The Flights

Getting There

I know - I read all the horror stories about flying American Airlines to the Pit in San Juan P.R. but we got the travel insurance and took the chance. It was 30 minutes to Miami from home base on the American Eagle, an hour layover - 2 hours to San Juan- 40 minute layover ( everyone said we would never make it, but we were traveling on a Wed. night and the flight was barely half full ) we were first in line to board. As we are walking to the American Eagle Super ATR I hear a voice behind me “ Is there a Timmmy here” It’s there on the tarmac where I first meet Jake R. and we chat a bit about meeting on Friday to change out the cable to the wreck cam. Two hour flight from PR and we are on Bonaire around 9:00 pm. toasting Brights with my new best friend Patrick T. I’m thinking OK, AA was not so bad.


Getting Home

Patrick drops us off at 5:00 am – funny Jake is flying out on our flight to take care of some business in the US. The flights home were kinda freaky! - Bon to SJPR - There was some smoke in the back and a hot iron left on a shirt smell. They turned off the air for ten minutes and then it clears up & was OK.

SJPR to Miami I had to sit next to a Dude who was expelling a full blown cold - hacking cough and snotty blows into magazine pages - kept my back to him all the way! Flight was full, no where to move.

Miami to SWR - big storms over the state - we flew south over the keys and hugged the coast over 10,000 Islands to Naples, flew inland to Bonita then back out into the Gulf of Mexico to make final approach ... Thank God there was no lightning!



The Restaurants

Wednesday - Capriccio

Angela had Polenta on a bed of cooked spinach
Patrick and I had the filet Mignon
We all enjoyed the facatcha and fresh bread. Service was fine but we discovered you have to ask for the check when you are done or they just kept filling the water glasses.

Thursday – Rum Runners @ Captain Dons Habitat

Angela had Shrimp and Wahoo
I had Grilled Wahoo with pineapple and peppers and au egratin potatoes
Patrick had fajitas

The quality of the food was 1st class and we all had creme brulee for desert. It was in the top 3 best that I’ve ever had. Patrick went over to the bar to chat with Jack Chalk while Angela and I watched the Tarpon ambush smaller fish and the waving lights of the night divers.



Friday – Lunch @ Bongos after replacing the cable to the wreck cam

Bacon Cheese Burgers – Timmmy Patrick
Asian Beef Salad – Seb Mare Jake and Angela

Dinner @ Bobbijans
Jake Linda Bas Yana Seb Mare Patrick Angela Timmmy

Chicken Beef Pork & Ribs and fries and slaw

Saturday - We had a little BT Mini meet at Debbie's house where we are staying.

Patrick grilled lots of meat , Angela made a wonderful salad, Jake brought over a whipped cauliflower dish with lots of butter, Tara and Guy brought party favors, lots of good conversation. Really enjoyed getting to know Jake Seb Mare Linda and now Guy and Tara are joining us.



Sunday - Casablanca Argentinean Grill

Angela had Chicken and Vegetables – she said it was good comfort food
Guy and Tara split the mixed grill ( a whole chicken, 2 pork chops, 2 steaks, 2 sausages, two chunks of ribs) and took more than half of it home.
Patrick had steak
I had grilled Wahoo and fries and rice.

Good food and great Company

Monday - Gibi's

I had Pan fried Wahoo - (and still loving it)
Angela had whole fried mini grouper.
Jake had the Jake special ( chicken thighs and Shrimp I think)
Can't remember what Guy Tara Linda Patrick Seb Mare Yana & Bas had.
Gibi was gone on vacation but they opened up anyway just for us.

Tuesday - Lunch – Bacon Burgers @ Bongo’s

Dinner - Casablanca Again

We watched a slide show By Albert of Yellow Sub.
Patrick, Guy & Timmmy – all you can eat mixed grill
Tara had Satee
Angela still full from lunch!


