursday, November 6, 2003 - 5:45 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Day 4 October 10, 2003
Woke up usual time 6:00 – again watched the sky lighten up as the sun rose!!

We had a big day planned – a morning snorkel at Toris Reef, a Kayak and snorkel trip through the mangroves and a night snorkel with Dee at the Divi.

At breakfast at the house and then packed up and headed south to Toris Reef.

Toris Reef has a very access – you enter in through the causeway. We started snorkeling out at the ledge and then drifted back along closer to the beach. As with all site sin Bonaire there many fish to admire.
fish.jpg
fishes.jpg
This balloon fish was hiding from us!!
balloobfish,.jpg
Here is a banded butterfly fish!
banded butterfly.jpg
As with all sites we visited there was always a French Angel fish waiting for me!!!
frenchangel.jpg
frenchandgel2.jpg
This Bar Jack was trying to tell me to back off and stop taking his picture!!
barjack.jpg
Found 2 Goldentail Moray Eels – only 1 pic turned out okay !!!
goldentailmaoray.jpg
As with everywhere there was a lot of juvenile fish!!
Juvenile Damsel
juveniledamsel.jpg
Juvenile French Angel
juvenilefrenchangel.jpg
And of course there was plenty of parrot fish!!
parrotfish1.jpg
And Trunk Fish
Smooth Trunk Fish
smoothtrunckfish.jpg
Spotted Trunk Fish
spottedtruckfish.jpg
Grunts in coral!!
gruntsin coral.jpg
And Trumpet fish
trumpetfish.jpg
Saw a school of small squids that shot ink at me – pics did not turn out!! But as I was leaving 3 large squid swam by and I was able to get an okay pic!!!
squid.jpg

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Barbara Leary (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #3183) on Thursday, November 6, 2003 - 6:19 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Great pics Mary!! I am going to have to figure out how to get better ones for my next trip! Thanks! :-)

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Carole Baker (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #2759) on Thursday, November 6, 2003 - 7:25 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Ooooh, Mary! I'm sitting here drooling all over my keyboard looking at your great shots! I feel like I am in the water with you playing with the fish...thanks again! More, More!!!! Carole

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By v.cioffletti (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #4) on Friday, November 7, 2003 - 1:05 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Oh MAN, I cannot WAIT until I get there in December!!!!!

Anyone have any suggestions by the way about car rentals? Do it from here in the States? Do it there? Companies? Etc?

TIA for any help.....Ginni in WI

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By DARLENE ELLIS (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #898) on Friday, November 7, 2003 - 8:29 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Now that's my kind of day!!! Great pictures of all my little fish friends!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By joe brannan (BonaireTalker - Post #78) on Friday, November 7, 2003 - 8:59 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

V.cioffletti...check out "getting around Bonaire", You're really not going to gain anything from renting from the States, as I think all the rental places on Bonaire are locally owned and have local rates. I like the fact that they're almost all 4 door pickups (there are "way mini" vans available but the trucks seem to be most serviceable. Only thing about the little trucks is that most credit card included insurance does NOT cover the trucks. We used ABCarrental last year and were very pleased.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Mary Mueller (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #869) on Friday, November 7, 2003 - 10:40 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Thanks all!!

Barbara - I think overall I took about 600 pics that week and trashed most of them. The key is to keep taking them knowing that most will not turn out - but you will get some that do. Digital is great because you can trash the once you do not want right away. I also had helpful hints from Cecil and Rusty in the editing of the pics!!

Carole - hope to post the rest of day 4's pics today - it is time consuming!!!

Ginni - agree with Joe - get a 4 door truck in Bonaire - I used ABC rentals and had no problems. You will need a truck if you are going in to the park and that has on of the best sites - Wayaka!!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By seb schulherr (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #1068) on Friday, November 7, 2003 - 11:17 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

GMTA!

Dear v. (violetta? vinny? victoria? van? vingh? va va voom? verne? virginia? velma? vanna? voldemort?)
The only advantage to reserving stateside is that there ought to be somebody at the airport to provide you a vehicle should you arrive late. WE have happily used A&B and Nettys with good results. The trucks are more convenient, but you will pay more because you (almost ALWAYS) must have the CDW insurance. The minivans and cars are usually covered by your credit card (YMMV).
You might want to check out 'getting around bonaire" topics for more info.

Love the intermediate French Angels Mary.
I have a jones on to see an intermediate or juvenile Queen Angel, it's been quite a while.
seb

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Mary Mueller (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #874) on Friday, November 7, 2003 - 1:20 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Day 4 October 10, 2003 CONTINUED
2 round of activity on day 4 was the kayak and snorkel trip through the mangroves.
We made the long trip on the dirt road out to the Mangrove Info and Kayak Center. We met up with Gerald who introduced us to our guide – Lucas
guide.jpg
We also had one other person to join us from the adventure – Terry!!!
We kayaked through much of the mangroves with Lucas explaining the importance to the mangroves to the who island ecological system. He also explained to us how the mangrove trees process the salt water. It was very educational and interesting!!!!
We stopped in one spot where Lucas pointed out the bottom was covered in jelly fish.
Here is a pic of that – hard to tell – but the whole bottom was wall to wall jelly fish – not something that I wanted to swim in!!!
jellyfish.jpg
We stopped in a cove to snorkel through a mangrove tunnel.
Wow what a site is waiting to be viewing under the water in the roots of the mangroves. It was some of the most colorful and beautiful things that I saw on the island!!!
growth.jpg
fishbonnet.jpg
growth1.jpg
fish.jpg
growth2.jpg
fish1.jpg
growth3.jpg
fishes.jpg
growth4.jpg
needlefish.jpg
growth5.jpg

