kinda like a dream...short and the details become fuzzy really fast...

anyway, american/american eagle thru chicago going and thru boston coming back...once again they got me there and back with my luggage so i guess that's a good job...i did get stuck with an excess baggage charge when i checked my tripod as a third checked bag ($100) but i just carried it as a carryon on the way back (at the suggestion of the gal at the flamingo airport counter - bless her heart;))

dining - i lived on tunafish, coldcuts, and toasted muffins...except for the gibis gathering on tuesday - food there is good and reasonable...i grilled some flank steak for my thanksgiving day meal but it was a little tough and wore me out - slept thru one of my night dives;) one of my neighbors (a german couple) said a feast they had at casablanca was fabulous so i guess i'll just pass that along as a dining tip...

stayed at cocopalm gardens/casa oleandar (not sure which part is which) but i had a nice studio with AC and hot water to the sink, shower, and bathroom sink. i also had a cat (casper) who i locked in the room one morning and he preceeded to poopie on my sheet - room smelled like cat for awhile;) i do like staying here, the rooms are safe and in a half dozen trips i have not had any sort of theft problem or for that matter any sort of problem. plenty of birds and donkies in the area, some privacy, closer to the southern dive sites which i prefer...

well, i didn't manage to do much but dive and take pictures...i really would have rather have met some folks or discovered some new activities but it must have not been in the cards...anyway, so about the diving:

water was warm but i still manage to find a couple of different thermoclines (first exerience with those on bonaire) - mild thermoclines, i would guess about 6 degrees in one case and about 10 degrees in the other case. the 10 degree one was between the reefs just south of aquarius at about 80' - really was refreshing...the other one i ran into diving with bas on the east and southeast side (boca speelunk? and baby beach) - i kinda like the way the vis fuzzes in a thermocline - just kinda neat though probably a problem for taking pictures...

anyway, i worked primarily on the southern sites, mostly between atlantis and white slave, tried a few different entries up and down that stretch to get a better feel for the whole reef - very nice and perhaps too nice (confusion when selecting something to photograph and worrying about running into the stuff) but i think that i would recommend jumping in at margrate bay and attempting a swim all the way to white slave (go with the current and see the whole thing) -if the distance turns out to great for air supply then an early exit appears possible up the entire stretch.

i tried red slave on perhaps a bad day but it was deep and the current strong (25 minutes into the current and 5 minutes going back, overshooting the exit point a little) and the reef did not appear that great or anything...that was the only new site i tried myself...i also did boca speelunk (spell?) and baby beach twice with bas - enjoyed those dives immensly - different topology in the boca and also at baby beach with the reef fingers or flanges rather than the continuous reef mostly seen on the west side - bas did come up with a small reef shark (i got a faint picture) and a couple of rays...overall, i saw and photographed more turtles than normal, got mpegs of that spiral routine the spotted file fishes does, got a mpeg of a peacock flounder swimming then trying to hide...saw puffers in pairs, scrawled file fish in triplets, more green morays than normal too...

i have to admit that things started to slow down a little for me this time...it was my fourth trip in the last 12 months and i found things getting a bit too routine. same reefs, same fish, same pictures...i will have to change up a little next trip for sure...

well, i will post a link for pictures when i sort out all that. after 2000 pics (or so) it was becoming hard to come up with anything unique...my strobe quit working early on so i could not get more practice with it but really found that in good light (in the afternoon) i can still get great pics to 60' with the red filter...

i have managed to get my weight down to 8 lbs (full 3mm suit) and have increased average bottom time from 40 to 55 minutes over the last couple of trips...so now most of my dives end with saturated tissue (oops) - gonna have to start paying attention to them safety stops;)


so i'll get busy on some pics...

later,

What a way to describe getting "too routine"! LOL. I don't think you'll get much sympathy from this bunch...just green envy! That's a real treat to be able to return so often....I would love to be able to do that. Sounds like you had a very nice and relaxing trip and can't wait to see more pics! The Blue tang is terrific! Carole

just a couple more before work - i'll put the rest on a website this weekend...

Great pictures Bob! I especially love the puffers, they seem to run from me.

It was nice meeting you, glad your trip back went okay.

Nice puffer shot Bob.

Wonderful pictures. I like the peaceful color of the Blue Tang.

The green Moray's close up is a masterpiece

These pictures are cool!! Do you mind revealing the camera equipment you used. Thanks.

Kelly, those puffers run from you because of "that suit" that you wear sweetie

Bob, great pictures and trip...I'm with Carole, that's a "routine" I could get into! I love the all 3 pics...I love morays...they are so interesting with their wrinkley necks!

Kelly, I second Cynde's assessment. That suit was wild. I guess that was the first time I had ever seen "Reef Cammo".

Aquaman

I love my reef cammo! LOL!

