You are in Bonaire and the asteroid in hurtling toward earth at cosmic speed. The brave multi-national team has been unable to stop the behemoth despite a mighty heroic effort. The celestial mountain will hit earth late this night. The drive through tank filling stations are offering free fill-ups and the weather is strangely yet beautifully calm.

You've decided to take a last dive here in this underwater paradise, which site do you choose?

Disclaimer: The above is an obvious cheap, shallow and theatrical way to everyone to fess up to their favorite site before I arrive and have to chose for myself. I apologize only very slightly and actually on second thought I am not sorry at all, I do however appreciate your input and I would like to wish you all a Happy Earth Day.

David
(shameless as always)

My last dive would be the same as my first...the little tug boat on front porch adjacent to the now defunct Sunset Beach Hotel. I know I also would try to get Ibo Domacasse, one of Bonaire's best known dive guides, to come with me as he did alsmost 20 years ago. I will keep my eye to the heavens looking for stray asteroids and shooting stars. Daivid, you are indeed shameless but creative.

Well, since it'd be my last dive...or last anything, I guess I'd fnally find the cajones to dive the Windjammer. Hey, I could care less about narcosis, depth limits or even a dive buddy...just time my dive and oblivion so they somewhat coincide....This really isn't what you were hoping to gain, is it?

Well, on average I'd say the one dive I would not want to miss on Bonaire is Karpata!

At this time in my life I would have to say that it would be the Helma Hooker only because the last time we were in Bonaire (year and year and years ago) we had just been certified and we were apprehensive to dive that deep. Now it's nothing but I plan on diving it this trip in May.
Heck, thinking about it if it was my last dive why don't do the Helma, then swim on to the next site, then the next site, .....

Based on your description, David, I'd be on that dive with Tom at the Windjammer :-)

Outside of that, my favorite shore dive spots are (not in any particular order): Hilma Hooker, Salt Pier, Small Wall, Red Slave, Ol' Blue, Tori's Reef, and 18 Palms. On Klein Bonaire, Forest is tops for me. However, I should also point out that I've only dived about half of the marked dive spots around Bonaire (I always seem to be going back to these areas instead of new ones for some reason...)

Jake

Thomas, actually I know from reading here that Bonaire is a place that is close to the heart of many. I know that I have dive sites that speak to me, that define why I dive at a certain locale. I just wanted to read of the places that call out to the folks here. It has to do with history and timing and people and emotions and all of those are interesting to me. I know where I would bring someone on a last dive around my home base, I am curious about the same in Bonaire.

David

My last dive would be Ol' Blue and when finished I would sit on the sand and watch the fireworks

i love angel city because of the easy entry and double reef and my favorite is Ol'blue. but i have not found a bad place or one that i wouldnt want to dive many times more yet. oh, to be there enough to dive all the sites. one can dream!!!!

1000 Steps. Partly because I love the site, and partly because the oncoming asteroid would mean I wouldn't have to climb back up those steps again afterward! :)

(for those who're interested -- there are only 74 steps going down, but there are definitely 1000 on the way back up!)

correction if you will (for math majors) That is 926 steps up....

Ok.. I will play... Last dive ever?????? It would depend on my mood... if I was being retrospective it would be Front Porch and the tug...like Michael it was my first and there are a lot worse place for a conclusion...if not being retrospective.. I did lose a knife between Sunset and Klein that I would like to find...

To your hidden purposes: In the South, I have recently fallen for the beauty of Margate, Atlantis and Red Bery, in the center south, Invisibles, Alice in Wonderland...if you have a special friend...and permission, Salt Pier is serene. Windsock is an old standby ..easy and fun.. North: Andrus I, Weber's Joy, Ole Blue.
and the place I do most of my diving... until Jack stops letting me in or can find a better way of keeping me out,... the house reef at Capt Don's.. Diverse sea life, good place for lunch or dinner, good place to get my film developed..

enjoy your trip

jason

Jason and all, thanks for the suggestions so far. this whole thing has made me think of where I would dive with the big rock coming. It would be either 1000 steps (the Laguna Beach, CA version) or Moss Cove (Laguna). Neither are the best diving in the world by far, but they mean so much to me and how the ocean has been and will always be crashing in my veins.

It's funny, I can get sea sick looking at a sloshing glass of water, but I dive anyway and would never ever stop. It's a truly alien world that we are allowed to visit when we descend from the surface world, one of the very few on this earth. I am grateful that I have the ability to visit and to learn and to still be in awe of the power of the beauty I encounter whenever I strap on a mask and take the big stride.

And the adventure begins anew on June 2.

David - I loved your message. The sea touches us all in strange ways. I am obsessed by it. Thank you for sharing your passion :-)

it would have to be the site of the hooker. we
were in Bonaire last year for thirty days and made
a lot of dive's. We hit just about site there but
the hooker stands out the best.

jeff.