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Bonaire - Diving For Life 2025
  • A. Cook
  • Jer Mahon

Bonaire - Diving For Life 2025

A 10-day adventure by A. & Jer Read more
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  • Trip start
    September 12, 2025
    Bonaire - Diving For Life 2025
    Aunt Uber picked us up for a ride to the airport 🚙
    A beautiful start to the day in VictoriaI never imagined! 🌈Fancy art in the glassCattle around the luggage trough 🐄😅Coconut shrimpPoutineSeahawkLaurie Hogin artPlane spottingCelebration bubblesLots of planes all at once

    A day @ SeaTac

    September 12 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    It was a typical travel day filled with stretches of waiting and bursts of frenzy. People-watching never ceases to amaze those who are observant. Everything went smoothly—which is always a win when traveling!

    The flight from Victoria to Seattle was a short 25 minutes. We had the luxury of an 8-hour layover before catching the red-eye to Miami.

    SEA Airport is impressively expansive, feeling more like a shopping mall than an airport. We grabbed a quick bite at Lucky Louie’s Fish Shack, which offered an interesting spin on poutine: thick, creamy chowder in place of gravy, topped with bacon bits, cheese, and green onion. Afterward, we wandered the halls like a couple of mall rats. That little adventure racked up 11,000 steps for the day. We ended up meandering through nearly every wing of the airport and definitely got our fill. It was nice to see such a variety of art installations decorating the space.

    Eventually, we settled in with a beer at the Tap & Pour lounge, watching the constant flurry of planes coming and going. Warm sunlight streamed through the vaulted windows. Later, we made our way to a Mexican spot for dinner and Modelo beers. The sunset cast a soft glow of pinks across the sky just before we boarded the 5-hour red-eye. The flight was turbulent, jostling the plane and making sleep a bit of a challenge.    Read more

  • Bonaire - Diving For Life 2025
    Our first Carribean sunset
    Fishy art 🎨🐠🐟Freshly off our flightLuggage pickup chaosMinibus timeSpacious accommodationWelcome diving week packageWelcome meetingOceanfront drinks at the bar

    Bon biní na Bonaire

    September 13 in Bonaire ⋅ 🌬 31 °C

    On the 5-hour flight to Miami we managed to watch a movie before attempting some rest. Unfortunately it was hard to come by with cramped leg room, cushionless seating, and lots of turbulence. We left the plane bleary-eyed, and in a time zone 3-hours ahead.

    While wandering through the early morning desolate departure hall of Miami airport, we found an amazing Colombian coffee shop. More art decorated the spaces with fascinating flooring designs of corals and fish inlaid in the chip-rock concrete.

    Five hours later we boarded our last leg of the journey to Bonaire. It was a quick 3-hour hop across the Caribbean. Exiting the plane came as a shock; felt like walking into a hot air furnace. The weather indicated 33°C, but "felt like 41°C" with humidity.

    Bon biní na Bonaire
    https://howtosayguide.com/how-to-say-welcome-in…

    The airport was under renovations with little room to stand and collect baggage. Even though it was an open air hall and very warm, it was nice not being in the direct-broil of the sun. A bus full of us divers were quickly collected and shuttled to our week’s accommodations at Captain Don’s Habitat.
    https://www.habitatbonaire.com/

    After check-in we finally had a moment of solitude for a quiet rest/nap. Once freshened up, we joined the group for the orientation with the highlights of the week’s events and proceedings. We then mingled over happy hour drinks watching the sunset, and enjoying a fantastic fresh and delicious buffet.    Read more

  • Bonaire - Diving For Life 2025
    Dive centre dock
    Tiny skiddish crabsBriefing timeLion fish 🎯Dive buddiesFirewormGetting artsy with the insta360Double puff puffDomino time! He won 🥇SunsetSarong - So-right party. Poolside dancing

    Let the Scuba begin 🐠 🐟 🤿

    September 14 in Bonaire ⋅ 🌬 31 °C

    It was an early start to an action-packed day. After hauling our gear down to the lockers, we grabbed a quick light breakfast before the mandatory dive briefing. The dive shop buzzed with energy as divers convened, prepping for the day ahead. There are about 60 divers for this year's event.

