Dive #22 - Rich Torkington's Dive Log

Up close to a spotted drum
Photograph by Myron Johnson in Bonaire 1998

Dive Journal: We dump into the van and head back north to a great looking beach (and dive site) called 18th Palm. On the beach there, we enjoy PB&J sandwiches while lying under palm trees in the great breezes. Life is good. The diving again seems to increase our appetites and the sandwiches taste great. A group of local kids are jumping around in the shallow surf and they are fun to watch. It is an idyllic setting.

After lunch, we retrace our path of yesterday by driving south to Willemstoren Lighthouse. This time we stop at the slave huts to examine them, and also at the lighthouse. We see more burros on this trip, and a great many more bright pink flamingos lounging around in the condenser pools of the salt works. Many of the flamingos are plodding around and foraging in 3-4 feet of water, and it is easy to see why their long legs and necks have helped them survive.

We head back up north again, and this time we stop at Pink Beach. The source of this dive site name is obvious, for the sand here is a pale shade of pink and of unbelievable fineness. My first order of business here is to scoop up a handful of this luscious stuff and place it in a ziplock baggie for drying later.

It's about 3:00PM and we suit up and enter the water for a dive, noticing that at this site the surf is significantly milder and there are no rocks at all. The scenery at Pink Beach is typical stunning Bonairean reef. Descending over the reef slope, we see two French angelfish seemingly having a territory fight. We also see a beautifully ornate bivalve called a rough fileclam with a lacey set of extended tentacles - very cool. Nearing the end of the dive, I spy a male sergeant major sporting a blue body, a sign that he is guarding an egg patch somewhere. We are all hoping to catch sight of a sea turtle here, but none are found.

Back onshore, we pack up our gear and return to Sand Dollar. There is a Manager's Party going on at the resort pool offering free rum punch, beer, and tapas. The tapas are great, the rum punch and beer plentiful, and there is even a World Cup soccer game broadcast from the television, which has captured the attention of all. Soccer is big stuff on Bonaire. We chat with locals and guests alike, mostly about diving sites and gear.

We follow happy hour with a bountiful meal of spaghetti and sauce back at the condo. Again our appetites are roaring and the meal is delicious! We experiment with a few of the beer oddities previously purchased, including a Lingon Blonde Bavaria Beer (good) and a Polar Beer from Venezuela (not bad).