🪅 👯 Festive Friday 🎉 🪩🕺

The morning was a frenzy of activity as we prepared for the final dives of the trip. With three boats ready to go, everyone was hustling to get out for the 8:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. morning excursions.

A storm was brewing at the north end of the island, rumbling with thunder and flashing with lightning. Fortunately, our first dive was planned at the southern end, at Chez Heinz. Visibility wasn’t ideal, but the ocean currents revealed a fish feeding frenzy along the reef. Sadly, that also meant encountering more floating plastic garbage, which we collected during the dive. Midway through, we spotted a large lionfish stalking a smaller reef fish. Nearby, a shimmering tarpon and a couple of barracuda appeared to be hunting as well. We were lucky to be visited once again by a pair of reef squid near the boat.

After a quick shore stop to refill our tanks, we headed to the southern tip of Klein Bonaire to steer clear of the storm. Our destination: South Bay. Visibility remained poor, but marine life was abundant. In a dark crevice in the reef wall, we discovered another spider crab. Without a macro lens it was not possible to photograph. We also encountered a fairly large spotted drum (a misnomer, as the fish is striped) with its elegant trailing fins, along with several spotted boxfish. On our way back, a pair of barracuda watched us cautiously as we passed.

The two of us wrapped up the day with one last shore dive, bringing our total to 16 dives for the trip, before returning our few items of rented gear.

Dinner was another highlight: prawns, chicken, pumpkin stew, mashed potatoes and more! We capped off the week with a farewell tiki-themed pool party that our group organizers had planned—a perfect end to an unforgettable diving adventure. Our exclusive use of the pool allowed us to have the music loud and dancing both in and outside the water. The staff enjoyed themselves getting into the costumes, dancing and even the pool!Read more