On Saturday, November 2, thirty members of the Chattanooga Ski Club arrived on the island of Bonaire for a week of adventure under the warm sun and in the warm Caribbean water.  The air temperature each day varied from a low of about 80°F to a high of about 90°F and the water temperature was 85°F.  Bonaire is the “B” of the A-B-C islands (Aruba – Bonaire – Curacao) and it is part of the Netherlands (i.e. Holland).  Fortunately, only a handful of cruise ships stop at Bonaire, so the island isn’t overcrowded.

Our home for the week was at Buddy Dive Resort, a short drive from the International Airport, and an even shorter drive from the capital, Kralendijk.  Some of us were in one-bedroom apartments, some two-bedroom apartments, and some in three-bedroom apartments, each with a kitchen, living room, and balcony.  The resort has two restaurants, two swimming pools and a full-service dive shop. 

Saturday afternoon we then attended a very short mandatory marine park orientation.  In 1979, Bonaire established one of the first marine reserves and it includes all the water around the island, from the high-water line out to a depth of 200 feet, and they continue to protect this valuable resource. 

Bonaire is considered the “shore-diving capital of the world” as it has over 70 dive/snorkel sites accessible from shore.  Since each apartment came with at least one vehicle, getting around the island was a breeze.  For those of us who are divers, we made multiple dives each day, including some night dives off the pier at Buddy’s.  Our club treasurer, Karen Hall, completed the required lessons and paper test before arriving on Bonaire and then completed the pool and open water dives to become a certified scuba diver!

Other activities that we enjoyed were: taking a tour through the mangrove forest via kayak and snorkel; hiking (or as the Lyons describe it, mountain climbing) in the Washington Slagbaai National Park (which covers about 1/5 of the island), visiting the donkey sanctuary, and of course shopping, including at a craft market, plus much more.  

We had two group activities during the week. The first, on Sunday evening was a three-course meal at Buddy’s Blennies Restaurant.  This was included in the trip cost.  The second group activity was an optional catamaran dinner/snorkel cruise, that most everyone attended.  It started a couple of hours before the sun set Tuesday evening and we returned to the pier just after dark. 

Overall, I think this was a successful trip as we had a great group of friends to spend the week with and perhaps, we will do it again.