Greetings BT'ers.....

It has been a full two weeks since returning from Bonaire, and I would be lying if I said I was adjusting well. Going back to work is no fun, but perhaps writing this trip report will take me back....

Getting there...

My wife and I live in southern California, and our route of travel is San Diego - Houston, Houston - Bonaire (redeye). This is the Continental flight, and just like last year, we had zero problems getting to the island.

The resort...

Just like last year, we decided to stay at Buddy Dive. I really enjoyed property last year, and this trip was no exception. It has often been said that the rooms at Buddy's could use a little updating. I think there is probably some truth to that, but I really don't find the rooms to be an issue. They are always clean and comfortable. We had a good size balcony for drying our wetsuits and soaking up the sun. During the middle of the week, our A/C unit stopped working. The Buddy's maintenance staff was on it right away and it was fixed almost immediately. As I walked around the resort, I noticed a lot of fresh paint. I really got the impression that they were investing in upkeep. When... (not if) I return to Bonaire, I will definitely stay at Buddy's again...

The Diving...

Buddy's Reef has a strange way of making a person lazy =) We made most of our dives right in front of the resort. Other highlights included Yellow Submarine, Angel City, and Hands Off (Klien Bonaire - amazing topography). Overall, the reef seemed very healthy to us. My wife and I both commented that there seemed to be more fish this year. We only saw two turtles this year, but it was a treat just the same. This trip was also special because my wife and I made our first ever night dives. Being able to make the dives on Buddy's reef made us very comfortable. We kept it shallow, and we stayed right in front of the resort. It is easy to see why night dives are so popular. We really enjoyed seeing the 'shift change'. It seemed like all the brittle stars decided to come out and play all at once. The REAL highlight of our trip was spotting the elusive frogfish! We had heard from several people that there was a frogfish on Buddy's Reef. We made numerous attempts to find the little guy, but it just wasn't panning out. It kind of became a running joke between my wife and I that this little fella was hiding from us. Towards the end of the week, however, we received VERY detailed directions from Suzie (As in, John and Suzie of the Digital Photo Center) and we finally found him! He was hiding in some green sponges in 21 feet of water. Although he was red, it looked like he was starting to change color. This experience really made our trip!

U/W Photography

We rented an U/W camera for the week. I have said it before, and I will say it again, John and Suzie, who run the Digital Photography Center at Buddy's, are some of our favorite people on the island. This was only my 2nd attempt at U/W photography. I think I'm getting better, but I've got a LONG way to go to even be mediocre =)

The Food...

During the course of the week we ate Cactus Blue (very good!), City Cafe, Rum Runner's (@ Capt. Don's), The Lion's Den, Buddy's pool bar (surprisingly good food), and Papaya Moon. The best meal of the week, hand's down, goes to Papaya Moon. The food was absolutely incredible. I had shrimp enchiladas (wow), and my wife had Jalapeno-honey glazed BBQ Chicken with homemade black beans and mashed potatoes. My only regret was eating so much of our entrees that we left no room for desert. I have heard their deserts are incredible. There is always next time, right?

Have wetsuit... will travel...

When thinking about the highlights for this trip, it is easy to mention the turtles, or the frogfish, or some of the fantastic meals we had. But more than anything else, what I am missing most right now is that feeling I had while sitting on my balcony, sipping a Bright, and watching the sun go down. Life was awful simple... if only for that one, glorious week on Bonaire.



To all of the wonderful people of Bonaire, I say Masha Danki!

great report but let's see the photos!!! (Please)

Great report. Would love to see some photos!

Jon..Enjoyed your report. I think one of the best things about Bonaire is the activity at sundown known as waiting for the green flash while drinking a cold one.
PS..I've found that if the conditions don't seem right for the green flash, holding the beer bottle in front of your eyes and looking at the sunset seems to help.