Showing posts with label windsurfing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label windsurfing. Show all posts

Saturday, February 06, 2010

windsurfing on Lac Bay

windsurfing on Lac Bay, originally uploaded by Alida's Photos.
~~~
No, This is not Long Island, although people do windsurf on Long Island.
No, this is my favorite caribbean getaway- Bonaire. One of the ABC islands of the Netherlands Antilles.
My husband and I scuba dive and this is one of the top rated destinations for scuba.... and snorkeling, windsurfing.
What makes this island so wonderful for these water activities?
There are many reasons!
The weather is arid and warm year round.
The ABC islands are out of the hurricane belt.
The water temperatures are about 80-85 degrees F with little or no current.
The reef is close to shore so divers and snorkelers don't need to take long boat rides to reach their destinations.
(In fact, Bonaire is rated as the premier destination for "shore diving!")
The island is very European with Dutch influence, (currently voting on a referendum to be part of Holland again).
Most people speak 4 or 5 languages with Dutch as the official language. English, German, Spanish and the native language of Papiamentu is also spoken by most locals.
The restaurants are world class, with great food, good variety and great wines, unlike many caribbean islands.
And.......
Well, I can go on and on but I think you get the idea.
Great weather, great people, good food, easy access to water sports.
Every few years my husband and I scuba somewhere else, but we always return to Bonaire!
~~~

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Lac Bay, Bonaire


Lac Bay, Bonaire, originally uploaded by Alida's Photos.

Great fun watching the windsurfers in Lac Bay. The area is on the windy side of the island, but the water is protected by the reef. So they have the wind but no waves.


Still no Photoshop, not until I get home. This is from the Canon G9 in its underwater housing.

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

More of Bonaire, the Netherlands Antilles

"Red" slave hut near the salt flats, with the lighthouse in the distance....
~~~~~

A young couple ride a rented scooter by the saltflat pans with a navigational marker and the "red" slave huts in the distance....

~~~~~

A young girl, about 8 or 9 years old, learns to windsurf at Lac Bay.

Bonaire is known for being a great place to learn windsurfing due to the mild, consistent winds and the shallow waters of Lac Bay.

~~~~~

It's beautiful year round and isn't in the path of the hurricanes.
Salt is a major export, still,
...and tourism is a major industry here with scuba diving as the main attraction.
I love Bonaire and have been here many times!
~~~~~~~~~~