Snorkeling

News about snorkeling

Monday, June 04, 2007

Dive Friends Bonaire Hosts Ninth Bonaire Web Cam

Dive Friends Yellow Sub is now hosting the ninth web cam on Bonaire, which features a view of their dock and the anchorage and ocean-side promenade fronting their Kralendijk facility. 

With image captures every minute, the tourists diving at this facility can now wave to friends and family as they enter the water for a dive, or simply re-live their memories when back at home by visiting the archives (a nominal membership fee is required to access the archives).  Another unique feature for those who find their images captured on the Yellow Sub Pier Cam is that they can send an e-postcard of themselves over the Internet and via the archives. 

This cam will prove to be exceptionally popular each Monday night when Dive Friends hosts their weekly Pier Rum Punch Party.  The current view of the cam is prominently displayed on the main page of Dive Friends’ web site at http://www.dive-friends-bonaire.com as well as at http://www.bonairewebcams.com. 

The Bonaire Web Cams have proved themselves to be very popular with visiting tourists from around the world, and have, on their own, became famous, from the award-winning underwater cams, to the beach cams, DonkeyCam, Downtown Cam, and WindsurfCam.  Many Bonaire visitors plan at least one trip to the cams to wave to family and friends back home and now the Yellow Sub PierCam makes this very easy.  www.bonairewebcams.com receives an average of 200,000 visitors per month, with an average of 2,000,000 page views per month.

Dive-Friends-Bonaire is one of Bonaire’s premiere and innovative dive facilities with locations on the oceanfront promenade in Kralendijk, at Hamlet Bonaire, and at Port Bonaire.  They offer all the services of a large shop, while still providing personal service.  For additional information or to view the Yellow Sub PierCam, visit http://www.dive-friends-bonaire.com.  Those interested in additional information may email info@dive-friends-bonaire.com, or telephone or send a fax to +(599) 717-2929.

Friday, May 25, 2007

The Bonaire WebCams Family Grows with New Underwater ReefCams

Caribbean WebCams, LLC announced today that it has successfully installed a new Bonaire ReefCam on the island of Bonaire, joining the upgraded original Bonaire ReefCam which has been in Bonaire’s waters entertaining millions of Internet viewers for nearly seven years.

The new Bonaire Pier ReefCam resides in a protected area under the pier at Bonaire’s Eden Beach Resort in only about 1.6 meters/5 feet of water, while the original ReefCam has been remounted and upgraded and now shows views across the hull of the Bakanal, a sunken yacht located at approximately 19 meters/60 feet of depth. As such, the original ReefCam has been re-christened the Bonaire Wreck ReefCam.

Additionally, the three land-based Bonaire WebCams located at the Eden Beach Resort have also been upgraded and recabled to provide long term use and viewing pleasure, and join three other land-based WebCams on Bonaire: the DonkeyCam, the WindsurfCam, and the DowntownCam.

“With eight live WebCams on Bonaire running day in and day out, we figure Bonaire has the highest per capita public WebCam ratio of any island in the Caribbean, if not the world. And Bonaire also has the only long-term permanent open ocean ReefCam installations anywhere. Tens of thousands of people view our WebCams from all over, and we regularly get e-mails and thanks from people who discovered the snorkeling and diving paradise of Bonaire via our WebCams and now vacation here regularly,” said Jake Richter, a Bonaire resident and Chief Operating Officer and Chief Diver of Caribbean WebCams LLC, owner of the Bonaire WebCams web site and a majority of the WebCams on display.

The Bonaire WebCams can be viewed at any time (although at night, Bonaire-time, some will be dark) at http://www.BonaireWebCams.com, with images being captured every minute off each camera. The site also offers memberships to people who would like to peruse the archives of all image captures--archives which go back as far as December 2000. The searchable WebCams archives allow Bonaire visitors to the cameras to look up images of themselves on the WebCams, meaning that vacationers to the island of Bonaire, the Caribbean diving and snorkeling capital, who pose for the ReefCams underwater or for the topside WebCams, for example, can look up the images captured of them upon their return from vacation. Memberships are free for limited archive access, and as low as US$4.95 for a one week membership or US$24.95 for an annual membership.

