Klein Bonaire is an uninhabited island sitting just a mile away from Bonaire. We popped over there to spend the day hanging out on the beach and making a dive. Unfortunately, the wind had other plans. We were there for a couple hours as the wind built steadily up to thirty knots or so. We eventually came to the realization that a relaxing lunch and dive, while sitting on a mooring just twenty feet from shallow water, just wasn’t in the cards this day.
We don’t do anything special on anniversaries, but we celebrated our 24th on this day. It’s hard to wrap our heads around the fact that we started dating thirty-one years ago now.
Sitting here on a deserted island, watching our kids play in the water, with our home floating right next to them, it was impossible not to reflect on a life well spent. I’ve never liked the word lucky, because it implies total randomness, and gives no credit for the choices that helped you arrive at your good fortune. But man, there’s really no other word to describe how I feel in moments like this. I love that Ali and I started out as little more than kids, navigated school, work, and boat’s together, and have somehow landed in Bonaire all these years later navigating parenthood. Even better, somehow, it still feels like just the beginning. For all of that, I’ll admit, I’m a lucky guy.
When the wind chased us off of Klein, we moved back to a nice protected dive spot off of Bonaire.
Every time I look at the kids I find them swimming some weird way. Whether it’s “flying” like in this picture, or upside down watching bubbles rise up, they are just busy enjoying the weightlessness of life underwater.
I was swimming behind Lowe when I saw him hit the brakes and backpedal quickly. I knew immediately he must have spotted something big. I looked ahead, and sure enough, this guy was headed right for us. All six feet of him swam past just underneath us.
Ouest piggy-backing a ride on Lowe.
Returning to the boat after another nice Bonaire dive. From here we put the engines in idle and spent an hour moseying right along the coast back to our mooring in town. Despite the day’s wind, it was a pretty much perfect day.
26 Comments on “A Klein Bonaire Anniversary”
Love the pictures….Trying to talk our son and family to go diving in Bonaire…Showed them you pictures….They are talking about Roatan…Have you every been around that area to dive? Thanks, Marilyn
Hi Marilyn, We had wanted to get the kids into scuba in Honduras Bay of Islands in Utila – but Lowe was only 8 at the time. I’m sure it would be fabulous in Roatan as well.
Congratulations! Still happy together after all those years! 🙂 Wonderful!
Maybe a combo of luck & well made choices? Many would like to live your life but too afraid to dare-good for youse!
Love the photos, as always! We went to Bonaire in 2001, boat trip to Klein Bonaire was fantastic, we only snorkeled in those days but I vividly recall the drop-off! Such beauty under the sea-great that your kids get to experience it. Have fun!
Hi Gail, I agree, definitely luck and choices.
Yup, daily snorkeling right off the boat. Doesn’t get better than that!
What is that creature that Lowe saw and you photographed?
That’s a green moray eel. They get to be about 6-7′ long, and here in Bonaire they all seem to be right up there near the max. Most of the time when we find them they will be tucked into a hole with just their heads sticking out, so it’s always exciting when we see them out swimming around.
Happy 24th! My wife and I only have you by 34 years, we hit the 58th this past feb. It looks like you got the swim platform fixed based on the picture with the gear siting on it. I like to think that we make our own good luck by making smart choices. You all seem to have done that. Robbie
Well HaPpY 58! Awesome!
Nope, swim platform still breaking/weak – trying to be nice to it until Aruba or Colombia to have it fixed.
Happy Anniversary! Best of luck for the future!
Thanks, Pat!
Looks like a great day.
Well, we could have done without the 30knot gusts and waves. 😉
A few boating questions:
-What do you recommend in terms of reading in preparation to cruise the Caribbean ? Is there a gold standard to learn or to carry onboard? Cruising bible….
– What navigation equipment do you use on board?
– What happens if you leave and and someone takes your mooring ball or can you reserve it?
Please let me know if these are addressed elsewhere in the blog and I will search. You guys are amazing!
Thanks
I suppose the Doyle guides are pretty decent for the Caribbean. I don’t personally have anything onboard for the Caribbean that I think is really good, or a necessity. In fact, if you ask me, everyone does entirely too much preparation these days. By the time you get to a place you feel like you’ve already been there. People have opinions about places they’ve never even been simply because they’ve read what some other cruisers said.
Only nav equipment we have is an iPad with Navionics charts.
When you leave a Bonaire mooring for an afternoon you just tie a fender to the mooring line and everyone knows that means you’ll be back.
On the Ipad do you have to have the model with GPS or do you just hook up to wifi and download the map for the area you are going to be in and it will still work? I don’t personally have Navionics and have not used it.
Thanks
Our iPad has cellular, which I believe increases the accuracy of the GPS, but regular iPads have GPS as well. Yes, the maps are downloaded ahead of time. You can download the entire Caribbean at one time easily. You don’t have to be online in any way for it to work.
Congratulations to the team Bumfuzzle.
Like that, team indeed!
Happy Anniversary!
Thank you!
Happy anniversary. We celebrated our 42nd last month in the midst of cancer treatment. Luckily it is multiple myeloma and I go through this about every 5 years. Our kids are all grown and married and out middle ones are living with us with two of our grand kids. They are so much fun. We have enjoyed watching your kids grow up and look forward as they will eventually begin making their own journeys.
Congrats to you as well, Ron. Nice to be able to enjoy your kids and grandkids, it goes by so fast.
Oh and thanks for bringing up their “own journeys,” we aren’t ready yet! 9 and 11 has to be young for all that. 😉
Hi pat and Ali,
I have enjoyed reading all your adventures and I must say you guy’s are awesome! When I heard year’s ago you all were going out in to this world on all these adventures I thought are you guys crazy lol. But you can clearly see you guys have mastered it all. Wow,your kids are so big.you all have so much to be proud of that’s for sure.well anyways I just wanted to reach out to you guys and say hello and PLEASE always be safe.continue to enjoy your adventures with your kids. Take care. Mark Dion
Aww, thanks Mark. I could have also said, I thought we were crazy. 🙂
When I think back at all these years and all these adventures – they were never planned out for us, we just kind of changed when we were ready to change them. And that to me is amazing. As Americans, we are so programmed to do this, this, and this – in that order. Growing up in Minnesota, it was especially true. Pure craziness that we are now in Aruba with our two kids! Uffda!
Pat if you leave your mooring for the day, what keeps another boat from taking it?
Manners. 🙂 When you leave you just tie a fender off to the mooring. Everyone will know that mooring ball is taken and has someone coming back to it.