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Trip Reports: First Bonaire Trip Feb. 15-22
Bonaire Talk: Trip Reports: Archives: Archives 2000 to 2005: Archives - 2004-08-02 to 2005-05-08: First Bonaire Trip Feb. 15-22
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By John Rising (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #10) on Saturday, February 26, 2005 - 12:53 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

After several days to unwind from an eventful return flight from Bonaire I think I am ready to write my trip report. Snapshots from my trip can be found at my web site www.risingphotography.com in the Gallery section. My dive buddy and I flew America Airlines from Colorado Springs through Dallas and Puerto Rico then on to Bonaire. We stayed at the Eden Beach Resort in a studio with a kitchenette and got the dive package that included breakfast, unlimited shore dives, and a rental truck. The staff of Eden Beach was professional and the maid kept the room quite clean. She even did our dishes! The place was certainly adequate for our needs and was quite pretty and relaxing. We usually had a drink at Bongo’s after dinner. The beach in front of Eden Beach has quite a diverse amount of fish, but the reef itself is dead. Our dive package was with Wanna Dive Bonaire and we found the staff to be great. They were knowledgeable and friendly.

Most of the repairs to the power plant had been made by the time we arrived. The first full day on Bonaire we did have rolling blackouts in the afternoon, but that was the only interruption to the power the whole week. The mosquitoes that I heard so much about were no worse than what I found in Hawaii. I used 6% DEET and by the end of the trip I only had two bites, and those were probably at the Flamingo airport. I had far more stings from tiny nearly invisible jellyfish than bites from any winged bloodsuckers. While the sting of the jellyfish lasted several hours it wasn’t too painful and by the next morning there were no visible marks.

The restaurants on Bonaire were as great as I had read about on here. I loved the food at Capriccio, Mai Mai, and Casablanca the best. At Casablanca my diving buddy and I had the grill special for two that must have had five pounds of the best grilled meat I have had in years. There was so much that I had the leftovers for lunch for two more days. They even had good service there and one of the owners stopped by our table and chatted for a bit. Bistro de Paris was a great place for lunch. Had we tried it sooner I’d have gone back again. We also had great food at Donna & Giorgio and a nice lunch at Brasseri Bonaire. The only disappointments were Chibi Chibi as the food was overcooked and the service was bad. The lunch at Bongo’s wasn’t too hot from what my buddy said. As expected the service was slow at most the restaurants, but I wasn’t in any hurry so it didn’t bother me except at the Mai Mai were they were simply understaffed for the number of people they had that night.

On the first day we snorkeled at Angel City but found that the visibility was poor and the surge was strong that day. On the way back we spotted six dolphins and stopped at Bachelor's beach to try and get ahead of them. Alas, they must have headed deeper out and the visibility was no better here so we left. We finished by snorkeling around Front Porch where the visibility was quite good. We saw three scorpion fish, several flatfish

flatfish

several eels, and a wide variety of other fish.

solo
puffer

This was the first time I had used my new digital camera and strobe underwater. It took quite a while to get used to it, but I am pleased with its capabilities. Now I just need to improve on my underwater photography. The night snorkeling at the Front Porch was a lot of fun. I saw about six lobster,

lobster

dozens of sea anemones, a big fish that followed me around, and watched the bioluminescence in the water as I moved my hands around with the dive light off.

The second day we did two dives at the Front Porch and did some more snorkeling. A large barracuda was hiding out beneath one of the pieces of art. As I was adjusting my strobe he swam away, so my photos of him are poor. On day three we headed for 1,000 Steps. It was a great place to dive and snorkel. The steps weren’t anywhere near as bad as I thought they would be. The reef was beautiful and the clarity on our first day there was great. I loved all the colorful sponges and corals. The day before we left we went back to snorkel and the clarity had dropped due to the nearby storm, but I still got some good photos. My favorite diving spot of the trip was Ol’ Blue. I did three dives there but only had a camera on one of those dives and the batteries died as we got to the crest of the reef, so I didn’t get many shots.

The day before we flew out we stopped at the Mangrove Info and Kayak Center. My buddy wanted to kayak but the winds were really strong, and I had never kayaked before, so we took the tour of the mangroves in the solar powered boat, instead. It was a nice tour. The researcher from the center was quite knowledgeable and we learned quite a lot on the tour. There were lots of upside-down jellyfish and baby fish to be seen.

The flight home was one I will remember for a long time. We flew on a 757 that was to leave San Juan, Puerto Rico and land in Dallas, Texas. At around 30,000 feet and over half way to Dallas the pilot announced we would be turning back and landing in Miami shortly. He then went on to explain that there was a crack in the co-pilot’s cockpit window. About ten minutes later he stated that the outer window had shattered. Here is a photo of what it looked like after we landed.

cockpit

After about 1 & ½ hours later AA found another plane for us. We boarded it and were waiting to leave when the pilot had to inform us that the plane couldn’t fly as there was a 6x7” hole under one of the engines. Fortunately, I found a direct flight from Miami to Denver that actually was able to fly and didn’t fall apart in the air.