The Bonaire WebCams are so popular among the growing list of Bonaire fans that daily discussions about what has appeared on the Bonaire WebCams are held on the popular BonaireTalk web site in a section dedicated to the Bonaire WebCams (at http://www.BonaireTalk.com/webcams).

About The Bonaire WebCams
The Bonaire WebCams Web site is among the most popular Web sites featuring Caribbean content, with over 150,000 visitors and millions of page views per month. The Web site is provided with WebCam images from a proprietary image capture server on Bonaire, as well as custom programmed individual WebCams. Live weather information is also provided on the web site.

About Caribbean WebCams, LLC
Caribbean WebCams, LLC, owner and operator of the Bonaire WebCams and the award winning Bonaire ReefCam, specializes in all aspects of commercial WebCam set-up and installation for resorts and travel destinations. Company headquarters are located in Bolton, Massachusetts in the U.S.A. Caribbean WebCams information can be found at http://www.CaribbeanWebCams.com, and the company may be contacted at info@CaribbeanWebCams.com, or by phone at +1-703-783-8370 or by FAX at +1-703-783-8371 in the U.S. or by phone at +599-7-174112 on Bonaire.

Links to Related Site:
Bonaire WebCams
BonaireTalk WebCams Discussion
Bonaire Information Web Site

“Bonaire WebCams” and “ReefCam” are trademarks of Caribbean WebCams, LLC.  (Source:  Caribbean WebCams, LLC)

Saturday, May 19, 2007

Visit Bonaire via Google Earth

Now afficionados of Bonaire can visit the island vicariously by viewing a new video recently posted on YouTube, utilizing Google Earth technology coupled with underwater and aerial images. 

This seven-minute video provides an overview to Bonaire’s official dive sites, along with other key spots like windsurfing at Lac Bay.  Most of the underwater photos are by Albert Bianculli.  Aerial photos are by Philip Bodifee, a KLM flight attendant who visits the island regularly.  Fans of Bonaire are encouraged to visit the site and to rate the film and share it with their dive buddies.

You may view the video by clicking here. (Source:  Sunspots Bonaire)

Wednesday, March 14, 2007

Buddy Dive Resort Announces Opening of Their Bonaire Photo Shop at Beneath-the-Sea

Buddy Dive Resort will announce the opening of an on-premises photo shop at New Jersey’s Beneath-the-Sea. Buddy’s staff will be present in booth # 720 to talk about this great addition to its guest services.

Buddy’s new full service photo shop will be managed by John and Susie Wall, former owners and operators of one of most well known dive stores of Virginia, “The Dive Shop.” After working in the US-dive shop business for over 3 decades John and Susie decided to relocate on Bonaire and pursue a long time dream of starting up a photo shop in divers paradise. Having been a guest at Buddy Dive Resort for many years, starting the photo shop at Buddy Dive Resort was the logic choice. Knowing that Buddy Dive Resort was looking for professional partners to add a photo shop to its services, it was a perfect match. 

Buddy Dive invites all in the area of Beneath the Sea to come to the show and talk about what’s happening on Bonaire. They’ll be showcasing some special promotions, and will have information available about the September Marine Life Education program running for a fourth consecutive year with world renowned naturalist and marine book writers Ned & Anna DeLoach. During the entire month of September the “Buddies-Dive-For-Free” special is continued again where every second diver gets free diving plus free nitrox for everybody (for new bookings only and cannot be combined with other special promotions; certain restrictions apply to the program and it is subject to availability).

For more information please visit their booth at Beneath the Sea, check out www.buddydive.com, e-mail reservations@buddydive.com or call toll free to 1-866-GO-BUDDY. (Source:  Dive News Wire)

Tuesday, March 13, 2007

STINAPA and the Bonaire Marine Park Welcome All to a Scientific Presentation

On Friday, March 16, 2007, a presentation will be given by Dr. Peter Mumby from the University of Exeter (United Kingdom) and Dr. Robert Steneck, who is STINAPA’s main adviser in the Fish Protected Areas Project.

