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When
Captain Don made landfall in May 1962, there were only about
4,000 people living on Bonaire. There was no compressor and
there were no tanks. Captain Don had a compressor (now on
show in the reception of Captain Don's Habitat) and six tanks
and after diving the virgin sites around the island, made
it his home. He is still there now and you will meet him without
fail if you visit Captain Don's Habitat as he gives a show
each week and props up the bar on many evenings.
Captain
Don's history is colourful and you can read about it in the
small book under the title of "The Adventures of Captain
Don. Tales of Bonaire Diving (Guaranteed 85% True)" That
is another story but importantly it was Captain Don (Donal
A. Stewart) who first appreciated the potential of Bonaire
as a location for sport diving and from the earliest days
encouraged good diving practices and reef conservation to
ensure that this underwater treasure was not ruined.
Bonaire tourism is now the primary industry with some 70,000
visitors a year, most of whom are divers, although cruise
boats now include it on their itineraries. The island is located
50 miles (80km) north of Venezuela and consists of 112 square
miles (290 sq.km). It is 24 miles (37 km) long and 7 miles
(11 km) wide at its widest point. To the west of the island
is an uninhabited islet of 1500 acres called Klein Bonaire.
With
prevailing easterly winds, the west side of Bonaire and the
whole of Klein Bonaire is one big dive site with about 60
mooring points, the only means of mooring permitted. All dive
sites on Bonaire (but not Klein Bonaire) are also accessible
from the shore, with the dive sites marked from the road with
yellow obelisks containing the dive site's name.
Captain
Don's Habitat calls itself the 'home of diving freedom' and
my four diving buddies and I who had made the trip wondered
what that meant. We were soon to find out as the whole approach
to divers is a mature one based on the belief that if you
have achieved qualifications, you are responsible for yourself
and do not need to be wet-nursed by over zealous dive guides.
This become clear at the initial briefing, where the basic
rules are spelt out. We all know them, look, don't touch;
leave only bubbles, take away only photos and memories. I
asked whether I could take my camera on the first familiarisation
dive. We were told that we could do what we liked as the dive
was not accompanied by a dive guide but was simply for the
individual to check buoyancy. How refreshing. Many of us have
experienced the zealot dive guides prancing and preening and
insisting that you follow them, while they check out whether
you can survive in the warm tub of a sea with 30m vis. Oh,
how I'd like to introduce them to the English Channel on a
wet weekend!
Dive
boats go out 3 times a day, at 8.30am, 11.15am and 2pm. You
simply put your number down (yes, you all get a number) on
a board and turn up. Tanks are on board waiting for you. You
can accompany each dive trip, but may have to pay for trips
over and above those booked as part of the dive package. We
booked two dive boats a day and unlimited shore diving.
At
Captain Don's you can literally dive 24 hours a day. Tanks
are always available and you simply take them and dive. The
house reef is teeming with marine life, including Queen and
French Angelfish, Trumpet and Puffer fish, Barracuda, Spotted
Morays, grunts, snappers, wrasses, parrotfish, scorpionfish,
Peacock Flounders, Squid, Octopus and many others.
For
the photographer there are some 'exotics' that are particularly
worth searching out, including sea horses, frog fish, flamingo
tongue snails, decorator crabs, lettuce slugs and Spotted
Cleaning Shrimp in anemones. The reefs are rich with corals
and gorgonians, although not particularly colourful. However,
there are some impressive and beautifully delicate sponges.
Turtles breed on Klien Sonaire and sharks con also be seen,
although these are more likely on the windward side of the
island, where dive boots seldom go and shore entry is hazardous.
If
you want you can hire a vehicle, load up with tanks, and set
off to shore dive. The sites ore easily accessible and the
fringing reef drop off is near to the shore.
A
night dive under Kralendijk town pier is a must. It is the
only place where you need to be accompanied by a guide and
a permit is required, which the dive guide will obtain for
you. It normally costs £15 per diver to arrange. However,
the wonderful colours of the cup corals, the encrusting sponges
in red and orange and invertebrates, such as arrow crabs and
masking crabs are amazing.
It
is worthwhile also taking a day out from the diving, hiring
a car and seeing the island. Krolendijk, the main town on
the island, is only about a mile south of Captain Don's and
has a limited selection of shops and restaurants. Head south
and you come to the salt flots, with wonderf ul colours of
the various salt pans. Stone huts, which used to house the
slaves who worked the salt pans until slavery was abolished
in the 1900 century, are a haunting reminder of this trade
in human souls.
Pink
Flamingos are found in the south and in the north of the island
as it is a breeding ground for thousands of nesting pairs.
Their pink colour derives from the natural substances in their
food source that is filtered from the bottom sediment of the
lagoons and salt pans. On the east is Lac Bay, where mangroves
thrive.
Drive
north through a landscape of scrub brush, cactus and aloe
plants and the land becomes more hilly. The highest point
is Brandaris Hill in the Washington/Slagbaai National park
which is 784 ft (238m) above sea level on the north of the
island.
Captain
Don's Habitat more than lived up to its claim to being the
home of diving freedom. Yes we did meet the odd diving fundamentalist,
whose bible obviously states that divers must go no nearer
than 6ft from the reef. Therefore, they became apoplectic
when we interpret that flexibly to take macro photos. I don't
doubt they have coffee table books full of wonderful macro
pictures and never give a thought to how hypercritical they
are when they chant their mantra "don't go near the reef*.
There was also the dive guide who liked the sound of her own
voice and made her opinion clear about underwater photographers
when she spouted on about no touchy, touchy, feely, feely,
with the phrase "now I have nothing against photographers,
but".Needless to say, we saw the occasional less experienced
diver accidentally coming in contact with the reef. Interestingly
though, they did not have cameras in their hands (yes, this
is a plea for the oft persecuted underwater photographer).
Bonaire
is one of the great dive locations of the world. One trip
is not enough and I will certainly return. And Captain Don's
Habitat has got it about right with its grown up attitude
to divers that automatically encourages you to take responsibility
for yourself and protect the wonders that we are fortunate
enough to see. And Captain Don? WelI at 75 he still looks
like a dashing pirate and the women just love him. Makes ya
sick doesn't it?
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