"reef cammo"...what exactly is that "FOR" anyway??? LOL!

Just wondering if anyone can give me the scoop on the shape of Pink Beach--Is it existent, semi, or otherwise? We visited once before the big storm took out all the shallow corals (and the lovely soft pink sand) and a few times after, but my 81 year old mom only wants to go if Pink Beach is back to its old self...Anybody?? Also, same question re: Bachelor's Beach....

ok...boy...this is a lot of work...

http://65.24.34.74/fish

http://65.24.34.74/coral

http://65.24.34.74/land

i've got a few 35mm prints to scan in for the "land" folder...

later,

We do thank you for the time you took to load them up on your site....beautiful shots! We really needed to see these today with the blizzard conditions we are experiencing here in New Jersey at the moment.....an escape from "reality" was just what the doctor ordered! Thanks again. Job well done. Carole

I second that, Carol; the only problem is that the computer and the fireplace aren't in the same room!

-David (Freehold)

Bob,

the pictures turned out fine. Better than last time. I don't know why you kept on whining that you can't improve your photography skills. Maybe to get more compliments afterwards.

By the way, you locked Caspar in the room again the morning you left!!!

Wonderful pictures!

http://65.24.34.74/video

(the 15 sec "hi qual" mpegs)

Ooooh! Just loved swimming with the turtles and cuba school and the rest! I just hooked up broadband last nite and what a difference...now I can view the video clips without turning even more gray than before. Thanks again for letting us enjoy your dives with you. Carole

Ah, so you are the one who made the East Coast dive with Bas on the 27th! My cousin Steve and I were going to (were signed up) but he had ear problems that wouldn't clear and I had a squeeze on repeated dives that finally cleared that afternoon. We did try on Monday with Bas again and Dominic from Switzerland but it was bit rough even for Bas. Ended up making a great 1:15 min drift dive in the vague area between Red and White Slave. Nitrox is great stuff! Finally saw a fabled Bonaire turtle after two trips (Bas found it, a small Hawksbill). Great dive with some surf at entry and exit and not too many people hit the spot so there's more of everything and some things you won't otherwise find. Shifting currents.

Next time down in 6 - 12 months, I'll make several dives if possible on the East side!

I heard your dive with Bas was fantastic.

well, thanks for looking at the pics everyone - i use a 5 megapixel sony (f707) in an ikelite housing with an ikelite ds125 strobe that i have yet to master (wasn't a problem this time - it quit working after a couple of dives;)) - i shoot with the red filter and autoset levels with photoshop (sometimes just auto contrast)

marion, that cat was spoiled more than the others - a real baby ;) sorry about the mess...

Bas is a great guide and will definitely "expand" your diving experience on bonaire - nice guy too;)

forgot to mention michael over at chat 'n browse - cell phone rental again this trip and a couple of cuban cigars - nice guy too;)

well, not much to add...i'm probably looking at tagging a week's stay on to the end of my 5 day blackbeard cruise towards the end of may - maybe showup with some nice shark pics;)

thanks again,

Great pics Bob...thanks for sharing!

awesome videos! I especially like the spiraling spotted file fish! cool how the little guy in the back ground is spiraling with them too !!

Great puffers!
Hi Kelly and Cynde! I have new guitars.

Airey, now what are you going to do with 2 new guitars...LOL You really should begin to think about going professional...may want to take another look at a mullet first though

I don't think returning to the life of a professional musician is a good choice for me...I'm all about the business mullet now!

what's a mullet?

isn't it some sort of fish???

just curious,

;)

picture link update:

the webserver at 65.24.34.74 is hitting connection limits and not working all the time...so i stuck a "real" web server out there (no connection limits but not nearly the hardware)...don't know how many more times i'm gonna stay up all night doing something that should have taken 5 minutes

anyway,

http://65.24.35.189

unlimited, slower connections...

whatever,

spongebob (highly saturated)

Wow! Thanks a million, Spongebob!! I enjoyed my virtual dive this morning....my kitty, Fuzzy, was with me at the keyboard enjoying it all, too. Her fav was the Angelfish.

A mullet, as far as I know is that extra length of dangling hair off ones neck...head-hair, that is. That nice little "flip" effect on one's hairdo! Quite popular in its time....still see some from time to time now, too. I think someone actually placed a mullet on Kelly's/Cynde's rat the other day on one of the pages here on BT, too! LOL.

Thanks for taking the time to post and load up all of the beautiful shots and videos for us to enjoy...needed it today here in NJ...a little grey sky and chillier than it has been (has been in the fifties or so which is wonderful!). Ayo. Carole

had to "fix" the network (again)...

so now, my virtual webserver address is:

http://65.24.35.188 (all my bonaire pics)

everything is tucked safely behind a hardware firewall, the router is doing the port forwarding and things are good

i hate pcs and i'm learning to hate networks (i need a real job)