Bonaire

Bonaire, Caribbean Netherlands

Bonaire Overview Shy pink flamingoes, gentle sad-eyed donkeys and elusive sea horses all share  something quite rare in today's world. They flourish on or around Bonaire,  one of the ABC isles (Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao) deep in the Southern  Caribbean. Each lives in sanctuaries set up by island residents who boast  an awareness and level of conservation that few countries can match. Though ecotourism is one of the latest buzzwords in the travel world, Bonaire,  just 50 miles off the coast of Venezuela, was a world leader in the field of  ecology long before the term was even coined. The isle's greatest claim  to fame is proudly touted on its license plates -- "Diver's Paradise."  This is no tourist-bureau puffery, although many believe that the  license plates should read "Nature Lovers' Paradise." Beyond the diving  and snorkeling, there's windsurfing, kayaking, bird watching,  kite boarding, fishing, mountain biking and horseback riding. Many Caribbean islands brag about their underwater worlds, but Bonaire has set  the standard by which everywhere else in the world is measured -- it led the way by  protecting sea turtles back in 1961, banning spear-fishing in 1971, making it illega l to remove live coral in 1975 and establishing the first marine park in 1979. It also  helps that the island is outside the traditional hurricane zone and is a desert island  with no river runoff into the sea. It has been called "Arizona by the Sea" for its climate and abundance of cacti. There  is no rainy season and temperatures are consistently pleasant with lows in the 70's  and highs in the 80's. Unlike its better-known neighbors, Aruba and Curacao, this  isle of 14,000 residents is quiet and laid-back. There are no flashy Las Vegas-type  casinos as in Aruba or a showy pastel-colored capital city as in Curacao. The first recorded Bonaire scuba diving began back in 1962 when Don Stewart,  a would-be California actor, dropped anchor on this small, arid boomerang of an  island. Considered the father of Bonaire diving, he was the first to use fixed moorings to prevent coral damage and helped set up the Caribbean's first island-wide  underwater park. He has received numerous international awards for his  conservation efforts. The park is a United Nations Environmental Program Model Marine Protected Area. "By the mid 70's I developed the belief that divers are entitled to unrestricted use  of the world's seas for pleasure, knowledge and economic advantage, but must  leave no mark," Stewart said. "I like to think of Bonaire as the universal center of  reef ecology. We're like Greenwich, England: small and unknown, but everyone is  setting their watches by us."