This last fish picture has a story – I was trying to get a picture of the growth on the mangrove roots when this fish swam in front of the camera – just at the flash when off. I think I blinded the one eye of this poor fish!!!
blindfish.jpg

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Carole Baker (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #2762) on Friday, November 7, 2003 - 6:24 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Thank you for taking the time to let us enjoy your pics and trip, Mary! A job well done. Now you have to book your return trip and hit all of the places you did not see the first go round. It is so much fun to keep exploring all that Bonaire has to offer and to continue to visit friends from your first trip and make even more new ones with each following trip. Great shots! Lots of character and feeling in them. Carole

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Mary Mueller (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #884) on Friday, November 7, 2003 - 7:11 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Carole - thanks and you are right on planning my next trip down there. I am torn with going back to Bonaire next summer - or going to St. John. this will be a trip with my family - hubby and 2 boys. WE have been going to St. John every other year (hubby won't let me go every year) an next year is our year for St. John. I love that island too -however it is much more expensive than Bonaire.
One son will be spending the summer in Germany with family - so that also may interfere - lots to think about and plan for.

I will go back - it is just a matter of when!!!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Mary Mueller (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #886) on Friday, November 7, 2003 - 8:33 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Day 4 October 10, 2003 CONTINUED AGAIN
When we left the mangroves we offered to take Terry back to town – as he did not have a vehicle.
He decided he would join us for ice cream at Lovers and then visit Michael at the Chat n Browse – so he could e-mail home.

He found out that we knew where the street cam was and wanted to stop there.
Here we are on the street cam
marychristerry.jpg
Here is Chris and Terry looking at the signs!!
chrisand terry.jpg
And Grendle came out to great us – but turned around as I was taking the picture – all I got was the back of her head. Very sweet dog!!!! Loves to be petted!!!
grendle.jpg
We dropped Terri off at the Divi and went home to eat relax and eat dinner before we left for the night snorkel with Dee.

We met up with Dee on the Divi dock for the night snorkel.
Dee was an excellent guide – we saw 4 Octopuses and many other things that we would did not see during the day – including sleeping parrot fish. Yes it is true – parrot fish lay down in the sand and sleep at night – very strange site!!!
Here are the pics that I took!!!
The octopuses!!!
blueoctopu.jpg
blueoctopusmoving.jpg
brownoctopus.jpg
octopushidding.jpg
The two blue ones are the same octopus – my picture of the 4th one did not turn out!!!
Blue tang dressed in his stripped night clothes!!
bluetang.jpg
Lobster – sparkling in the dark!!
lobster.jpg
Sea cucumber!!
seacucumber.jpg
Red banded shrimp!!
redbandedshrimp.jpg
Porcupine fish!!
porcupinefish.jpg
Yellow Arrow crab trying to hide behind the sea urchin!!!
yelloearrowcrab.jpg
And and the orange cup coral blooming at night!!!
orangecupcoral.jpg

All three snorkels are highly recommended. The Kayak and snorkel through the mangroves is a must do – as well as a night snorkel!!!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Eileen Kimmett (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #3459) on Friday, November 7, 2003 - 8:41 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Amazing Pictures. I wish I could go diving! Thank-you for sharing!:-)

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Carole Baker (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #2766) on Saturday, November 8, 2003 - 12:39 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Mary, what camera were you using while you were on Bonaire? Carole

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By DARLENE ELLIS (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #899) on Saturday, November 8, 2003 - 4:15 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

This is so much fun reading your report and seeing your great pictures! Thanks for taking the time for such a great report! I am really getting excited now as I will be there December 6th! :-)

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By DARLENE ELLIS (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #900) on Saturday, November 8, 2003 - 4:18 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

This is so much fun reading your report and seeing your great pictures! Thanks for taking the time for such a great report! I am really getting excited now as I will be there December 6th! :-)

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Mary Mueller (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #888) on Monday, November 10, 2003 - 1:38 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Carole - the camera is a Sony Cybershot - Dsc-P8, You can buy a sony underwater housing for it. I got both from e-bay for about $500 total. The camera is small enough to put in your pocket and easy to use!!!
I got the idea from our man Cecil he uses the Dsc-P5 I believe - some camera - just an older version.
I now take it everywhere with me!!

I will post more on a new thread - still have 3 days to go - just had a busy weekend!!!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Diana van den Wollenberg (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #1422) on Tuesday, November 11, 2003 - 8:50 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Awesome, the octopus pics!!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Cecil Berry (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #3076) on Tuesday, November 11, 2003 - 5:48 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Excellent report and pictures Mary. Great job, can't wait for the rest.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Bookie (BonaireTalker - Post #44) on Thursday, November 13, 2003 - 12:54 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

I hoped to ease gradually into Pre-Bonaire Syndrome, but then I saw your pictures, Mary, and I've plunged right in. We'll be flying Dec. 25, right behind Santa, into Bonaire for 2 glorious weeks. Great pics! Makes me want to run right out and buy a digital camera--and a plane ticket to Bonaire. I'm sure my husband would understand why I need to go 6 wks. early. Keep 'em coming!
Bookie

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Annette (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #8622) on Friday, November 28, 2003 - 7:27 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Well I finally made it here to read your report Mary. Very well written and fantastic pictures too. Thanks for sharing. Annie B.

 


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