Beguiling Bonaire
A small island in the Leeward Antilles in the Caribbean
Sea is where Coosa Middle School Literacy Coach Shannon
Pollitz chose for her latest travel destination. It didn’t
disappoint.
Bonaire is a special municipality of The Netherlands and
is part of the ABC islands of Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao off
the cost of Venezuela.
The islands have an arid climate that attracts visitors
seeking warm, sunny weather all year round.
Bonaire is a popular snorkeling and scuba diving destination
because of its multiple shore diving sites and easy access to
the island’s fringing reefs.
“We spent 7 days in Bonaire and stayed at the Bellafonte
which had a pier with steps that we could just walk down and
scuba from straight from there,” Pollitz said. “We did night
diving one night, but the giant tarpon were a little scary.”
Her travel companion, Nate, is an avid diver and has
always wanted to visit Bonaire.
“Accept that this isn’t a ‘resort’ island,” she said. This
is a desert-climate island where the majority of people are
there to dive and snorkel. If you want an island with white
sandy beaches and people to cater to your every need, try
somewhere else. This is a place for people who like adventure
and the outdoors.”
There are some SUPER nice hotels and dive resorts on the
island, but most people are there for the experience of the
marine life.”
She recommends taking time to experience the local towns
(Kralendijk is the main one and Rincon is the smaller one
farther north) and culture. Know that people speak English,
but the road signs and street names are Dutch.
“Take time to explore all sides of the island,” she said. “It
looks very different from different locations. And watch as
many sunsets as you can.”
Shannon Pollitz’ astrophotography
at a dive site
in Bonaire called “White
Slave.” These slave huts
were built in 1850 for the
slaves who helped extract
the salt from the ocean.
Story by Severo Avila
Photos by Shannon Pollitz