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Island haven
By DEBORAH WILLIAMS
Bonaire, 50 miles north of Venezuela and just 112 square miles in size, has been a leader in ecology long before the term eco-tourism was coined. Much of the preservation effort has been directed at the fragile offshore reefs and surrounding marine life. Spearfishing was banned in 1971, and a few years later, a law was enacted banning the taking of anything out of the waters, dead or alive -- a way to protect the coral. In 1979, with a grant from the World Wildlife Federation, the nation created the Bonaire Marine Park. Thus the island's claim to fame, touted on its license plates: "Diver's Paradise." The first recorded Bonaire scuba diving began in 1962 when Don Stewart, a would-be California actor, dropped anchor off the arid, boomerang-shaped island. Considered the father of Bonaire diving, he was the first to use fixed moorings to prevent coral damage and helped set up the Caribbean's first islandwide underwater park. "By the mid-'70s I developed the belief that divers are entitled to unrestricted use of the world's seas for pleasure, knowledge and economic advantage, but must leave no mark," Stewart said. "I like to think of Bonaire as the universal center of reef ecology. We're like Greenwich, England: small and unknown, but everyone is setting their watches by us." Now 76, Captain Don, as he is known by friends and divers, has been inducted into the Diving Hall of Fame, received dozens of environmental awards and had a dive site off the islet of Klein Bonaire named in his honor. Undersea wonders
I have made seven visits to Bonaire in the past 22 years, and diving seems as great today as it was on my first visit. I saw sea horses on almost every dive during my most recent visit. Diving at Karpata, just offshore from a plantation of the same name, I spotted two sea turtles, a moray eel and multicolored triggerfish, parrotfish and trumpetfish. On another visit I swam with about 30 wild dolphins. And another time a spotted moray eel apparently fell in love with me: It swam over and wrapped itself around my body. Its skin was smooth and silky. I was well aware of its teeth: It pressed its face against my mask and repeatedly opened and closed its mouth. No one needs a tank to enjoy the sea. During an hour of snorkeling in front of Captain Don's Habitat Resort, I spotted a couple of 4-foot-long tarpon, an octopus, a lobster, a moray eel, a sea cucumber and rainbow-hued reef fish. Klein Bonaire, the uninhabited 1,500-acre island a half-mile off the leeward coast, has numerous dive and snorkel sites. Regular water taxi service is available from downtown Kralendijk, the island's cozy capital. The fact that Klein Bonaire remains undeveloped and uninhabited is a tribute to the Bonaire people and to divers around the world who rallied with letters and financial contributions when the then privately owned island was slated for hotel and other development a few years ago. The fear was that the planned development would damage fragile reefs that ring the island and would disturb the beaches where turtles lay their eggs. In 1999 the island was bought for $5-million by the government, with the stipulation that it remain undeveloped forever. Kayaks are available for rent to visit Klein Bonaire and explore the leeward coast. On the windward side, kayaks are available at Lac Bay, a protected lagoon, which is a nursery for marine life. Lac Bay is also the perfect spot for windsurfing with clear, waist-deep water with constant 15 to 25 mph crosswinds. Classes are offered for beginners to advanced windsurfers. Next to the airport and just five minutes from Kralendijk is the Donkey Sanctuary, the brainchild of Marina Melis, a Dutch woman who was distressed to learn that many donkeys had been abandoned. She set up the refuge in 1998; 54 donkeys now live there and receive care. "They are very intelligent, and each one has a unique personality," Melis explained as she petted the ear of one donkey. "We conduct regular programs for schoolchildren here and try to educate everyone not to feed or photograph them from the road." (Doing so trains them to come on the road where they are, unfortunately, often hit by vehicles.) At the southern end of the island is one of the more unusual preserves -- a flamingo sanctuary in the midst of the solar-powered salt works. Massive mounds of blindingly white salt, to be loaded on ships to melt ice on North American roads, sit next to the 135-acre sanctuary for the pink birds. Over the years the numbers of nesting spots for the Caribbean flamingo had dropped from 30 islands to just four isles, and the birds' numbers were diminishing. Only 1,500 flamingoes were left in Bonaire 20 years ago. Today the colony is flourishing, and their numbers are estimated at up to 40,000. Flamingoes can also be spotted in Goto Meer, a saltwater lagoon, and in the 13,500-acre Washington-Slagbaai National Park, home to about 190 species of birds. Everyone's favorite stop on the return from the park is Prisca's, the place for homemade ice cream in Rincon, the other Bonaire town. Nearby, a sign on the wall in a local bar seemed perfect: "Be kind to animals. Kiss a shark. Pet a moray." - Deborah Williams is a freelance writer living in Holland, N.Y. If you go
STAYING THERE: There are several hotels on the island. However, I most recently stayed at Captain Don's Habitat Resort, which celebrated its 25th anniversary last September. Though Captain Don is no longer involved in the resort's day-to-day operation, he still presents weekly underwater slide shows and entertains guests with tales of his adventures. Diving is available there 24 hours a day: Just grab a tank and your dive gear from your locker and jump off the dock, or visit one of the well-marked dive sites accessible from shore. Dive boats depart three times a day, and at sunset several nights a week, for one of more than 80 marked sites. Over the years Habitat has grown from a handful of spartan rooms and cottages into a comfortable resort with modern hotel rooms and suites, cottages with ful kitchens, adjacent villas, well-equipped dive and photo shops, and a restaurant. FOR MORE INFORMATION: For Bonaire information contact the Tourism Corporation Bonaire, toll-free at 1-800-266-2473 or visit Bonaire's Web site at www.infobonaire.com. For information on Captain Don's Habitat Resort, call toll-free 1-800-327-6709 or visit www.habitatdiveresorts.com.
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • Tampa Bay Times
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From the Times Travel page
From the AP |
GETTING THERE: There is regular air service from Miami for the flight of nearly three hours to Bonaire. Flights land at the airport about five minutes' drive from the capital; car rentals are available.
