DFB Gossip – comings & goings
Summertime salutations to all of our Dive Friends across the world! Typically, this season sees a slowdown in operations but Dive Friends continues to be busy with courses and diving. In fact, we’ve been having a ‘whale shark of a time’! Expansion has been the trend over the past couple of months down here on Bonaire, and we’re excited to share the progress with you!
We’re are pleased to announce the highlight of our summer has been the Grand Opening of our 6th location Dive Friends @ Courtyard by Marriot (check out the blog below for more details!). In addition to opening our newest location, the team has been busy sprucing up all of our other locations as well. In particular, the renovations at our Dive Friends @ Dive Inn location have come along swiftly and the revamp is looking great. Stop by to say hi to the Dive Inn crew and check out the new look. The expansion does not stop there: stay tuned for updates on the opening of our 7th location this fall!
To keep up with our expansion, we’ve seen an increase to the Dive Friends staff. We’d like to welcome new staff members Cary, Steve, Martijn, Jethro, Tim and Caitlin to the friendship circle. Jack and Sarah have also joined the staff after completing their Divemaster programs with us. Furthermore, we’d like to wish them luck as they will both be taking part in the PADI Instructor Development Course in August here on Bonaire!
OK, back to the ‘Whale Shark of a Time,’ comment… Whale shark? Oh really? Yup! During one of our two-tank morning boat trips, our divers were delighted to see a whale shark cruise by at the dive site Small Wall. You can see the proof here! Next time you’re diving along, don’t forget to keep one eye on the blue.
And what about the other eye? Many of us thoroughly enjoy seeing all the activity on the reefs while we look out for fish and other critters. However, many divers often neglect the building block of the entire underwater realm: the coral! Without the coral reefs, our dives would be rather boring. Click below to read Zara’s blog post all about corals. In addition to learning more about corals, you can take additional specialty courses to help enhance your experience underwater such as: Underwater Naturalist Specialty and Fish ID Specialty. These courses will give you a new appreciation for the marine ecology of Bonaire! Not only will you learn more about the names of the various fish, creatures and corals that you see on each dive, you will also learn how they interact with each other and why they behave the way that they do. Your dives will never be the same!
On July 15th, the diving community celebrated PADI Women’s Dive Day. At Dive Friends, we used this as an opportunity to celebrate female divers and female environmental activists for the entire month of July. In a series of short articles on our blog we interviewed several local women on Bonaire who have been important for the diving community as well as protection of the marine environment. On top of that, our showcase event was an all-female afternoon boat trip to remove lionfish from the reef! We gathered many of the fierce lady lionfish huntresses of Bonaire and it was a fun dive for all (although not so much for the lionfish!). Read more below for a great mix of passion and science!
And don’t forget to help clean-up and protect the reef! The next Dive Friends Bonaire Quarterly Underwater Clean-up Dive is scheduled for Saturday, October 7th, 2017. Of course, if you won’t be here then, you can always help us to clean-up our coast line and receive a free drink for your effort as part of the Debris Free Bonaire program. This is a great activity for your last day when you can’t dive before your flight. Read more here http://www.debrisfreebonaire.com/
Don’t forget your DIN adaptor!
To streamline our operations and offer our guests a more efficient service, we have converted our entire recreational diving fleet of tanks to INT connection valves.
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Courtyard by Marriott Grand Opening
On Friday, July 21, 2017, Dive Friends Bonaire and the Courtyard by Marriott celebrated the official grand opening of our newest location – DFB @Courtyard by Marriott.
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South Pier Clean-Up July 2017
An uplifting dive for all! On Saturday, July 8th, we gathered a huge group of divers and cleaned up under the South Pier during our quarterly underwater clean-up.
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What is Coral?
What is coral? Many snorkelers and divers on Bonaire may already know the answer to this question but not everyone is aware of what coral actually is.
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Empowered Women: Influential women in the diving industry
Within minutes of sitting down with Erin Quigley, I am compelled by her words and completely engaged. She exudes inspiration, excitement and passion.
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An interview with Ellen Muller: Good things come to those who wait
Take one look at Ellen Muller’s website and instantly your jaw will drop from the beautiful images displayed on the screen.
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Education, Inspiration, Change. What is the formula?
Caren arrives at the Dive Friends Yellow Submarine location straight from a dive, she’s beaming with that after dive glow. READ MORE
Protect and Preserve: A natural history of Bonaire
Christie Dovale spent family vacations visiting Bonaire from her birthplace on Curacao. It was like a home away from home for her.
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It’s all about feeling a connection to the underwater world.
An interview with Dee Scarr.
I meet Dee Scarr at the Dive Friends Bonaire Hamlet Oasis location, where she pulls up with a pick-up truck bed full of trash!
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