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Ahhh! Back to diving paradise. Sharon, Rich, and I converged here for
10 days in November to enjoy these magnificent reefs. We brought our own
SCUBA gear, which makes the diving both more comfortable and more
affordable.
This time I came properly armed with an underwater camera (thanks
Willie!) in the form of a Canon PowerShot Elph with a fully
functional 100-feet waterproof enclosure. It did not come as a surprise
that taking pictures below the surface is a great challenge. If the
fishies would only stay still for a moment... hopeless. Also,
without serious strobes, light deterioration with depth produces dismal
photographic results. I was able to compensate for this with a bit of
post-processing of some of the images in Photoshop (usually in the form
of the AutoLevels filter). I am quite happy with the end product
considering the simplicity of the equipment. Also, I'd rather dive with
the small Elph and its enclosure than with a full SLR cam and strobes
and an additional half a ton of ballast.
The most enjoyable dives were at the famous Hilma Hooker
wreck, a large Colombian boat which lies in 100 feet of water. It is
possible to enter the wreck, and you never know what lurks inside, which
only makes more appealing.
Also worth noting were the northern Karpata with its steep sides, and
The Invisibles, where I finally saw the notoriously timid garden eels.
During the decompression day at the end of the trip, I went
kiteboarding. It is good to have a nicely balanced life!
Here are some short (30 seconds) video clips. They are quite nice in
full-screen mode:
Vid1 Short
final and landing at BON. (~ 14 MB)
Vid2 View
of the Hilma Hooker. (~ 12 MB)
Vid3 Sharon
swimming along the wreck. (~ 13 MB)
Vid4 Rich
swimming along the wreck. (~ 22 MB)
Vid5 Rich
emerging from the wreck. (~ 9 MB)
Vid6 View
of the wreck and my dive computer (yikes!). (~ 12 MB)
Vid7 Large
Tarpon patrolling the Hilma Hooker. (~ 18 MB)
Vid8 Sharon
playing with anemone on the shallows near the Hilma Hooker. (~ 25 MB)
Vid9 Sharon
& Rich on the reef. (~ 22 MB)
Vid10 Sea
turtle (Hawksbill) by the reef. (~ 10 MB)
Photo Gallery: (Gallery has 85 pix).
View of Klein Bonaire and Bonaire. View of southern Bonaire and its salt plant. View of the reef with brain coral in foreground. Parrotfish and Trumpetfish. Sharon posing by the (long gone) propeller. Coral formation in the shallows. Tube sponge, corals, and Rich in the background. Branching purple tube sponges. Sharon hiding in the bushes. Sharon checking her computer during the decompression stop. Surface preparation before diving the Hilma Hooker. Rich swimming near one of the masts. Rich and Sharon communicating by the wreck. Sharon swims along the Hilma Hooker’s deck. Sharon swims along the Hilma Hooker’s deck. Rich checks a small porthole. A bi-color Damsel fish now lives there. Decompressing in the shallows near the Hilma Hooker. Sharon by our truck. Notice the cargo: half a dozen air tanks… Rich explores a small wreck in the reef. Schoolmaster hiding in the gorgonians. Reef fish and gorgonian coral. Sharon and Rich approach a small sunken boat. Sharon looks under the wreck; there are always surprises. Trumpetfish swimming in their customary vertical way. Parrotfish biting on the coral. Banded coral-shrimp hiding. Sharon and Rich glide past a large sponge. Yellow-stripped Goatfish like to congregate. Rich and Sharon approach a large coral. Sharon behind the corals. Encrusted Purple tube sponge. Sharon glides past some fire coral. Blue Tangs congregate in large numbers. Sharon purging some N2 before the next dive in Andrea I. Sharon swimming past branched tube sponges and grogonians. Sharon and Rich posing by the reef-cam. The wreck by the reef-cam. School swims near the sunken sailboat. Rich checks under the keel. Rich explores the sailboat. Sharon hovers near the sailboat. (Computer) color-enhanced flounder. Same as previous picture.
Very often we would see these 2 types hanging out together. This is one of the many wrecks we visited. It is a small tugboat. By far my favourite reef creature. There were 7 of them in very shallow water, in a row like birds in a wire. They decided to be dark brown at that moment. They have the largest eye-to-body size ratio of any animal, which helps make them look unique. She is making the universally agreed-upon signal for “I have located a terrible monster; you may wish to see it before it eats me.” The bottom lies at 100 ft depth. It is a large (~250 ft) boat with several places that allow easy passage through the wreck. Large Tarpon patrol the area. The surrounding coral reef is quite nice and is easily overlooked since the wreck is so much fun. Initially Rich was unsure about doing this dive. As soon as we got there he disappeared into the boat to go investigate. I’m not sure what was happening here. Maybe nitrogen narcosis… It is like a spa, since the divers’ air accumulated inside the wreck periodically comes out through here. It is nice to see how wrecks slowly become part of the reef. Morphologically similar to Angelfish or Rock Beauty, but I am not sure what it is.
A beautiful miniature garden. Usually "Owned" by bi-colored Damselfish who would territorially peck at you if you came too close. These guys would tag along and swim with us. I love to be in good company! I won’t try that while wearing my shorty wetsuit. http://www.bonairewebcams.com/BonaireReefCamLarge.php
View of Klein Bonaire and Bonaire.
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