Rubber Chicken Trip Report
The Bonaire diving chicken, accompanied by Steve and LeeAnn made a 8 day 7 night, 6 DIVING day trip to Bonaire(of course that sorry chicken stayed). We left Atlanta Airport with Air Jam Sat., Feb 9, about 8:50 am(only 15 min.s late) and changed flights in Montego Bay. Arrived Bonaire about 10 min.s early. Got our Rental Truck at the airport. Stayed at Lions Dive Inn. Diving with Bon Bini. The package for the trip included air from Atlanta to Bonaire, rental truck, Room at Lions Dive, 6 boat dives and unlimited shore diving $1,500.00 each, we upgrade to 1st Class on Air Jam for another $157 each. Our return flight was late leaving Bonaire and they did not hold our connecting flight so we had to spent Sat the 16th in Jamaica. It was late and the next flight left early so we saw the hotel and restaurant and back to the Airport.
Our second trip, same package. Lions Dive is nice, clean and well serviced. Bon Bini has a new boat to replace the one that sank. It is nice and faster. Ate Breakfast and lunch in the room most to the time and dinner ever night with Kirk in the Lions Dive Rest. Great food and prices. Eddie is the new Capt and Dive guide with BB and he is great. Cant say enough good about BB. Did tell them that even though the new boat will hold 16 divers that 12 was prob the better number.
LeeAnn had 13 dives and a half day horse back ride to Loc Bay where she got to swim the horses in the bay and went Para-sailing.
Of course the 14th was Valentines Day, so I cut back a couple of dives and had a special dinner with my sweet heart. She was surprised with the small ring I bought, almost right in front of her before we left. Cant think of a better place to spend Valentines than Bonaire.
I had 27 dives. Several of the pic.s were posted to the web cam page under the fri/sat sup heading.
Several night dives, including town pier. Lots of small fish life and lots of schools. More spotted eels than I could count. Charlie the Tarpon was in place in front of Lions Dive and Buddy.
Visibility varied from 85 to a little over a 100 feet. There was some surge and it was obvious that it is breeding season and that affected the vis as well.
Per the request of the cam talkers we brought the Bonaire diving chicken. Making his dive from Jake and Linda’s beach. He was thrilled to appear on the web cam. In fact we got back to out room and the phone was ringing, long distance from the US, I picked it up and heard clucking and laughter. The BDC now lives with Jake and Linda.
Average dives were about 50 to 60 min.s with 86 mins on the town pier. Average depth around 45 feet with ranges from 65 to 30 feet.
Also made my 100th Dive on the night dive at the Town Pier.

List of some of the dive sites and highlights included;

Ol’ Blue
Country Garden
Weber’s Joy
Oil Slick Leap this is a boat only now. The ladder is gone. Looks like property is being developed
Andrea I
Small Wall (the cam) the chicken and some awesome pictures
La Machaca
Angel City
Jeannies Glory
Town Pier
Klein
Jerry’s Reef
Just A Nice Dive
Nearest Point
Bonaventure
Hands Off
Forest
Sampler

Sting ray off Klein. Large, as in about 6’ huge solid green Moray eel on Angel city. Large Snapper following us looking for a free lunch. Several small, 3-4’ Barracuda off Klein. Large numbers of schooling fish. Tons of sharp tail eel and spotted ones. One gold braid chain eel.
Very large squid on two of the night dives, one let us touch him.
A lot of the smaller fish were very aggressive, the Sgt. Majors, were guarding eggs, the Dark Blue Males.
The French Angel Fish came to play on several dives. Two turtles off Klein, one on the surfaces as we were getting ready to go in and another at about 35’ free swimming.
Water temp was 77-78 all week. It rained a few times. But they were scattered showers, and a couple of times it had rained while we where in the water and stopped before we got out.
Not a single dive that wasn’t full of fish life, usually in large numbers.
Not much current on most of the dives. One day on La Machaca it was strong, 20 min swim up, 5 min. drift back.
We took the chicken for the cams and bones and chew toys for the puppies and pecans for Jake and Linda. It seems the pecans where the hit of the party and Grendal feel in love with LeeAnn, couldn’t have anything to do with the left over prime rib she took her J

Waiting on Media com to get the web page up and will start posting more of the pic.s

We had a blast, and we will be coming back for number three, the only question is whether it is later this summer or next year. Have started the new trip fund already.

Steve and LeeAnn
p.s. A special thank you to Jake and Linda

Great report.

I think the scuba chicken pecked a hole in the reefcam cable.

Ken