Clearing Fog, Long Island's North Shore... 

Off Season Reflections... 

Afternoon Shadows...
Islip Grange, Sayville, NY

Final approach, Flamingo International via Divi Divi Air..... 

Local Boats, Bonaire, NA... 

Photo Friday Entry: "VANITY"

" YES, That is Me... " she said.
Donna from Donna and Giorgio's Restaurant...

Keeping an eye on those gauges...
Important information to know: PSI, depth and bottom time.

Windmills, Bonaire...
Dutch technology on an island with strong ties to Holland.

Lighthouse, Bonaire, NA 

Banded Coral Shrimp...
A cleaner shrimp, the Banded Coral Shrimp advertises it's services on the reef. Fish, large and small will use the cleaner shrimp to rid themselves of food debris and parasites in a form of marine flossing. Fish will remain very still with gills flared during the cleaning. The banded Coral shrimp, although only about an inch and a half in length, is easy to spot. The long whisker-like antenae and the red bans are readily visible to divers.

The Bonaire shoreline has very few beaches. This small sandy beach is at Loc Bay, a popular windsurfing area. 

A Goldentail Moray emerges from from the coral... 

Caribbean Mantis Shrimp...
What is that?...After years of diving I saw, for the first time, alarm on the dive master's face. This is a shot of a Mantis Shrimp in it's sand burrow. Having never seen one before I was unaware that they are aggressive with a nasty temperament and that they are capable of inflicting serious injury. "Split Thumb" is a hazard to divers who get too close as this animal uses it's hammer like claws with incredible speed and force. In captivity some species can break aquarium glass. Caribbean Mantis Shrimp (Stomatopod are not true "shrimp") can grow to 40 cm and have the power to cut a finger or toe deep to the bone. For video clips of this character in action click here for "OceanFootage".

Getting the Shot....
I am learning that underwater photography requires patience, perseverance and occasionally pursuit. This effort was an attempt to capture a large balloonfish as it swam away.

Fish Greetings...
A French Grunt and a Schoolmaster Snapper seem to acknowledge each other as they share their home on the reef.

Bonaire Surf...
The force of the Caribbean sea is evident at Boka Chikiti on Bonaire's Northwest corner. Unlike the diver friendly leeward side of the island, Bonaire's other shoreline has a much more treacherous beauty. This photo was taken inside the National Park.

The photographer captures yet another sunset... 

Sunset over Klien Bonaire... 

Gotto Meer, Bonaire's pristine wild Flamingo preserve... 

Bonaire's wild donkeys...
Donkey decendants from Bonaire's argicultural past have become free and wild animals. The Donkey Sanctuary in Bonaire has been rescuing this population from explotation and starvation.

Blue Parrotfish and Ramora......Blue Parrotfish are quite large ( from 2 to 3 feet in length) the Ramora is known for always looking for a "free"meal from larger fish.

Bonaire locals enjoying the beach and each other....! 

Flamingo Flight.... 

The Elusive Seahorse... 

Red Slave...
This historical section of Bonaire is referred to as Red Slave. The slave huts here are named for the navigation marker that guided ships to the salt docks years ago. The salt evaporation pans can be seen in the background of this shot.