The presentation is about “The Resilience of Coral Reefs and the Importance of Parrotfish” and will be held in the Habitat Conference Room at 8:00 PM Friday evening.  All are welcome to attend and are encouraged not to miss this opportunity to learn about the ecological importance of parrotfish in coral reef systems.  (Source:  STINAPA)

Monday, February 19, 2007

Bonaire Announces New Island-Wide Program--Dive Into Summer 2007

This summer everyone is invited to experience the island with its new summer-long promotion, Bonaire Dive Into Summer 2007 (BDIS).  Taking place June 3 through September 29, 2007, this island-wide event will focus on scuba diving through a series of specialty topics: Family, Fotography, Fish and Fun.

There is no registration fee to participate in Bonaire Dive Into Summer (select activities may have a nominal cost involved) and all activities are open to anyone on island wishing to take part.  BDIS will also feature a free coupon book (valid 6/3-9/29/07) filled with valuable discounts for hotels, restaurants, shopping, activities, rentals and more that will be available to all visitors to the island.

The “Family” topic will introduce guests to the many activities and programs available on-island for the entire family to enjoy, and the “Fotography” topic will include guest speakers and events designed for professionals and those interested in photography to enjoy, while the “Fish” topic will be all about marine conservation and our ocean planet, and the “Fun” topic will feature everything diving such as speakers encouraging divers to take new courses and non-divers to become certified.

During September, solo travelers and singles traveling in groups can take advantage of dives, snorkels and events just for singles.  Each month people will also have the opportunity to enjoy A Taste of Bonaire, an event showcasing local food, handicrafts, culture and music.

BDIS is being sponsored by the Tourism Corporation Bonaire (TCB) and Scuba Diving magazine.  For more information on Bonaire – Dive Into Summer 2007 visit the event’s official website at www.bonairediveintosummer.com, or view the FAQ sheet ( in PDF format).  (Source:  TCB Press Release)

Wednesday, January 24, 2007

First Quarterly Bonaire Clean Up Dive of 2007 Yields Unusual Trash

On Saturday, January 13, 2007, the skies were uncharacteristically cloudy over Bonaire, but that didn’t put a damper on the spirits of the group of approximately forty divers and snorkelers who gathered to help clean up a portion of Kralendijk’s shoreline and underwater terrain. 

After a comprehensive briefing by Susan Davis of NetTech, the divers geared up, and, divided into two groups, headed north and south of Dive Friend’s Yellow Submarine dive facility on the waterfront promenade.

Shore duty was handled by Bonaire’s own Dee Scarr, assisted by Christine Trosztmer, who inspected all materials and trash as they were brought up to ensure the least disturbance to any marine animals who may already have been inhabiting the trash.

The result of the cleanup consisted of the usual materials lost in the water: drinking bottles, cans, fishing line, plastic cups and plates, PVC pipes, pieces of iron, copper and stainless steel.  However, this cleanup did yield some unusual trash: a full bottle of ketchup, an unused diaper, and nearly sufficient parts to reconstruct a jet ski.

After the dive, all participants were welcomed back for a Pot Luck BBQ—Dive Friends Bonaire and NetTech, the sponsors of the quarterly Bonaire cleanups, provided drinks and main courses.  Participants supplied side dishes such as salads, onion quiche, and home-made (warm) cookies!

The next cleanup dive organized by Dive Friends Bonaire and NetTech will take place on Saturday, April 14, 2007.  All those on Bonaire at that time are welcome to join in.  Meet at Dive Friend’s Yellow Submarine facility at 1:00 PM.

Dive Friends Bonaire is one of Bonaire’s most well known diving facilities with convenient locations in Kralendijk, at Hamlet Bonaire, and at Port Bonaire.  For additional information on the quarterly cleanups, visit http://www.dive-friends-bonaire.com/clean_up_dives.html.

NetTech is Bonaire’s largest Internet marketing company, providing the popular web sites InfoBonaire (http://www.infobonaire.com) and The Bonaire Insider (http://www.bonaireinsider.com).  For additional information, visit http://www.nettech.an.

(Source:  Dive Friends Bonaire/NetTech Release)

Tuesday, January 09, 2007

The Fifth Edition of Bonaire Shore Diving Made Easy, by Susan Porter, is Now Available

Improving upon itself each year, the fifth edition of this popular guide to shore diving on Bonaire, Bonaire Shore Diving Made Easy, has just been released for sale.  Written by Susan Porter, a Bonaire resident, the guide is a great way to either plan your trip in advance, or choose dive sites on-the-fly once your vacation has begun.