    🎒 Gear Glitch Alert
    As part of our gear checks, we realized our BCDs wouldn’t inflate! A fast dash back to the shop to rent replacements, and we still made the 11 a.m. boat departure for our first dive. While most divers did a test dive at the dock, we skipped ours and crossed our fingers. Luckily, our weight guess was spot-on ⚖️

    🐠 Dive 1: Andrea 1
    This warm-up location was teeming with reef life. We spotted a sleek barracuda, a couple of large puffer fish, and a colorful cast of underwater characters. It was the perfect way to ease into the rhythm of the ocean.

    🥪 Lunch Break
    Back on shore, we enjoyed a light lunch and swapped stories from the morning dive.

    🌊 Dive 2: Ebo’s Special, Klein Bonaire
    Our second dive took us across the bay to the northern shore of Klein Bonaire. Ebo’s Special offered a deeper descent along a dramatic shelf. Highlights included a school of small white puffers, fire worms, and trumpet fish weaving through the coral. We took the insta360 camera for its first plunge and it worked very well 📸👍

    🍹 Happy Hour & Games
    One of the DFL members brought out a Mexican Train domino set, and we jumped at the opportunity to play while enjoying a happy hour cocktail. Laughter, drinks, and a little friendly competition set a fun tone for the evening.

    🍝 Dinner Buffet
    Dinner was a DIY pasta buffet—three types of pasta and three sauces. Mix, match, and make it your own! Fresh salads and tasty desserts rounded out the meal nicely.

    🎉 Poolside Party: “Sarong, So-Right”
    The night wrapped up with a themed pool party. The dive shop manager, a Dutch native and passionate DJ, spun classic tunes that had everyone dancing in their sarongs. We didn’t stay out too late though—our group had an 8:30 dive time the next morning. The music was quite loud so we enjoyed the tunes until the party end around 11:30p.m.    Read more

  • Bonaire - Diving For Life 2025

    Magnificent Monday

    September 15 in Bonaire ⋅ 🌬 31 °C

    We kicked off our day with the 8:30 a.m. dive slot, which meant an early rise, a light breakfast, and gear prep. The patio was already buzzing with life—an inquisitive iguana made a cameo, and tropical birds flitted nearby, clearly hoping for a bite of our breakfast.

    🐠 Dive One: Oil Slick Reef Surprise

    Our original plan was to explore the iconic “1000 Steps” site, but a dive boat had already claimed it. No worries—our dive master pivoted to “Oil Slick,” a reef named after a long-abandoned plan to build an oil refinery there. Thankfully, the reef’s beauty won out, and the refinery was relocated.

    The dive was mesmerizing. Soft corals swayed as schools of fish darted through the terrain. A curious barracuda glided silently past our group, and on the way back, we watched a sea turtle munching away at the hard coral like it was a buffet.

    🛍️ Market Stroll & Midday Feast

    After rinsing off and cooling down in our room, we wandered to the local grocer store. Soon after, the lunch buffet opened, and the chef served up fresh fish burgers—a delicious blend of Mahi-Mahi and Tuna that hit the spot.

    🌊 Dive Two: Eighteen Palms & Silvery Giants

    In the afternoon, we headed southwest to Eighteen Palms. Descending to 60 feet, we were greeted by shimmering Tarpons making multiple passes. Rumor had it a shark made a brief appearance, and we spotted another turtle, a lionfish, a crab, a couple of tuna, and even a lobster.

    📸 Dockside Moments & Manager’s Special

    As the sun dipped low, we gathered for a group photo on the dock. Surprisingly, everyone found their spot with ease—no chaos, just good vibes. The evening rolled into the resort’s “Manager’s Special” night, complete with live music, drinks, and the busiest crowd of the year. The staff handled it like pros.

    Dinner was a BBQ feast that instantly transported me back to Croatia, where we once devoured a tavern-style sampler platter. Pure nostalgia.