Overall I had a great time. I look forward to being able to return sometime and do more dives there. This site has been a great resource and I appreciate all the people who have posted their own trip info and provided help to those of us who haven’t been there.

John

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jerry Besco (BonaireTalker - Post #73) on Saturday, February 26, 2005 - 6:42 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Great pictures what kind of camera and housing is it. I'm interested in underwater photography and those pictures are very sharp and colorful.
Thanks

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Carole Baker (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #4695) on Saturday, February 26, 2005 - 7:40 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

John, enjoyed your report and photos immensely.

What is AA going to do to compensate you for your frightful situation? I do hope you will be contacting someone in a high position with regard to the matter and that they arrange to "do something" for you and your party. That was a terrifying situation to be in....the fact that you have the glass on film definitely adds some "oomph" to your request for compensation of some sort. How frightening.

It sounds as though you had a wonderful time on Bonaire, though, so that is great to hear. Will you return? Carole

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Carole Baker (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #4696) on Saturday, February 26, 2005 - 7:47 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

John, I'm trying to figure out where you were on the ground when the glass shot was taken? It appears as tho there is some cockpit equipment in the photo but if you were not inside the plane that can't be correct. I'm just trying to put the pic into perspective and figure out what the other items in the photo are.

Just checked out your website, too. Very nicely done! Carole

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Susan Feldman (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #1206) on Saturday, February 26, 2005 - 9:47 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

John, nice report! And the photos here and on your website are nice!! It sounds like you had a great vacation, just not a good return from it! That's pretty nasty what happened on AA, but at least it was coming home!

If you want to learn more about the fish you photograph, I highly recommend the Paul Humann Series of books: Reef Fish book for ID, and Reef Fish Behavior for "what the heck are they doing?", and if you want to know about the coral, what it is and is it healthy, the Humann book on Coral. They're great!

My husband recently had a run-in with a Flight Attendant on AA who made him get off the plane because she claimed his boarding pass was no good and he needed to get a boarding pass (it was fine, which the attendant at the gate attested to) then threatened him with expulsion from the plane because he told her she was wrong.

He ended up apologizing to her just to get home (he was on the last leg of a business trip to Finland, was TIRED) but complained to AA (among other things, he said she shouldn't be going around threatening to throw people off the plane without good reason, and once it's been threatened, she should do it or else it's hardly a deterrant) and asked that she be "retrained"; they said it would be going on her record (she was an older veteran, not a newbie, too).

Thank you for the nice report!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By John Rising (BonaireTalker - Post #11) on Saturday, February 26, 2005 - 11:03 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Jerry -- The camera setup I used underwater was a Canon A95, the Canon WP-DC50 housing, an ultralight arm, and an Inon D-2000 strobe. I'll write a review of that setup this weekend and post it in the photography and videography section of the forum. Overall I am quite happy with the setup. Now I just need to improve my picture taking!

Carole -- The photo of the cockpit window was taken inside the cockpit after we landed. I'm not sure what to do regarding AA. At the time I was just happy to land and get back to Colorado. My luggage arrived a day after I did and it was delivered straight to my home. This is the first time I had purchased trip insurance. If the event had happened on the way to Bonaire I might have had to use it! Other than the flight back my trip was great, and I would love to return to Bonaire.

Susan -- Thanks for the book recommendations. I definitely need some references as I really don't know much about the underwater life I saw. I will add titles and descriptions to the photos on my web site over the next week on the ones I can identify.

Thanks for all the replies!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Linda Stoltzfus (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #520) on Saturday, February 26, 2005 - 1:38 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Greetings from a fellow Colorado - Bonaire traveler.

Thanks for the report, John. I remember hearing on the news about your return AA flight. Thanks, also, for the heads up regarding those pesty little jelly fish. They are NOT always around but we experienced them last April. We're looking forward to our 4th annual trip in just a few short weeks. Your photos are excellent!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Carole Baker (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #4699) on Saturday, February 26, 2005 - 3:00 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Thanks, John. I would guess you shot this one as you were exiting the plane? I can't believe you actually were not advised you could not take the picture and also amazed they left the cockpit door open where anyone could see the windshield! Just amazing.

I would definitely pursue some sort of compensation from AA for this horror story, tho. YOu can drop me an email via the BT board if you'd like and I will let you know what I did two years ago and how an airline did compensate us, etc.

All you have to do now is book your return trip to Bonaire! It will help you get over the dreaded PBD...Post Bonaire Depression...it sets in quickly and hard! Ayo. Carole

PS I loved your Hale Bopp shot with the illuminated cross....outrageous shot.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By John Rising (BonaireTalker - Post #12) on Saturday, February 26, 2005 - 4:00 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Linda, I hope you have a great time on your 4th Bonaire trip! Now I know why people keep going back. This was not only my first Bonaire trip it was also my first time diving without a divemaster or guide and with a camera. It was great fun.

Carole, the pilot and co-pilot actually allowed anyone interested in seeing the cockpit window to peek into the cabin. Whether or not they were supposed to I don't know, but I think it was a good gesture on their part and agree with their decision. It helped us appreciate what they had experienced on our way down. As I shot my photo the pilot said, "Did you know your in the news? There is a news helicopter that was watching us." and, "I've never in my entire career seen anything like it [the cracked window] before!"

