Friday, June 17, 2011

Local Talent Shines at the Bonaire PWA World Cup Competition

Bonaire’s Kiri Thode and Aruba’s Sarah-Quita Offringa both turned in exceptional performances to clinch the Bonaire PWA World Cup Competition which concluded yesterday. Sorobon Beach was the site of a five day international freestyle windsurfing competition for both men and women. 48 of the world’s top sailors competed through single and double elimination ladders to attempt to win the 45,000 euro prize purse, and accrue points toward overall tour rankings.

Bonaire’s Kiri Thode was already having an outstanding season, and entered the competition at the top of the overall rankings, with Bonaire being the third stop on the men’s freestyle tour. In the first two days, he advanced to the finals, defeating Bonaire’s Taty Frans in closely fought contests. The third day of the competition saw the winds die off. and the tide drop, making conditions more challenging. At the end of the day, Steven Van Broeckhoven challenged Kiri Thode, and won in a very tight competition by just half a point. In the final day of competition, Thode capitalized on his home water advantage and fan support to nail several big moves and defeat Van Broeckhoven in a tough final and solidify his win. Bonaire’s sailors put in a strong performance, with Taty Frans finishing third, Tonky Frans seventh, Choco Frans eighth and Bjorn Saragoza ninth.

On the women’s side, Bonaire marked the opening of the women’s freestyle world tour. Three time world freestyle champion and slalom racer Sarah-Quita Offinga of Aruba, competed to defend her title. She dominated this year’s competition winning every day, and fighting off a strong challenge from Laure Treboux, including an outstanding last day final which had spectators cheering loudly as the women unveiled their best moves. Yolanda Freites De Brendt finished third and Maxime Van Gent representing Bonaire finished eighth.

The competition’s return to Bonaire highlighted the island’s world class local talent and excellent windsurfing conditions. (Source: PWA Web Site)

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Bonaire Celebrates Blue Water Week with a Clean Up Dive Under Kralendijk’s South Pier

On Saturday, June 4, 2011, volunteers gathered at Dive Friends @ Dive Inn to participate in a special Blue Water Project clean up dive.  The Blue Water Project is a global initiative by the Royal Bank of Canada/Royal Bank of Trinidad & Tobago to foster a culture of water stewardship.  The group of divers echoed that sentiment perfectly as the group consisted of predominantly local residents with an international mix of tourists, all dedicating their morning to keeping Bonaire blue and beautiful.

Asko Zuidam of Dive Friends Bonaire addressed the group of 66 divers and explained what trash should be recovered and what should be left behind, as well as how to keep from damaging any marine animals. Shortly afterward, the divers entered the water, descended, and began to fill their bags with trash. When filled, the bags were brought to the surface to those working as shore support. There, Dive Friends crew and volunteers checked once again to be sure no marine creatures had been inadvertently included, counted, and tallied the trash for statistics, and then disposed of it responsibly.

The South Pier is a working pier, and thus the underwater terrain can accumulate more trash than is normal on the reef.  The statistics of the rubbish collected once again confirmed this to be true.  Items collected include:  259 glass bottles, 38 plastic bottles, 35 fishing lines, 6 dress hangers, 4 shoes, 2 clothing items, 3 tires, 1 garden hose, 2 tubes of toothpaste, 1 camera, 32 different pieces of unidentifiable cloth, 39 pieces of random plastic, 1 flower pot, and much more.

After the dive, all participants and their families were welcomed back for a Pot Luck BBQ—Dive Friends Bonaire and RBC/RBTT, the sponsors of the Blue Water cleanup, provided drinks and main courses, while participants supplied side dishes. All participants were rewarded with log book page certificates of participation.

The next quarterly Dive Friends Bonaire and NetTech underwater cleanup is scheduled for Sunday, July 10, 2011. Additional information about the cleanups is available by clicking here.  All are welcome to join in.  (Source:  Dive Friends Bonaire)

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Bonaire’s First Waste Water Treatment Plant Begins Operation

Last week a vacuum truck delivered the first shipment of waste water to Bonaire’s new waste water treatment plant. The treatment plant was built over the last few months on the grounds of LVV, which is the department of agriculture, breeding and fisheries and was constructed by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Environment. Management will eventually be taken over by the government of Bonaire. The purification of waste water is crucial for the health of the residents of Bonaire and the protection of the coral reef. 

The waste water treatment plant is the first of two which will be built on Bonaire. This plant is processing waste water from cesspools and septic tanks, which is delivered by vacuum trucks. In the past, the waste water was deposited in the ditches and soil at LVV and was considered to be a polluting and unhygienic treatment option.

The new plant can process 478,000 liters of waste water per day and at full capacity, will remove 350 kilograms of biological pollution, 74 kilograms of nitrogen and 65 kilograms of phosphate, on a daily basis. The purification process occurs gradually and takes approximately three months when functioning properly.

The plant is currently operating a test run, monitored by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Development and the Curacao engineering and architectural firm M.I.C. M.I.C. has supervised the construction of the plant and trained staff to run the facility.

A second waste water treatment facility is currently being built, also at LVV. This plant will process waste water delivered via a sewage system, and is expected to be operational in 2013.

Water arriving at the plant will be checked for undesirable substances which can affect the purification process, including oils, fats, chemicals and excessive salt water. Residents of Bonaire will be educated about what types of products should not be deposited into the sewage system. Rejected waste water will be discharged into ditches at LVV, with the goal to keep rejected water to minimum. By September, if the purification process is going as planned, there will be little discharge into the ditches. The clean water will be used for cultivation.

