Imagine after months of planning and years of dreaming that you have finally arrived at a small uninhabited cay off the coast of Bonaire. If you’re not sure where Bonaire is, then it’s in the Caribbean. In fact it is part of the Netherlands Antilles, and is famous for its underwater coral reef forests.

A final equipment check and parting words from the boat’s captain are all that’s left before embarking on an unforgettable snorkeling adventure. Beneath the crystal clear waters awaits a show like no other in the marine world. Huge schools of tropical fish of every shape, size and color imaginable swim alongside sea turtles and dolphins in and around the most impressive coral and sponge gardens in the Caribbean.

Located 80 km north of Venezuela and south of the hurricane belt, the waters surrounding this small boomerang-shaped island have been designated a marine park since 1979. Here, deep ocean currents bring nutrient-rich water to the surface. , nurturing magnificent reef communities. . These same currents bring minimal rainfall to Bonaire, which in turn reduces surface runoff to create the clearest waters imaginable.

Once underwater, you immediately hear the continuous grinding of parrotfish grazing on the algae that grows on top of the coral heads. Within seconds, a dazzling spectrum of reef fish emerge from their hiding place in the delicate soft and hard corals. Schools of brightly colored butterfly fish, angle fish and damselfish swim in and out of crevices and among colonies of elkhorn and staghorn corals. Several feet below, purple gorgonians and tentacled anemones sway from side to side as the swift current pushes you along.

He takes a deep breath through his snorkel and dives to the bottom of the sea, peering into nooks and crannies to spy on fish, surgeonfish and other fish. You see the slender body of a trunk fish carefully hidden among the branches of the sea reeds, patiently waiting for its prey to drift past. A moray eel emerges from hiding, warning you not to get too close, while a triangular-shaped boxfish hovers nearby.

Before you know it, the captain signals that it’s time to get back on board. As he prepares to board the boat, he takes one last look around the underworld just in time to see two passing hawksbills.

Bonaire is truly a scuba enthusiast’s paradise, but there is plenty to see and do for the amateur diver.