    🌙 Poolside Wind-Down

    After some downtime and underwater video editing, we joined a few others for a late-night swim. The resort had graciously extended pool hours to 24/7, making it the perfect way to end a day packed with adventure.    Read more

  • Bonaire - Diving For Life 2025
    West Atlantic trumpetfish and its friend
    Smooth Trunkfishcolonial tube spongePeacock flounderSpot the trumpet fish 🔍Stoplight Parrotfish - Terminal PhaseSpotted Moray Eel Bearded firewormStoplight Parrotfish - initial phaseSpotted drumSaffron finch

    Staghorn, parrots and worms

    September 16 in Bonaire ⋅ 🌬 31 °C

    Today was the first morning we could sleep-in, with our initial dive scheduled for eleven. We took care of a few home-related tasks on the computer, and then headed for breakfast. Our dive pod gradually filtered in, and we enjoyed some casual socializing over the morning spread. Everyone is assigned a ten-person pod group to dive with for the week. Ours is an assortment of folks from all over the States. We are the only Canadians in attendance this year.

    For our first dive, we traveled north along the coastline. Once again, the dive master opted for an alternate site from the original plan. We ended up at Bon Bini na Kas—which means “welcome home.” It was a decent dive, though not as teeming with aquatic life as the previous day. Still, gliding past the soft corals was peaceful, and the Staghorn coral was especially fascinating.

    Back on shore, we had a quick turnaround before the afternoon dive. Lunch was another delicious spread, featuring a variety of fresh salads and fish dishes.

    Soon we were back on the boat, motoring toward the southern coast of the island. Our destination: Windsock Reef, near the airport. This dive did not disappoint. The reef was bursting with marine life—we spotted a couple of lobsters (one impressively large), several anemones, eels, barracuda (including a school chasing a shoal of fish), and plenty more.

    Tonight’s social event focused on selecting charities to receive the proceeds raised throughout the week. Diving for Life was founded 33 years ago to "unite all gay and lesbian divers while raising money" for AIDS. Since then, it has grown into an annual event attended by members or allies, united by a shared love of diving and a commitment to giving back to a multitude of community organizations around the world. We have requested funds from our participation be allocated to Rainbow Refugee.    Read more

  • Bonaire - Diving For Life 2025
    Sun rise
     "Protrudes" sea spongeLettuce sea slugLunchLocal passionfuitOur garden view roomSea slugFungus coralSand DiverHoneycomb CowfishMiddle eastern "street food" dinner

    Turtles, Tarpons, and a Win!

    September 17 in Bonaire ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    We kicked off the day with an early and energetic start for our back-to-back dives. Our first stop was a return to the "Bon Bini Na Kas" dive site, as our planned location, "Country Garden," was already occupied. Before descending, we were treated to the sight of two sea turtles gliding at the surface—a magical way to begin.

    Unfortunately, once we were in the water our dive camera refused to wake up. Due to the current, we followed the shorter route, but this time the reef was teeming with life. Various species of smaller reef fish had gathered into one massive, shimmering shoal.

    Back at the dock, we quickly offloaded our gear onto another dive boat and headed out for a short trip to the "Small Wall" dive site. It was another spectacular dive, full of reef activity. A large, pale puffer fish cautiously watched us as we descended deeper along the wall, and barracuda dotted our route like silent sentinels.

    After a light breakfast, the hearty lunch buffet was a welcome refuel. We cooled off in our air-conditioned room before regrouping for some late-afternoon socializing.

    By mid-afternoon, we decided to take advantage of the spare tanks for a shore dive. Geared up and in the water by 4 p.m., we casually glided to the reef edge and descended to 19 meters. Heading south into a gentle current, we soon encountered an old sunken boat. Not long after, we spotted a small sea turtle, followed by a large moray eel weaving through the reef. We also saw a couple of lionfish and two flounders near the end of the dive.

    After a quick rest back on shore, we joined a group of fellow enthusiasts for an naturalist night dive. As luck would have it, we encountered two octopuses, several moray eels, and five tarpons that followed us, hoping to use our lights to hunt. We figured the lighting would not have been great for the camera, but in hindsight we should have given it a try.

