Bonaire is one of the “ABC” Islands located just north of Venezuela. The “A” and “C” stand for Aruba and Curacao – both more populated and tourist-oriented than their middle sister. Diving is what attracts most visitors to Bonaire.

24 miles long and between three and seven miles wide, Bonaire is shaped somewhat like a boomerang. Thousands of years ago, Bonaire was a steep coral mountain that rose out of the sea as the result of volcanic eruptions.

Year-around, temperatures remain in 80s and a pleasant breeze blows. With just over 20 inches of rainfall a year, the climate is similar to the Southwest. Over a dozen types of cacti thrive in the desert-like conditions. It is not uncommon to see fences made entirely of cactus plants.

Getting to Bonaire took us an entire day. We flew from Dallas, Texas on the morning of January 15, 2005, with a stop-over in San Juan, and arrived at our hotel late in the evening, where we were greeted by the resident yellow dog, black and white cat, iguanas and gecko. When our group of 14 arrived, the restaurant had already closed, but our hosts opened it up just for us. We enjoyed Chicken Sate with Thai peanut sauce – an Island staple.

Our one-bedroom apartment at Buddy Dive Resort was very pleasant – and conveniently situated just a few steps away from both the dive shop and the restaurant. We got a kick out of some of the appliances – particularly the combination oven-dishwasher. Our rental also included use of a small pick-up truck – which came in very handy for touring the island and taking shore diving excursions. The surroundings were beautiful – with a short daily rainfall and some spectacular rainbows.

We started our first full day in Bonaire with a mandatory safety briefing at the Dive Shop and an orientation shore dive. That afternoon, we took a boat out to Klein Bonaire, a small Island just off of Bonaire’s West Coast. We soon settled into a daily routine of diving, eating and sightseeing.

We had heard that a couple from our marina on Lake Texoma were living on their boat in Bonaire, so we set off to find them - which turned out not to be so difficult at all – everyone seemed to know the local cruisers. Although we had only met them once – very briefly – they greeted us like long-friends – and couldn’t have been nicer. They recommended things to do and to see, joined us for dinner a couple times and even took us shore diving one day. We were both so impressed with how they have become so much a part of the local community – with volunteer work a couple days a week. We met some other cruising couples while we were there. Dinner that night was fish pizza at Paso Bon Pizza.

Day two, we awoke to a downpour – the rainy season was unusually long this year. After two morning boat dives, we picked up our friends at the Marina for a guided tour of Kralendijk (pronounced “Crawl-en-dike”), home to most of the Island’s 15,000 residents (outnumbered only by the number of wild goats and flamingos on the Island).

We saw the salt pans where Cargill produces salt for commercial use (water softeners and roads), huts where the slaves who worked in the salt pans used to live and dozens of shore diving sites – all marked with painted yellow rocks.

Later that evening, we went to Mona Lisa Restaurant and, following the advice of our local friends, we had a wonderful, gourmet dinner at the bar for the fraction of the dining room menu price. Great advice wherever you travel - head for the bar.

After a full day of diving, we drove over to the windward side of the Island and saw flocks of pink flamingos at the 137-acre sanctuary. Goats and donkeys roam wild all over the Island. The vegetation is mostly low scrub and cactus.

As we drove along the shore, we noticed a large red obelisk. Three obelisks – one white, one red, and one blue – were placed along the shore in 1838 to guide ships to their moorings. In modern times, they serve only as resting places for the Island’s brown pelicans and pink flamingos.

We climbed to the top of the Willemstoren Lighthouse, near the southernmost point on the island and enjoyed the 360 degree view. For dinner that evening, we met the rest of our dive group at Richard’s Seafood, near the Island’s only casino. We had filet mignon with béarnaise sauce and shrimp, accompanied by Chilean wine. Gourmet food abounds on Bonaire - young chefs from the Netherlands serve apprenticeships there.

By our fourth day, we were starting to develop a routine. Morning dives and afternoon exploring. After our morning shore dives – one just off the end of the runway at Flamingo International Airport, we joined friends, Kent and LuAnn for lunch in the peaceful garden of a French restaurant; followed by a tour of central Bonaire. In the afternoon, we visited Rincon, the oldest village on the Island.

After sunset (and another failed attempt at seeing the illusive “green Flash”), we took a night dive off the pier at our resort. Later, we joined up with our dive party at the Lion’s Den for Crustacean Chicken (Jim) and Bombay Shrimp and Scallop Curry (Nancy).

On the morning of our fifth day, we went wreck diving on the Hilma Hooker, a former drug smuggling boat that was sunk by the government in 1984. We also went back to Klein Bonaire and dove at a site known for its black coral “forests”. We took off by our selves in the afternoon for some shopping and sightseeing in Kralendijk.

That evening, we picked up our cruising friends at the marina and went to dinner at a place called Wil’s where we feasted on smoked marlin, fresh tuna with mango chutney, crab potstickers, salad with locally made goat cheese, and margaritas.

On our last full day in Bonaire, we decided to explore the north end of the island and maybe take one more shore dive. On our way out of town, we passed some beautiful villas on cliffs overlooking the Caribbean. We decided that we could live here.

We passed the ruins of a scout’s house where goatherds lived when the area was still farm land. Along the side of the road, we saw a large coral formation known as Devil’s Mouth. The Indians believed that if a young girl wanted to find her true love, she had only to sit among the coral and he would come to her. All we saw were goats.

Moving on, we passed the BOPEC Oil Terminal – a deep water port where oil reserves are stored. The area known as Gotomeer is a feeding ground for Flamingos and a great place to spot parrots and some of the uncommon species of birds found on Bonaire – such as the yellow Oriole.

We followed a rough dirt road to NokoveBeach. We’d hoped to shore dive, but found the surf too rough and the shoreline too rocky. We continued on to Playa Frans, a small fishing Colony at the end of the road (and we found out later, a rumored drug smugglers haven). From here, we climbed the Kaminda Goto Road up Bandaris Hill for some panoramic views. Our final stop was to see the Arawak Indian Inscriptions that were painted onto the coral overhangs several centuries ago.

Our tour concluded back in town – where we shopped with our remaining guilders (one dollar equals about 1.78 guilders). We joined our cruising friends for cocktails and accompanied the group to their traditional Friday night BBQ at Babjans.

All too soon, it was time to go home – along with the rest of our dive group, we were on our way to the airport by 5 a.m.At every new place we visit, we ask ourselves if it is worth a return trip. The answer for Bonaire is an unqualified, “Yes!” We loved the people, the climate, the economy, the food, the diving, the laid back lifestyle and the very European atmosphere.

The waters surrounding Bonaire have been protected as a NaturalPark for years and have some of the most pristine reefs in the world. There are over 200 different species of fish, 30 varieties of soft corals, and 50 species of hard corals. Nearly all the dive sites are accessible from the shore. There are several drive-up scuba tank refill stations on the Island., All you need is a pickup truck. For the adventurous adult, there is even a resort where you can snorkel and dive au naturale. We were tempted.

We understand perfectly why some of the cruisers have decided to drop the anchor permanently and make Bonaire their home. We plan to sail our boat, Solitaire, to Bonaire within the next couple years.