That Hale-Bopp shot you mentioned was taken on the Easter weekend, that is why the cross was illuminated. Glad you liked it.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By DARLENE ELLIS (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #1352) on Saturday, February 26, 2005 - 4:52 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Great report and pictures! Thanks for sharing!!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Babs (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #7882) on Saturday, February 26, 2005 - 11:49 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Great report and pics John, looks like your new camera is the tops! :-)

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Eric Justice (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #1) on Friday, March 18, 2005 - 3:42 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

John, thanks for sharing these excellent images. My wife and I went to Bonaire in early 2002 and the snorkeling was the best I've experienced (including right off the back of our hotel, the Plaza Resort, where they had a manmade reef very close to shore); the abundance and variety of fish was incredible. Our air travel experience was not as dramatic! We're hoping to get back there soon. Since that trip, I have started to get interested in snorkeling/photography and, after viewing your pictures and your description of the equipment used, was wondering if you thought a strobe set-up is necessary during the daytime if there is decent ambient light. The strobe/arm assembly you mentioned looks rather cumbersome to swim with, not to mention pricey (~$820 as far as I can tell). If you feel a strobe IS essential for high-quality pics, even in daylight, do you (or does anyone on the board) know of a more portable/economical alternative? (pls. bear in mind we're talking about snorkeling, as opposed to diving photos). Also: How close, on average, would you say you were to your subjects? (I notice the Canon A-95 has 3x digital zoom). Did you have the shutter speed at the maximum setting for rapidly-moving stuff?

Thanks for any advice you (or anyone else) might be able to give--

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Wally and Eva (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #737) on Saturday, March 19, 2005 - 8:42 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

On one of our trips AA had some plane problems in MIA and we missed our connection to BON and ended up overnighting in SJU. They couldn't get us to BON the next day so we grabbed an AA flight to Aruba and Exel on to BON.

AA paid for the room, gave us some food and taxi vouchers and considered the flight to Aruba has part of the ticket. I wrote a letter (not nasty) explaining missing a day of diving and that we had a room on BON that we paid for but didn't use etc., whined a little about the time it all took and they sent Eva and I a voucher apiece for $400 which we used on our next trip to BON.

Overall, pretty decent of them as the delay was caused by a door sealing improperly and once that was fixed one of the engines wouldn't crank. I didn't want to fly in that particular plane that day anyway...the plane was having a Monday.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By John Rising (BonaireTalker - Post #16) on Sunday, March 20, 2005 - 10:55 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Eric,

My experience with underwater photography is limited to using a Canon A1 Sureshot underwater camera in Hawaii, and a housed A95 with the Inon strobe in Bonaire. In Hawaii I was only snorkeling and was extremely disappointed with the photos. Anything further away than three feet had serious backscatter problems due to the lack of an external strobe. Many other photos were blurry due to motion blur and the camera's inability to focus quickly enough. The pics that did turn out were of subjects within two feet of the camera. Overall I had about a 10% success rate.

With the A95, the ultralight arm, and the Inon 2000 I had much better results. Is the strobe necessary? For subjects between one and two feet away the internal flash may work okay assuming it doesn't reflect inside the housing. Without the internal flash I don't think you'll have good results under five feet of water. Everything is too blue. It was a bit awkward carrying the camera when entering the water during surge; more so for diving than snorkeling. When swimming I held it underneath me to decrease drag. A shutter speed of 1/250 worked good for most my shots. The zoom worked fine with the strobe.

If you want to learn more about underwater strobes checkout http://www.digitaldiver.net/strobes.php

If you have anymore questions just let me know. The photo/video section on here is also a great place to ask questions.

John

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Susan Feldman (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #1256) on Sunday, March 20, 2005 - 11:52 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

John,
Please forgive me for not checking (I'm about to run out the door): I just bought the A95 and Canon housing and it has a removable flash disperser (I know that's not the technical term for it) on the housing. I'm also an UW camera (ok, all types of camera) dolt, having always prefered point and shoot to learning how to do it "right".

Do you have the Canon housing? Did you find the flash reflected inside the housing with this attachment in place? Or without it?

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By John Rising (BonaireTalker - Post #17) on Sunday, March 20, 2005 - 3:52 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Susan,

In review my last post about the housing I realize I might have given the wrong impression. I never actually had the chance to check for internal reflections within the housing. The reason is that my external flash kit included a filter you put over the internal flash that only passes infrared light, which is used to trigger the external flash, so there couldn't be any internal reflections. I have no idea if this is actually necessary, but since it was included I used to just to be safe.

My feeling is you will be perfectly fine using the diffuser for your close-up shots. Have a great time using it! I'm sure you will enjoy it.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Susan Feldman (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #1257) on Sunday, March 20, 2005 - 5:56 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Thanks for clearing that up. :-)

I think I'll enjoy it - I've been playing with it a bit, it's a cool camera. We'll see what happens in about 40 days... :-)

Susan

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Eric Justice (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #2) on Monday, March 21, 2005 - 1:51 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

John -- thx very much for your answers/advice! I will check out the link on strobes--

Best,

EJ

 


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