Wednesday Eden Beach Resort’s New Restaurant –“Brisa Del Mar” - Beach Bar Cam

Patrick had beef carpaccio and Lasagna
Tara & Guy Lasagna
Angela had fish Eden
And I had Grilled Seafood. (Wahoo you betcha)

Great food but drinks are $ 10.00 a piece and wine is $ 12.00 a glass

Thursday - Bunch - City Cafe
Eggs and bacon

Dinner - Lions Den ( Good Suggestion Debbie)

Fried Calamari

Angela had coconut curry shrimp and scallops
Tara had Tomato's & mozzarella and Satee
Guy had fried shrimp and fries
I had Wahoo with shrimp and a white wine sauce – best meal of the trip for me
Can’t remember what Patrick got. Steak I think?

The Cams

The Place to Stay

Perfect Safe Place to Stay for Divers Owned by Divers!!!

Thank you Debbie - your place is incredible... click on the link above to find out all about it.

The diving !

coming tomorrow ......

Timmmy, you set a standard for us all for trip reports. Outstanding! More! More! More!

Oh Timmy - welcome home & thanks for the start of a great trip report I can taste the mixed grill Loved all your banners

Wonderful report so far. Can't wait for the rest!!!

This is great! More, More, More....

Great report! So happy you enjoyed staying at my place on Bonaire. Love the pics, banners and glad you got a chance to go to Lion's Den! It is always a must do when I am on island.

glad you guys had a good time... thanks for sharing..scott

I've been mainly lurking, but I've been loving watching you all enjoying Bonaire the last couple of weeks. It looks and sounds like you had a great time, thanks for a great first part of your trip report!

Timmy, Sounds like you guys had a great time! Your report is even better. Thank you for taking the time to post... I'm ready to go back NOW!

Great report Timmy, thanks for sharing it with us. We REALLY enjoyed our daily "peeks" at your guys on island; made our day fer sure

Can't wait for more of your report......

Kobi

Excellent report. Thanks so much.

timmy, great trip report so far, can't wait for the rest!

OK, in all my trips, I had no idea Cap Don's had creme brulee. I'm not a desert person, but creme brulee is my favorite...gonna have to try it next time!

I also miss that big lug Grendel...glad Patrick gave her a big BT hug for us

Since bonaire is all about the diving and EATING...looks like you got the eating part down! Great choices and wonderful report

also loved all the cam signs...I think BT cam signers need a little infusion, and you did the trick!

YAY Timmmmmy! Thanks for posting the pics and trip report! Looks like you had an absolute BLAST!!

Excellent report. Looks like a great time was had by all! Start planning the next one!

Timmmy, great report and pic's, thanks.
Favorite dive sites tomorrow???

Timmy, feels like we were there also! Glad to follow all your adventures! Looking forward to the underwater pictures also!

The Diving

Thursday – After a couple of really good mugs of Sumatra and some cold cuts and cheese we are off to sign up for our dive package at Dive Friends Bonaire at the Port Bonaire Shop. Got our Stinapa National Marine Park Admission Tag and then drove over to Yellow Sub and did our weight check and a 40 minute dive out in front at the drop off. Lots of eels and an eagle ray feeding in the sand.

Friday – Up early – Good coffee and a light breakfast and we are off to Eden Beach to meet Jake, Seb and Mare to replace the wreck cam cable. We run the new cable under the pier around the piling & Jake and I swim the cable down to Willy and unplug the old and plug in the new. Seb and Mare are working their way down snipping the old zip ties off and bagging them and Jake is tie wrapping the new one to the five lb. weights up the same route. After giving the lens a good scrapping with my fingernail I coiled the old cable and swim it up to the pier and begin to remove the ties underneath the pier. Jake attaches the dry end into the junction box, flips the switch and we are back on live after being down for quite some time. Patrick and Angela helped on the surface and under the dock.

Saturday - Pat, Angela and I did "Hands Off" & "Forest" off of Klein

Sunday - We did South Bay and Munks Haven off of Klein today ( Tara and Guys first dive with us).

Monday - We did drift dives over 6 sites on Klein today... "Capt. Dons reef to hands off" & "Piedra Kolet" way past "Just a nice Dive" – Lots of turtles and the swimming iguana seen above.

