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Trip Reports: Claire and Kevin's Excellent Adventure 9/3-9/15
Bonaire Talk: Trip Reports: Archives: Archives 2000 to 2005: Archives - 2004-08-02 to 2005-05-08: Claire and Kevin's Excellent Adventure 9/3-9/15
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Claire Gallicano (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #1) on Friday, September 17, 2004 - 9:44 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Kevin (kevinmac) and I just got back Wednesday night after almost 2 weeks in Bonaire. I am promising a great trip report, complete with post hurricane details of the diving, stories of friendships made, and of course restaurant reviews. Unfortunately right now I am so far behind at work that the report and Kevin's pix will come in segments - BUT if you have any questions about specific stuff please feel free to ask. Caio-
Claire

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Kelly Lott (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #1757) on Friday, September 17, 2004 - 12:51 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Claire, I'm sure I speak for all of us when I say we wait anxiously....

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Denise Kacavas (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #817) on Friday, September 17, 2004 - 12:58 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

the promise of a "great trip report" is keeping us in suspense :-)

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Eileen Kimmett (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #6518) on Friday, September 17, 2004 - 3:43 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Can't wait to see the pics too!:-)

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Kelly Lott (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #1760) on Friday, September 17, 2004 - 4:03 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Claire, don't be like MARY MUELLER though.... she went to Bonaire months ago and we still haven't heard from her yet... lol.... we suspect she's in rehab right now due to her exclamation point addiction. She needs our love and support now. We wish her well. ;)

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Eileen Kimmett (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #6523) on Friday, September 17, 2004 - 4:06 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Kelly, ROFLMAO!!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Kelly Lott (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #1761) on Friday, September 17, 2004 - 4:15 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Hi Eileen, I made myself laugh with that one! ha ha

Thanks for the pictures by the way, our little BT baby is growing up...

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Cecil Berry (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #3753) on Friday, September 17, 2004 - 4:24 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

LOL, Kelly.

He (or she) who can laugh at himself (or herself) will always be amused (unfortunately I am way to amused).

I am not going to give Mary a hard time, if I remember correctly it took me a couple of months to get mine done.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Claire Gallicano (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #2) on Friday, September 17, 2004 - 5:48 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

The Island this time of year - September.
We had never been to Bonaire in September, and it was an amazing adventure for many reasons, not just for Hurricane Ivan. While we were there - 9/3 to 9/15, we enjoyed Bonaire Day (my bithday), the Rincon Market, beach and boat diving pre-Ivan, the island elections (oh boy was that a trip), FROG FISH!, the hurricane, evacuation from the Belmar, and then diving after Ivan.

First off in September the vegetation is lush, greener, & there are actually cute little flat plants like grass on the ground. The donkeys and birds look well hydrated too. Before the hurricane the weather was warm, not hot, with help from the Bonaire Wind Machine the nights were almost bug free.

Our one-br at the Belmar was fantastic - second floor ocean view. I have some pix - what a place. There was a bit of a shake up with the dive business relationships early in the week, with Buddy Dive taking over Belmar's dive operations from Toucan. We got to dive with Toucan during our stay and loved it - we've dived with Buddy two years ago and loved them too, so it will be interesting to see what transpires. We just love them all :-)

We did more beach dives this year, and after a few klutzy falls and near bone breaks, we got the system down for a (kind of) graceful entry. We did beach entries at Aquarius - great vis, easy entry; Old Blue twice - my challenge to appear balanced and confident as I land on my butt - but as always a great dive ; Angel City (fave), site of major leg abrasions; Edwins house, thanks Edwin for letting us park in the driveway, easy access. Since this site goes under the moored sailboats you will see more tires and junk there, but- sorry I even love those giant anenomes who make their home in the castoffs.

Our last beach dive was right up the street at North Belnam and we agreed we wished we had dived it sooner. What a pretty dive, easy access, and we saw Mr. Hollywood "I am way too Cool" Orange Frogfish. Posing on a rock pretty as can be. He let Kevin take tons of pix of him, and we had a laugh how cute he was.

When we finally had to surface at 300 psi! all of a sudden TONS of fish came up to us - schools, colors, fish faces - whew. After about 150 dives under my weightbelt I almost had my first underwater cry....Kev and I took one last kick out to the ledge, waved, and headed back.
More to come.
Stay posted. :-) Caio - Claire

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Cynde (BonaireTalk Deity - Post #12222) on Friday, September 17, 2004 - 5:53 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Claire, great report! Buddy's is taking over the dive operation at Belmar?

Did you do any dives off Belmar pre-Ivan (or post-Ivan for that matter).

Glad you had a great time, and that last dive is always the best...hate to get out of the warm water!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Claire Gallicano (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #3) on Friday, September 17, 2004 - 7:46 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Hi Clyde,
Yes, as far as we heard Buddy is taking over the dive op there, since i think they are owned or managed by the same person. We didn't get the entire story, like if they will park a boat at Belmar, or come get us, or if we have to schlep to Buddy's dock.

We did dive at the Belmar pre-Ivan, but it was our first dive of the trip and not reportable. Being all messed up from the surprise overnight layover in Curacao the night before, a crappy rum drink hangover from the hotel they put us up in, and just the jitters of being in Bonaire again.

Diving the Belmar house dive - After the hurricane there was no dock to dive off. It got taken apart - half from the Belmar staff as protection, and half courtesy of Ivan...they were rebuilding when we left. More to come on what happened...
Caio
Claire

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By DARLENE ELLIS (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #1182) on Saturday, September 18, 2004 - 10:25 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

I love it so far!!! Keep it coming. I can't get enough right now as I leave in just two weeks!!!! :-)

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Marabeth Owens (BonaireTalker - Post #30) on Sunday, September 19, 2004 - 8:53 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

And I want to know more about Buddy Dive taking over Toucan at Bel-Mar. Not that I have any problems with it, just wondering.

We LOVE Bel-Mar and can't wait to go back in December - 2 weeks of FANTASTIC!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Alison Drouillard (BonaireTalker - Post #21) on Sunday, September 19, 2004 - 10:27 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Claire, the Toucan op you speak of is this the same one at the Plaza Resort? We dove there in June/July and they where a GREAT group of ppl. We especially enjoyed our Dive master / Captains Carlitos and Devon. We also had the opportunity to meet Marteen (sp?) the owner he was excellent - he made great care to make sure we had all we needed and wanted. - On Our last day of diving the DM's we had been with through out the stay where to be off that day - They enjoyed our group so much say decided to work their day off.. Now that was a nice touch.
And as a reward, as we headed out to Klein to do a drift over Forest - we encountered a dolphins pod. They where kind enough to ask us our preference drift or dolphin’s - well of course NO QUESTION there ..lol :-)

I hope it works out if they do merge and the wonderful service stays the same.

Best regards - Aqua Pixie
KlienBonadventureDolphins.jpg

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By stephan allaart (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #8) on Monday, September 20, 2004 - 5:37 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Hi,
Nice pix,
We come to bonaire today!
I hope to see some dolphins to this time!

 


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