...Without Anne Heche & Harrison Ford...

Not much wrong and lots right with this trip so I'll start at the beginning.

The FLight: AA Miami-Curacao, ALM Curacao-Bonaire. Not as convenient as the ALM direct flights, but no problems at all. Nice new 727 aircraft, but service definitely pales to AJ.

The Hotel: As my friend Joe McMountain reported DIVI is getting better and better (just a joke Jim!). Stevo has accomplished great things in his short time and although he thinks it's going too slowly, I think the progress is amazing! We had an Oceanfront room and were able to sleep with the doors open, listening to the waves on the rocks every night! Chibi Chibi is very good and the Resort grounds, with flowering hibiscus, oleander, ixora and gardenia, is very tranquill and beautiful!

The Food: We ate at De Tuin (twice), by far and away our favorite. Great food and great staff! Zeezicht Late Night (twice), which had good, relatively inexpensive food. We ate at Beefeater (for the first time) and it was very, very good. We also tried Amedeus (and by coincidence met Michael Gaynor, who saved my burning mouth from the very spicy & delicious ribs, by pouring me a glass of his tables' ice water. Thanks again, Michael!). We also ate at It Rains Fishes and again the staff & food were exceptional. It is amazing at how the food on the Island has so dramatically improved over the past few years. While it still wouldn't be a gourmets paradise, it is certainly one of the highlights of our trips. The Dining Guide, available at most hotel locations is a great addition for the visitor with excellent reviews & primers, so look for it!

The Diving: Wow man!!! We saw Seahorses on every dive, 3 frogfish, a manta ray, swam with the dolphins and saw the first whale shark of the season!!! Well, we really didn't see any of these on this trip, but you know what? The diving was still GREAT! The visibility was probably the lowest I've ever seen in Bonaire due to the plankton bloom (according to Serge), but the fish life, especially juvenile fish was extraordinary. The reef damaged from Lenny is showing great signs of recovery and while we won't see the complete regrowth in our lifetime, the recovery is startling.

Conclusion: With some 25-30 trips to Bonaire under our belt it still isn't getting old. Bonaire isn't for everybody and means different things to everybody and even though I live in the Keys, "wasting away in Margaritaville" to me means Bonaire!

Orlando and I spotted 4 sea horses. I told Tom where to find them, right on "The Cliff." Do you think he could find them? They were right in front of Habitat, at 50 feet. Oh well, maybe next time.

Good one...you got me on the diving part...I was thinking WOW, I didn't see any of those things!!!

Surprisingly, Lise, none of those things are unheard of on Bonaire. Several folks swam with a Manta Ray here just a few weeks ago, sea horses and frogfish can be found with a knowledgable dive master, and even dolphin encounters occur. The rarest critter above is the whale shark, but even those come through here every year or two...

Jake

Yes...we spoke with people who had seen a Manta Ray and Sea Horses....we didn't see any of those, but LOTS of other beautiful things. I did see a scorpion fish, he was neat!

tom - got me on that one - my eyes bugged out when I read your "spottings". Be still my beating heart!

Tom, got me with the sightings too! I was doing the "hhmmph, and I thought I saw a lot of critters..." thing as I reread what you wrote....funny how I had to go right back over it, almost in disbelief - but as Jake pointed out - it could be a possibility! Great report.....I'm just longing to kiss the sea! (If I kissed anything outdoors around here, my lips would be permanently and irreversibly affixed until spring!)

Actually Jake, I mentioned the whale shark because Serge (at DIVI) told us the first whale shark of this year was spotted off Klien while we were there!

Sorry for the 'leg pullin'' everyone, I couldn't resist!

Jim, I thought you told me it was Thousand Steps where you saw the Sea Horses, but if it was Habitat, well then, no wonder I didn't see them 'cause I was looking in the wrong place! LOL!

Tom,
Again that damn "Jump Up" has me in a quandry. It was the steps, and at the cliff I saw a mermaid. LOL. Honestly, it was at the steps. I did 11 dives, and I'm still trying to sort it out. At habitat, I saw the turtle, and the octupus. I did not see any lobsters the whole trip.

Mermaid! You got me there Jim! I dream of seeing Memaids but I know if I ever see any Merfolk it'll probably be a Merman!

I can tell we all had great trips & we're the envy of the other posters...For now! I say "for now," because when next week rolls around and the next batch of trip reports come in methinks Tom, Jim, Lise, Alan & Joan will be quite envious once again! LOL!

Great report, Tom! Between your account and Jim McPeak's, its hard to tell who had a better time!
Of course, neither one of you saw the selkie that was hanging out in the cave at the bottom of Small Wall, did you?