Bonaire underwater white sands, Netherland Antilles
Well, I am back now from my trip I mentioned in my previous post of Craving Saltwater. Consider the craving satisfied. While the white in this photo may slightly resemble the snow I came back to in Michigan, I can assure you it is far different in the actual experience of it. 🙂 After a week of hauling scuba gear, lugging and cleaning camera equipment, and swimming who knows how far – I feel like I need a vacation to recover. 🙂
Over the next few posts I will write a bit about the different aspects of this trip. Not only has it been awhile since I have been in saltwater, but it was also my first trip using digital for my underwater photography. So therein lies some post material. Altogether the posts will make up a bit of a trip report.
Our last saltwater dive trip was back in 2006 to Dominica, far too long for any diver. This time we returned to a small island we have visited before called Bonaire. Bonaire is about 50 miles off of the coast of Venezuela in the southern part of the Caribbean. The shore diving is what makes this spot so popular with divers and quite unique amongst all of the Caribbean diving hotspots. Not that there isn’t shore diving elsewhere, but nowhere as abundant, and with diversity, that Bonaire has.
While boat diving is also an option here, we chose to do shore diving the entire week. You basically rent a vehicle, pile in the tanks and gear, and off you go on your own schedule to dive whenever you want. Tanks are available 24/7.
There are pluses and minuses to this approach.
BENEFITS:
- You dive on your own schedule and pick your own daily routine. This is a big plus for experienced divers who do not necessarily need the guidance of a divemaster, as long as you plan your dives appropriately of course.
- You pick your own sites. From previous trips here we learned many of the same reefs visited by boat (with the exception of Klein Bonaire, and the rarely visited “rough side” of the island) are also accessible via shore.
- Fewer divers at any particular site: Since there are so many sites on the island, you can basically pick and choose if you want to have a site all to yourself.
- You get to experience the landscape of Bonaire as well as the seascape.
- You can visit some of the more remote sites that boats may not visit due to fuel expenses
- No seasickness if you are prone to it.
- Less expensive as you are not paying for boat diving, but you also need to factor in car rental. Car rental however can be split up amongst 3-4 divers per car.
DRAWBACKS:
- Shore entries can be a bit more difficult than rolling off the side of a boat or a jump off the back. You often have to deal with surge and surf crashing on the shore, critters like urchins that you need to avoid, and some rocky areas. Many spots are quite calm, so you have to pick and evaluate your entry carefully for each site. I found myself taking a tumble a number of times which is quite disconcerting with a camera rig in your hands.Being a tall guy with a heavy tank on your back and a holding a heavy camera in front makes you a bit like a trying to balance a boulder on a stick in the surf! Fortunately I sacrificed myself to protect the gear 🙂 and ended up with a few minor scratches on my hands versus my lens port.
- You are your own dive guide. For some this is a freedom, but you also miss out on the experienced guides pointing out critters for you and telling you a bit more about the particular reef. I have yet to find a seahorse on my own, and missed that aspect of the diving this time. But to the contrary, you may also see other things that those on a boat did not get to see. Being in the right place at the right time is no different for diving as with any other aspect of watching wildlife. Having a guide can be invaluable sometimes.
- Lack of immediate medical support. If there are problems or injuries you need to deal with, getting help may be difficult. So you should at least take a basic first aid kit and have a plan or others with you that can assist if you may need it as some of the sites are quite remote. Fortunately with so many divers around, you are usually not alone for that long before someone is coming by or at the site down the road.
Two divers swim along a reef in Bonaire
Regardless of using boat or shore to view Bonaire’s reefs, I was reminded of how beautiful this spot is and the magic of the underwater world. Bonaire is one of the most pristine sites that exists in the Caribbean due to the long standing protections of the marine sanctuary. But despite being one of the more protected sites, it was obvious the toll warming oceans have taken on the reefs in Bonaire.
A research professor we ran into at one of the dive sites has been studying Caribbean reef systems for the past 30 years. He told us last fall had record sea temperatures there, causing a significant coral bleaching event to take place, a trend that is on the rise. Damage from hurricanes in recent years was also obvious. Some sites were still quite abundant with pristine reefs and fish life, while others looked like barren wastelands found throughout the Caribbean due to overfishing, warming trends, and other impacts of human activity. In the words of this professor… “…enjoy it now, this is as good as it gets here, it is hard to be optimistic about the future.” Words that caused us to pause and reflect on what we are seeing here.
My next posts will be on my experiences with taking my D700 underwater, Bonaire Landscapes and some more about the marine life encounters I had. For now, I am off to shovel some snow and process some more images.