The guide contains an overview of 75 sites shore diving sites on Bonaire.  Details include items such as the best entry and exit points, an overview of the site’s topography, and then the author rates the dive based on a rating system tied to conditions that particular site provides. When sites warrant it, the guide’s description will also state whether good snorkeling conditions are prevalent or not.

The guide is available in many retail and dive stores on Bonaire, and can also be ordered online from either www.bonairestuff.com or www.bsdme.info.  (Source:  BSDME Web Site)

Monday, January 08, 2007

International Accolade Foundation Poised to Expand Outreach in 2007

The International Accolade Foundation, headquartered on Bonaire in the Dutch Caribbean, is pleased to announce its plans for growth and expansion for 2007.  The foundation recognizes individuals the world over for their efforts to protect, manage, and educate the population about ocean and reef conservation.  Collectively, the recipients of the Accolade Award have had a wide impact on people of all ages.  The foundation aims to spread the word about these people’s efforts so they are recognized for their accomplishments, while at the same time, inspiring others to follow in their footsteps. 

In recent years, the International Accolade Foundation has honored such luminaries as Bill Acker (Yap), Maggie Booi-Kaiser (Bonaire), Bruce Bowker (Bonaire), George Buckley (United States), Jack Chalk (Bonaire), Din Domacasse (Bonaire), DEMA (United States), George & Laura DeSalvo (Bonaire), Jack and Sue Drafahl (United States), John C. Fine (United States), Geri Murphy (United States), and Dee Scarr (Bonaire).

Outreach plans for 2007 include the construction of a comprehensive web site, the creation of a society of friends called the Accolade Divers, as well as the activation of Accolade Units around the world which can assist with identifying local members of the diving community deserving of recognition.  2007 also will bring a vehicle for individuals to nominate prospective awardees.  It is the foundation’s goal that, by the end of 2007, one award can be announced each week. 

If you have an interest in becoming an Accolade Unit in your local area, or simply believe you know someone deserving of the award, please contact the International Accolade Foundation by emailing Captain don/ at callingintheclan@yahoo.com

The organization was founded in 2005 by Captain don/, located on Bonaire.  Initially providing award recognition to Bonaire’s leaders in the dive and conservation areas, in 2006 the foundation expanded to include international locations and awardees.  Most recently, DEMA was thanked for their continued work in supporting the diving industry and the conservation efforts that go hand-in-hand with it.  The International Accolade Foundation is located at Kaminda Lagoen #103 Bonaire, Dutch Caribbean, email: callingintheclan@yahoo.com (Source:  International Accolade Foundation Press Release)

Monday, December 18, 2006

Action In Behalf of Coral Project Provides Educational Sticker

Thousands of divers explore the world’s coral reef ecosystems every year.  Unfortunately, many make careless contact with living coral--because they don’t understand the significance of their contact.  Now everyone can get an up-close and personal view of exactly why living coral is fragile in a sticker being provided to dive operators by the Action in Behalf of Coral Project.  “Divers are taught that coral is fragile,” says ABC Project founder Dee Scarr, “and then they see boulder-like formations.  The sticker shows how damage is done by a simple light brushing along even boulder-like coral.”

The ABC Project sticker has debuted on dive boats and in dive equipment areas in the Bonaire National Marine Park; it is now being made available elsewhere in the Caribbean and around the world.  Dive operators can contact the ABC Project about getting stickers by e-mailing Scarr at dee@touchthesea.com. 

The mission of the Action in Behalf of Coral Project is to protect corals by providing education.  In addition to the sticker, the ABC Project has created a series of short pieces about coral, each illustrated by a photo, called Coral Glimpses.  The Bonaire Reporter has published Coral Glimpses weekly since January, 2006.

Artwork for the Action in Behalf of Coral Project sticker was done by professional Biological/Medical Illustrator Gary Carlson, whose work can be seen at www.gcarlson.com. 

More information about Action in Behalf of Coral, and a list of supporters of the Project, can be found at www.touchthesea.com/abcproject.  (Source:  Action on Behalf of Corals Release)