Tuesday - Today is our snorkeling day with Renee. She’s nice and it’s great for newbie’s but if you’re already a diver make a beach or boat dive instead. She did find us a seahorse and I finned around with a school of bonefish that were in the 8 to 10 lb. class around Eden Beach.

Wednesday - We did "Forest" with the sharks (5) and "Sharon's Serenity" to Mi Dushi off of Klein then Salt pier after lunch!

Best 3 dive dives of the trip...

Thursday - Flying out tomorrow – no diving today –Shopping downtown – packing & Sunset snorkel with Angela off lighthouse point.

here they come...

(Message edited by muddysoapfish on September 23, 2007)

Patrick tells me I got Monday's and Tuesday's dinners crossed - Gibi's was Tuesday.

Link to shark photo's

We'll let the dinner cross up slide....LOL.

These are dam fine pictures! Love them ALL and love the fact that you let us share in your trip to Bonaire

Thanks again.....

Kobi

We'll let the dinner cross up slide....LOL.

These are dam fine pictures! Love them ALL and love the fact that you let us share in your trip to Bonaire

Thanks again.....

Kobi

Oops sorry for the dup post

Kobi

Damn Timmmy, you the man with the strobe.

Awesome report and photos Timmmmy! I love that head shot of the goldentailed moray . Thanks for letting us live vicariously thorough you via the webcams and your on island reporting.

TOM - DON'T LOOK... there are eel pictures! LOL

Beautiful!

And I just noticed those are "fish" you made up in the title I'm slow....
><{{{{{{*>

Very cool

Just outstanding!

Thanks for the ongoing awesome trip report and great pictures!!!

Timmmmy, most excellent pictures and report. We will need more of both to get 5 stars. The Tarpon and turtle shots are great.

A couple of comments on the pictures (for future trips), you could use a little more depth of field on the close ups. You could also shift your colors a bit underwater and increase the saturation. The above water shots have much better color than UW. I also believe all digital shots need more sharpness. YMMV.

For others that have no idea what I'm talking about refer here.

Wow Cecil....you know your UW photo sh*t fer sure. I am OVERLY impressed.

I'm a lazy shooter and don't really know what I'm doing nor do I care most of the time My editing skills stink to say the least as well. In all the 16 trips in 14 years to BON I really haven't done much in the way of UW editing. Can I just send you my stuff and you fix it and send it back!?!?

Thanks for the link you posted. I will make me motivated; I hope.

Kobi

our sunset snorkel

Wow! Thank you so much for posting!!!!
And now I have a raging case of PBD!!!

Great report and I LOVE your pictures. All the talk about food has made me hungry. Thanks for sharing your Bonaire trip with us!

Nice report Timmmy! Was a hoot watching you folks on Bonaire also

EELS, I DON'T SEE NO STEENKING EELS!!

Timmy - you got some beautiful pics there! Gotta love that swimming iguana
Thanks for sharing
What program do you use for the borders? I really like that look

Hi Judy - I use Jasc Paintshop Pro for the borders...

well that one has DOF and sharpness

That is a great picture above!!! I think it's got Pegi's name all over it with a brush!!!


Kobi

I don't know Bob, it does have the DOF but could always use more sharpness. Sharpen till you artifact is my rule, but then I voted for Nixon.

Oh, Kobi, I think it has TIMMMY's name all over it.... But that IS a Gorgeous photo!!!

cecil,

i did stumble across both a sharpen landscape and a sharpen portrait profile in my newer cut of adobe lightroom - selecting those profiles does make a pretty big difference...FYI

Let's compare recent sunsets!




Eric

No way am I comparing to Timmmy
Great report and even better getting to hang with you and Angela (she is the BOMB, by the way!!). We truly can't wait to meet up with you two again... perhaps in Tennessee at your new venture. Whatever Angela is cooking... I'm eating - no biscuits and gravy, brother Patrick, all good food Heck I'll even try fish!!

Thank you both so much for your friendship and good times while on island - and the fact that you've already written the first half of my trip report!!!
See you in the funny pages !!!!
Until then (and until I get through our pictures more...) here is our first dive with Timmmy

T & G

GREAT report!

Tara - We love you guys too.