You could probably mimic that at White Sands by using a GND filter on the blue sky at high noon then hit saturate. 🙂
Really cool photo Mark. It looks like one of those White Sands NM type of shots but underwater.
Thanks Richard. Yeah, it does look like White sands – with a really, really blue sky! 🙂
Beautiful shots, Mark — there’s a real sense of the huge expanse of the ocean floor in the first frame, it seems to just fade into forever. I’ve never done scuba before, but I’ve always been intrigued about trying it, since it allows you to experience an entirely different world on our planet.
Definitely worth a try Pat. And thank you for your comment, that is the impression I was hoping to make with this image. You are right, it is a very, very different world down there – and one that makes up 75% of our planet! So it is almost required education for all explorers to get down there.
I’ve never put on tanks but I have done some snorkeling. And, what a wonderful world it is below the surface. As I get older I find my body does not handle the cold as well as it did in the past, so the warmer climates are far more alluring to me now.
So, if we come back from a vacation needing a vacation, is that a sign we had fun? 🙂
Hi Monte, I encourage everyone just to try it once. You have already had your taste by snorkeling… and the water was quite warm. You have a point there on vacations, I could have used a few more days to recoup before heading back to the grindstone.
Wonderful “first photos” from the trip, Mark! This is a world most of us photographers don’t get to experience first hand. I’m eagerly looking forward to seeing more of your results.
While I love that first white sands photo, I find myself drawn a little stronger to the second, coral reef, photo.
Thank you very much Earl. I agree, and I will add it is a world that most PEOPLE usually don’t get to experience, which is ironic considering 75% of our planet is covered by water.
What a great adventure! The two images are wonderful, looking forward to more. I’m sure it was a shock to your system to come back and shovel snow, Wow! Getting to experience the beauty of other far away places can be surreal and inspirational, thanks for sharing your journey Mark.
Hey, the snow will eventual melt on it’s own, just work on the pictures!
Thanks a lot Brad. Shock is an understatement. 🙂 My back was already sore from hauling luggage and scuba gear.
Terrific shots. Love the white sand and blue water one especially.
Thanks much Roberta.
Hi Mark,
Great photo! Kind of like an underwater landscape photo. Love the white sand.
I think I am now craving some saltwater as well.
– Chris
You have to go get you some Chris! Thanks.
Welcome home. The photos are gorgeous. I can get completely lost in that transition between water and sand. It seems to stretch out to infinity.
Infinity is exactly what I was thinking about when gazing into that blue Anita. Very perceptive of you.
Glad you had a good time. I remember about the tumbling in shore entrances, it almost put me off shore diving for life! I’m still processing my images from our Cayman/Florida trip so I know how busy it gets when you get back. Looking forward to seeing your underwater images 🙂 D700 huh? What equipment did you go for in the end?
Suzy
Thanks Suzy. Yeah, I don’t quite recall taking so many tumbles the last time we were in Bonaire. But we did always go at a different time of year. The surf was a bit stronger this time in February/March.
I ended up with a Nauticam housing and Inon Z240 strobes. What a difference these strobes are compared to my old 8 D-cell Ikelites!
I’ve got the Z240s. They are quite a cold colour temp though. You should investigate getting some gels for them. Do a search on Alex Mustard, he must have talked about it in an article about which ones to get somewhere. Basically you can put some gel sheets behind the difusers and make the blues a little nicer in the backgrounds.
Ahhh ok. I noticed that I am adjusting my WB in most of my shots to be considerably warmer.
Wow – what a breathtaking sight! I love the textures in the sand and those beautiful turquoise tones of the water. That must have been an amazing holiday. I look forward to the next post!
Thanks a lot Martina!
Great read and the first photo is amazing! It looks like you had a really good time. I’m looking forward to reading next posts.
Thanks Tomas, glad you enjoyed it.
Great post and photos here, glad that you enjoyed Bonaire! Tanks for sharing this, waiting for the next. Ciao
Hi Marco. Sorry we didn’t get a chance to meet up. I did not have internet access the entire time there, and the week was so packed with diving, I was only able to do topside photography 1 morning.
Hi Mark! it’s ok, please don’t be sorry. I read that you had a great time and quite busy too, and this good! I am curious to see your vision of the topside of the island. Sure we’ll meet another time! Let’s keep in touch
Great image. Interesting pattern and bright white color for underwater sand. Sounds like a good trip even if exhausting. Looking forward to hearing more.
Thank you David. I liked the multiple meanings in this image. If we don’t act to save the reefs of this world, many underwater pictures will look only like this. Then again, if the reefs disappear, there won’t be any photographers to make such images.
that’s a gorgeous shot, Mark. Almost surreal. Sounds like you had a great time.
Thanks Ken. It was a nice getaway, but exhausting at the end.