Bonaire: Freediver's Paradise

[unirdna]

My girl agreed to a "non-mexico" place this winter. By Jon's recommendation, we went to Bonaire. Absolutely the best vacation and diving I've ever done. From parrotfish in 5 feet of water to tarpon at 90, there was wildlife on every nook and cranny of that island. Bit of a PIA to get there, but well worth the effort.

I was hoping to hook up with Dominique from Big Blue Freediving, but I was informed he was off the island for a few weeks. The vegetation growth at his shop suggested even longer.

So, we dove with woodwind bonaire . Very nice couple hosted our snokeling on a cat. Only 4 other passengers made for plenty of room. I was especially pleased to find that the lunch served wasn't the same ol' cold sandwiches, but rather a 3 course meal of local cuisine. There was also an open bar. Delicious.

We rented a scooter for a couple days to see the island. Well worth the 30 bones. It just took a while to convince the lady that I wasn't going to kill us. This was the first time we'd done this, and I won't ever miss the opportunity again. I should have gotten one on Cozumel.

We stayed at the Plaza Resort. Nice joint, but I would have been fine with a roach motel. I was there for the water. But, the lady wanted a beach and all the fancy things that ladies enjoy, so we dropped the extra $1000 so she could get a lovely tan. Me, I was either wearing a skin or SPF30; so I came back as white as the day I left.

As usual, I've put together a video for ya. It's a big one this year. New editing software. High resolution photos. All captured, once again, on my 2+ year old Olympus C-5050. I'm starting to feel a solid urge for upgrading. My DL quota is 400mb per hour; so that means only 7 DL's per hour. Be patient if things get backed up. I'll leave it up for months. You'll get it.

right click - "save target as"
https://mywebspace.wisc.edu/bier/bon...mv?uniq=vzzh1b

I hope to return in a couple years. Maybe I'll be able to beat the "children" clock. And I hope Dominique will be there next time.

[land shark]

Wow nice job Ted!

I really enjoyed that.

jim

[smellsfishy]

Nice job ! I especially like the overhead shots of the ray and the turtle towards the end.

Somehow though it just isn't the same when you're not chasing a fish around with a snorkel

[fjohnson]

Hey Tedster, glad to hear you had a had a good trip... 80% downloaded last night and timed out.... I'm trying again now. 5% and still goin.... wife and I are booked for bonaire in march, can't wait! 16% now and still going.. 22%... 24%...
Later,
Fred

[cdavis]

AAARRRGGGH, my computer won't handle this format. I'll have to wait until tonight and get on my wife's. Very lookin forward to it, your videos are fabulous.

BUT, you can't stop with a video, how about a blow by blow, in detail

Connor

[cdavis]

Ah finally, Super video, Ted. Really enjoyed it.

It looked like the vis wasn't quite as good as your Cozumel vids or Bimini. What was it like to your eyes?

Connor

[unirdna]

Connor,

You're right. Viz was NOT as good as the Bahamas, and certainly not as good as Coz. Those tarpon were at about 80 feet, and I could not see them until I was 30 feet down (surprised the crap out of me on my first deep dive). In that scene when I dove down the side of the reef, I was probably at about 60-70 feet when my fins definitively disappeared. Locals said that Bonaire has experience an unusual amount of rain this year, and that this was the cause for the lesser viz. They told me it clears up quickly, so maybe Fred will have a clear view to the bottom of the reef.

Fred,

There are two reefs in most areas. The second is usually about 100 yards further out than the first, in about 70-80 feet of water. Check it out. This is where I saw/filmed most of my "big" sea creatures.

I'll run a play by play account tomorrow, and attach some more photos. After having completed that vid, I was eager t Hœ
(©ü €:mp8 Ȳ
Q"
€¬¦
w"rA). Tomorrow, I promise.

Ted

[Morg]

Hey nice video..

What song is playing in the background?

I tried to google it but came up with Tim McGraw

[unirdna]

Originally Posted by Morg

Hey nice video..

What song is playing in the background?

I tried to google it but came up with Tim McGraw

Uh...no. I sincerely doubt I'll ever put a dive to country. Maybe I'll do the next freedivapalooza to Tim McGraw - that would piss Jon off .

The song is "the trapeze swinger"
The artist is "Iron and Wine" ironandwine.com

I've gotten many emails asking about it.

Glad you like the vid, Morg.

[Akoni]

Good video Ted, I enjoyed it!

The viz is good enough for me

[unirdna]

We returned to Bonaire last month. This was the first time I ever went somewhere twice. Bonaire diving isn't as good as Little Cayman, but it has a good balance of nightlife, food, and water. It's the best compromise me and the girl have found, so far.

I slapped together a video. By no means as good as the Cayman vids (mostly, because I didn't have a diver that could follow), but still worth a watch.

I also learned how to windsurf. I hope I don't forget everything in the coming 4-5 month hiatus.

Ted

Direct Link to 640x480 vid: https://mywebspace.wisc.edu/bier/bonaire%20return.wmv

Youtube link (reduced quality):

YouTube - Bonarie Return - 2006

[cdavis]

Nice Vids, as always,Ted. The night shots of the divers is real cool. Some of that stuff looks like pretty good vertical relief. How deep and how steep?

The water has an odd cast to it. The vis looks real good, but almost fuzzy. Is that the visibility, something in the water, the camera, or ???.

With the mono, doing 100 ft dives or thereabouts, are you using enough less energy to stay down longer?

Thanks

Connor

[unirdna]

Hey Connor,

Welcome home. Bonaire does have a few steep parts, some of it greater than 45 deg. But, compared to L. Cayman it's all bunnyhills. The reef slopes down to 100-120 feet and then usually turns into sand. I never went out far enough to see any dropoffs, so I can't comment on what that would look like. I do know that between Bonaire and Klein Bonaire, it drops to 1000 ft.

As for the water clarity, your eyes and my camera are completely accurate. The water does have a ghostly haze to it. It's been like this both times I've been there. The locals say that it's the result of the rainy season. Bonaire is a desert island, but rained 4-5 times during our two week stay - probably at least a couple inches.

When I first started using the mono, I was painfully disappointed. Even shallow dives to 60-80ft were not comfortable, and when I made the turn I couldn't wait to get to the surface and get it over with. I blame this on my attempts to mimick the pros - specifically the technique of pool swimmers. This isn't to say that their technique isn't good - I'm sure it's much better than mine. But, rule #1 is to be comfortable, and it took longer (probably less efficient) strides for me to feel at home. Once I upped the S-curve, the fin was an absolute joy. Compared to my bifins, dives to 100ft were faster, more comfortable, and more FUN. Recovery times on the surface were much faster too, and I had to force myself to wait on several occasions. Most importantly, I used no weight, making me neutral at about 60-70ft. Trips back to the surface have never been this easy, and when I think back to the days of grinding a pair of bifins at 100 feet I get exhausted. True that monos are more "expensive" to power, but you seem to get more bang for the buck, and you leg muscles don't burn out.

Only caveat for me is that monos are worth squat on the surface (compare to bifins). They also aren't nearly as maneuverable, so if I'm out for sightseeing, I'll likely miss 1/2 the action and fight like hell to keep up with my buddy. Hopefully these drawbacks will improve.

[Pinggene]

Great vids!

Ever been to Rocky Point (on Pacific side of Mexico)? My sister just bought a Condo & wants me to check it out. Possibly will for kid's Spring Break.

Gene