As license plates inform you, Bonaire is “A Diver’s Paradise.”
Each year, underwater aficionados from around the world flock to this tiny island in the Netherlands Antilles to explore reefs that have never been poached or polluted. In fact, Bonaire fiercely protects its subaquatic treasures, as well it should. Reefs here are among the planet’s finest and most accessible. Shaped like a boomerang--only 24 miles long and three to seven miles wide--Bonaire is the peak of a submerged volcanic mountain. Because reefs are close to shore and the water is exceptionally calm, you can dive from anywhere on the island, day or night. And with only 12 inches of rainfall annually, there’s no freshwater runoff, so water visibility exceeds 100 feet all year long But water isn’t everything in Bonaire. Visitors also appreciate the island’s centuries-old Dutch heritage, multicultural cuisine and wealth of land-based attractions.
The most eastern of the Leeward Islands--50 miles north of Venezuela and 38 miles east of Curacao--Bonaire is home to 15,000 residents who speak Papiamento, a lilting blend of Spanish, Dutch and English, with a smattering of African words and phrases. The first European to set foot on Bonaire was Amerigo Vespucci, who was greeted by Arawak Indians after he landed here in 1499. Spain attempted to colonize the island, but it was the Dutch who made it prosper. By the mid 17th-century Bonaire was thriving with sorgham, salt and cattle plantations. For such a small island--112 square miles--Bonaire offers multiple attractions, the most valuable of which are natural. Surrounding Bonaire and the uninhabited Klein (Little) Bonaire are more than 80 marked dive sites, where you may encounter more than 100 species of fish. Thousand Steps and Nukove are excellent walk-in dive sites. Alice in Wonderland is a double-reef complex, separated by a sand channel, extending from Point Vierkant south to Salt Pier. And at Angel City you’ll come upon the massive sunken freighter Hilma Hooker.
But you don’t have to be a certified diver to enjoy Bonaire beneath the waves. The island was among the first to offer a guided-snorkeling program, so even if you don’t know your mask from your fins, you can explore pristine coral reefs as divers do. You’ll learn all about the briney deep with slide presentations, manuals, maps and an expert guide, who will provide you with all the equipment you’ll need for an unforgettable day.
Just a short wade from shore awaits a staggering array of coral, including elkjorn barrier, fire and leaf, and a range of colorful fish, including redlip blennies, jewelfish and parrotfish. Bonaire long has been committed to protecting its priceless environment. In fact, it was the first Netherlands Antilles island to declare its waters a national marine park, where spearfishing, coral scavenging and reef anchoring are prohibited. In the north of Bonaire, more than 13,000 acres have been set aside as Washington-Slagbaai National Park, home to nearly 200 species of birds, secluded beaches, cactus-lined walkways and limestone cliffs sprayed by crashing waves. In the south are vast salt flats, where flamingos nest. Farther down the coast, you’ll find Willemstoren. Constructed in 1837, it’s the island’s oldest lighthouse. And everywhere on Bonaire, beaches are beautiful and uncrowded--and they come in all colors. One of the island’s best known is Pink Beach, so called because the sand seems to “blush” when wet. Just south of the airport, Pink Beach is a great place to watch flamingos flying south to Venezuela. Sorobon Beach is a long stretch of white sand surrounding a natural lagoon. And Boca Cocolishi, in the northern national park, is a two-part basin with black sand formed by small pieces of coral mollusks and their shells. Adding to the magic is water with a purplish hue, thanks to teeming algae and shells.