Just a little posting about our diving last Thursday, Friday and Saturday, because it was rather interesting.

Due to favorable wind conditions we were able to dive some sites on the East side. Those divesites tend to be more adventerous but inaccessible most of the year.

On thursday morning we did Lac Cai together with Menno from Wannadive. Besides 50+ tarpons, a very nice turtle, some groupers, midnicht parrot fish (the usual stuff for that dive site) we also had the extreme luck of seeing a MANTA. He or she was huge, 4 metres minimum. And we have him on video.

Friday we were able to do the Lighthouse, baby beach and blue hole (Sorobone). The lighthouse was the easiest since we did it really early (7 am). The entry and exit was not that difficult and there was almost no current. A nice little ray accompanied us.
Baby beach, ... wow what a current! We had to fight against the current untill we reached the reef. And it is a loooooong swim-out. It took us a good 20 minutes. No sharks, no eagle rays but one giant turtle. I have never seen one soo big. It was sleeping in the coral. When it noticed us, it took of. It really nneded some time to build up speed (momentum is probably the better word in his case due to the size), but once it was going it was bye-bye for us. Incredible sight. There were also lots of jellyfish in the water. There were some small ones, the ones with the four brown dots on the back, but also some strain like yelly fish. These were litteraly meters long. Before we went in the water we also found three stranded Portugese man-of-war, which can be rather dangerous. But we didn't encounter them in the water. Our exit ... well let's describe it as WILD. All of us were tosted around by the waves before reaching the beach. Which is by the way a rather unpleasant experience while carrying 30 Kg of filming equipment.
Last dive on Friday: Blue hole. We did that one from shore which means a 15 minute walk through knee-deep water in the blazing sun with all gear on. But is was worth it: morray eals, turtle and an Eagle Ray (spotted). The exit was rough again, but we all survived with just minor cuts and brouses.

Each dive was over one hour, but that didn't stop Kurt from doing a fourth night dive. We just watched while enjoying some Brights at Bongo's beach bar.

Day three, Friday. Menno and Esther (Astrid for the friends), joined us on some more East coast diving. The plan was to do Baby Beach again but the waves had built up overnight, so we went to Lac Cai instead. We had a great 70 minute dive, but the bigger critters didn't show up. Still, turtle, tarpons, large shools of fish, ... made the dive worthwhile doing. In the afternoon we went to Bopec and made a relaxing dive on the Bopec reef. We finished the day with a very nice BBQ.

Esther, Menno, Kurt, Julian, Elsie and Liesbeth thanks for the great diving. I hope we can get together again next year.

Peter


PS. Don't try these dives without proper experience and only when conditions allow it. I strongly advise to do them as guided dives first, since strong currents, low vis (especially Lac Cai) and waves can make them dangerous.

Peter,

Bonaire Jellies.

Thanks for the interesting east coast dive details.

I collect info and data on jellies (jellyfish) throughout the Caribbean, particularly Bonaire and Florida. Could you describe in more detail your sightings: size, shape, coloration, tentacles (number, length, color), number sighted. Also any stings or toxicity, if stung.
This would be really helpful.

It sounds like you may seen siphonophores, gooseberries or salps in chains (DeLoach/Humann ID book has pics). Brown spots are on mature thimble jellies (Linuche), which don't sting as adults but their larvae also known as sea lice cause rashes and reactions. Also known as Caribe as reported recently in National Geographic article about Cuba's coral reefs.

This request is for any BTers as well. We have even discovered a new species of cubomedusae through BT and BTers. Email me directly if you want to see a picture.

Bud Gillan
Flying Fish.

Bud,

When we get back home (three weeks from now), I'll extract the footage on the Bonaire Jellies. I'll either e-mail it to you or post it on a web site for download.

We're going to Lac Cai this afternoon. We can stop at Baby Beach and take some shots of the stranded "Portugese man-of-war" if that is usefull for you and if they are still there.

Both types of jellyfish (the small round ones and the string like ones) where all over the place at Baby Beach. There must have been hundreds of the long ones and thousands of the round ones. I dont't have the ID book handy, so identification has to wait until we're back home.

(-: I'm not volunteering to get stung, that's something you'll have to find out yourselve. But if it happens accidentaly, we'll let you know how it feels.

The long ones did have brown spots on them at regular intervals.

Peter,

While you are on island, why not go and talk to Jerry Ligon at Bonaire Dive and Adventure (by Sand Dollar) or Caren Eckrick. Either could show you their id books and help with identification.

Glen,

thanks for the suggestion. I will try to do that.

Peter

Peter, thanks for the great details of the dive! It must have been incredible to see the manta and the huge turtle. On September 11th I snorkeled over a four and a half foot loggerhead and it was an experience beyond description!
Bud, I have a couple types of jellies posted at my trip report. I know one is the Spotwinged comb jelly but I don't know what the other two are. Can you ID them for me please??...Thanks

Hi Peter,

That sting ray didn't look that small to me...
You can find more information over on http://www.fishbase.org/Summary/SpeciesSummary.cfm?genusname=Dasyatis&speciesname=brevis

also about other fishes

Have fun
Kurt
PS I will be on my way to Finland tomorrow

Hi Kurt,

we did some more East Coast diving yesterday. We dove from a zodiac with Dominic. Great diving.

The statistics for the three dives we did:

50+ tarpons (blue hole)
3 eagle rays
10+ turtles (8 in one dive) (one huge one with a shark sucker under it)
2 nurse sharks
3 stingrays
tunar, jacks, morray eals, ....

But the current was really going. On the last dive we 2/3 of the bay in less than 55 minutes. A real rollercoaster ride.


Peter

I want to see that video of the Manta .