Tiger grouper at night Photo by Myron Johnson in Bonaire 1998

At 8:45PM we seek out a Habitat slide show presented by a local marine photographer and naturalist named Jerry of Photo Tours Gallery. He exhibits absolutely stunning images of Bonairean reef critters captured in perfect detail, and he explains some of their behaviors and his photo techniques.

Following the hourlong display, we are inspired to do more diving, and so we suit up once again for a plunge off Baby Dock. We enter the water about 10:50PM, and this time we proceed without incident over and down the reef slope and into the darkness. It feels like the first "real" night dive for Linda and me, since we have now escaped the lights of the restaurant. There are tons of cleaner shrimp evident, many more than during daylight. All the coral polyps are open and extended into the current seining out food, giving these structures a lacy look. We silently hover over large sleeping parrotfish and a honeycomb cowfish motionless on a reef shelf. The big tarpon and snook find us and patrol at our light's perimeter. At the beginning of the shallows, we spy an immense blue colored trumpetfish, who hangs upright in the water when we approach him, trying to look like a vertical gorgonian branch or stick. We're in the water about 45 minutes and dive to 63' - a very cool dive.

Back at the room, we are bushed from all the day's activities. I stay up to write in my journal, and reflect on things. My ears are not too bad tonight since I've been careful clearing them, although I am still suffering from a disturbing hearing loss, a "ringing" of sorts. My toe is much better, anyway.