Bonaire Island Secrets

SSSHHHH...It's a secret!

Bonaire island is the lesser visited of the ABC islands. Her sister islands, Aruba and Curacao, get much more attention than little Bonaire out there in the Dutch Caribbean.

That's okay. The less people who know about this island paradise in the Lesser Antilles section of the Caribbean, the better.

The fact that Bonaire is a secret is part of her charm.

There are no lines and crowds all over the island.

Now that...is vacation paradise.

Most of the visitors are divers looking for some Bonaire fun. That means diving in her primordial coral reef and gliding through her crystal clear water.

Bonaire Island Discovered

It's great for underwater photography and diving.

For many years travelers had never heard of Bonaire island, and if they had they called her that "little island by Aruba".

Bonaire is too great a vacation spot to be kept a secret forever, and now the cat's out of the bag.

Sooner or later more people were bound to discover Bonaire.

Bonaire Diving Paradise

Here divers can find over 300 species of fish, the ability to shore dive, wreck dive sites, an abundance of soft and hard coral and other species of marine life including sea turtles and rays.

And the divers find all this in a protected environment, so they can be sure it will stay this way.

The people of Bonaire island understand how amazing the water and the coral reef system are, and they take care of it, and they respect it.

In 1979 all the waters surrounding the island became The Bonaire Marine Park, or BMP.

The water is so clear its easy to take all the underwater images you want. You can even get some lessons in underwater photography from some of the dive shops. Some of the shops have underwater cameras to rent.

Just remember some of the motto's around the island are "take only photographs, leave only bubbles" and "look, but don't touch".

Bonaire is always rated high on the list as one of the best dive sites in the world.

The little Dutch island calls itself, and with good reason, a Diver's Paradise. You will see that on each and every car in Bonaire, it's on their license plate.

You will find many friendly and experienced dive operations on the island.

These dive shops offer scuba instruction at whatever level you need, from beginner to technical diving lessons and certifications.

You can see the coral reef during the day or at night. The night time diving is very different from the daytime diving. It is a must do when your on the island.

If you don't dive, don't worry, you can snorkel at night too.

Lac Bay Windsurfer Heaven

Here you will find a windsurfing paradise.

Lac Bay is a lagoon on the eastern side of the island. It is protected from the ocean, but the trade winds blow constantly at speeds of up to 25 knots depending on which season it is.

The flat water of Lac Bay, along with the ever present trade winds, make it an ideal spot for wind sports.

Lac Bay is ideal for the beginner windsurfer, as well as the most advanced. Lac Bay has several windsurf rental centers to help fill your sails with all the equipment you need and any lessons you may want.

You can check out The Castle, The Windsurf Place,The Lac Bay Resort, The Oasis Restaurant and Jibe City while your in the area.

The 41st Bonaire International Sailing Regatta 2008

Yachts, sailboats, and boats of all kinds come from all over to participate in the boat racing. It's an exciting time on Bonaire, both for sailors and spectators.

Windsurfers get in on the action too. It is the high wind season on Bonaire from December to August, so sailing is the name of the game during those months.

You will find not only boat races but professional sail-surfing and windsailing competitions on Bonaire.

Bonaire Island Mountain Biking

Mountain biking is another well kept secret of the tiny Caribbean island.

Who would think of mountain biking when they are considering a vacation to diver's paradise.

On Bonaire island you will find great bike trails or you can forge your own through the islands interior. Ride your bike along the coast road and stop for a swim or snorkel break.

Beginner bikers will be happy to find the many flat roads and trails on the island while the mountain bikers will want to head north to the hillier, more rugged trails.

There are a couple bike rental shops who can rent you a mountain bike or a Dutch bike and take care of all your biking needs.

There's Even More

Pink Beach is one of the islands most famous beaches, but one of more than 60 on the island.

When you drive past the Salt Works look for a rock that's painted yellow. It will say Pink on it.

These rocks are dive markers pointing divers and snorkelers to the beaches. You'll see them all over the island coastline.

Bird Watching

Bird watching equipment includes binoculars so be sure to pack yours.

If you enjoy eco-tourism tours you will find Bonaire ideal for your Caribbean vacation.

There are three kinds of birds found on Bonaire. There are sea birds, shore birds and land birds.

Among the species that live on or visit Bonaire are:

Sea Birds include: The Magnificent Frigatebird, the Brown Booby, The Olivaceous Cormorant, The Brown Pelican

Shore Birds include: The Great Blue Heron, The Snowy Egret, The Dowitcher, The Whimbrel

Land Birds include: The Bananaquit , The Blue-tailed Emerald Hummingbird, The Brown-throated Parakeet, The Yellow-shouldered Parrot

Pink Flamingos

The Flamingo breed in three spots on Bonaire island.

At any time you might be able to see thousands of them. Now that is another secret out of the bag, Bonaire is a bird watchers paradise.

Now that you know so many secrets about Bonaire island, you should come to see it for yourself.

You will most likely be like most visitors here. You'll fall in love with the Bonaire island and its people and come back again year after year...like the rest of us.


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