The Wounded Warriors are Certified to Dive
Since their arrival last Saturday, the Wounded Warriors, their families, and instructors have kept busy schedules, but the warriors and families did complete their open water scuba certifications on Monday. Images from their arrival are available on the Bonaire Insider Photo Gallery by clicking here. Read on to view further photo galleries.
The six men and their families started right in on Sunday morning with their dive training, which went the full day with two open water dives on Sunday afternoon. Chris Humphreys from Capture Photo was on hand to do a video of the men and their families during training. Capture Photo also donated a copy of each video to the Wounded Warriors, so they would have a momento of their training dives.
That evening, the group arrived at Papaya Moon Cantina for a relaxing Tex-Mex dinner, compliments of the restaurant. A pleasant surprise awaited them, as they were escorted to their table: All of the restaurant’s other patrons give the group a standing ovation. There was hardly a dry eye. The restaurant even baked them a special cake! Images from their dinner at Papaya Moon Cantina are available on the Bonaire Insider Photo Gallery by clicking here.
Monday brought another full day of training, with their final two certifications dives in the afternoon. The group, now accustomed to the water, did great water entries and immediately adjusted their buoyancy. Images of the training session are available by clicking here.
Monday evening brought more events! At the Captain Don’s Habitat Manager’s Rum Punch Party, the group was able to meet the legendary Captain Don, thank Mike Hill from PADI, who sponsored their training materials for the Open Water and Advanced Open Water courses, and then enjoy a BBQ buffet, thanks to private donations made through the Bonaire Talk Community. Images from the evening are available by clicking here.
Today brings a film crew from a Florida NBC affiliate to film the action, so the men are back in the water. The Bonaire Insider will continue to report on events as they happen. (Source: Bonaire Insider Reporter)
I want to say thank you to all of those on the Island of Bonaire for making this the most spectacular of events. The people of Bonaire definitely rolled out the red carpet for our boys, complete with Harley Davidson motorcycle escorts, incredible hospitality from Jack Chaulk and his crew at Captain Don’s Habitat, various restaurants in town, REMAX, the Governor and his lovely wife and so many more. I’ve always loved the location for its incredible diving but that’s nothing compared to the warm and friendly people on the island. You have my gratitude, support and loyalty for life!! My most sincere thank you to all.
Posted by on August 16, 2007 at 5:21pm AST