    To top off an already incredible day, we were the successful silent auction bid for a week long condo stay in Puerto Vallarta! Our donation for hosting in our Campbell River house had multiple bids and raised some funds too. We look forward to having our guest stay in our new home sometime after the Spring.    Read more

  • Bonaire - Diving For Life 2025
    Sunrise
    Dutch navysnakeskin chitonBlotcheye SoldierfishStoplight ParrotfishCaribbean reef squidGiant Caribbean Sea Anemone Yoga on the dockBeer o'clockMiddle eastern "street food" themed dinner. Chicken, Lamb, dips veggies and more!Raffle ticket time! $14k raised!

    Tan Lines and Lionfish

    September 18 in Bonaire ⋅ ☁️ 31 °C

    Woke up to a moist landscape after a light overnight rain shower. The day was mostly cloudy, but by midafternoon the sun burst through with intensity, making up for the cooler start. Despite applying sunscreen, J ended up with a very defined leg tan where the wet suit stops.

    Our first boat dive wasn’t until 11 a.m., so we decided to squeeze in a morning shore dive beforehand. This time, we headed north along the reef—unfortunately, right into a strong current. Along the way, we spotted an abundance of marine life and various manmade features. The return trip was much quicker than expected, so we lingered for a few more minutes, watching fish dart through the shallows.

    Our midday and afternoon dives took us across to Klein Bonaire. The first site, Sharon’s Serenity on the north side, featured a curious green moray eel that followed us through the hidden coral passages. We also saw a large crab, a lionfish, and a sizable pufferfish.

    The Bonaventure site, located at the southern tip of Klein Bonaire, was probably the highlight of the week. Visibility was fantastic. We encountered another pufferfish, an urchin, a crab, and a couple of lionfish. Near a large white anemone, we spotted a pair of tiny cleaner shrimp. The dive ended with three large shrimp gracefully maneuvering near the boat.

    The evening wrapped up with the much-anticipated raffle draw and charity auction—an uplifting end to a memorable day. We purchased a gift bag of treats from Hawaii: macadamia nuts, coffee, and more!    Read more

  • Bonaire - Diving For Life 2025
    Honeycomb cowfish. Pretty blue
    Dark Strom blew overSpongesAnemoneBanded ButterflyfishCommon Sea Fan (Gorgonia ventalina)Sand dollarBlue Star Encrusting SpongeScolymia coralschool of Atlantic blue tangsSquidbanded coral shrimpWhitespotted Filefish (Cantherhines macrocerus)Yellow GoatfishFrench AngelfishPool party

    🪅 👯 Festive Friday 🎉 🪩🕺

    September 19 in Bonaire ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C

    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

  • Bonaire - Diving For Life 2025
    Flamboyant treeVibrant building colorsFish hawkPVC FlamingoCalabash treeBonaire Whiptail LizardCaptain Don'sDive shop door. Very fancyRum Runner bar at the hotelJambalayaCoco curry prawn pasta

    🌞 Sautéd Saturday 🌴🫠

    September 20 in Bonaire ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    After a later-than-usual night, we tried to sleep in before joining the group for one final breakfast together. Most were heading off to catch their flights, so it was a bittersweet farewell.

    We graciously accepted a ride into town from H, who was on his way to the airport, and took the opportunity to explore a bit. The 4 km walk back to the resort was lovely, mostly along the beach front. We popped into a couple of shops—partly to browse, and partly to cool off as the heat was becoming intense. Along the way, we spotted a gelato shop and couldn’t resist sharing three scoops: passion fruit, tamarind, and lemon. So yummy!

    Back at the resort, we retreated to the cool comfort of our room to sort through photos and reflect on the trip. Only one other couple from the DFL group had an early Sunday morning flight with us, so we invited them for dinner. While eating, we watched two rays gracefully glide in and out of the lit shallows—a quiet, magical end to a memorable journey.    Read more

    Trip end
    September 21, 2025
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