The intention of the plant is to remove waste water from the developed coastal area to the treatment plant. The seawater around Bonaire currently contains twice as many nutrients than a few decades ago. Nutrients originate from waste water and seep through the soil and groundwater and eventually into the sea, resulting in excess algae growth and harm to corals. Excessive nutrients in seawater are unhealthy for natural balance in the water and the resulting growth in bacteria can be harmful to humans. (Source: Rijksdienst Caribish Nederland)

Monday, June 13, 2011

Coral Bleaching Alert as Sea Temperatures Rise

It seems like Bonaire is having an extremely warm and early summer, as temperatures are already at higher points than normal for this year, and, with the high temperatures, there comes a rise in sea water temperatures.  The Caribbean region is already seeing a rapid rise in water temperatures, and with it comes the possibilities for coral bleaching events like the one the region experienced in 2010. 

Coral bleaching is the whitening of corals, due to stress-induced expulsion or death of their symbiotic protozoa. The corals that form the structure of the reef ecosystem of tropical seas depend upon a symbiotic relationship with this unicellular organism, called zooxanthellae. Zooxanthellae give coral its coloration.  Under stress, corals may expel their zooxanthellae, which leads to a lighter or completely white appearance, hence the term “bleached.”

According to the NOAA Coral Reef Watch monitoring system, coral bleaching is likely in the Caribbean in 2011. With temperatures above-average, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) models show a strong potential for bleaching in the southern and southeastern Caribbean that could be as severe as in 2010.

The Bonaire National Marine Park just receive the first Coral Bleaching Alert for the 2011 season from NOAA. Coral Bleaching Alerts are delivered when the sea water temperature exceeds the Maximum Monthly Mean (MMM) of Sub Surface Temperature (SST) at the site. This condition is called a “Hot Spot.” The stress produced by a Hot Spot over the coral is measured in Degree Heating Weeks (DHW). One DHW equals 1°C over the MMM for one week, 0.5°C for two weeks or any other combination. Our DHW for the last season was 9.9 which corresponded to the highest Bleaching Alert Level.

Definitions of Alert Levels:
No Stress: No thermal stress (HotSpot <= 0)
Watch: Low-level thermal stress (0 < HotSpot < 1)
Warning: Thermal stress is accumulating (HotSpot >= 1 and 0 < DHW < 4)
Alert Level 1: Bleaching expected (HotSpot >= 1 and 4 <= DHW < 8)
Alert Level 2: Significant bleaching expected (HotSpot >= 1 and DHW >= 8)

Bonaire’s current MMM is 28.5°C and the present temperature is 29°C since June 9, 2011, which puts Bonaire into a Bleaching Watch. For more information about NOAA’s Coral Bleach Watch, click here.

Be aware that coral reefs under these conditions are highly vulnerable to external factors and extreme care should be given during this time. Since corals are more susceptible to illness by losing their protective mucus by abrasion, divers should exercise all caution to avoid coming in contact with the reef by practicing good buoyancy skills.  (Source:  Bonaire National Marine Park)

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Grammy Award Winner, Natalia Jimenez, Charms Bonaire

On Friday evening, June 10th, two-time Grammy Award Winner, Natalia Jimenez, charmed an enthusiastic crowd of fans in a live concert on Bonaire.  Images of Natalia may be viewed on the Bonaire Insider Photo Gallery by clicking here. 

Natalia Jiménez Sarmiento was born in Madrid, Spain and is a popular Spanish singer. She is the lead singer of the Spanish pop band, La Quinta Estacion, and her musical talents are obviously inherited, as her father was also a singer.

She definitely “wowed” the audience on Friday evening, inviting them to sing along with her and dance at the front of the stage.  She had an engaging style, drawing in the audience quickly, while keeping them entranced with a variety of songs in Spanish-style or pop throughout the evening’s concert.  (Source:  Bonaire Insider reporter)

Friday, June 10, 2011

Antillean Wine Company to Hold Monthly Wine Tasting Tomorrow

This Saturday June 11, 2011 the monthly wine tasting will be held at the Antillean Wine Company. The monthly wine tasting is a great opportunity to sample six different wines, three white and three red, in an informal atmosphere while enjoying snacks and good company, for a low cost of $10.

The Antillean Wine Company has also recently expanded with Le Garage, selling kitchen and home products from Ikea. New stock is in and will be available for sale.

The event will be held from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM at the Antillean Wine Company, Kaya Industria #23, and all are invited to attend. (Source: Antillean Wine Company)

Wednesday, June 08, 2011

Woodwind Bonaire Receives Trip Advisor’s Certificate of Excellence

Woodwind Bonaire, which provides snorkel excursions via their catamaran, has just been honored by receiving the Certificate of Excellence by TripAdvisor.

TripAdvisor™ provides unbiased reviews, articles, recommendations and opinions on a variety of Bonaire tourism providers, but Woodwind’s guests seem to be particularly vocal, as there are many positive comments about the Woodwind experience.  In fact, with 106 reviews to date, Woodwind enjoys a 5-star rating on the web site.

To view what others have said about their Woodwind experience, click here.  To find out more about taking a Woodwind excursion, visit the company’s web site by clicking here, or follow them on Facebook via this link.  (Source:  TripAdvisor™)