Eel Spotting

Bonaire is truly a diver’s paradise. The entire island’s coastline is national park. There is no anchoring allowed – only moorings. There are probably 15 dive shops. We’ve snorkeled every day, except the days we did  a refresher course for scuba and a two-tank boat dive out to Klein Bonaire. This is the flat island 3/4 mile off the mainland that is surrounded by dive sites. This post is just a collection of gratuitous underwater porn shots.
  This is a spotted moray eel. He’s buddies with the green moray in the pic above. They live under ledges in about 6 feet of water just in front of the mooring our boat is on.

Jumping off the back of the boat for an afternoon snorkel.

Staghorn Coral with some fishies.

A little trrunk fish hiding under the coral ledges. These little guys hover and swim like helicopters.

Part of the aquarium.

Dress blues- a surgeon fish.

Chris communing with one of the big French Angel Fish that are common here.

Chris heading deeper

A comfy spot for the afternoon for this little porcupine (puffer) fish.

A big guy passing by at 40 foot depth

These 4 feet tall tube sponges were lavender in the filtered deep water. I tried to correct colors in Photoshop – didn’t come too close.
  The cement block that makes up the dive moorings. This thing probably weighs a thousand pounds. It took a lot to roll it on its side.
My dive buddy letting me know all was OK. Ears cleared, mask not fogged, plenty of air left in the tank and the underwater experience a feast for the eyes.

  A spiny, spiny shrimp hanging at about 50 feet.

We dove Carl’s Hill on Klein Bonaire. It is a steep cliff that goes to be about 100 feet. We ran along it at about 60-70 feet. This diver was in paradise and wants more.

 

If you look close at this pic you can see that this watch is good for 330 feet depth of water. If you look closer you can see the water under the crystal from diving at 60 feet. Argh, another watch down the drain.

Back to snorkeling…

 

This gal would not stay still long enough for me to get a pic in focus, but the glowing blue is still impressive.

Another Trunk Fish, just trunking around.

Its a little hard to see this guy in the pic – and in the water. A fairly large octopus, in about 15 feet of water, tentacles on the left and eyes upper, right, center. Well camouflaged.

A ‘cuda patrolling his acreage.

A bouquet of filter tube worms.

Lion fish hiding among the rocks- bad guys here in the Caribbean.

Back to the eel theme- a tiny sharp tailed eel.

Spotted moray eel coming out for a late afternoon snack.

Another moray- I’m not sure how they back into these little cave holes.

Another moray, showing off his teeth for the camera- really just breathing. Leave me alone!

A big French Angel fish ignoring a little Lion fish.

Colors found in nature- a beautiful anemone.

A peacock halibut well camouflaged in the sand.

Check his two eyes on the top side!

Nobody seems to know which way to go…

Paul